Djinn

“Earth, Water, Fire, and Wind. Where there is energy, there is life.”

In a time when the lands of Caelum were untamed and it was a land of spirits and ghastly things the region known as Sotheria was the home of a great and wise spirit known as Primordia. The other spirits hailed them as their regnant despite their lack of desire to be seen as anything but sagely council. After all they were the embodiment of the elements, nature’s expression of earth’s firm grasp, wind’s gentle caress, fire’s burning passion, and water’s soothing kiss. Before time there was no way to measure how long this era existed but many believe it to be aeon’s before the arrival of Men. With them came the destruction of mother nature so ironically called civilization.

The earth was poisoned, the woodlands were butchered, the waters became tainted, and fire became corrupted and used as a tool of chaotic destruction. Primordia cried out in pain and the strain put on the land was almost enough to end them but they persisted. Though their voice was weakened and most Men seemed blind to her withering and deaf to her pleas for mercy but not all. At first she could only whisper in the dreams of youth, so full of life as they were, but eventually as they grew she taught them the old ways so they could commune with Primordia and fully comprehend just what it is that they needed to do in order to save them. They organized in the deepest, darkest parts of the wilderness and called themselves Druids, children of mother nature and guardians of the land.

Over time their mastery of the elements grew and the wild magic they commanded aided them in fighting back civilization and maintaining the status quo of Man versus Nature. This would be enough until the second wave of Men arrived and began to once more conquer the wilds. When the withering began anew the other spirits grew enraged and wanted, for the first time, to fight back against the tyranny of Man but Primordia listened to mother nature’s wishes and soothed their rage with promise of the final solution.

To her druids she communicated an immensely powerful ritual that would forever entwine the intricate nature of Men and Nature. To the human kingdoms of Sotheria, this was known as a cataclysm; a great working of magic that obliterated everything in a wash of primal energy. Cities were leveled, forests were razed, winds ripped up the soil and torrential forces of water washed away all that remained. To the spirits the veil that separated them from the realms of Men eroded and they felt themselves inexorably drawn to the pitiful remnants of Men that had survived the calamity, as they themselves struggled to survive like mother nature once had under their cruel dominion.

Primordia felt pity on them as well and when they came to them, at once they felt the burden of responsibility, freedom from the tyranny of Men did not feel as a victory. All magic comes with a price and the great working of the druids was no exception. Unbeknownst to them, the spirits had given up their immortality and were fading quickly but the wisest of them soon realized that if they took refuge in the vessels of Men that they would be sustained. So the Djinn were born - half Spirit and half Man - keepers of the balance. The children of Primordia.

Sobriquets: Elementals, Sylphs, Marids, Ifrit, Aquan, Shaitan, Djinni

Appearance: The physical frame of a Djinn is almost always physically impressive and appealing. This may range from lithe and sleek, to thick curvature, to buff and brawny. The face of a Djinn often has high cheekbones and a handsome square jaw. Ears may or may not point. Some Djinni have even been seen with facial features, or entire heads like those of animals. Skin color of a Djinni can be literally any color across the color spectrum. Their hair can be any color, any length or texture. Though, commonly, male Djinni (especially those bound to serve) are depicted as bald, with the exception of a ponytail or a topknot. The presence of facial hair varies, but if male Djinni have facial hair, they trend toward having either a bear, or a full mustache-beard combination. Female Djinni are often depicted as having long hair, which either flows free, or is tied in a ponytail. Some Djinn, the Shaitan, are special for their ability to alter their appearance and assume numerous different forms. Aside from even these various shapes, the Shaitan commonly look humanoid; their size ranges from fitting in the palm of a hand, to normal human sizes.