Gilgamesh and the Golden Palace of Za-Hadrash - The Rakshasa's Tale

 

His title and name are Sardar Patharmes. He serves Raja Ksurmetinga, who in turn serves Maharaja Bruskamesthanghas.

He is a Zakya Rakshasa, of the warrior caste though even the warrior caste have much magic and trickery.

He and his fellow Rakshasae come from a world called Vergonia. It is peopled by an offshoot of humanity who are a little different to those Patharmes sees before him in this party, but not radically so.

The Rakshasae are infiltators. Mainly, they spy on the Vergonians and gather information. Sometimes they stir up violence between warring groups to prevent them unifying against the overlords of that world, who are called the Vodoni Empire. The Vodoni Empire are invaders and colonisers from another world. The Maharaja Bruskamesthanghas is allied to the Vodoni Empire and may be seeking a place in their senior hierarchy or may already be a part thereof - or he may have infiltrated the hierarchy without their knowledge.

Patharmes is unclear on the details and has not really been kept up to date with developments; he is kept busy running operations for Ksurmetinga day-to-day.

But he knows Bruska ordered Ksurmetinga to suspend his existing operations in order to come on this mission. He doesn't really know why it is important. Something about a Janni woman. But also to do with destabilising things in this world.

Sardar Patharmes willingly permitted himself to be entrapped in a Soul Trap gem along with his fellow Zakya Rakshasae. This was so Ksurmetinga could bring everyone he might need - there were limits on the number of creatures he could transport via Shadow Walk. He was liberated once within the Golden Palace and he was told by his lord Ksurmetinga once there that they were seeking someone called Godratt the Wise. Something about seizing control of a magical barrier surrounding the Palace. They were trying to get past many wards protecting an underground crypt underneath the Sepulchre of Ghalandar the Dervish to get to this Godratt person.

They encountered a powerful Efreeti Mummy Lord called Behmanesh. Rather than fight him, they managed to get him onside by revealing to him that his (apparently) hated nemesis Godratt was to be found nearby, and his father - the Caliph who once ruled this palace - was no longer around to protect him. The offer of an opportunity to take his revenge persuaded the Mummy Lord to ally with Ksurmetinga.

When news came of the arrival of a band of interlopers (that's the PC party), and the interest they were taking in the Sepulchre of Ghalandar the Dervish, the Rakshasae tipped Behmanesh off and swiftly prepared a defence. The plan was to keep Behmanesh' crypt hidden away and for the mummy lord and his honour guard to emerge and attack the party in the rear. Ksurmetinga had also brought a contigent of powerful wraiths along which would be part of the ambush.

The Ambush:

Patharmes was detailed to lead the attack on the rear of the party. He lurked on an ethereal Nightmare (one of several that Ksurmetinga had summoned) and had the wraiths hide in the walls with instructions to join the attack on his signal.

Things didn't go entirely as planned. The interlopers discovered the way into the Mummy crypt a bit too early so Behmanesh ended up attacking the middle of the column rather than joining the attack on the party's rear. Patharmes decided that he needed to launch his attack right away and make the best of the situation. He had no reason to suspect that he would be too severely challenged by the rear echelon of the party, expecting them to be the usual assortment of support bods and healers. He noted an astonishingly beautiful woman with golden hair, who looked like maybe some kind of spellcaster, and probably an easy target. She did have a big Janni fellow in plate armour slightly ahead of her, maybe a bodyguard. He was a bit difficult to reach in the crowded corridor. He decided to go for the woman first, being a soft and accessible target. It would be a waste if she died, but "if she dies, she dies". He decided to offer her a chance to surrender, if she survived his initial onslaught. First he had to show that he meant business.

He activated his True Strike power. Commanding his Nightmare to drop out of its ethereal state and breathe sulphurous fumes into the corridor, he swung for the golden haired woman with his bastard sword.

He barely scratched her with that first True Strike blow, and his backswing went completely wide as she twisted away with superhuman agility. As well as being almost impossible to hit she had some kind of force field. As she danced out of his reach he saw the cut he'd inflicted on her milky thigh already healing itself. Then the wraiths surged out of the walls to attack her party from both sides.

Then things went wrong for Patharmes very quickly. The Janni mamluk rushed back to the woman's aid, and decapitated Patharmes' Nightmare mount with a single blow. As Patharmes tumbled to the floor, the woman cast a spell that breached his magical resistance with ease, and he was unable to avoid the full force of a Ball Lightning that blasted his body with electrical power that left him reeling and not far from death.

Then to his mounting consternation, he saw his Wraiths all snuffed out of existence with the casting of a single spell by someone further up the corridor.

It turned out that the rear echelon of this party wasn't squishy at all.

Patharmes realised that the next few seconds were crucial to his ongoing existence. His contingency plan had been to use his Nightmare to go Ethereal again if things went badly. He hadn't counted on it being killed quite so rapidly.

With grim irony, he realised it was he would have to surrender, if he had any hope of survival.

He was loyal to Ksurmetinga, but not to the point of fanaticism.

He offered the woman his surrender, hoping that she might be the merciful sort. Naturally, he would have to sweeten the deal with an offer of service.

"Lady, spare my life, and I will serve you for 1000 days and nights, or else you may ransom me for a high worth to my Lord Ksurmetinga."

"Drop your weapon, and swear to serve me and I will spare you. Tell me everything about any further surprises your group may have planned for us."

"Lady, though I will swear to serve you that I may live, I already swore an oath to keep the lord Ksurmetinga's secrets, and If I break that oath, you will know I am not to be trusted, and will kill me anyway."

The woman considered this for a moment.

"That is a fair point. I will accept your conditions. Now if you'll excuse me..."

Patharmes watched her shapely form recede along the corridor towards where he knew Behmanesh would by now be most likely cutting a swathe through these people and Ksurmetinga's Devourer (a huge and very nasty undead thing) would be dispensing death on their front line. Chances are this was the last he'd see of her anyway.

The Janni warrior's squire appeared with manacles. Manacles that would (Patharmes soon discovered) switch off his magical abilities while he wore them.

And that's how Patharmes came to be a prisoner of war. And he was wrong - the woman did not die, Behmanesh and the Devourer fell, and so did all of his comrades.

It sucks to be bound to the service of a non-Rakshasa in this way, but it beats dying. Patharmes is a long-lived creature and 1000 days is barely any time at all. And there could be some fringe benefits.

Outlook & Philosophy

Rakshasae are Outsiders, but are native to the material plane. This is unusual, as most Outsiders come from other planes of existence.

The Rakshasa race was, at some distant time aeons past, banished to walk the material world.

Keywords:

• Secretive
• Arrogant
• Greedy
• Sadistic
• Honourable
• Epicurean

Rakshasas believe themselves superior to any other prime material dwelling race.

They believe in leveraging all their innate abilities in the service of dominance and control of the cultures they infiltrate.

While capable combatants, if their aims can be achieved through subterfuge and trickery, then this is preferable. The ideal Rakshasa cell is never discovered by wider society.

The goal of their secretive infiltration of human civilisation is to serve their own greed and jaded appetites.

They enjoy corrupting virtuous souls and the "self-righteous". Sometimes they sell their services to devils and act as their agents on the Prime Material Plane.

Sometimes, a non-Rakshasa who they consider worthy (by their own standards) might be taken into their confidence. They respect power and those of exceptional talents.

They are lawful creatures and have a sense of honour. They keep their word - when forced to give it - and operate within hierarchies.

They are great lovers of sensual pleasures and the arts, fine food and wine. They like to collect things. They also enjoy watching the suffering of lesser, weaker creatures.

Essentially, they do all the things that a secret society of lawful evil humans bent on world domination from behind the shadows would do. They just do it better, of course. "Rakshasa Exceptionalism".