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Evil spirits and gifted shapeshifters, rakshasas masquerade as members of other races, walking among them and sowing havoc through deception and intrigue. Most favour the guise of a powerful societal figure, and as such, the homes in which they dwell reflect the high status of their chosen identity.

Outside the Lair

A path of light-grey gravel snakes its way through a well-kept garden to the front door.
A large manor house looms ahead, grandiose yet deathly silent.
The trees and bushes surrounding the rakshasa’s home are strangely devoid of wildlife.
Rising high above the surrounding buildings, the rakshasa’s home stands out as a symbol of its power and influence; the house is simple to find.

What’s Going On?

A head with a strange silhouette appears in a shadowy upstairs window; the rakshasa has spotted the party.
The rakshasa is entertaining esteemed guests. They are currently enjoying a great feast in the large dining room.
Faint screams are audible to perceptive characters; the rakshasa is toying with one of its victims.
Locked in the master bedroom, the rakshasa is asleep in its true form.

Major Lair Features

The house possesses an impressive library, which includes several powerful tomes of dark magic.
This extensive manor has an unnecessarily complicated floor plan, more similar to a maze than a home.
A secret trapdoor leads to a dungeon of sorts below the manor. Here, hidden from the world, the rakshasa can imprison and torment its victims at leisure.
Built as a fortified manor for a powerful noble, this house boasts a strong construction, its lower levels encased in walls of stone and guarded by solid iron doors.

Minor Lair Features

Fine artwork hangs on every wall; the rakshasa has expensive tastes.
Tightly drawn curtains cover every window, shrouding the interior of the house in eerie shadow.
Tufts of orange and black fur are scattered throughout the rakshasa’s home.
Several extensive wardrobes are scattered throughout the house, filled with a variety of different clothes to suit the rakshasa’s many personas.

Rakshasa’s Appearance

Eyes shining with supernatural cunning, this tiger-headed humanoid is not of the natural world, although its snarling maw has lost none of a tiger’s ferocity.
Pipe in hand, this greying yet dignified nobleman stands tall, effortlessly conversing with those around him.
Clad in the garb of a high priest and with a benevolent expression upon his aged face, this old man seems strangely energetic despite his advanced age.
The eyes of this tall, dark-skinned man gleam with a keen perception, appraising all those they gaze upon with a cold, calculating pragmatism.

Treasure

This ornate grandfather clock has lost a gear and is stopped at 10:24. Luckily, it’s easily repairable and would be worth 1,000 gp if restored to working condition.
Resting on a table in the master bedroom is a well-thumbed leather tome containing great magical secrets.
A vivid painting depicting the damnation of a mortal soul to the Abyss stands out for its exceptional quality. It is a masterpiece.
Among a collection of mundane jewellery is a silver ring bearing a large, exquisite diamond.

Trinkets & Trash

A half-eaten squirrel, bitten clean in two lies discarded on the kitchen floor.
Fragments of charred bone, all that remains of the rakshasa’s last victim, lie amid the ash in the fireplace.
Scattered about the house are a variety of empty liquor bottles, leftover from a recent party.
The pantry contains several jars of elderberry jam, all well past their prime.

Credit

This is a short system-neutral extract from Monstrous Lair #98: Rakshasa’s Home by Christopher Broadhurst.

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