The Reghedmen, also known as the Reghed barbarians, the Reghed,[7] or the men of the tundra,[2] were the barbarian tribes of Icewind Dale. They eked out a harsh and bitter life between the Reghed Glacier and the Sea of Moving Ice.[5]
Each entirety of the Reghedmen people lived within one of several tribes, each of which was ruled by a king. Known tribes were the Tribe of the Elk, the Tribe of the Wolf, the Tribe of the Bear, the Tribe of the Tiger,[2][6][8][9] the Tribe of the Seal, the Tribe of the Caribou,[8] and the Tribe of the Great Wyrm.[10]
Description[]
The Reghedman were tall for humans,[5][6] on average taller than those of west Faerûn,[6] sometimes reaching 7 feet (2.1 meters) in height.[5] They were blue-eyed and fair-haired, with hair of blond, red, or light brown hues.[5][6]
Culture[]
The Reghedmen were migratory hunters, who herded reindeer across the frozen tundra. They lived in deerskin tents and crafted goods of wood and whalebone.[5]
The Reghedmen spoke their own language, Reghedjic, derived from Old Illuskan.[1]
Like many of their kind, they were suspicious of magic, and saw it as the tool of the evil and indolent.[2][6]
Religion[]
The Reghedmen worshiped tribal beast spirits,[2][3][4] a tradition they had inherited from their ancient Illuskan ancestors,[11][note 1] and Tempos, the god of war. Tempos was served by shamans who revered their tribal beast totems highly.[2][3][4]
These beast totems were great spirits, similar to those of the Uthgardt barbarians. Unlike the Uthgardt, Reghedmen shamans could not call upon a beast power,[2][3][4] though particularly experienced or motivated shamans were known to invoke possession by the spirits of their beast totems.[3]
Ancient Reghedmen were known to use helmets called Dead Man's Faces. They had a simple design: a plain helmet with a hinged faceplate. Once forged and constructed, each of the Dead Man's Faces was engraved with an image of a dead warrior's face onto the face-covering. Each face belonged to a specific Reghedman, and the image was accompanied by an engraving of the warrior's name and a single word that described their death, front and center on the mask's forehead. Once completed, the helmet was left in the dead warrior's funeral pyre. A month later, Dead Man's Faces of the most valiant warriors were recovered from the ashes by the priests Tempos and praised in their daily religious rituals. This custom was believed to mask the dead warrior's fear of death when being judged by Tempos upon entering the afterlife. Another belief stated that the Dead Man's Faces of the most valiant warrior could gain enchantments to render the wearer immune to fear.[12][13]
Relations[]
Due to their combative history with one another, the Reghedmen collectively hated orcs.[5]
History[]
Members of various Reghedmen tribes side by side.
The history of the Reghedmen traced all the way back to −2103 DR, when the Illuskan community of Old Illusk was devastated by a tremendous horde of orcs from the Spine of the World mountains.[14][15] The survivors who managed to flee the downfall of their nation reverted to barbarism, migrating northward and west to the region of Icewind Dale, where they would become the Reghedmens' progenitors.[14][15][16]
By the Year of Chilled Marrow, −343 DR, many Reghed tribes could be found prowling around Icewind Dale.[17]
Over the years the Reghedmen were hostile toward the Ten-Towns and raided them relatively frequently.[5]
Around the Year of the Crown, 1351 DR, the Reghedmen invaded the Ten Towns of Icewind Dale, and were rebuffed by an uneasy alliance formed by the folks of the dale and the dwarves of Kelvin's Cairn. After the barbarian army was all-but-destroyed, King of the Tribe of the Elk, Heafstaag, allied the tribes with Akar Kessell, a dark wizard from Luskan. Kessel used the last Reghedmen in his plan to exact revenge upon the Ten-Towns. Fortunately for all, the barbarian Wulfgar slew Heafstaag in a challenge and became king of the tribes. He brought the fifty remaining Reghedmen to the Ten Towns, where they turned away Kessell's invading horde and settled down for a time, away from the harsh wilderness of the north.[2][18]
The survivors dwelled in the Ten-Towns, mostly in Bremen and Caer-Konig,[2] while others went south to Settlestone, to rebuild their strength and learned how to exist within "civilized society".[8]
15th Century[]
As of the late 15th century DR, the tribes of the Wolf and Tiger barely managed to exist out on the tundra.[9]
The Tribe of the Tiger tried to gain entry to Bremen during the winter of the Year of the Iron Dwarf's Vengeance, 1485 DR, but were refused by suspicious townsfolk, forcing them to make camp on the northwest shore of Maer Dualdon where they suffered repeated attacks from beasts. The Tribe of the Wolf took shelter against the wind in the lee of the Spine of the World near Ironmaster but lost its king in the journey. The Elk and Bear tribes were much more prosperous, although the latter had come under Auril's sway and they had begun to exclusively worship the Frostmaiden.[9]
Notable Reghedmen[]
- Bjornhild Solvigsdottir, 15th century Queen of the Tribe of the Tiger[19]
- Heafstaag, 14th century King of the Tribe of the Elk, succeeded by Wulfgar
- Jarund Elkhardt, King of the Tribe of the Elk[9]
- Jerrod, the warrior-shaman who briefly united the Reghedmen and Uthgardt[20]
- Revjak, 14th century King of the Reghedmen[2]
- Wulfgar, 14th century King of the Tribe of the Elk, one of the Companions of the Hall
Appendix[]
Notes[]
- ↑ The cited text states that it was the Uthgardt who inherited this beast totem tradition from the people of Old Illusk, however, this is assumed to be an error as historically Old Ollusk has no connection to them. Those tribes were descended from Northmen several centuries removed from Old Illusk. As the remnants of Old Illusk are the progenitors of the Reghedmen, it stands to reason that it was rather they who inherited this tradition.
Appearances[]
Adventures
Novels & Short Stories
Video Games
Miniatures
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Thomas M. Costa (1999). “Speaking in Tongues”. In Dave Gross ed. Dragon Annual #4 (TSR, Inc) (4)., p. 26.
- ↑ 2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 slade, et al. (April 1996). “The Wilderness”. In James Butler ed. The North: Guide to the Savage Frontier (TSR, Inc.), p. 15. ISBN 0-7869-0391-0.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 slade, et al. (April 1996). “The Wilderness”. In James Butler ed. The North: Guide to the Savage Frontier (TSR, Inc.), p. 22. ISBN 0-7869-0391-0.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 Jennell Jaquays (1988). The Savage Frontier. (TSR, Inc), p. 26. ISBN 0-88038-593-6.
- ↑ 5.00 5.01 5.02 5.03 5.04 5.05 5.06 5.07 5.08 5.09 5.10 5.11 Christopher Perkins, et al. (September 2016). Storm King's Thunder. Edited by Kim Mohan, Michele Carter. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 64. ISBN 978-0-7869-6600-4.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 6.5 6.6 Jennell Jaquays (1988). The Savage Frontier. (TSR, Inc), p. 25. ISBN 0-88038-593-6.
- ↑ Tuque Games (2020). Dungeons & Dragons: Dark Alliance. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 R.A. Salvatore (February 2011). “To Legend He Goes”. In Philip Athans ed. The Collected Stories: The Legend of Drizzt Anthology (Wizards of the Coast), pp. 361–362. ISBN 978-0-7869-5738-5.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 Christopher Perkins, et al. (September 2016). Storm King's Thunder. Edited by Kim Mohan, Michele Carter. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 65. ISBN 978-0-7869-6600-4.
- ↑ Black Isle Studios (February 2001). Designed by Chris Avellone, Steve Bokkes, John Deiley, J.E. Sawyer. Icewind Dale: Heart of Winter. Interplay.
- ↑ Reynolds, Forbeck, Jacobs, Boyd (March 2003). Races of Faerûn. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 94. ISBN 0-7869-2875-1.
- ↑ Black Isle Studios (June 2000). Designed by Matt Norton. Icewind Dale. Interplay.
- ↑ Creative Titan Ltd. (February 2025). Designed by Luke Scull. Neverwinter Nights: Doom of Icewind Dale. Beamdog.
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 Reynolds, Forbeck, Jacobs, Boyd (March 2003). Races of Faerûn. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 92. ISBN 0-7869-2875-1.
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 Brian R. James, Ed Greenwood (September 2007). The Grand History of the Realms. Edited by Kim Mohan, Penny Williams. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 33. ISBN 978-0-7869-4731-7.
- ↑ Richard Baker, Ed Bonny, Travis Stout (February 2005). Lost Empires of Faerûn. Edited by Penny Williams. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 137. ISBN 0-7869-3654-1.
- ↑ Christopher Perkins (September 2020). Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden. Edited by Kim Mohan. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 262. ISBN 978-0786966981.
- ↑ Jennell Jaquays (1988). The Savage Frontier. (TSR, Inc), pp. 25–26. ISBN 0-88038-593-6.
- ↑ Christopher Perkins (September 2020). Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden. Edited by Kim Mohan. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 210. ISBN 978-0786966981.
- ↑ Black Isle Studios (June 2000). Designed by Matt Norton. Icewind Dale. Interplay.
Connections[]
Maztica: Azuposi • Dog People • Green Folk • Metahel • Nahopaca • Nexalan • Payit (Itza)
Taan: Commani, Dalat, Fankiang, Gur, Guychiang, Igidujin, Kashghun, Khassidi, Naican, Oigur, Pazruki, Quirish, T'aghur, Tsu-tsu, Tuigan, Zamogedi
Kara-Tur & Malatra: Bavanese & Bertanese • Bawani • Han • Issacortae • Koryoan • Kozakuran • Kuong • Nubari (Huroola • Koshiva • Kukalatu • Wise Ones • Zantira) • Nugha • Pazruki • Purang • Seng • Shou • Tabotan • Tayanulchi • Wanese • Wu-haltai
Zakhara: Zakharan