Was Yurkhaz greatly underestimated by the readers?

[Mithras]

I am sure that 90% of the people who will read this topic will first ask “Who the eff was Yurkhaz?” and the rest will check the Wiki.

So here is a reminder. He was the extremely old commander of the Yunkish Coalition until he was trampled to death in the chaos after Drogon’s appearance at Daznak’s Pit. Tyrion’s remarks of him are such that he was a “human prune” who looks about as formidable as a “loose stool”.

Their master Yezzan laughed loudest and longest whenever one of his dwarfs suffered a fall or took a blow, his whole vast body shaking like suet in an earthquake; his guests waited to see how Yurkhaz no Yunzak responded before joining in. The supreme commander appeared so frail that Tyrion was afraid laughing might kill him. When Penny’s helm was struck off and flew into the lap of a sour-faced Yunkishman in a striped green-and-gold tokar, Yurkhaz cackled like a chicken. When said lord reached inside the helm and drew out a large purple melon dribbling pulp, he wheezed until his face turned the same color as the fruit. He turned to his host and whispered something that made their master chortle and lick his lips … though there was a hint of anger in those slitted yellow eyes, it seemed to Tyrion.

“Nurse said you would be rewarded if you pleased your father, did he not? Though the noble Yezzan is loath to lose his little treasures, as you have seen, Yurkhaz zo Yunzak persuaded him that it would be selfish to keep such droll antics to himself. Rejoice! To celebrate the signing of the peace, you shall have the honor of jousting in the Great Pit of Daznak. Thousands will come see you! Tens of thousands! And, oh, how we shall laugh!”

But these two bits show that it was Yurkhaz who “persuaded” Yezzan to let Tyrion and Penny joust in the opening games. We all know that they were going to be eaten by the lions had Dany not intervened. Yezzan clearly did not like the idea of being deprived of his new treasures so quickly but he could not have refused Yurkhaz.

We also know that Yezzan was among the chief leaders who wanted to honor the pact signed with Dany.

So, it seems that Yurkhaz was trying to provoke Dany. In fact, during the feast which was before the opening games, he did more stuff to provoke Dany. He brought castrati singers to the feast and tried to make them a gift for Dany.

“If Hizdahr should learn that you are here …”

“Who will tell him? Marghaz? Marghaz knows what I want him to know. The Beasts are still mine. Do not forget it.” The Shavepate’s voice was muffled by his mask, but Selmy could hear the anger in it. “I have the poisoner.”

“Who?”

“Hizdahr’s confectioner. His name would mean nothing to you. The man was just a catspaw. The Sons of the Harpy took his daughter and swore she would be returned unharmed once the queen was dead. Belwas and the dragon saved Daenerys. No one saved the girl. She was returned to her father in the black of night, in nine pieces. One for every year she lived.”

“Why?” Doubts gnawed at him. “The Sons had stopped their killing. Hizdahr’s peace—”

“—is a sham. Not at first, no. The Yunkai’i were afraid of our queen, of her Unsullied, of her dragons. This land has known dragons before. Yurkhaz zo Yunzak had read his histories, he knew. Hizdahr as well. Why not a peace? Daenerys wanted it, they could see that. Wanted it too much. She should have marched to Astapor.” Skahaz moved closer. “That was before. The pit changed all. Daenerys gone, Yurkhaz dead. In place of one old lion, a pack of jackals. Bloodbeard … that one has no taste for peace. And there is more. Worse. Volantis has launched its fleet against us.”

I think Shavepate was the poisoner and he was definitely manipulating Barristan with lies. Yurkhaz did not have any taste for peace too but unlike the other pack of fools, he was cunning and ruthless. He was trying to provoke Dany to break the peace. That would give the Yunkish armies the justification to resume the siege until the Volantene Fleet arrives.

I think Shavepate wanted to eliminate Yurkhaz during the chaos he expected after the attempted poisoning to Dany. Drogon was a wildcard but that would not matter. During the games,had Dany eaten the locusts and dropped unconscious, the news would spread that somebody tried to poison Mhysa. And there would be an even greater riot. Not only Yurkhaz but other Yunkish Wise Masters would be slain by the rioting fans of Dany.

This way, it seems that Yurkhaz was extremely dangerous and cunning yet Shavepate is a true genius who changed the tide of the game with a single stroke.

By the way, although Shavepate poisoned the locusts and definitely wanted Dany to eat some, he did not mean to kill her. Not at all. His power in Meereen derives from Dany. What mattered to him was that Dany gets poisoned but survives and becomes forever alienated from the Harpy and the Yunkish Federation. Many Wise Masters were going to be slain and in her wroth, after being recovered, Dany would certainly unleash her dragons and become ready by the time the Volantene Fleet arrives.

Therefore, the arrival of Drogon made Shavepate’s machinations to not fully come to fruition.

[SeanF]

The Shavepate thought that Yurkhaz did really want peace, on favourable terms, and I agree. The Yunkish just can't resist poking Dany in the eye.

I think the Shavepate is the likeliest poisoner, and the poison was never intended to be fatal. It didn't matter who got poisoned, so long as it broke the peace.

[Mithras]

The Shavepate thought that Yurkhaz did really want peace, on favourable terms, and I agree. The Yunkish just can't resist poking Dany in the eye.

I think the Shavepate is the likeliest poisoner, and the poison was never intended to be fatal. It didn't matter who got poisoned, so long as it broke the peace.

I don't think Shavepate was telling the truth. I think Yurkhaz wanted war on favorable terms. Shavepate wanted war too but it had to on favorable terms to him and him only. For that, Yurkhaz had to be removed. We see that those who replaced Yurkhaz are complete idiots. Without Drogon’s appearance and Dany’s departure, Dany would certainly smash the Yunkish Coalition after Daznak’s.

[A Bastard Snow]

The Shavepate thought that Yurkhaz did really want peace, on favourable terms, and I agree. The Yunkish just can't resist poking Dany in the eye.

I think the Shavepate is the likeliest poisoner, and the poison was never intended to be fatal. It didn't matter who got poisoned, so long as it broke the peace.

Yea I mean Dany is playing around with his life and the life of his family.I think he wants to force Dany into killing the great families and he is right in knowing that they support the harpies.

Hes a hard and cruel man but he wouldn't have to do any of this if Dany actually finished something instead of pissing people off.

You dont crucify half of someone's family and expect them to be loyal.

[SeanF]

You dont crucify half of someone's family and expect them to be loyal.

That's a big problem. You can't.

[Mithras]

Returning to Yurkhaz, what could be the reason Yezzan threw a feast in his honor and why did Yurkhaz force him to send his new treasures to death at the pit, although it was clear that Yezzan was angry about it?

[Free Northman Reborn]

Haha. Your opening sentence was incredibly accurate. It captured my initial response to the thread title verbatim.

[Illyrio Mo'Parties]

Returning to Yurkhaz, what could be the reason Yezzan threw a feast in his honor and why did Yurkhaz force him to send his new treasures to death at the pit, although it was clear that Yezzan was angry about it?

1. Boot-licking

2. Perhaps he hoped Dany would see these dwarfs get eaten by lions, complain that her terms had been violated and close the fighting pits once more. Thus inflaming the Sons of the Harpy.

[A Bastard Snow]

Returning to Yurkhaz, what could be the reason Yezzan threw a feast in his honor and why did Yurkhaz force him to send his new treasures to death at the pit, although it was clear that Yezzan was angry about it?

I think he was just pushing Dany as far as he could without breaking faith.

[Lord Varys]

Yurkhaz zo Yunzak was the unquestioned leader of the Yunkish coalition. He was the only one with enough authority to keep the other slavers in line. He certainly was an exceptional man whatever Tyrion may have believed. I'm pretty sure Yurkhaz was one of the main architects of the peace alongside Yezzan. I doubt that there would have been a peace if Yurkhaz had been against it. After all, the dragons had long been neutralized. Watching the dwarfs being ripped apart by lions may just have been Yurkhaz's idea of a good time. Or there was some sort of rivalry between between Yurkhaz and Yezzan and the former enjoyed to show his power to the latter - after all, Yezzan was the richest man in Yunkai and thus certainly not Yurkhaz's friend.

Yezzan zo Qagaz also seems to have been more than the average Yunkishman - he supposedly spent time in Sothoryos during an expedition, indicating that he was willing to risk his life for a profit/knowledge/whatever.

I see no reason to assume Skahaz has anything to do with the poisoned locusts. The Shavepate represents the New Meereen under Daenerys, Reznak, Hizdahr, and the Green Grace are of the past (or partially of the past). They want a strong new Meereen with Hizdahr as their figurehead.