Unapproachable East.pdf - The Forgotten Realms

People of
Rashemen
The people of Rashemen are sturdy, hardworking, and deeply
respectful of the land. A traveler here will never see a logger
casually cutting down trees for greater profit, nor a stream
dammed to power a mill. The Rashemi understand that they
must respect the land as they would a neighbor, for the spirits
punish those who take what they don’t need.
Rashemi are a short, hardy folk, built for strength rather
than speed. Men grow beards but keep them trimmed short.
Both sexes keep their hair long: The men wear a pair of thick
braids, while the women have only one. The length of one’s
hair is a measure of status, in marked contrast to the shavenheaded
Red Wizards. The penalty for adultery in many villages
is to have one’s hair cut short, and others shun shorthaired
Rashemi for this crime against the family.
The berserkers of Rashemen are organized into lodges named
after local creatures. These represent an extended family, and
a member of a given lodge in one village can always find
friends and a place to sleep in the appropriate lodge-house of
another village. A lodge also focuses on special skills, weapons,
or fighting styles, all based on the creature from which
it takes its name. Some lodges are larger and better known
than others—the Great Stag and Wolf lodges have a presence
in many settlements, while a smaller lodge may only exist in
one tiny village.
The lodge-house itself is a typical Rashemi edifice that
serves as a tavern, boarding house, and meeting place for
members. Many Rashemi berserkers live in their lodge-house,
while others visit regularly to drink with their friends, and
still others come only when trouble is brewing and they are
needed. Each lodge-house is watched over by a telthor, usually
of the creature bearing the lodge’s name, which warns the
berserkers of approaching danger.
Members of the lodges honor and respect one another as
brothers (and sisters, for women are not excluded), although
there is much rivalry for skill at fighting, hunting, wrestling,
jumping, swimming, and feats of strength. To join a lodge, a
character must demonstrate the ability to fly into a barbarian
rage and pass through a ritual of initiation. This ranges
from an all-night drinking contest to a single-handed battle
against every other member of the lodge (usually dealing
subdual damage, but not always). An outlander must know
something of Rashemen and its ways to join (2 ranks in
Knowledge [local—Rashemen]), and must have proved his or
her worth in battle against the enemies of Rashemen.
Some of the better-known lodges follow. Each has a gift or
fighting style that is reflected in a feat listed in Chapter 3:
RASHEMEN
Berserker Lodges
136
Typical Rashemi dress is simple, made of wool, leather, and
pelts. Men wear trousers, loose shirts, and fur vests, while
women dress in long woolen skirts and blouses of linen. In
times of celebration, both sexes dress colorfully, preferring
vests and blouses of red, blue, and yellow, embroidered in red,
white, and green. Rashemen is relatively poor in metal, and
most of that goes to making weapons, tools, and armor, so
Rashemi jewelry is made of carved stone, bones, and ivory decorated
with complex patterns and runic markings. These pieces
are often used as trade goods.
Long ago, these people were forced to defend themselves
against the greed of Narfell and Raumathar, two magical
nations that constantly fought each other, usually in the
lands the Rashemi called home. This ongoing battle against
aggressive neighbors turned the Rashemi into insular warriors,
distrustful of outlanders and honoring kinfolk who destroyed
the most enemies. That mentality persists today,
fueled by the greedy attacks of the Red Wizards and Rashemen’s
relative isolation. With such a history, it is no surprise
Regions and Feats. Only members of a particular lodge may
learn that lodge’s feat. It is possible for a berserker to change
lodges, and there is no stigma in doing so. Changing lodges
does not prevent a berserker from using his old lodge’s fighting
style.
Ettercap: These strange berserkers undertake grueling
tasks that would kill a normal human, including subjecting
themselves to various animal poisons. Their lodge-house
guardian is usually a telthor horse.
Great Stag: These berserkers charge recklessly into combat
and often rush opponents through ranks of their own allies.
Their telthor guardian is always a stag.
Ice Troll: The members of this lodge toughen their skin
with strange draughts and frequent exposure to frozen conditions.
They shrug off hits that would disable a normal
person. A telthor badger normally guards Ice Troll lodgehouses.
Owlbear: Members of this lodge practice wrestling and
take pride in their ability to bring down creatures larger than
themselves. Some wear armor spikes to more easily damage
their foes. The telthor of a lodge-house is usually a bear or
large owl.
Snow Tiger: These berserkers wear the skins and claws of
snow tigers, wading into combat with the ferocity and skill of
their spirit animal. The claws are weapons, treated as claw
bracers, and can be enhanced as if they were masterwork
items. A telthor snow tiger is always the guardian of the
lodge-house.
Wolf: Like their spirit animal, Wolf lodge berserkers are
fond of laying out their opponents and then chopping them
to pieces while they’re down. Telthor wolves protect their
lodge-houses.