Zakyas are the warriors of the rakshasa race. Where other rakshasas are sorcerers and deceivers, zakyas are blunt, unceremonious killers. Masters of their chosen weapons, they plunge into melee with relish, supplementing their martial skill with limited magical abilities.
In its natural form, a zakya looks roughly human, but with a lizardlike tail and claws. Its face is a hideous apelike mask with oversized fangs too big for its mouth.
Although they are bloody, martially-inclined warriors, zakyas are just as materialistic as any other rakshasa. They eagerly plunder their victims’ corpses, and the most ambitious of their kind use their shapeshifting powers to infiltrate human armies and rise to positions of power and influence. Because zakyas are more forthright than most rakshasas, many oni find them pleasant company, and sometimes join forces with zakyas in their pursuit of violent hedonism.
Zakyas are common in Egdwen, where they are summoned by the dock-lords. They frequently are tasked with leading squads of combatants in the petty conflicts that brew between the dock-lords.
Shores of Swords 