History of Rashemen

An Illuskan tribe known as the Rus arrives in eastern Faerun by means of a malfunctioning portal that deposits them on the eastern shore of Lake Ashane. Although quickly integrated into the native Rashemen population, the Rus were powerful berserkers who spark an insurrection among the native Rashemi against the court of Eltab. The arrival of the Rus coincides with the emergence of the Witches of Rashemen, a secret sisterhood formed in the dying days of Raumathar to preserve that empire's magical lore.

A two-way portal between the Shandaular, capital of the kingdom of Ashanath, and Council Hills far to the south in the Eastern Shaar, is opened. Shaundaular expands to encompass the lands surrounding the portal's southern terminus.

The Rashemi warrior Soss leads members of his clan north to explore and trade with the dwarves of Dareth. They settle the alpine valleys of the Armridge Mountains and over time become known as the Sossrim.

Establishment of the arctic dwarf kingdom of Dareth in the mountains of north of Rashemen under the rulership of King Orloebar Snowbeard.

The death of Shemen sees the Lakelands (Rashemen) or "lands of Shemen" in the tongue of his followers established, who call themselves the Rashemi in his memory.

Human tribesfolk of Raumviran stock, led by their chieftain Shemen, arrives from lands to the east and settle the Lakelands (present-day Rashemen).

The Orcgate is destroyed, and the invading orcs and their deities are defeated in the Priador. Tribes of Nars, Rashemi, Raumvirans, and Sossrim return home. Over the next century, the Nars found a series of petty kingdoms, the most prominent of which is Ashanath, along the western shore of Lake Ashane

An alliance of the Rashemi, the Rus, and the Raumviran witches finally liberates Rashemen from demonic rule. The hero of this conflict is a half-Rus/half-Rashemi warrior named Yvengi, who wields a great magical blade named Hadryllis against Eltab, severely wounding the demon lord and forcing him to flee. The Witches of Rashemen finally catch up with Eltab in the Sharawood, far to the south in the Eastern Shaar. They imprison him beneath the forest floor and bind a dracolich known only as the Everlasting Wyrm to be his guardian.

An Illuskan tribe known as the Rus arrives in eastern Faerun by means of a malfunctioning portal that deposits them on the eastern shore of Lake Ashane. Although quickly integrated into the native Rashemen population, the Rus were powerful berserkers who spark an insurrection among the native Rashemi against the court of Eltab. The arrival of the Rus coincides with the emergence of the Witches of Rashemen, a secret sisterhood formed in the dying days of Raumathar to preserve that empire's magical lore.

A clandestine order of witches emerges near Lake Tirulag and makes itself known to the folk of Rashemen. Of Raumviran ancestry, they are sworn to preserve the lore and learning of the Empire of Raumathar.

Rashemen falls under the rule of the demon lord Eltab.

A series of battles over the next two years would end with an isolated Raumvarin force left to desperate action; in −150 DR powerful Raumatharan wizards managed to summon Kossuth from his elemental home and instructed him to destroy a besieging army of hated Narfell. This he did, but he soon turned against the wizards, incinerating their city for their arrogance. The resulting conflagration consumed much of the northern coast of the Alamber Sea, and the fires of Kossuth's anger burned strong for more than a decade after his withdrawal from Toril. The people of both Raumathar and Narfell were left devastated and scattered, their empires in ruins. The few surviving Raumvirans were then pushed westward by the Suren people.

Rashemen is ravaged by demons and destructive spells

Rashemen is ravaged by demons and destructive spells caused by their enemy Narfell.

Narfell and Raumathar began their decade-long war that involved the summoning of demon lords and an avatar of Kossuth. This final war resulted in the destruction of both empires.

In −160 DR, the last of these wars, which came to be known as the Great Conflagration, began with the summoning of the avatar of Kostchtchie and his frost giant armies from the Icerim Mountains. Although Raumathar pushed back the Nar assaults with elemental magic, they eventually lost Winterkeep in the siege.

In response, the Raumviran tapped into long-lost Imaskari lore and elicited the aid of white wyrms, devastating the armies from Narfell and driving them from their lands. Commander Thulkarr pressed the attack and led the Raumviran armies, along with their magical stone constructs, through a series of portals to outflank the Nar in Dun-Tharos. In response, the Nentyarch ordered the opening their own otherworldly passageways to the Abyss to drive out the golems and, feeling vulnerable from the assault eventually used a dark ritual to summon the deity Eltab himself.

The Rashemi witch Yaraella is murdered by the Wychlaren Sree and her death is made to look like a suicide because Yaraella refused to join the Wychlaren.

However, Yarealla didn't go quietly to the grave. Her spirit begins to haunt her village, causing crops to fail and agitating the native spirits of Rashemen. Yarealla's spirit reaches out to the Shadar-kai witch Ilvani. Yarealla bgins haunting Ilvani's dreams which causes the creatures of the Shadowfell to go mad whenever Ilvani was near.

Ilvani sets out for Rashemen to seek out the Wychlaren and the source of her haunting. The witches are able to perform a ritual which puts Yarealla's spirit at rest.

One of the Hathrans, the ruling witches among the Wychlaran in Rashemen, betrays her sisters in a bid for power. She is defeated by the half-elf bladesinger Taenaran and Marissa, a druid from Cormyr. Marissa becomes one of the spirits of Rashemen.

Thydrim Yvarrg, Iron Lord of Rashemen (Huhrong), is slain by a Thayan assassin. Rather than raising him from the dead, the Hathrans opt to replace him with Volas Dyervolk, whom they feel will chafe less under their guidance.

An unusually cold winter in Rashemen allows a large number of cold-loving creatures southward from the Icerim Mountains into the North Country and beyond

Thydrim Yvargg becomes Huhrong of Rashemen.

Targuth Athkarr becomes Huhrong of Rashemen

The Horned Ranger, Eljak Ferenfal spends the later half of the winter hunting a pack of winter wolves acros the ice-bound Bluefang Water near Impiltur. During the course of his pursuit, Eljak stumbles across the mauled and frozen corpse of a Rashemi berserker trapped in the ice. Although the body is clad in simple hide armor and carrying nothing else of value, the warrior's scabbard held the Greatsword of Impiltur. At winter's end, Eljak presents both the Greatsword and a cloak made from the pelt of the winter-wolf pack leader to King Halanter II Elethlim of Impiltur. Both are placed in the royal vaults with the king's heartfelt thanks

Hyarmon Hussilthar becomes Huhrong (Lord) of Rashemen.

A mighty host of orcs descends on Rashemen from the Sunrise Mountains but is driven off.

The god-kings of Mulhorand desire Rashemen as a new province. They send a massive army through the Gorge of Gauros, but are soon turned back by berserkers and nature spirits summoned by the Witches of Rashemen.

An Illuskan tribe from the island of Ruathym travels through a portal to the Council Hills in the Eastern Shaar. Over time, the Illuskans mingle and join with the Arkaiuns who fled the fall of fabled Shandaular, capital of Ashanath, in the lands west of Rashemen centuries before. In time, this mingling of people leads to the establishment of the realm of Dambrath in the Shining South.

After defeating Eltab, the witches of Rashemen demand the right to name the Iron Lord of Rashemen. The nation of Rashemen is established.

Bregg's rebellion is finally crushed. The hathrans take to wearing masks to conceal their true identity as a consequence of Bregg's war.

Bregg the Strong, a mighty berserker, launches a rebellion against the witches of Rashemen when they refuse to name him Iron Lord on the death of the previous lord. Berserkers loyal to Bregg cut down dozens of hathrans in the first hours of his revolt.

Aoth Fezim travels with Jhesrhi Coldcreek and Cera Eurthos to Rashemen with the intention of purchasing griffons from the Wychlaren (due to the loss of many griffons in the Battle of Luthcheq). He arrives in Immilmar to find several other buyers.

The Wychlaren task Aoth and the other bidders to track down the culprits to numerous unexplained attacks and killings in Rashemen in the months prior. Aoth and the Brotherhood of the Griffon ally with a berserker lodge led by Vandar Cherlinka.

Aoth tracks down a group of werewolves that were commanded by a cyclops from the Feywild. They follow the cyclops through the gate and confront the cyclops' formorian mistress. During this time in the Feywild, Aoth rescues a fire spirit named Zyl, who in gratitude, takes them to his master, the Stag King back in Rashemen. Aoth convinces the Stag King (a dark fey lord who rules part of Ashenwood Forest) to aid the berserkers march on the Durthan stronghold at the Fortress of the Half-Demon. This force defeats the durthans and their army of humanoids and undead and drive them into the tunnels under the fortress. The Stag King is killed in the tunnels by Durthan vampires. Zyl is also slain, defending his master.

After the battle, Dai Shan, a Threskian noble who was also attempting to purchase the griffons, magically appears in the tunnels and tricks Aoth and his fellow Brotherhood of the Griffon members to enter a pocket plane. They are able to find a way back to Faerun, in Thay.

The Durthans, a secret sect within the Wychlaran, attempts to overthrow the order and seize Rashemen. Strife between the Hathrans and their dark sisters lasts for decades, but Durthans are eventually driven out.

A Thayan army is defeated by the berserkers of Rashemen in the Gorge of Gauros during a failed invasion of Thay's northern neighbor. The Tharchions who mounted the invasion claim to have defeated an invading Rashemi army.

Thay attempts to invade Rashemen by crossing Lake Mulsantir on magically crafted boats, but a storm created by the hathrans dashes their vessels against the southern shores.

Thay causes chaos in Rashemen by igniting the western portion of the Ashenwood, driving its fell creatures eastward into civilized areas. During the confusion, gangs of cutthroats teleport to Mulsantir and Immilmar to slay important Rashemi but are cut down by berserkers.

Thay invades Rashemen from the east, while Red Wizards melt glaciers in the Icerim Mountains, causing severe flooding in Immilmar, and Mulsantir. While the Hathrans are distracted, the Thayan forces cross the foothills of the High County but are driven back by angry elementals.

Thay attempts to invade Rashemen by moving forces through Thesk along the Golden Way, but they are overwhelmed by water elementals summoned by the Witches of Rashemen. The Thayans retreat after using magic to scorch the western shore to bare rock. The Witches spend a month repairing the damage.

Winter snows hold the Thayan army in place, allowing the berserkers to move north again and attack the unsuspecting Tuigan (and Yamun Khahan) in their camps. The Battle of the Lake of Tears forces the Horde to fall back. The Red Wizards part the waters of Lake Ashane to allow the Tuigan to retreat. The Rashemi do not pursue.

Having been defeated in Rashemen, Yamun Khahan turns his attention west, along the Golden Way. People of many nations rally to the city of the Council of Thesk. Their combined forces defeat the Tuigans at Phsant. King Azoun IV defeats Yamun Khahan in individual combat.

The Tuigan Horde attacks Thay. Although a small scouting force of Tuigans was defeated by Thayan magic, General Batu Min Ho proved a far worthier foe. Thousands of gnolls and the vaunted Griffon Legion are defeated at the mouth of Shar's Pass. Zulkir Szass Tam arranges a truce with the Tuigans and builds a great portal to transport them north to Rashemen.

The Tuigans besiege and destroy Citadel Rashemar, with the main force moving west across the High Country to attack forces rallied by the Witches at the Lake of Tears. Pinned by the Thayan army south of Lake Mulsantir, the largest force of Rashemi berserkers is unable to support the Witches, who can only delay the immense horde.

Thousands of refugees stream across Lake Ashane fleeing the Tuigan Horde. A few of the more determined head toward Uthmere and settle along the Great Road. To this day, the people of the Great Dale refer to these people as "the newcomers".

A second Thayan army of zombies invades Rashemen but is turned back.

Szass Tam, Zulkir of Necromancy in Thay, is forced to become a lich after an abortive invasion of Rashemen.

The Red Wizards of Thay launch their first invasion of Rashemen through the Gorge of Gauros but are repelled.

Increased eastward trade along the Golden Way inspires merchants from other countries to establish outposts in Rashemen in the trading outposts in Almorel and Kourmira. One group of settlers are shield dwarves. The local Rashemi welcome the dwarves after testing their ability to forge, fight, and drink.

Rashemi road builders (with aid from Thesk) complete the stretch from Mulsantir to Tinner.

Thesk offers to improve part of the road along the Golden Way in Rashemen to facilitate traffic. The witches of Rashemen accept the offer under certain conditions of construction, and the building begins in late summer.

The sage Ravildus of Telflamm publishes the treatise Battles Glorious, an excerpt of which describes the Battle of the Lake of Tears of 1360 DR.