Rashemen
Rashemen (pronounced: /rɑːˈʃɛmɛn/ rah-SHEH-men), also known as the Land of Berserkers, was a magocratic gynarchy in the Unapproachable East region of northeast Faerûn. It was a rugged and enigmatic land that could be considered nearly inhospitable by many folk. The native Rashemaar were a fierce and individualistic people that were renowned across the Realms for their great bravery and stunning power wielding the arcane arts.
Structure
The nominal ruler of Rashemen was a mighty warrior-lord known as the huhrong or Iron Lord, who was expected to rule with temperance and keep the nation safe with the aid of the berserker lodges.
The true power of the nation lay with the Wychlaran, an all-female order of witches that wielded great and terrible magical powers. They appointed each and every Iron Lord and could replace the role whenever necessary.
At the local level, each community or settlement was ruled over by a war leader known as a fyrra, who exclusively controlled the armed forces under his command, and whose rule could be compared similarly to that of a mayor.
Culture
The Rashemaar renounced the advancing of civilization as was found in other lands across Faerûn, preferring to hold on tight to what they referred to as the "warrior ideal."
Witches of the Wychlaran were treated with the greatest respect, as they were the leaders of communities and the nation. They were always given food and horses without question.
The Rashemaar were quite superstitious, but also maintained a strong connection with the spirits of their land, particularly spirits of nature and house-spirits called domovoi.
The Dajemma was a type of coming-of-age tradition for young Rashemi men to travel to foreign lands to see and understand more of the world.
Vremyonni, male spellcasters, were traditionally hidden away from society at a young age to develop their magic in secrecy. This custom had fallen out of common practice by the time famed adventurer Minsc was born. He speculated that the practice may have originated either in response to a disaster caused by ancient male wizards, or to protect the boys from the attention of the goddess Mystra.
Food and Drink
The smoky sjorl cheese originated in Rashemen, although foreigners often found it unpleasant. Other food commonly found in Rashemen included rabbit sausage, rothe cheese, and bread; honeycake and scrump (a potent fermented cider and boiled grains and berries for breakfast. A samovar of strong, bitter tea was used in ritual meetings.
History
Early Settlement
A tribe of Raumviran humans ventured west from the Endless Wastes in -5000 DR, led by a man named Shemen. They found a region known then as the Lakelands, named for it's three large lakes, and settled there. Thirty seven years later, Shemen died, and in his honor, his people renamed the Lakelands the "lands of Shemen" which in their tongue, was Rashemen.
Because of how isolated the Rashemi were, and how little they communicated with neighboring lands, their deeds went largely unnoticed and unrecorded for the next three millennia. Even the dwarven kingdom of Dareth, established in the Icerim Mountains on Rashemen's northern border in -2642 DR, took over three centuries to begin trading with the Rashemi.
It was not until -1967 DR that Rashemen entered the international consciousness, when their warriors hired themselves out as mercenaries in the First Mulhorand-Unther War, fighting on both sides of the conflict.
Rashemi mercenaries were again hired by Mulhorand when the Orcgate was opened on the Thayan Plateau in -1076 DR, sparking the Orcgate Wars. However, Rashemen itself was inundated by orcs, who overran the nation for the next seven years. At the conclusion of the Wars, the orcs fled into the Sunrise Mountains on Rashemen's eastern border. In the immediate wake of the Wars, Nars created the kingdom of Ashanath on Rashemen's western border while the battered Rashemi rebuilt and recovered from the damage caused by the orcs.
There was almost a century of relative peace after that, until Thargaun Crell, the Nentyarch of Tharos began his unification war in the west, culminating in the conquest of Ashanath in -946 DR, putting his demonic forces right on Rashemen's doorstep. The Rashemi held out against Narfell's influence up until they quite literally got caught in the middle of the Great Conflagration between Narfell and Raumathar. In the final two years of that devastating conflict, Rashemen became infested with fiends and was pelted by destructive magic. Even after the destruction of both empires, Rashemen continued to be plagued by demons, and in the Year of the Black Marble, −148 DR, the demon lord Eltab conquered the nation.
Eltab ruled for forty three years, but was ousted due to the arrival of two new groups into the region. First, in the Year of Wands, −108 DR, a group of female Raumviran witches who'd survived the fall of Raumathar, began quietly gathering allies from among the Rashemi around Lake Tirulag. Second, three years later, a large group of Illuskan berserkers called the Rus arrived in Rashemen through a malfunctioning portal. The Rus and the witches joined with the native Rashemi in an insurrection to remove Eltab from power in the Year of the Bloody Goad, −105 DR. Rashemen was finally freed in the Year of Leather Shields, −75 DR when the half-Rus/half-Rashemi warrior Yvengi, wielding the sword Hadryllis, severely wounded Eltab, causing him to flee hundreds of miles to the south, into the Sharawood. The witches followed, catching up with him, and used their magic to entomb Eltab beneath the forest floor, and bound the undead green dragon Xavarathimius to guard his prison. As payment for their invaluable service, the witches demanded the right to pick the future rulers of Rashemen.
Modern Rashemen
In the Year of the Raging Brook, −45 DR, the pharaoh of Mulhorand decided to annex Rashemen, and sent a huge army through the Gorge of Gauros. An army of Rashemi berserkers, nature spirits, and witches successfully opposed the invasion.
In the Year of the Cowled Defender, 189 DR, the death of the Iron Lord of Rashemen prompted a five-year-long civil war, when forces loyal to Bregg the Strong revolted against the witches when they did not name him as the new Iron Lord. When the witches emerged victorious, they decided that from then on, they would hide their identities in public so as not to be such an easy target for anyone who took issue with their decisions.
In the Year of the Fanged Horde, 306 DR, the descendants of the orcs from the Orcgate Wars came pouring out of the Sunrise Mountains into Rashemen, though the Rashemi managed to force them out of their land. Nearly three centuries later, a schism within the Rashemi witches led to the separation of the Durthan from the Wychlaran, and their subsequent expulsion from Rashemen.
The first of many wars with Thay occurred in the Year of Fell Wizardry, 934 DR, when they, like their Mulhorandi ancestors, invaded through the Gorge of Gauros. Just like those ancestors though, the Thayans failed. Notable future Thayan invasions would occur in 1159; 1359; 1362; 1365; 1370; and 1375 DR.
The nearby nation of Thesk, in 1366 DR, offered to improve Rashemen's section of the Golden Way. The offer was accepted and roadbuilders got to work that very summer. Over the following years, these improvements created the desired increase in trade traffic, prompting merchants and immigrants to travel to Rashemen in large numbers and ended the nation's relative isolation from the rest of the world.
After centuries of the Durthan's meddling in Rashemen's affairs for their own benefit, when the War of the Zulkirs removed the potential threat of yet another Thayan invasion, the Wychlaran moved to completely eradicate the Durthan order, attacking the Durthans who had concentrated their power at Citadel Tralkarn. In what became known as the Witch War of Rashemen, the Durthans were utterly crushed.
Demography and Population
Given their remote location and the natural barriers that prevent easy communications with other lands, it is not surprising the people of Rashemen are almost exclusively human.
Population: 654,48O (humans 99%)
Territories
Rashemen was located just north of the Thayan Plateau, between the Great Dale and Narfell to the west and the Sunrise Mountains to the east. The northern border of Rashemen lay at the base of the frigid Icerim Mountains.
Rashemen claimed the western edge of the Hordelands between the Sunrise Mountains and Lake of Mists, but had little real power in the region following the destruction of Citadel Rashemar in 1360 DR.
Military
Rashemen had a strong tradition of berserker warriors, the most elite of which were organized into fangs or local lodges, such as the Black Bear, or the White Dragon lodge. The Wychlaran spellcasters supplemented the bands of fearsome warriors, wielding terrible and destructive magic to defend their nation whenever needed.
Religion
Rashemi are a devout people, involving religion in every aspect of their daily life, for they venerate the spirits of the land as minor deities. Rashemi religion focuses on "the Three" - Bhalla (Chauntea), Mielikki, and the Hidden One (Mystra) - but also honors telthors and famous heroes. Most of the spirits are not known by name, except for very old ones with recognizable personalities. Most people do not meet the spirits in person but instead seek their signs, which are interpreted as miraculous occurrences and omens. Celebrated heroes are believed to serve the Three in the afterlife as generals, strategists, and messengers. They are rarely seen except in fantastic displays of hathran magic such as the planar ally spell.
All Rashemi respect the hathrans in their role as speakers to the divine (whether deities or spirits). The younger divine spellcasters (ethrans who have not yet become hathrans) are responsible. for most spiritual guidance and healing, much like clerics and druids in other lands. This frees up the hathrans to concentrate on greater matters, such as battling the Red Wizards, thwarting the bheur hags, and guarding Rashemen. Only when an ethran's power is insufficient to minister to the people's needs (such as in the case of a plague) are the hathrans called in.
Foreign Relations
Rashemen was at near-constant odds with the country of Thay. The Zulkirs and their fellow Red Wizards tried to conquer the country and its magical wealth for around centuries.
Laws
Rashemen is governed by a simple set of laws, primarily concerned with safeguarding people and property. The legal system relies on common sense, which is in good supply despite the number of hotheads in the land. The code of laws takes up less than two written pages, which is fortunate, because a majority of Rashemi are illiterate. The laws also exist in song, making them easier for the common folk to remember.
- Do not kill or deliberately injure another Rashemi. Save your anger for your true enemies.
- Do not steal from your fellow Rashemi or outsiders with honor. To do so is to taint your own honor.
- Respect your family, the spirits, and the deities, for they guard your soul in this life and after.
- Respect the, spirits of your home, for they guard the land when you sleep.
- Obey the Iron Lord, for the safety of all Rashemen is his responsibility.
- Obey the Witches, for they are the bond that ties the people to the land and the Iron Lord to the people.
- Be strong, resolute, and courageous, for the weak, lazy, and craven betray the spirit of the Rashemi people.
Trade & Transport
While it did import some goods from abroad, Rashemen was entirely self-sufficient and did not require the import of any essentials from any nearby nations. It exported natural goods that could be found and processed in abundance including animal furs and wool, along with a few unique types of food and drink. Jhuild, also known as Rashemaar firewine, was made in and exported from Rashemen.
Carvings, cheese, firewine, furs, wool
Cloth, food, wood products
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