Dothraki

The *Dothraki* are a race of nomadic horse-mounted warriors in Valyria, now rehomed to the Isle of Tomorrow in the Northern Claim. Their bond with horses is such that Dothraki are said to be born, fight, and die in the saddle. Dothraki warriors are commonly referred to as "horselords". They are also often (and half-derisively) called "Dothraki screamers", because of their fierce war cries as they charge into battle and raids.

## Physical Appearance

   Dothraki typically have copper-toned skin, black hair, and black, almond-shaped eyes. Dothraki men wear their hair in long braids. They are only allowed to braid their hair after they have won a victory. The braid is only cut when a Dothraki warrior is defeated in battle, an act through which he lets the world know his shame. Only few men die with their braids never having been cut off.

Both men and women might wear painted leather vests over bare chests and horsehair leggings cinched by bronze medallion belts, although wealthier Dothraki might also have silver and golden medallions on their belts. Others might wear silk trousers. For footwear the Dothraki wear leather boots, leather sandals which lace up to the knee, or sandals of woven grass. However, when visiting the Free Cities, the Dothraki wear rich fabrics and sweet perfumes.

## Society

The Dothraki are nomadic horse-mounted warriors, who sweep across the vast central plains of Essos in search of plunder. Most of their society is centered around their horses: even their name for themselves in their own language, "Dothraki", literally means "riders". Dothraki boys learn to shoot bows from horseback when they are only four years old. The Dothraki will abandon a sick or injured leader who can no longer ride a horse.

The Dothraki are divided into several nameless clans known as *khalasars*, each led by a single leader called "*khal*". The *khalasars* roam Valyrian land, always on the move looking for new pasture lands and new targets to plunder. The Dothraki frequently raid neighboring regions and have almost completed overtaken the Red Wastes. The Dothraki live by taking what they need including supplies, valuables, and new captives to serve as slaves, but more recently, they have shifted into normal trade with coin. The Dothraki respect force, and thus only respect those who are able to successfully resist them, while conquered slaves deserve only contempt. The Dothraki are usually dismissive of infantry (with the notable exception of the elite Unsullied warrior-eunuch legions).

   The Dothraki traditionally fight with curved swords known as *arakhs*, but also employ bolas, daggers, and whips, or huge, recurved bows with impressive range and striking power that can be fired from horseback. They also shun armor, considering speed and freedom of movement to be more important in battle. Dothraki warriors wear their hair in a long braid and only cut it when defeated, so the world may see their shame. The most capable warriors therefore often have a very long braid. As light cavalry, their attacks are extremely fast and deadly, but they are vulnerable to archers and on the ground they are less effective against armored infantry despite their speed. However, they seldom attack on foot except for individual combat, so they usually retain the advantage.

The only established Dothraki city is Vaes Dothrak. It is ruled by the Dosh Khaleen, crones and wise women who were once the wives of deceased *khals*. All Dothraki commerce (with fellow Dothraki and other Valyrian peoples) is done in the marketplaces of the city, and all sacred rituals are conducted there. Drawing weapons or shedding blood is forbidden inside Vaes Dothrak - although there are loopholes around this if an execution absolutely must take place. Provided that the target is killed in a method that does not shed blood (such as strangling or burning), it is permissible.

The Dothraki did not trust salt water at first, because their horses cannot drink it. The literal term for "ocean" in the Dothraki language is "posion water." Therefore, they refused to sail in ships over the oceans, and as such they are not considered a threat by the people of the Northern Claim because they will not cross the ocean. However, due to the many economic and wildlife changes, they established Qora Rhaggat Eveth and took the ships stolen from Vaes Leqse and Vaes Athjikhari, which they invaded, sacked, and enslaved. They learned to crew the ships from the people they enslaved and assimilated to their own culture.

## Customs

### Khals

 **Main article:** Khal
Click above to read about the Dothraki *khals*.

### Khalasars

 **Main article:** Khalasar
Click above to read about the Dothraki *khalasars*.

### Marriage, Sexual Relations, and Childbirth

    Among the Dothraki, weddings occur beneath the open sky. The ceremony might last the entire day, during which the guest's feast, drink, dance, and fight. The Dothraki mate like the animals in their heat. There is no privacy in the *khalasar*. During the wedding feast, women dance to drums, while warriors may take them before the watching *khalasar* freely. If two men take the same woman, they may fight to the death over her. During the feast, each dish is offered first to the newlywed pair; all food they refuse is offered to the rest of the participants at the wedding feast. Towards the end of the ceremony, the bride is presented with her bride gifts. As is tradition, a *Khaleesi* is presented with an arakh, a bow, and a whip from her husband's bloodriders, although she is allowed to decline the gifts and give them to her husband instead. Following the receiving of the gifts, the *Khal* and *Khaleesi* consummate their marriage. After the wedding, the *Khal* is to present his new bride to the *Dosh Khaleen* at Vaes Dothrak.

Polygamy is practiced among the Dothraki; *Khals* are allowed to have multiple wives. Other *Khals*  might decide to share their wife or wives with his bloodriders.

Pregnant women are expected to ride on horseback almost up to the moment of birth, although some women giving birth might ride on a cart. When children are born deformed they are left out for the feral dogs who run behind the *Khalasar*.

A pregnant *Khaleesi* might participate in the stallion heart ceremony, although it is unknown under what circumstances the ceremony occurs. During the ceremony, the *Khaleesi*  will attempt to consume the heart of a stallion under the supervision of the *Dosh Khaleen*. Due to the prohibition on bearing steel in Vaes Dothrak, the mother must tear apart the stallion's heart with her bare teeth and fingernails. If she eats the entire heart, she will bear a son who is strong and swift and fearless; if she chokes on the blood or retches up the flesh, the omens are less favorable — the child might be stillborn, weak, deformed or female.

### Death

The Dothraki believe that the stars in the sky are horses made of fire, and that the starry sky is a great herd of fiery horses racing across the sky. The Dothraki further believe that these horses of fire are ridden by deceased Dothraki, and that the more fiercely a person burned in life, the brighter said person’s star will be in death. This causes others to say that the Dothraki believe the stars are the spirits of the valiant dead. When a horselord dies, a horse is slain so he can mount it in death. The bodies of deceased Dothraki are next burned beneath the open sky. However, when a child dies at an age at which he is too young to ride, the child will not ride in the night lands but instead be reborn to begin life anew.

    A *Khal* is given a funeral pyre after he dies. A great square is made from wood, in the middle of which the *Khal's* slain horse is positioned. Over the horse, the platform is constructed on which the *Khal* will be placed. The wood of the platform is laid east to west, from sunrise to sunset. The platform consists of three levels. The wood of the third of these levels are positioned from north to south. On this level the body of the *Khal* is placed. He is placed upon the pyre with his head in the direction of the Mother of Mountains and with his treasures positioned around him. The pyre is only lit after the first star has been seen in the sky.

Ancient traditions of the Dothraki demand that a Khal's bloodriders die with him, riding the night lands by his side. When a *Khal* is killed by an enemy, his bloodriders are to only live long enough to avenge him. The last duty the bloodriders owe their *Khal* is taking his wife or wives to Vaes Dothrak to join the *Dosh Khaleen*. After their last duty has been completed, the bloodriders join their *Khal* in death.

The Dothraki believe it is bad luck to touch the body of a dead man whom they have not personally killed themselves.

## Social Status

The Dothraki consider riding a horse as a basic marker of social status. A *Khal* who cannot ride cannot rule. Custom decrees that the *Khaleesi* must ride a mount worthy of her place by the side of the *Khal*. Pregnant women are expected to ride on horseback almost up to the moment of birth. Doing anything else might be considered weak. Some women giving birth ride on a cart. A cart is of less prestige, and is further meant for eunuchs, cripples, the very young, and the very old. A man who does not ride is considered the lowest of the low. He is not even seen as a man, and considered to be without honor or pride.

Although some are respected, women have a lower social status than men. For example, the bloodriders of a *Khal* will not allow themselves to be commanded by his *Khaleesi*. Nonetheless, even the mightiest *Khal* will bow to the wisdom and authority of the Dosh Khaleen, the widowed *Khaleesis* who reside at Vaes Dothrak.

Most of all, the Dothraki follow strength. Should a *Khal* die without an adult heir, his bloodriders might fight among themselves to take the place of the fallen *Khal*. In the case that the *Khal* has a Khalakka who is still a child, this heir might be killed so as not to be a rival.

## Religion

The Dothraki worship a horse god known as the Great Stallion. The Dothraki believe that when someone dies, the horse god parts the grass and claims the deceased for his starry *Khalasar*, so the deceased can ride the nightlands. The Dothraki further believe that the moon is a goddess, and that she is the wife to the sun. In addition, they believe in hell. The *Dosh Khaleen* crones are the leaders of the religion.

Dothraki consider the earth to be their mother and think it sinful to cut her flesh with plows and spades and axes. This leads them to burn down fields, farms, and towns to return the grasslands to their wild state. Vaes Dothrak is located in the shadow of the Mother of Mountains, a mountain which only Dothraki men are allowed to ascend. Residing at the edge of the city is the Womb of the World, a large lake from which, the Dothraki believe, the first men emerged a thousand years ago upon the back of the first horse.

Dothraki religion also rejects the employment of magic. For this reason, mages are distrusted and hated by Dothraki.

## Economy

Buying and selling is considered to be unmanly by the Dothraki, and they instead use giving and receiving gifts as a common way for doing trade. In the recent years, they have resorted to using Valyrian currency such as Dragons, Stags, and Pennies, to purchase from merchants. However, giving a gift in return might not always occur immediately upon receiving a gift. This is exemplified by the Dothraki "selling" their captives on occasion to the Slaver Cities. They call these slaves "gifts", and as payment receive gifts from the slavers.

Trade is allowed in the sacred city Vaes Dothrak, where, by the leave of the *Dosh Khaleen*, merchants and traders gather to exchange goods and gold, though they mostly trade with each other, and only little with the Dothraki themselves. The merchants are tolerated provided that they do not break the peace of the city, do not profane the Mother of Mountains, and honor the *Dosh Khaleen* with the traditional gifts of salt, silver, and seed.

The Free Cities in Slaver's Bay deal carefully with the Dothraki. The rulers of the cities give lavishly to every *Khal* who passes with his *Khalasar*, feasting them and giving them gifts, so the *khalasar* will pass on without sacking the city. Though, a Dothraki horde might still attack if they find the gift insufficient, or if they just haven't had a good fight in a while. The Dothraki will not reciprocate these "gifts" on an immediate *quid pro quo* trade system; as a rule, they will keep their word to eventually give a gift which they have promised, but will do it in their own time.

## Architecture

    The Dothraki do not build. Centuries ago, to build a house they would dig a hole in the earth and raise a grass roof over it. They can raise 'palaces' of woven grass. In Vaes Dothrak, all buildings have been made by the slaves serving there. Since the slaves all originate from different lands, they have built after the fashion of their own people. As a result, Vaes Dothrak consists of many different types of buildings, including carved stone pavilions, manses of woven grass as large as castles, rickety wooden towers, and log halls open to the sky.

## Known Dothraki

* Khal Drogo, former *Khal* of one of the largest *khalasars*.
* Khal Astillo, burned alive by Maya Prasanna during the *Khalar vezvehen* with all the other *Khals* present.
* Khal Jillo, burned alive by Maya Prasanna during the *Khalar vezvehen* with all the other *Khals* present.
* Khal Lajo, burned alive by Maya Prasanna during the *Khalar vezvehen* with all the other *Khals* present.
* Khal Qavvo, burned alive by Maya Prasanna during the *Khalar vezvehen* with all the other *Khals* present.
* Khal Rhalko, burned alive by Maya Prasanna during the *Khalar vezvehen* with all the other *Khals* present.
* Khal Virsallo, a major Dragon Hunter and allies with the Northern hunters. Attempted to create a truce with Maya Prasanna. Burned alive by Maya during the *Khalar vezvehen* with all the other *Khals* present.
* 20 bloodriders, belonging to the *Khals*  present at the *Khalar vezvehen.* Burned alive by Maya Prasanna during the *Khalar vezvehen*.
* Najo, one of Maya's warriors in her *khalasar.*
* Enosso, one of Maya's warriors in her *khalasar.*

## Trivia

* The Dothraki are originally from the A Song of Ice and Fire series.
* Dothraki believe that anything of importance in a man's life must take place beneath the open sky.
* An ancient prophecy of the Dothraki predicts that one day the *Khal* of all *Khals* will rise. This *stallion who mounts the world* is prophesied to unite the Dothraki into a single *Khalasar* and ride to the ends of the earth, making everyone in the world his herd. Technically, Maya Prasanna can be considered the stallion who mounts the world, as she has done such a feat.
* The number thirteen is considered to be a bad number.