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Rakshasa General

A Rakshasa

The rakshasa were a race of semi-immortal demonic entities whose true forms resembled bipedal tigers with human-like hands. They were shapechangers, illusionists, and sorcerers who fed on human flesh. [1]

Legend[]

Ra'Shari legends said that a jinn lived beneath the Temple of the White Tiger, imprisoned with gold chains. The dark jinn was so big and powerful that could provoke that women that were not with child, had born terrible Rakshasa from their wombs. [2] Another tale said rakshasa had been particularly wicked humans in previous incarnations, transformed into demons to punish them for their sins. [3]

Abilities[]

The Rakshasa were promised by their gods that no force could harm his people. With an appetite for carnage, they treated humans as cattle. [4] A rakshasa was not a creature that died easily, or changed easily. A rakshasa was beholden to no one. Such a creature found eternity a heavy, tedious burden and inevitably turned its energies toward destructive mischief on a grand scale. Rakshasa had built empires only to destroy them on a whim, inspired hope merely for the satisfaction of watching it died. [5] His flesh was stone and his blood was flame. [6] Their bodies would reform from any normal injury. Ivory, crystal, jade, or crysteel could harm the Rakshas, but the one true way to kill a rakshasa was to shoot it with a missile blessed by Vishnu the Protector. [7] When they contacted Rokugan they learned their fabled Magic Resistance did not extend to Maho[4]

Combat[]

Rakshasa delighted in causing pain and suffering in others. Though they were quite powerful physically, they preferred to act unseen. They enjoyed using their shapeshifting powers to cause misery, dissent, and confusion. If they were discovered, or the game became too boring, they shifted into their true form and began murdering everything in sight. [4]

Types[]

The few brothers of Revan, King of the Rakshasa, were known as Greater Rakshasa, and the countless rest were known as Lesser Rakshasa. [4]

Enemies[]

Vishnu the Preserver once took mortal form to end their reign of terror in the Ivory Kingdoms. [4] In its homelands the Kshatriya, holy warriors much like the samurai, would destroy a rakshasa on sight. [5]

History[]

Expelled from Rokugan[]

The Kenku allied with [citation needed] the Kitsune and a few other Hengeyokai against the evil Rakshasa, forcing them to flee past the mountains in what would later became the Ivory Kingdoms. [8]

Ivory Kingdom Rulers[]

Of demonic origin, they once ruled the Ivory Kingdoms with an iron fist before being defeated by a god taking mortal form. Most Rakshasa were destroyed, but some fled the Ivory Kingdoms, [4] where they wrought terrible suffering on the people. The people prayed to the gods for succor, and Vishnu the Protector, lord of life, imprisoned most of the rakshasa race, locking them away in a spiritual trap beyond the physical world, sealed behind the waterfall of a side-branch of the Shinano River that emerged in the Vindhyas Mountains. Only a few of the creatures, the most cunning and the swiftest, managed to escape Vishnu's punishment. [9] At least three escaped to Rokugan. [4] One more was known to have come later in the 12th century when it was revealed to be the leader of Kali-Ma's army during the Destroyer War. [10]

Seal Weakened[]

With all of the Ivory Kingdoms' gods dead the power of Vishnu's ancient seal weakened. Raniyah gathered the powerful spiritual artifacts and divine substances she needed to shatter Vishnu's ancient seal. [11]

Known Rakshasa[]

Rakshasa, Champion of Jigoku[]

Rakshasa, the selected Champion of Jigoku, invaded Rokugan leading an army of demons and undead. After three days of fighting, he was defeated by Muhonarak, who was seriously wounded in the process. [6]

Revan[]

Revan was a rakshasa who ruled the Ivory Kingdoms in ancient times. He was eventually overthrown when Ivory Kingdoms deity Vishnu incarnated himself as a mortal named Arun and led a rebellion. [4]

Adisabah[]

Adisabah the Cruel, a rakshasa imprisoned in the Tomb of Iuchiban when he learned that his innate resistance to magic did not extend to maho, gave the impression that they were, as a race, inhumane and malevolent. [12]

Bishan[]

Bishan the Watchful would be involved in a plot against the Mantis Clan, and used his shapeshifting abilities to impersonate the Mantis Clan Champion, Yoshitsune. Eventually, he found himself becoming more Mantis samurai than Rakshasa, and faked his death after revealing at least part of the truth to his foster son, Yoritomo. To this day, Bishan lurked in the deep jungles of the Islands of Spice and Silk, watching his former clan with sadness and regret. [13]

Raniyah[]

Rakshasa 2

Rakshasa at Medinaat al-Salaam

Raniyah the Sly spent many years in Otosan Uchi impersonating an ise zumi before becoming bored and wandering deeper in to the Empire. [14] He was a hunter of his kin, and chased them to Medinaat al-Salaam, where still were alive four of the five survivors. [15]

Rahjid[]

Rahjid was a Rakshasa ambassador at Medinaat al-Salaam. He was part of the Sultan Yusef III's court. [16]

Rakshasa General[]

The Rakshasa General led the armies of Kali-Ma against Rokugan during the Plague War in 1171. [17] [10]

See also[]

External Links[]

References

  1. Second City - The Campaign, p. 102
  2. Legend of the Burning Sands Roleplaying Game, p. 182
  3. Second City - The Campaign, p. 87
  4. 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 4.7 Secrets of the Mantis, p. 91
  5. 5.0 5.1 Blood Dawn, Part XI: The Tale of the Khadi and the Emperor's Brother, by Rich Wulf
  6. 6.0 6.1 The Dawn of the Ogres, by Lucas Twyman
  7. Second City - The Campaign, pp. 88, 93
  8. Way of the Minor Clans, p. 31
  9. Second City - The Campaign, pp. 87-89
  10. 10.0 10.1 The Burning Wall, Part 2, by Shawn Carman
  11. Second City - The Campaign, pp. 5-6
  12. Four Winds, p. 105
  13. Secrets of the Mantis, pp. 90-91
  14. Otosan Uchi 1 - The Forbidden City, p. 43
  15. Raniyah The Awakening flavor)
  16. Rahjid (LBS- Secrets and Lies Boxtext and flavor)
  17. Unleashed, Part 1, by Shawn Carman



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