Homebrew Rashemi Highlander Species Details

Rashemi Highlanders are a people from the frigid mountainous highlands of Rashemen.  They share much in common with their lowland cousins, aside from their Stature.

Appearance:
Most  Rashemi are short and muscular, with a hardy physique, though the Rashemi from the frozen highlands are much taller and  hardier than their lowland cousins. Standing two to three feet taller than most humans of Faerun, and with shoulders often twice as broad, they dwarf their cousins.  

Like all Rashemi, they commonly have dusky skin, dark eyes, and thick black hair. Men are especially hairy and might maintain a thick dark beard; baldness is virtually unknown in their culture. Women often wear their hair long and elaborately plaited.

Culture:
Rashemi thought of themselves as inhabitants of a harsh and beautiful land ruled by spirits and rarely displayed the arrogance of other human ethnic groups. While true of all Rashemi, the Highlanders exemplify this.  Many hold to the belief that the Highlanders have been blessed by the ancient Spirit of the Mountain.  Though it is whispered in awe by some, and is far more likely that their blood holds traces of the ancient mingling of Humans and Frost Giants, who once ruled the Rashemen highlands but now are only found scattered among isolated mountain peaks. 
Children were expected to earn their place in the world, rather than having it handed to them, and they viewed life as a series of challenges to face and defeat. They placed a high value on individual accomplishment and strength, physical in Rashemen and magical in Thay. Elders were respected for their wisdom and mental strength. Rogues were very uncommon as little value was placed in the accumulation of wealth. Most young adult Rashemi traveled extensively for a year as part of a coming-of-age ritual called dajemma, resulting in a population with considerable worldly knowledge. Formal schooling was not emphasized because of the strong warrior culture in Rashemen and the subjugation of the lower classes in Thay. However, many Rashemi were still literate.

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

• "What good can come of alliance with evil?"
• "A wolf will always be a wolf."
• "There are those who think and those who dream."

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 honor 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. Examples include: Minsc, who traveled on dajemma with his witch Dynaheir, whom he was expected to serve faithfully;and Fyodor, who 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 doe-skin loincloths. The Rashemi had no shame of the body.

Language:
Highlanders usually spoke Common and their national language, along with a related highlander dialect. Within the borders of Rashemen, the national language was Rashemi, which used the Thorass alphabet, however the highlander dialect shares some influence from Jotun, and the written form uses Jotun runes.

Rashemi Highlander Traits

Rashimi Highlanders are adapted to living in the frigid mountains of Rashemen, and have the abilities and traits that enable their survival in the inhospitable region.

Weather the Storm

Due to their exposure to icy conditions from childhood, and their intense physical training in the cold (as well as their possible Frost Giant heritage), Rashemi Highlanders can concentrate and grit to overcome cold that would stagger others.

Once per long rest, the Highlander can completely ignore a single cold based damage attack, action, or source (damage is negated),
OR
For a number of minutes equal to Constituion modifier gain resistance to cold (damage is halved).

Snow Hunter

One of the most prized sports of the Highlanders is hunting of Snowcats, and other mountain beasts.  Every Rashimi Highlander is thus proficient in the spear and stalking their prey, as well as proficient in working leathers and fur they gather (including each Highlander's prized Snow Cat Cloak they make after their first successful hunt).  
This practice of tracking and stalking wild creatures also provides a Highlander with advantage on perception checks when in difficult terrain, mountains, or snow.

Ability Score Increase

Your Strength score increases by 2, and your Constitution score increases by 2, your Charisma score decreases by 1

Age

Rhasemi Highlanders have lifespans comparable to humans. They enter adulthood in their late teens and usually live just over a century.

Alignment

Rashimi Highlanders tend to strongly value individuality. and while they can be of any alignment, they tend toward the neutral alignments.  They are predominantly neutral good, and most other Rashimi see them in a good light, as protectors of the outer territories(albeit stubborn and dangerous ones).

Alignment (typical)

Neutral good Chaotic good Neutral

Size

Rashimi Highlanders are between 6 and 8 feet tall and weigh between 250 and 320 pounds. Your size is Medium.

Speed

Your base walking speed is 30 feet.

Powerful Build

You count as one size larger when determining your carrying capacity and the weight you can push, drag, or lift.

Mountain Born

You’re acclimated to high altitude, including elevations above 20,000 feet. You’re also naturally adapted to cold climates, as described in chapter 5 of the Dungeon Master’s Guide.

Languages

Highlanders usually spoke Common and their national language, along with a related highlander dialect. Within the borders of Rashemen, the national language was Rashemi, which used the Thorass alphabet, however the highlander dialect shares some influence from Jotun, and the written form uses Jotun runes.