A kingdom of immense wealth and great beauty with gilded knights and high towered cities, Ophir is protected by natural boundaries of mountain and river on all sides but to the south, which the Ophirians have well fortified. But the kingdom lacks the will to fight dominant Koth and has been forced to pay tribute to its Emperor.
Ophir’s knights wear goldgilt armours and Ophir’s queen once offered a roomful of gold as a reward for the return of a stolen ring. It follows that Ophir is a wealthy nation of much gold. Ophir also co-existed with Acheron and for part of its reign was either a part of Acheron or paid tribute to it as a vassal kingdom. This makes the kingdom extremely old, older than Aquilonia, Argos or Nemedia.
Merchants in Ophir like to wear voluminous hooded robes; these robes help to cozen the customers. Servants wear distinctive smocks, their quality dependent upon the rank of the person the wearer serves.
Noblemen are armed with slender swords and dress in silks and gold decorated in gleaming jewels. The knights of Ophir wear mail gilt with gold and sport plumed helms. Their tabards and clothing bear a star-shaped emblem.
The country folk of Ophir tend to be a silent, surly lot, particularly in times of unrest. They do not trust outsiders and are unlikely to answer any questions that cannot be handled with a grunt or a monosyllabic reply.
Ophir has a reputation for science. In Ianthe, climbing claws have been invented that aid in the ascension of walls. The House of Chelkus, for example, are scientists and noblemen of Ophir.
They desire and need treaties and trading agreements with other nations, for there are many trading routes that do not pass through little Ophir.
Diplomacy is a well-regarded art among the Ophireans and Ophir’s kings and nobles are usually superb diplomats.
Honour is a real concept for the Ophirians, one that impacts their reputations, moral identities and self-perception. This honour extends to family and friends. Impugned honour results in duels or other forms of redress. The aristocracy consider their honour to hold them above the rabble; honour to them is as real as a castle but vastly more important, for a damaged castle can be more easily repaired than damaged honour. Indeed, acts that otherwise would be considered criminal can be excused if they are committed as a matter of honour. Honour is especially important on the borders of Ophir where law enforcement is minimal and the people enforce their own laws.
Ophir is built upon the concept of allegiance toward others, just as in other feudal kingdoms (see Aquilonia).
Ophir is a Hyborian kingdom and primarily worships Mitra. However, Ophireans have much contact with Kothians and Shemites, so the worship of Ishtar has filtered into the kingdom. Overall, Ophir is more religiously tolerant than many Hyborian kingdoms.
Ophir is a feudal kingdom, as many Hyborian kingdoms are. It is not as unified as Nemedia and is more fractious than Aquilonia. Ophir is governed by a fragmented aristocratic class of local powers, counts and barons, who perform civil and military functions in the name of the king for an equally fragmented kingdom that is subdivided into numerous fiefs and sub-fiefs. In most ways, Ophir’s structure of government is identical to Aquilonia’s (see Aquilonia).
The economy of Ophir is based on manorial agriculture and mining. Gold ore and mineral deposits are mined out of the eastern mountains. Still, the kingdom is hardly the wealthiest and most prosperous of Hyborian realms. The Ophireans desire and need treaties and trading agreements with other nations, for there are many trading routes that do not pass through little Ophir.