Master of Coin on the King's Small Council, a man of humble origins who has risen through cunning, charm, and an unsettling readiness to be useful to whoever holds power. Petyr makes no secret of his old, unrequited devotion to Catelyn Tully - a fixation that goes back to their childhood as wards of her father at Riverrun.

The Master of Whisperers, the crown's spymaster. A eunuch from across the Narrow Sea, Varys commands a network of informants that extends into every corner of the known world. His true loyalties and ultimate goals are a mystery.

The Grand Maester serving on the Small Council, an elderly man whose doddering manner conceals sharper loyalties than his chain of office should permit.

Queen of the Seven Kingdoms, wife of Robert Baratheon, and twin sister of Jaime. Beautiful, ambitious, and increasingly paranoid, Cersei harbours secrets that could destroy the realm.

The youngest child of Tywin Lannister, a dwarf despised by his father and loathed by his sister. What Tyrion lacks in physical stature he compensates for with a razor-sharp wit, political cunning, and a voracious appetite for books, wine, and life.

Tywin's younger brother and most reliable lieutenant. Competent, dutiful, and content to serve in his brother's shadow, Kevan is the steady hand that keeps House Lannister's machinery running.

Lord Commander of the Kingsguard and one of the most legendary knights in the history of Westeros. Aged but still formidable, Barristan embodies the knightly ideals that most of his contemporaries merely pretend to uphold.

A former smuggler knighted by Stannis Baratheon for running a shipload of onions through a siege. Davos is Stannis's most trusted advisor precisely because he tells his king what he needs to hear rather than what he wants to hear.