Vaes Dothrak

## Coat of Arms

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**Vaes Dothrak** is the only city and largest settlement of the Dothraki, located in the far south of Valyria, in the Red Wastes. It lies in the shadow of a single, vast peak known by the Dothraki as the Mother of Mountains. The entrance to Vaes Dothrak is marked by two large statues depicting a pair of stallions.

## Official Description

Vaes Dothrak is a place of peace where the Dothraki *khalasars* may gather and meet to trade, but not to fight. Therefore, it is forbidden to draw a sword while in the city, under penalty of death. However, the restriction is specifically on drawing a bladed weapon or shedding blood (which is considered sacrilege): should the need arise, it is permissible to kill someone in the city using other lethal means, i.e. strangulation or burning. Even so, due to the respect the Dothraki have for the city, violence within it is rare.

The city is both very large and very small: it is physically large enough to hold every *khalasar* if they return all at once (for special religious ceremonies, etc.). However, there are rarely more than a few *khalasars* stopping in the city at any one time, before leaving again to find plunder. As a result, the permanent population of the city isn't much compared to one of the Northern Kingdoms of the Thirteen, or even in Valyria such as the Free Cities.

Dothraki holy women, known as *Dosh khaleen*, live in the city and are respected by all Dothraki, and reside within the Temple of the Dosh Khaleen.

The city has a large marketplace, where foreign merchants from as far as the northeast of Valyria sell their wares.

## Locations

### Horse Gate

   The Horse Gate is the entrance to the city of Vaes Dothrak. It is composed of two stone horses, creating an archway by the conjoining of the horse's hooves.

While traveling to Vaes Dothrak, Maya and Levi kept a lookout for the gate due to its large size, as it would be easy to spot from high in the air.

### Markets

Vaes Dothrak has actually become a major trade hub for those traveling along the routes toward the sea. The Western Market is filled with traders from Nightkeep and the Valley of the Fallen, while the Eastern market contains traders from more exotic lands to the east such as Al-Adwan, Methi, and the Free Cities.

    The market is more for the merchants from the west and the east to trade with *each other.* The Dothraki are said to "not believe in money." The foreign merchants gift tribute to the *Dosh khaleen,* such as salt, metals, and food, in return for being allowed to trade in the city, as well as safe passage across the land. Sometimes Dothraki may visit the market to obtain something interesting such as animal eggs or even captured women, but this is moreso for the *Khals*. The entire business of trade and commerce seems alien to the horselords, but more recently, they had to adapt and began to use money. Although, they still prefer to raid and steal.

### Temple of the Dosh Khaleen

The temple of the *Dosh khaleen* is the most important of the few permanent buildings in Vaes Dothrak. It the seat of the *Dosh khaleen*, the widows of the Dothraki *Khals*, who oversee the religion of the Dothraki, advise the *Khals*, and administrate Vaes Dothrak.

    When a *Khal* dies, his *Khaleesi* is expected to return to Vaes Dothrak at the earliest possibility to join the *Dosh khaleen* and take up residence in the temple. It is a great and potentially problematic violation of tradition if a *Khaleesi* elects not to do this. In addition to serving as the communal residence of the *Dosh khaleen*, the temple is used to host important ceremonies and the occasional feast for the current Great *Khals*. The *khalar vezhven*, the gathering of *Khals* to determine which cities to plunder and which populations to enslave, is held within the temple.

## Culture

 **Main article:** Dothraki
Click above to read about the culture of the *Dothraki*.

## Notable Residents

* Khal Virsallo
* Khal Rhalko
* Khal Astillo
* Khal Qavvo
* Khal Lajo
* Khal Jillo
* 2 unnamed khals
* The *Dosh khaleen*
* 20 unnamed bloodriders

## Appearances

### Éternel: Between Two Worlds

In Chapter 15, **Valar Morghulis**, Khal Virsallo appears on The Embrace to offer a compromise to Maya, telling her that they can split the realm, where she can take the East, while they take the West to continue dragon hunting. Later in the chapter, Maya and Levi fly atop Cepheus and Yrmin to Vaes Dothrak for Maya to meet with Khal Virsallo and the other 7 *Khals* currently residing in the city for the *Khalar vezhven*. There, Maya conversates with the 8 *Khals*.

After Maya rejects the peace offer and in turn receives threats from Khal Virsallo of her gang-rape and death, she upturns the braziers within the temple and sets it ablaze. Due to her previous instructions to Levi Ackerman, the doors to the temple were locked, so the *Khals* and their bloodriders burned alive in the temple while Maya watched them, herself unharmed. After the death of the eight *Khals* and twenty bloodriders, Maya emerged and bared herself in front of the khalasars, unburnt. After witnessing the massacre of every active *Khal* in existence, the Dothraki bowed to Maya and acknowledged her as the One True *Khaleesi* of Vaes Dothrak.

## Trivia

* Vaes Dothrak is originally part of the Dothraki culture from Game of Thrones/A Song of Ice and Fire.
* As of Chapter 16, **Dancing On My Own**, of Éternel: Between Two Worlds, Vaes Dothrak has been abandoned, and Maya's khalasar has been relocated to live on the Isle of Tomorrow.