Ophir is a country of the Hyborian Age.
Geography
The capital of Ophir is Ianthe.
Ophir is one of the Hyborian kingdoms, situated south of Aquilonia, Nemedia, and Corinthia, and north of Argos and Koth.
Near the Aquilonian border, which was delineated by the Tybor River, Ophir had meadowlands and a few mountains near Poitain. Farmlands, forests, and fortresses covered the north between the Tybor and the capital city, Ianthe. Its royal court was called the Ianthium.
Southern Ophir had craggy borderlands, lone and deserted, save for the ramshackle huts of peasants. Hills and a small river lay between Koth and Ophir. The impassable Karpash Mountains lay on the Nemedian frontier and produced the gold and precious stones, which have been linked to the destiny of Ophir down through the ages. The mountains were quite high, with very few mountain passes, and considered to be haunted by vampires, ghost mists, and terrible lightning storms.
History and politics
Hour of the Dragon states that Ophir was an independent state contemporaneous with Acheron and dominated by it. When the Hyborians overwhelmed Acheron, Ophir "regained its independence". We may presume that this freedom lasted only until the Hyborians were secure enough in Nemedia and Aquilonia to essay the conquest of the wealthy little nation. At any rate, it became a Hyborian kingdom at a very early date.
Ophir is ruled by the mad king Moranthes II, who was manipulated by his corrupt cousin Rigello until the latter's death during a plot against Queen Marala.
Early in the reign of Conan, Ophir had an alliance with Aquilonia. This broke down just before the great battle on the Plains of Shamu, where Conan and his army found Ophir arrayed against them together with Koth. The Aquilonian army was destroyed and Conan taken prisoner.
Years later, after an abortive invasion, Aquilonia annexed northern Ophir. After the Age of Conan, the Pictish Empire absorbed Ophir. And by modern times, its fabled treasure mines had long since been swallowed by the Adriatic Sea.
Ophir was annexed by Aquilonia.
It was where the Pictish conquerors from the west clashed with the Hyrkanian invaders from the east. Ophir became parts of the Pictish empire.
Population and culture
- Population: 1,100,000
- Capital: Ianthe (pop. 140,000)
- Ruler: King Amalrus
- Major cities: Carnolla, Leucta, Pergona, Ronnoco, Vendishan
- Resources: Gold, precious gems, steel
- Imports:
- Allies: Aquilonia, Koth
- Enemies: Khoraja
- Tech level: Roman
- Religion: Anu, Ishtar, Bel
In " Scarlet Citadel", the Ophirean knights wear gilded armor -- an extravagance that hints at the prosperity of the kingdom.
Stories set in Ophir
Characters from Ophir
- Amalrus - The king of Ophir
- Livia - A noblewoman and scientist
- Olivia - The daughter of Amalrus.