How Did Varys Go Under the Radar?

[Lopsang]

After Tyrion was smuggled out, why was Varys just left to the wayside? Cersei, even, barely glosses over it and instead has more of an obsession with the Tyrells. Just nobody in KL seems to care about Varys. They don't even explore the secret passages in the Tower of the Hand very well - or, at least, don't look around for more elsewhere in King's Landing. Seems weird to me how Varys was able to just slip into complete shadow without anyone really lifting so much as a pinky finger to try to find him.

[Boarsbane]

Lack of good leadership. Tywin is dead and Kevan leaves for a while, and when he returns Varys kills him.

[JonCon's Red Beard]

IICR, Cersei and Jaime have both thought about Varys' involvement. The thing is that Jaime can't look for him because that would get him involved and Cersei simply underestimates Varys.

[Lopsang]

They both thought about it, just very briefly. I can understand Cersei underestimating him - she's a terrible ruler. But still, Mace or Swyft or Pycelle or Rosby or Qyburn or somebody somewhere should have said something.

[Brandon Umber]

He is the master of whispers and a master of disguise, I mean he had been the gaoler for years. I think with his intimate knowledge of hidden ways in and out of the keep, his ability to disguise himself, his network of birds and the sheer size of KL it'd be a pretty monumental task to track him down. I mean Barristan freakin' Selmy managed to grow some stubble, change his clothes and hang out unnoticed.

[John Doe]

I think it's a bit unrealistic that nobody suspected Varys, really.

[Brandon Umber]

I think it's a bit unrealistic that nobody suspected Varys, really.

I don't believe no one suspected him. I just think finding him was damn near impossible and why accuse him outright and look silly for not being able to find him.

[Archmaester Drew]

Cersei virtually gutted the Tower of the Hand looking for Tyrion and Varys, and then burned it down with wildfire -- and Jamie knew Varys was involved with Tyrion's escape because he was involved too! Cersei fumes but can't do anything except appoint Qyburn as the new Master of Whisperers. :)

[sertravisredbeard]

They all knew he had something to do with Tywin's death. They looked for him. However, everyone (Cersei, Jaime, Kevan, Mace, OIenna, and Margaery) were all very familiar with his sneakiness and shenanigans. The assumption was probably that if he didn't want to be found, he wouldn't. Wasting lots of time and manpower on the task must have seemed pointless even for a leader as inept as Cersei.

[Lopsang]

I think it's far from pointless to go looking for a man that has basically wracked the core of Westeros for years and just ran off with one of the highest Lords in Planetos, who also happened to be accused of regicide and kinslaying. I grant that there was an effort to look for him, but the only person that seems knowledgable was Jaime and only because he enlisted Varys's help in freeing his brother. Jaime is not in KL regardless and isn't terribly interested in politics. It doesn't make sense to me that all these people would just basically give up looking for Varys before they even tried. And it's true that Cersei burns down the Tower of the Hand but she doesn't continue looking for secret passages and things that could (and do) exist in the other places of the castle.

[BRANDON GREYSTARK]

To escape the blame , scape a goat .

[brakeb4bend]

in AGOT when arya accidentally hears varys and illyrio, its explained that there are these stairs that they ascend. after they come out from them, they somehow close the door to the stairs, so i guess varys knew a lot of hidden doors and passages that nobody else knew about. also in AGOT and ACOK he appears before ned and tyrion without them recognizing him. So imo its totally credible that varys was able to hide in king's landing.

[Crowford]

Clearly people suspected him. Everyone would know that had the best means to carry out both Tyrion's escape and Tywin's death. Most importantly, he was then gone, so that alone made it clear that he was somehow involved.

But everyone also knew fully well that Varys was about the hardest man to catch in the known world. The main target of the search was not only Tyrion because it's who Cersei focused on, it was also Tyrion because the chance of catching him must have seemed a lot higher. Being a dwarf with no nose is much harder to hide than being a eunuch. Also, I think most people saw Tyrion as the main culprit anyway. Varys had been pretty successful at convincing everybody that he had no agenda of his own for years. When Tyrion, his regicide "proven" in a trial by combat, and Varys were gone, and Tywin had a crossbow bolt in his stomach, most people would assume that Varys was acting on Tyrion's orders.

[Good Guy Garlan]

They both thought about it, just very briefly. I can understand Cersei underestimating him - she's a terrible ruler. But still, Mace or Swyft or Pycelle or Rosby or Qyburn or somebody somewhere should have said something.

Well, none of these people (excepting Pycelle) are what you'd call clever. And by the time some competent guys like Kevan and Randyll showed up to rule they had way too much on their plate to care about a missing eunuch

And let's be real, everyone (and that includes us readers) sort of understimated Varys big time. Yeah, they knew he was a fucking great spymaster, but who could have expected the whole masterstroke with Aegon

[Falcon2908]

Maybe he'd secretly gone with Tyrion to Pentos without Tyrions knowledge. He must've met Illyrio there. Some chit-chat. Then returned to KL To slay Kevan

[Good Guy Garlan]

Maybe he'd secretly gone with Tyrion to Pentos without Tyrions knowledge. He must've met Illyrio there. Some chit-chat. Then returned to KL To slay Kevan

I think he actually went to Dorne, met Darkstar, and arranged the hit on Myrcella

[Mithras]

After Tyrion was smuggled out, why was Varys just left to the wayside? Cersei, even, barely glosses over it and instead has more of an obsession with the Tyrells. Just nobody in KL seems to care about Varys. They don't even explore the secret passages in the Tower of the Hand very well - or, at least, don't look around for more elsewhere in King's Landing. Seems weird to me how Varys was able to just slip into complete shadow without anyone really lifting so much as a pinky finger to try to find him.

1. In the trial, Varys testified against Tyrion.

2. Jaime cannot reveal his involvement with Varys. Jaime knows that Varys had to disappear after the escape of Tyrion because Tywin would hang him at the instant he hears Tyrion's escape.

3. Tysha testified against Tyrion too and her naked corpse was found in Tywin's bed.

4. Tywin was shot by a crossbow, a weapon that can easily be used by a dwarf.

5. Tyrion broke free from his prison at the same night and he was "proven" to be guilty of kingslaying and kinslaying in the eyes of gods and men.

Even with a superficial reasoning, Varys cannot be blamed for Tywin's murder, at least by his own. It may be guessed that Varys helped him but they are missing and Tyrion is the perfect scapegoat.

[Bright Blue Eyes]

Because nobody takes Varys to be a player. Why focus on the catspaw of somebody else? Just hang him if you catch him and be done with it, an eunuch isn't important.

[Equilibrium]

There are no radars in Westeros, that's how :D

[Lopsang]

I think he actually went to Dorne, met Darkstar, and arranged the hit on Myrcella

Does that make sense chronologically? I don't remember, but wasn't the whole Myrcella thing before Tywin died? If not, I think that's a good theory.

Anyway, all of what you guys are saying is true, I just think it odd Cersei or nobody else cared a bit more. Maybe it just shows how inept most of the people at KL are.