Rakshasas
Overview
Little is known of the blighted underworld beneath Ithara. It and its denizins have shared many names through history: the gallu, the afarit, the div, the shetani. Now, Ithara knows the chthonic land as Ersetu and its residents as the rakshasas, yet little more is known of them today than in ages past.
What is known is that, like the djinn, beastfolk, and many other Itharan creatures, rakshasas were once normal beings either living or dead, who transformed thanks to the powerful concentrations of aether within Ersetu. Where rakshasas differ from their surface-dwelling kin, however, is the nature of the aether in Ersetu. Whether due to its incredible concentration beneath the earth or corruption from some yet-unknown force, the aether of Ersetu is a malevolent thing, turning whatever it transforms into a violent, destructive fiend. They no longer require food, drink, or rest; every moment is spent in selfish revelry, facilitated by their immense strength both physically and magically. It is not known if rakshasas have much of a society within Ersetu, and it is assumed for now that they form, at best, ever-shifting alliances where the cunning and strong take from the feeble.
Both within and without, rakshasas represent natural life taken to hideous extreme. While sideways-curling tusks and skin hues of blue or red are fairly common among those with a passing humanoid resemblance, rakshasas can vary wildly in appearance and often contort and fuse bodies in ways nature would never dare. Mouths and eyes grow from joints; an arthropod's legs emerge from a crocodile's torso; hands or feet are on backward; the limb of one creature becomes the body of another. Many have the ability to shapeshift into passing humanoid or bestial forms or turn invisible, further muddling the range of their appearances.
As varied as they look, the only way to confirm a rakshasa's identity is its malevolent will. Mentally, rakshasas are driven to excess in all things: where a beast hunts for food, a rakshasa slaughters for joy and drinks blood for pleasure; where a bird collects trinkets to attract a mate, a rakshasa hoards gold to fill its bottomless greed; where a spider creates a web as home and trap, a rakshasa binds and enfeebles passers-by to revel in their vulnerability. Even those folk who were kind and just have become pitiless monsters when exposed to Ersetu's corruption.
Fortunately, the entrances to Ersetu are few and far between, mostly created through geographic happenstance rather than intent, and a rakshasa on Ithara's surface is therefore a rare sighting. The few rakshasas that have emerged have been fodder for legends and nightmares: a rakshasa free from Ersetu usually tries to become the superior being in its territory, and without other rakshasas to contest its rule, this is often successful. Its reign of terror continues until some mighty heroes finally slay or banish it, though sometimes the rakshasa manages to make a longer-lasting mark on Ithara.
Rakshasans
Those people who were either exposed to lesser levels of Ersetu's corrupted aether or directly descended from a rakshasa are known as rakshasans. The indirect touch of Ersetu means that a rakshasan is nowhere near as malevolent as their fully-transformed kin, but the effects of that corrupted aether are still very apparent: all rakshasans carry some similar features to their more powerful cousins, ranging from tiger-striped skin and sideways-curving fangs to backwards hands and animal heads. Some may be able to pass as beastfolk under little or no scrutiny, but usually there is just enough about a rakshasan that is "off" to betray their true nature.Despite their lack of inherent malice, rakshasans are still viewed with fear by most Itharans, for they nonetheless carry that chaotic aether within them. As a result, rakshasans are largely isolated, either living alone or in small communities of their peers. Most prefer to live with beauty rather than reveling in the horrors of the past, choosing to surround themselves in fine food and wine, gentle music, and the arts. Some develop a continued fascination with the mystery and power of Ersetu, either researching its dangers or training their own innate magic into a controllable output. A few decide that they may as well become the monsters they are viewed as, forming bandit crews or becoming murderous vagabonds.
Among the rakshasans, tales are told of their kin who delved too deeply into bloodthirst and violence, and as a result became full-blooded rakshasas themselves. Whether there is any truth to these tales is currently unconfirmed, but they are enough to encourage most rakshasans to temper their urges to some degree - and encourage others to succumb, in search of greater might.
