Rashemen Rashemen was a magocratic 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 - 4963 DR 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 zone s 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 " . In 1479 DR , the the iron lord was Mangan Uruk , who sought to rule in the best interests of Rashemen . 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 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 honors 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 " . Minsc traveled on " dajemma " with his witch Dynaheir , whom he was expected to serve faithfully ; Fyodor 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 doeskin loinclothes . 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 .