Unapproachable East.pdf - The Forgotten Realms

wealth. The water is glacial runoff, little more than freezing,
and it’s constantly pounding on the rocks below. As well, the
local spirits guard these offerings and slay any would-be
thieves. The Rashemi themselves capture and execute any looters
who manage to escape the spirits.
Beyond the falls are a few humanoid tribes, but they rarely
are brave enough to tempt the wrath of the Rashemi, instead
harassing the small Nar horse tribes to the west.
The High Country
This northernmost portion of the Sunrise Mountains is a
place of dark hills, ancient monoliths, wild magic, and strange
occurrences. Few go there, and the Rashemi who live in this
place are a cautious and suspicious folk.
The High Country is a chain of high peaks surrounded by
a scattering of hills. Ragged and forbidding, the slopes hide
hundreds of small ravines and valleys, many of which are
filled with snow for months. They claim dozens of lives every
year from fools who mistake a smooth white break in the
mountains for a pass, only to discover it is a thin crust of snow
and ice over a hundred-foot drop into a crevasse.
Some of the monoliths are markers for old Raumathari
sites, but others are magical traps created by the Raumathari
wizards to imprison Nar demons. If broken, these stone prisons
would release any trapped fiends, so the Witches of Rashemen
check the known monoliths every year for wear and
damage. Other structures predate the Narfell-Raumathar war
and may be wayposts left by the Imaskari or an even older
race. Natural animals avoid the magical stones.
Grim hunters who prefer solitude sparsely inhabit the
mountains. Even the most nature-savvy Rashemi wonder how
these folk manage to survive. The hunters are suspicious of all
strangers, even other Rashemi, and assume that non-Rashemi
are wizards intent on stealing souls or enslaving the innocent.
They are very superstitious and carry charms and amulets
(some magical, some not) to ward off hostile spirits. They fear
the monoliths and avoid them at all costs.
Goblins and kobolds live in the ravines and dig many warrens
there, raiding mining settlements and even lowland areas
when the weather is good. The largest colony of goblins is
ruled by King Nanraak the Fierce (LE male goblin Ftr7), a
lean and belligerent chieftain with over one hundred fighting
goblins under his command. Tekun the Warlord (NE halfwhite
dragon kobold Rgr6 of Auril) is the greatest kobold
leader in the mountains and may have two hundred or more
kobold warriors in his forces.
Feluccas are small two-masted vessels unique to Rashemen. A
felucca is roughly equivalent to a keelboat (see Ships in Chapter
5: Campaigns in the DUNGEON MASTER’s Guide), but is
RASHEMEN
Feluccas
132
Snow tigers, wolves, and winter wolves are common predators
in the mountains. The normal animals are a threat to
humans only when other game cannot be found, but the winter
wolves maliciously seek out intelligent prey, sometimes working
in concert with goblin tribes. The most powerful one
known by name is Hurrahesh (NE male winter wolf Bbn5),
easily recognized by his unusual green eyes. The winter wolves
sometimes work with small troll tribes, but as they compete for
food and territory, this is infrequent except in times of plenty.
An adult white dragon, Kissethkashaan, has been spotted in
several places among the mountains but withdraws whenever
he notices humans. There are many half-dragons and very
young white dragons among the local kobold tribes, suggesting
that the dragon, called Kashaan by the Rashemi, has been creating
minions for himself. He is avoiding conflict, preferring
to annex most of the High Country through his offspring.
Recently, human miners have reported patrols of gray
dwarves at night east of Lake Mulsantir. Apparently, the
duergar have tunneled through to the surface and are surveying
the area. Whether their intent is hostile or mercantile
is unknown, but tensions are high among the mountain folk,
and the leaders of Rashemen are investigating.
Telthors and the ghosts of slain Tuigan raiders lurk in the
mountains. The telthors usually wish to pass messages to their
families or scare off enemies, but the Tuigan ghosts can be
vengeful. Travelers are warned to avoid anything appearing
insubstantial, even if on good standing with the local spirits.
What seems a guardian spirit of Rashemen may turn out to
be a years-dead raider from the Endless Waste looking to take
revenge for the failure of the Horde.
MINES OF TETHKEL
This large mine is the source of most of the country’s mineral
wealth, particularly iron. The place is big enough to have its
own settlement, and the miners prefer to live nearby rather
than travel back and forth every day or tenday. The miners
are a dangerous lot, more raucous, undisciplined, and savage
than most other Rashemi, but such qualities are necessary in
the middle of hostile territory. In addition to the obvious environmental
dangers, the miners endure raids by kobolds and
goblins, attacks from winter wolves, and in recent times, incursions
of duergar from the south.
The miners are very tough, and fighting one another is a
favorite pastime. Boxing and wrestling matches are a
common sport, with bouts held in the upper, depleted tunnels
of the mines. The miners scorn anyone they perceive as weak,
only about 40 to 50 feet in length. It has a crew of six to
twelve and can carry up to 35 tons of cargo. A felucca moves
at about 2 miles per hour.