Ophal D'Neeth Flatroq

Ophal D'Neeth Flatroq, a native of Nightmaria, had been the Ambassador from the Empire of Nightmaria to the Kingdom of Farrog for approximately a decade. He, along with a single servitor, Puny Sploor; one Imperial Courier, Beetle Praata;The Fiends of Nightmaria, Section 16 and Ophal's pet slow-worm, Eemlee; were the only occupants of the Nightmarian Embassy. The embassy was the only one of its kind from the notoriously closed off land, existing only because of Farrog's close proximity to Nightmaria's borders. Ophal dearly missed his homeland despite there being no one there who particularly liked him, but he accepted the burden of his responsibilities.The Fiends of Nightmaria, Section 7
For official business, the Ambassador dealt solely with the Farrogal King.The Fiends of Nightmaria, Section 3The Fiends of Nightmaria, Section 16 Otherwise, Ophal did his best to avoid all other inhabitants of Farrog, moving around the city covered in a black snake-skin cloak, travelling whenever possible at night via back alleys and little-used unlit streets. The Ambassador usually wore high-cowled robes of green silk.The Fiends of Nightmaria, Section 1
As one of the hideous Fiends of Nightmaria, Ophal was basically reptilian in nature. His head was bald and glistening with scales, his ears were strangely curled and ended at "vague, possibly chewed points", his eyes were murky green beneath pallid brows, his cheeks were the hue of a serpent's belly, and his toothless mouth was framed by thick, flabby lips. His greenish-scaled, knobby fingers were without nails and the backs of his hands were heavily scaled. His feet were broad and nail-less and he kept them bare. He stood hunched over and his neck swayed rhythmically like a cobra as his thin tongue darted in and out of his mouth. His lower jaw unhinged to allow him to eat small animals. It was impossible for him to speak clearly.The Fiends of Nightmaria, Section 16
Ophal's few actual ambassadorial duties left him with plenty of free time, which he filled contemplating on the nature of political power in the modern age. An arrangement with the Archivist of Farrog's Grand Library (who was terrified by Ophal's appearance) gave the ambassador access to the accumulated wisdom of the city's Royal Collection of Letters in which to research his theories.The Fiends of Nightmaria, Section 13
==In The Fiends of Nightmaria==
For nearly the entire time that Ophal had been Ambassador, the King of Farrog was - in Ophal's opinion - the grossly incompetent N'Gorm the Lesser.The Fiends of Nightmaria, Section 13 Because King N'Gorm was extremely intimidated by the Nightmarians in general, and by Ophal in particular, his policies in regard to Nightmaria were basically those of appeasement, which led to the enrichment of Nightmaria's coffers. This reasonably non-aggressive status quo between the two adjoining countries ended abruptly when the necromancers, Bauchelain and Korbal Broach, arrived in Farrog. The consequent usurpation and beheading of King N'Gorm by BauchelainThe Fiends of Nightmaria, Section 3--a change which was greatly to Ophal's distressThe Fiends of Nightmaria, Section 13--led to belligerent policy changes against Nightmaria. Bauchelain's overwhelming greed saw Nightmaria's caravans raided and the Royal Farrogal Army readied for war.The Fiends of Nightmaria, Section 5The Fiends of Nightmaria, Section 7 In aid of this, Korbal Broach also declared a Holy War against Nightmaria from his position as Grand Bishop within Farrog's Holy Church of the Indifferent God.The Fiends of Nightmaria, Section 3
In the face of Farrog's hostility, the reluctant but unsurprised Ambassador was instructed to deliver Nightmaria's own declaration of war to King Bauchelain.The Fiends of Nightmaria, Section 16 During his audience with the ambassador, Bauchelain was surprised to learn that Ophal's unhuman appearance was due to various birth defects and other disfiguring conditions that were unique to himself and not, as the citizens of Farrog mistakenly thought, common to all Nightmarians. In fact, the Fiends did not call themselves Fiends at all. Their true name was distorted by Ophal's distorted speech into "Firrwends", which was misheard as Fiends. The notoriously reclusive nation was only too happy to allow these misunderstandings to keep unwanted foreigners out.
To Bauchelain's horror, the ambassador also apprised the King that a Nightmarian army--some 150,000 strong and far outnumbering their own--had crossed the border and were only two days' march from the Farrog city walls. Their intent was to take extensive and dire revenge on Farrog and all of its institutions. Bauchelain hurriedly ordered Emancipor Reese to ready the necromancers' carriage and horses to flee.The Fiends of Nightmaria, Section 16The Fiends of Nightmaria, Section 19The Fiends of Nightmaria, Section 21 
After delivering his message, Ophal and his small household (including Eemlee) wasted little time in leaving Farrog to travel back to Nightmaria. With the city burning behind them, the ambassador irritatedly dealt with his squabbling servants as they tried to make headway through the streams of refugees. When Eemlee perished on the road, the hungry ambassador ate him.The Fiends of Nightmaria, Section 19The Fiends of Nightmaria, Section 30The Fiends of Nightmaria, Section 31
==Quotes==
"Unfortunate thkin aiwilllment... Mithchanth of birrrth, poor Ophal, cweft of pawate, dithjointed of jaw, thenthitive to wight and dryneth, thuth wequirrring thick humidity, dank and darrrk, forrr comforrrt."
('Translation': "Unfortunate skin ailment... Mischance of birth, poor Ophal, cleft of palate, disjointed of jaw, sensitive to light and dryness, thus requiring thick humidity, dank and dark, for comfort.")
[Ophal D'Neeth Flatroq telling King Bauchelain the First - with difficulty - about some of the reasons for his reptilian-like appearance in The Fiends of Nightmaria, Section 16.]
==Notes and references==
Category:Humans
Category:Males