Ophidia

Ophidia is a nation to the east of Mantica in Kings of War. It currently does not have an army list associated with it, but is set to get one fourth quarter 2016 alongside the revamped Twilight Kindred army and the Northern Alliance army in a campaign supplement. They are distrusted by most nations of the setting, but are said to be allies of the Southern Kindred elves.

Background

Long before Calisor Fenulian created his mirror, there were two great human nations: Primovantor and Ophidia. While Primovantor aligned itself with the Celestians and their allies, Ophidia remained aloof as a national rival to their fellow humans. Ophidia's territory stretched from south of the Eastern Reaches to the far east, acting as an effective barrier between Mantica and the mysterious lands to the far east.

While the Successor Kingdoms such as Basilea originate from the remains of Primovantor, the nation of Ophidia has only fractured once in it's long history, and that was before the arrival of the Celestians. At this time they were known as the Ahmunites and their empire was massive. Their religion was focused heavily on the afterlife, leading to an obsession with death and rebirth. Over time this obsession lead to the development of necromancy.

In modern Mantica the nation of Ophidia is often cursed by many as the birthplace of the undead, but the modern nation and it's historical counterpart are very different. In the years that followed the discovery of necromancy, the elite of the Ahmunites dabbled extensively in it, raising hordes of undead soldiers and servants to allow them a life of luxury. Tombs were ransacked for bodies, the dead of the lower classes were seized by the wealthy for their use, and a gloom settled over the nation.

The princes of the northernmost provinces saw this madness consume the land. They gathered the followers they could and fled to the east. This new land they settled was both beautiful and cruel. Severely lacking in numbers, they realized that they needed to utilize the same practices they had fled from. Necromancy became a state art, but it was heavily regulated for use in warfare alone. The nation they had left however, was still an issue.

The most powerful summoners of these exiles gathered and poured their efforts together to summon beings from another dimension into their own. An army of these beings, called djinn, were summoned and set upon their former countrymen. Those who had been left behind were so focused on their petty lifestyle that they were caught unaware. The flesh was burned from their bones and their nation became a cursed place known as the Empire of Dust.

Ophidia meanwhile began to flourish. Protected by an army of both the living and dead, the people of this land were ruled over by the Magi. These nobles were practiced in necromancy, demonology, and sorcery. It is now known as a land of great adventure and treasure. Numerous tombs and abandoned temples dot the land, but it is also home to creatures unseen in Mantica. Aside from the djinn, it is also home to Twilight Kindred assassins, ogre adventurers, and serpent-men of which little is known. Some even say that demons of the Abyss walk the streets openly.