Rashemen

Rashemen was a magocratic gynarchy in the far northeast Faerûn.

Geography
The people of Rashemen are called Rashemi. The country itself is surrounded by mountains, vast lakes and rivers, which provide natural fortifications, making Rashemen an ideally defensible region against the Red Wizards of Thay and the Nar barbarians who are known to attack the territory on a rather frequent basis. Geographically, the northern portion of Rashemen is predominantly barren and ravaged by strong, harsh winds; while the south is cooler and maintains a more placid environment, which is considerably more hospitable for habitation.

Rashemen was considered to be more closely connected to the Feywild than any other location in Faerûn.

History
Rashemen was founded in by the followers of Shemen, a chieftain of a Raumviran tribe, after his death.

Sylune, the Witch of Shadowdale, spent some time studying with the Witches of Rashemen before her death.

During the Time of Troubles, dead-magic zones sprung up around the land and the witches had trouble contacting the spirits. Some witches and artisans went mad and were slain; some warriors also went mad, and it was thought they should also be slain. In 1361 DR, Liriel Baenre, using the power of the Windwalker amulet, was able to set free the spirits, thus returning the land to normal and destroying the Windwalker in the process.

Government
The nominal ruler of Rashemen was the huhrong or "Iron Lord". The real power, however, lay with the Witches of Rashemen (also known as Wychlaran). They selected the Iron Lord and could replace him whenever they felt it necessary. At a local level, each settlement was ruled over by a fyrra, who exclusively controlled the armed forces under his command, and whose rule could be compared similarly to that of a mayor.

Rashemen was at near-constant odds with the country of Thay. Their Red Wizard rulers tried to conquer the country and its magical wealth for around five hundred years and convinced their citizens that Rashemen was a debased country. Luckily, the Red Wizards made a lot of mistakes and were too concerned with infighting to present Rashemen and its people with a more serious threat.

Culture
The Rashemi tended to be quite superstitious. It was considered bad luck to seek knowledge of one's own fortune; to ward off bad luck, a person spat on the fingers, made a fist, and then flicked the fingers three times.

The Rashemi knew a lot about the spirits inhabiting their land and reacted according. In particular, the Rashemi believed (correctly) that in their homes resided a domovoi ("house spirit") that, if appeased, would do chores around the home. Residents might hear the domovoi sighing, humming, or groaning throughout the day. The domovoi were particularly fond of old shoes left in the yard. A domovoi also placed a tripod of sticks on the roof of the house when people were in, removing those sticks and throwing them at people if it didn't like them.

The Rashemi also had a number of common sayings. Some sayings were
 * "What good can come of alliance with evil?"
 * "A wolf will always be a wolf."
 * "There are those who think and those who dream."

Rashemen had a strong tradition of berserker warriors, which were organized into lodges or fangs, such as the Black Bear Lodge. Warriors who were unable to control their berserker rages -- and were thus dangerous to others -- were deemed nydeshka ("blunt sword"), given a blunt sword, and told to lead the next battle, a certain death sentence. Traditionally, warriors had a second set of lacings on their clothes in honor of the old shapeshifters, who would break the first pair when they changed form. A story of the Rashemi told of Yvengi (whose father was a berserker) who fought against the demon Eltab. Yvengi prayed to the spirits and was granted a magical sword called Hadryllis.

Witches, addressed by the honorific 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.

Dajemma (also spelled darjemma) 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. A young man sometimes traveled with a witch companion, called a wychlaran. Examples include: Minsc, who traveled on dajemma with his witch Dynaheir, whom he was expected to serve faithfully; and Fyodor, who was sent on dajemma in order to find a solution to his uncontrolled berserker rages and to aid his homeland.

A recreational sport for young people in Rashemen was a snowshoe-running competition involving only snowshoes and traditional doe-skin loincloths. The Rashemi had no shame of the body.

Food and drink
The smoky sjorl cheese originated in Rashemen, although foreigners often found it unpleasant. Jhuild, also known as Rashemar firewine, was made in and exported from Rashemen. 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.

Notable inhabitants

 * Fyodor, a young berserker.
 * Minsc, a berserker.
 * Dynaheir, Minsc's wychlaran.

Prestige classes

 * Durthan
 * Hathran
 * Runescarred berserker

Appearances

 * Fiction:
 * Dragonwall
 * Realms of Infamy: "Thieves' Honor"
 * Realms of Magic: "Thieves' Reward"
 * Daughter of the Drow (minor)
 * Windwalker
 * Realms of Mystery: "Thieves' Justice"
 * The Shield of Weeping Ghosts
 * Unbroken Chain: The Darker Road


 * Video games:
 * Neverwinter Nights 2: Mask of the Betrayer