Not native to this continent, the rakshasa is in many ways like a changeling, in that it has a mutable form, but rakshasas also posess a “true” form—that of a tiger-like beastman—and an organized nature. Using their ability to alter their shape, they infiltrate society and politics seeking both comfort and luxury for themselves as well as a steady supply of food—preferably sapients—on which to dine. While they are generally unable to assume the form of a specific individual, with some notable exceptions, rakshasas have nevertheless embedded themselves in the power structures of many foreign nations, and it is only through the greatest of efforts that they have been thus far unable to do so in the Emperor-King’s realm.

Thus far, a simple test developed by the Collegium has been able to root out all rakshasas attempting to pass themselves off as mundane individuals. A rakshasa, like some other sorts of seelie and unseelie fae, is unable to bear the touch of cold-forged iron, which will rapidly redden and blister them. Therefore, the simple act of holding an iron ingot is usually enough, although some rakshasas have been able to circumvent the test by using a similar weight of dark clay or by surreptitiously coating the iron in wax. Even so, anyone who ostentatiously uses copper or brass where iron might be expected is at risk of suspicion or accusation, rightly or wrongly.

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