[ Outsiders > Fiends > Parochial > Rakshasa ]
Rakshasa
Ravana’s Children
Home Plane: Acheron, although they spend their lives on the Prime
Alignment: Lawful Evil
Themes: The rakshasa were created by the powers to embody all that is awful, and thus provide an example to mortals of how not to live—for they are the embodiment of all that is taboo and profane. The rakshasa themselves believe that true power comes from patient manipulation and the slow accumulation of influence and wealth. One day, the rakshasa say, they will be the rightful masters of all mortal civilizations.
Philosophy: The rakshasa blend the predatory grace with devious cunning. They are consummate shape-changers, but the most familiar tiger-headed raja-krodha rakshasa in its true form typically stands as tall as a human—but seems taller, for they carry themselves with the regal bearing of nobility. The most unsettling feature of these creatures are their hands, with their palms positioned where the backs should be, fingers curling in ways that upset mortal sensibilities. Rakshasa eyes burn with ancient intelligence and cruel amusement, while their fangs are capable of inflicting grievous bite wounds. The scent that follows them is a mixture of opulent incense and the subtle musk of a hunting cat, while their accents carry the cultured tones of the wealthy and powerful.
What makes rakshasas truly dangerous isn’t their physical prowess however, although some of the race are indeed mighty combattants. No, it’s their arrogant superiority, and their seemingly-infinite patience in achieving their goals. Unlike other fiends who might conquer through force or corrupt through temptation, rakshasas believe that mortals exist solely to serve as stepping stones to their own personal aggrandizement. They view themselves as the rightful aristocracy of the multiverse, beings so inherently superior that their own deception isn’t dishonest—it’s simply the natural order being restored. Their niche is that of the perfect infiltrator and long-term manipulator; the long-lived rakshasas spend decades or even centuries carefully positioning themselves at the hearts of mortal power structures. Should a rakshasa die, its essence endures an agonizing return to Acheron where it reforms over months or years before it can return to the Prime, retaining all its memories and grudges from its previous incarnation—making them one of the more persistent of fiendish threats.
Paragons: The rakshasa race maintains a rigid caste system that produces several tiers of exceptional individuals, each more dangerous and egotistical than the last. At the apex of their hierarchy stand the maharajahs—ancient rakshasas who have spent multiple lifetimes accumulating power and now rule communities of hundreds of their kin from strongholds within Acheron. These dukes of rakshasa society serve as minions to even greater powers while commanding magical abilities that rival archmages and high priests combined. Above even the maharajahs stands the legendary Ravana, the ten-headed king of all rakshasas who serves as both their deity and their ultimate aspiration. According to the chant whispered in their secretive temples, every rakshasa that achieves sufficient power and cunning is judged by Ravana upon their death, and the greatest among them will potentially be reborn with a portion of their king’s own divine essence. Whether Ravana himself still walks the planes or exists only as a cosmic principle of rakshasa ambition remains one of the mysteries of the multiverse—though some claim that whenever the constant warfare of Acheron pauses for a just moment, Ravana’s terrible laughter can still be heard echoing in the sky between the cubes.
More chant on the rakshasa coming soon…
Canonwatch: †from the Pathfinder setting; the rakshasa are a cool Hindu demon, presented as a singular race from Planescape days, expanded by Pathfinder, and are fiends based on the Prime.