Unsullied - ALL ABOUT THEM

"The Unsullied are not men. Death means nothing to them."

―Missandei to Daenerys

The Unsullied are elite warrior-eunuchs bred and trained inAstapor, one of the three major cities of Slaver's Bay. They areslave-soldiers famed for their skills and discipline in battle. They are also often purchased from Astapor by some of the Free Cities, such as Qohor.

Unsullied battle tactics are based on the legions of the oldGhiscari Empire, involving large groups of them fighting in lock-step phalanxes using spear and shield, though they are also trained to use shortswords for close-quarters combat. Slave-eunuchs who have been trained from birth to fight, the Unsullied are renowned for their utter discipline on the battlefield, both in their usage of incredibly coordinated large unit phalanx formations, and because they will never break in the face of overwhelming odds, even to the point of death.

Unsullied training begins when the boys are five years old: some were selected to be Unsullied as infants and castrated then, though any slave boy up to the age of five may be later selected to be made into an Unsullied, and then castrated. For over a decade until they are full-grown, they train from dawn to dusk until they have mastered the shortsword, shield, and three lengths of spear, as well as their training to fight together as organized phalanxes. The training regimen is utterly brutal, and because of this, only one out of every four boys survives until the end.

Because they are eunuchs, the Unsullied will not succumb to bloodthirsty or sexual urges in the midst of battle; their actions will only go as far as what they have been ordered to do, and nothing more. The Unsullied also seem resistant and even immune to pain. However, Unsullied do possess emotions and can show anger.

 

History

Four hundred years ago, 3,000 Unsullied saved the Free City of Qohor from destruction at the hands of KhalTemmo and his khalasar of 20,000 riders. Before the Unsullied arrived there from their long march, Temmo and his Dothraki massacred the Qohorik city guard and cavalry, while their two mercenary companies, one of them the Second Sons, broke their contract and fled. The Unsullied, however, slipped past the Dothraki while they feasted and were placed between the horde and the city. As the Dothraki have always held infantry in contempt, fit only to be ridden down, they charged instead of flanking them. Eighteen times the horselords charged and eighteen times the Unsullied locked their shields and held the line. By the end the battle only 600 Unsullied remained, but 12,000 Dothraki lay dead, including Temmo and his sons. The new Khal led the survivors past the city gates, one by one throwing their cut braids before the feet of the Unsullied. Since that day the Unsullied are employed both by cities and the rich of Essos.

Season 1

 Magister Illyrio Mopatis of Pentos keeps Unsullied as household guards at his manse, despite slavery being illegal in Pentos. A few are also present at the wedding of Khal Drogo and Daenerys Targaryen.

Season 3

Daenerys Targaryen travels from Qarth to Astapor to buy Unsullied. She is shown a group of them by Kraznys mo Nakloz, one of the Good Masters.

Daenerys offers one of her dragons in exchange for 8,000 Unsullied and the boys still in training. The offer is accepted.

Daenerys meets with the Good Masters in a large plaza holding the entire force of Unsullied. She delivers Drogon and is given a scourge that symbolizes ownership of the Unsullied. Now their master, she orders them to kill all the Good Masters, soldiers, and slave overseers, spare the children, and free any slaves they find. After the sacking of the city is complete, she grants them their freedom and asks if they will fight for her as free men. After a few moments, they unanimously acclaim Daenerys as their leader and join her on her march.

 As the march of Daenerys' host continues, the Unsullied - at Daenerys' request - choose their officers, as well as their overall commander. They choose Grey Worm.  Later, they assume formation (without being asked to do so) in order to intimidate the ambassador from Yunkai.  Grey Worm later leads the infiltration team into Yunkai itself; followed by a small group of his men, they rapidly overwhelm the city.  When the freed slaves pour out of the city and approach Daenerys, the Unsullied assume defensive positions, but she orders them to stand down and goes out among the people.