Rashemi

Dungeons & Dragons Campaign Accessory: Forgotten Realms: Races of Faerun

Concentrated in the harsh and dangerous northeastern reaches of Faerun, the Rashemi are tough and sturdy, undaunted by extremes of weather or human cruelty. Although Rashemi barbarians and rangers are widely known across Faerun, members of this ethic group also make skilled wizards, sorcerers, and clerics.
Most Rashemi average about five and a half feet in height, with stout and muscular builds. Most are dusky of skin and dark of eye, with thick black hair.

Culture

Major language groups and dialects

Rashemi speak Common and their national language, whatever that may be. The Rashemi language, derived from Raumvira and the dead language Halardrim, uses the Thorass alphabet introduced by Chondathan traders traveling along the Golden Way. The Rashemi tongue is commonly employed only within the borders of Rashemen. In fact, more Rashemi speak the Thayan dialect of Mulhorandi as their mother tongue than speak Rashemi.

Culture and cultural heritage

The Rashemi of all three lands share a common suspicion of excessive civilization, which is often seen as soft or weak, and place little emphasis on inherited titles or wealth.
Northeastern Faerun is largely devoid of nonhuman civilizations, leaving the Rashemi generally ignorant of nonhuman cultures other than the centaurs and gnolls of the Thayan Plateau. Dwarves are perhaps the best-known race, as the dwarven kingdom of Siremun in the Firepeaks to the east has long traded with Rashemi traders in the markets of Almorel. Elves, half-elves, and halflings are viewed as objects of wonder, long associated with the fey creatures of the North Country. Gnomes are also regarded as creatures of magic. Half-orcs, tie flings, and genasi are regarded with long-standing suspicion, the legacy of centuries of folklore that have grown up around the Orcgate Wars and the conflagration unleashed by Narfell and Raumathar. Aasimars are closely associated with the various Mulhorandi priesthoods and treated accordingly. Among human cultures, the Rashemi get along best with the Nars and the Sossrims.

Shared customary codes and values

The Rashemi view life as an unending series of challenges to be faced and overcome. They place a strong emphasis on strength, whether it is physical strength among the folk of Rashemen or magical prowess among the Thayan Rashemi. Respect and status must be earned, and a great deal of emphasis is placed on individual accomplishment.

Common Dress code

Rashemi often wear warm clothing of leather, buckskin, hide, and fur, making the best use of the materials at hand.
Favored armor in the colder reaches north of Thay includes thick hide armor, often made from the pelts of bears or snow tigers, and large steel shields. Northern Rashemi warriors employ all manner of weapons, including greataxes and shortspears. They favor curved swords such as the scimitar and sabre. Rashemi native to more temperate climes are more heavily influenced by the East and favor nunchaku, sianghams, and spiked chains.

Coming of Age Rites

Childhood among the Rashemi reflects this cultural outlook, as youths are subjected to greater and greater tests as they mature. Admittance into the ranks of their elders must be earned.
Rashemi youth are encouraged (required, in the case of males in Rashemen itself) to go on a yearlong journey to see the world (dajemma), after which they are accorded the status of adults. Naturally, some fall into a life of adventuring during such a trip, although most eventually return home and settle down.

Ideals

Beauty Ideals

Rashemi males are unusually hirsute and often sport bushy black beards. Although handsome, many seem almost ursine in nature. Baldness is almost unknown among Rashemi males, although inhabitants of Thay are known to shave all body hair in imitation of the ruling Mulan. Female Rashemi wear their black hair long, often in elaborate braids.

Diverged ethnicities

• Gur

Related Locations

• Hordelands, The