Despite their long history, little can be said with any certainty of the Qaathi - a
people now gone from the world save for a remnant in Qarth.
What is known is that Qaathi arose in the grasslands, and came into conflict with Sarnori.
Since they kept losing wars with the Tall Men of Sarnor, they began to drift farther
south, creating new city states on their way.
Their farthest city was founded on the coast of the Summer Sea.
Through time the northern lands of the Qaathi turned into the red waste, however, and their
civilization declined.
The Qaathi were on their way to collapse, when the Doom struck, but what could have
become their opportunity for the expanse of their power because of the chaos that arose
on the continent, became their worst nightmare when the Dothraki attacked, destroying all
the remaining Qaathi cities save for Qarth itself.
Qarth remained untouched mostly because of its famous three walls of thirty, forty, and
fifty feet in height, respectively engraved with portraits of animals, war, and lovemaking.
The triple walls of Qarth is one of the nine wonders made by man according to the famous
traveler Lomas Longstrider.
Qaathi were on the brink of the extinction, yet, in a way, the destruction that Dothraki
brought with them led to a resurgence of Qaathi.
Forced to look to the sea, the Pureborn who ruled Qarth swiftly constructed a fleet and
took control of the Jade Gates, the strait between Qarth and Great Moraq.
With the Valyrian fleet destroyed and Volantis focused on conquering the Free Cities of western
Essos, no one opposed the Qartheen as they established their control over the most direct
route between west and east, thus gaining immense wealth on both trade and levied tolls.
Qartheen are a tall and pale people, called Milk Men by the Dothraki for their complexion.
They did not rebuild their destroyed cities through time.
Instead, they began to call those ruins by their Dothraki names: Vaes Orvik, City of
the Whip, Vaes Qosar, City of Spiders, and Vaes Shirosi, City of Scorpions.
While Qarth depends upon its slaves, khalasars never cross the Red Waste to sell their slaves
at Qarth.
The Qartheen do not want them to do so, either.
The Qartheen have been known to bar entry to the city to those who do not meet their
approval.
Due to Qarth's isolation behind the Red Waste, being denied entry will often spell doom for
travelers, and their bones can be found extending around its walls.
This area is sometimes called the "Garden of Bones".
Qarth is a city of merchants and because of its location it began to be seen as a gateway
of commerce and culture between the east and west, and the north and south.
From Qarth, four main travel routes originate.
The western route leads to the city Qarkash, also controlled by the Qartheens.
Though Port Yhos is not linked to the road, it is also under the control of Qarth.
The northwestern route leads to Vaes Qosar . While the eastern road leads to Asabhad,
controlled by the Great Fathers of once notorious Patrimony of Hyrkoon.
The fourth route, the Sand Road, leads through the southern Bone Mountains, eventually passing
Bayasabhad, also controlled by the Great Fathers, leading to the market city Tiqui, belonging
to Yi Ti.
Qal island is under control of the Qartheen and is fortified on both ends with their harbor
cities.
Qarth's port is one of the greatest in the world.
Shaped like an enormous horseshoe, the harbor extends for several miles and is packed with
activity.
Numerous brothels.
gaming dens, warehouses and winesinks line the streets, along with temples devoted to
exotic gods.
The whole area functions as a massive marketplace, where goods can be purchased for a fraction
of what they would cost at a bazaar in the city itself for as long as the buyer asks
no questions about the item's origin.
The various trade guilds of Qarth each have their areas of the harbor.
The far end of it is where ships from Westeros, the Summer Islands and the Free Cities are
permitted to land.
Trade goods from Qarth include saffron, dreamwine and liquor, silk, spices, and elephants.
Qartheen spice ships can be as big as palaces and can travel as far as Braavos to trade.
Back in the days of rule of Jaehaerys First in Seven Kingdoms, in the last of his nine
voyages aboard the Sea Snake, Corlys Velaryon brought a shipload of gold to Qarth, where
he purchased twenty more ships.
Filled with spices, elephants, and silk, most of the ships returned to Westeros.
Corlys thus became for a while the wealthiest men in the Seven Kingdoms.
Qartheen adventurers search for gold, gems, and ivory along the eastern coasts of Sothoryos,
hungry to make a profit.
However, they have never been able to reach the southern end of Sothoryos, or just considered
it to be too dangerous, after evaluating the risks of such journey.
Qarth's buildings are painted in rich shades of rose, umber, and violet, and seem to shimmer
as if in a dream.
Fountains carved in the shape of fantastic beasts can be seen in every open square.
There is a great covered passage where the heroes of the city stand atop columns of green
and white marble.
A cavernous building is home to a bazaar.
A thousand gaily colored birds live on the ceiling of the building, and on the terraced
walls above stalls, bloom trees and flowers beyond count.
Other locations in Qarth include the Temple of Memory, where traditional sacrifices are
made, the Garden of Gehane, and Warlock's Way, a street, where houses have no windows.
Status is quite important among the Qartheen, and they tend to be very concerned about appearances.
Qartheen women wear gowns which leave one breast exposed and sometimes dye their hair
to appear more exotic.
Meanwhile, men favor beaded silk skirts and vests which are covered in extravagant gold
tracing and jewelry on the front.
Both men and women decorate their clothing with gold pieces shaped like insects and encrusted
with jewels.
Qartheen seat themselves on cushions on the floor, and wealthier citizens sometimes decorate
their noses with jewels.
Warriors of Qarth wear scaled, copper armor and snouted-helms with copper tusks and long,
black silk plumes.
Camel riders sit high on saddles inlaid with rubies and garnets.
Their camels are dressed in blankets of a hundred different hues.
Children might go about naked, wearing only golden sandals and body paint.
Qartheen men and women retain their possessions after marriage.
However, there is a marriage custom where, on the day of the wedding, the groom may ask
for any one item from his bride's possessions and the bride may ask for any one item of
the groom's possessions.
Whatever is asked by either cannot be denied.
This is seen as a gift of devotion by the bride and groom to each other.
Qartheen men are known to weep in times of strong emotion, as it is considered to be
a mark of civilization, and Qartheen politeness goes as far as having the assassins known
as the Sorrowful Men say "I'm so sorry" to their victim before killing them.
Qarth is nominally ruled by the Pureborn, who are seated in the Hall of a Thousand Thrones.
They deal with all matters of civic importance, commanding the Civic Guard and the fleet of
ornate war galleys which rule the straits between the seas.
However, the powerful guilds of the Thirteen, the Tourmaline Brotherhood, and the Ancient
Guild of Spicers all contend endlessly with the Pureborn.
Meanwhile, the warlocks of Qarth broom over them all.
The Pureborn, also known as the Enthroned, are descendants of the Qarth's ancient kings
and queens.
They are calculating and are known for offering poisoned wine to those they consider dangerous,
and their greed is equally well-known.
To receive an audience with the Pureborn, a petitioner should make a traditional sacrifice
in the Temple of Memory, offer a traditional bribe to the Keeper of the Long List, and
send a traditional persimmon to the Opener of the Door.
If all goes well, the petitioner will be sent a pair of blue slippers, signifying the granting
of an audience in the Hall of a Thousand Thrones.
The Pureborn are enthroned on great wooden chairs of their ancestors.
The unique chairs are immense, fantastically carved, bright with gold work, and studded
with various precious stones, as each Pureborn wants his chair to be the most fabulous.
Warlocks are magic practitioners of Essos.
Their center of power is the House of the Undying, home to the Undying Ones of Qarth,
also known as the Palace of Dust, a long and low building without towers or windows, coiling
like a stone serpent through a grove of black-barked trees.
The buildings roof is made of black tiles, of which many are fallen or broken.
The warlocks of Qarth are feared and respected throughout the East, and are also well represented
in Asshai by the Shadow.
Yet, the warlocks' power and prestige have waned over the years.
Most warlocks have blue lips from drinking shade of the evening.
It is made from the inky blue leaves that grow on the black-barked trees found around
the House of the Undying.
It has an unappetizing smell and initial taste, having been compared to ink, spoiled meat,
and rotten flesh, but upon swallowing tastes like all things its imbiber has ever tasted,
and more.
House of the Undying houses the Undying Ones, also known as the Undying of Qarth, the most
mysterious of all warlocks.
A saying in Qarth is "A warlock's house is built of bones and lies."
The Undying Ones are the conclave of ancient warlocks of Qarth and the elite of their order.
They dwell in a chamber somewhere deep within the House of the Undying.
The Qartheen like to call their city "the Greatest City that Ever Was or Will Be".
An easy claim to make if one knows only the docks and custom houses of other cities.
There are many islands south of Qarth, in the waters of the Summer Sea, that are linked
with Qarth through trade, but are not controlled by the Qartheen.
Great Moraq is the largest island in the known world.
Because of the prevailing winds, the eastern shore of Great Moraq is lightly settled and
rarely visited.
The northern half of Great Moraq is a mixture of plains, hills, and small forests, while
the southern half of the island is densely forested.
The city of Faros is situated at the mouth of a river on the northern stretch of its
western coast.
The inhabitants of Faros worship the Stone Cow.
There is a saying among the Qartheen: "It is easier to milk the Stone Cow of Faros than
to wring gold from the Pureborn."
At the southern point of Great Moraq is the city of Port Moraq.
Vahar is a city on an island of the same name that has become wealthy from the spice trade.
The Isle of Whips is a small, isolated island in the Jade Sea, largely barren and named
for its role as a way station for slavers.
The city of Zabhad is located on the northern shore of the Isle of Elephants and is the
only known settlement on the island.
According to records set down by Corlys Velaryon in his letters, the Isle of Elephants is ruled
by a shan, who rules from a palace made of ivory.
The Qartheen do enjoy their elaborated appearances; however, it is not only a matter of status
among the Qartheen, but also of survival: showing off is a sign of strength among descendants
of Qaathi, and as long as they can appear wealthy before the eyes of the other, they
are perceived as powerful as well.
Any failure to keep up appearances and the men is gone.
Deserts make minds see mirages, and Red Waste is a great desert indeed, but one must keep
his vision clear in case he wants to survive in these lands.
Thank You for watching!
See Ya!
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