Lake Tirulag
This body of water lies in the center of the most populous portion of Rashemen amid the nation’s major waterway. Its water is cold and filled with hardy trout, crayfish, and other tasty creatures, which provide sustenance and trade for a large number of Rashemi. The tradesfolk who harvest the lake’s bounty use typical Rashemi boats and ships, and they always give the witchboats a wide berth, particularly empty ones moving under magical guidance, performing unknown tasks for the hathrans.
Lake Tirulag is not as deadly cold as the Ashane, and brave or foolhardy Rashemi use the lake to prove their toughness and endurance in bizarre competitions. They strip down to nothing and swim about, with victory going to whoever remains in the water the longest. Occasionally contestants die, but normally the worst result is blue-tinged skin for a while. These competitions are followed by feasts and drinking in well-heated lodges throughout the night.
Great treasure is said to lie at the bottom of the lake, although its source has many explanations. Some say it is wealth seized from those foolish enough to attack the Witches; others claim it is the secret hoard of a mad Nar wizard; and yet others believe it is a gift from the spirits of the land for anyone brave enough to claim it. The treasure remains unclaimed because its exact location is unknown, and a creature known as the ice dragon guards it. No one knows its exact nature, but it is probably a mutant aquatic white dragon with ice-clear scales that make it almost impossible to see without magic. Strange patches of ice appear on the surface of the lake at all times of the year, usually with a hapless foreigner frozen to death inside, a victim of the dragon’s icy breath. The creature is under the control of the hathrans, or at least acknowledges their power, and leaves normal Rashemi alone.
