Djinni
Basic Information
Anatomy
As is true for it's parent species known as the genie, a Djinni has no need for any organs to survive, meaning it can take any form, even if that form has no organs. A djinni is not forced to take any particular form, but the plane of air does usually have an effect on the body the Djinni will manifest.
Djinnis often take on traits usually associated with species who can fly and spend most of their life in the air, many Djinnis manifest with wings of some kind for example. Djinnis can, like any genie, take on almost any form, but for djinnis, those forms will typically not have legs. A djinni will spend almost it's entire life flying, and so it's lower body usually fades into a cloud that takes the form of a tail. Their lower body or wings means a djinni can float effortlessly and indefinitely, and will most likely only ever touch ground if they are knocked down.
Genetics and Reproduction
Wayward souls that find themselves in the plane of air usually find it quite difficult to manifest a body, the lack of materials being the main concern. Where other subspecies of genie have at least a small handful of different materials to work with, the djinni's body will almost always be made up of only air. Air is extremely hard to work with, even with the great magical energy the soul has access to in an elemental plane, and so the process is slow.
Where other subspecies of genie take maybe hours to form a body, the djinni take usually around three days. In order to gather enough air and magical energy, the manifestation process creates massive hurricanes in the plane of air, these hurricanes usually clear out the area around the newly manifested djinni, and in doing so creates a temporary safe space for the djinni.
Ecology and Habitats
The djinnis manifest exclusively in the plane of air, a plane with little land, endless skies and strong winds. If djinnis find themselves outside the plane of air, perhaps in the material plane, then they will be most comfterable in large areas of open air, high above any surface and far away from any mountain.
In the plane of air, the djinnis will create islands from the clouds, forming surfaces through lift. A table in a djinnis home will hold an apple not because it is solid, but because the table will maintain a constant wind upwards to hold the apple in place. Most djinnis can form basic platforms through lift, but those who can form castles and lands in the sky in this manner are rare and very powerful.
Due to the very nature of the plane of air, it is hard to see any ecological changes to the plane due to the presence of a djinni, however the djinni does alter the habitat greatly just the same. A djinni can through it's presence alone, and even more so with it's magic, alter the air density and wind currents to it's desire, and in a plane made of mostly air, this is a drastic change.
Additional Information
Social Structure
Some aspects of djinni social structure has already been explained through it's parent species, however like all subspecies of genie, the djinnis have a much more complex social structure than what is depicted in the parent species article.
Like all genies, the djinnis seek out powerful supporters in their early lives as a sort of protection, but this type of social structure has many more layers. If a djinni begins to take on servants, these can be other djinnis or any other being, they will form a court. A djinni court is a strict yet invisible social hierarchy, with the leader being known typically as either the Majesty or the Master. This court will, on paper, simply be servants and master, however there are many other roles and titles that go unwritten within the court.
Almost every Majesty has a small group of favorite servants, these servants are generally perceived to be much like princes and princesses, typically they do not leave the court's domain, and instead they oversee the other servants. These servants are typically called the Favored, and they are referred to as a Favored One. A Favored One does not need to be powerful, as long as they have the attention and favor of their Master, their position will remain secure. A Favored One will have the ear of the Master, and so while the Master may still give orders to the Favored Ones, they will usually give this job to a lower servant. Even if a Favored One fails the Master, a majority of the time they will be forgiven quickly, however some will disappoint the Master greatly and they will fall from grace.
If a Favored One falls from grace, they will fall hard, becoming outcasts within the court. In theory a Favored One will not be punished more harshly than any other servant, but in reality this is almost never true. A Favored One who falls from grace will quickly become the weakest member of the court, not only losing the attention of the Master, but they will also usually have made many enemies and few friends within the court. Most who fall from grace end up leaving the court completely after their fall.
If the Favored One is a djinni, they will be in an excellent positon to form their own court, typically already having loyal servants of their own, so long as these servants are allowed by the Master. If the Favored One was to try and form their own court, they would hope to be supported by their former Master, and begin their own rule with an already established ally.
Due to the nature of the plane of air, physical resources are incredibly scarce and so the most common resource found in the plane are other beings. Slavery is a common practice among djinnis, seeing as creatures are some of the only tools within the plane of air, so if the creature is weak and does not serve willingly, it will usually be taken as a slave.
The rest of the court form a hierarchy of power between themselves, their power within the court being determined by many factors such as the connections they have, their allies within the court, their ability to bring in valuable ressources to the court and so on. The actual physical power of the servants matter very little within the court as fighting or killing each other is seen as a waste of ressources by the master and therefore usually forbidden. Except for the Favored Ones, no servant is allowed servants of their own as all serve the Master and no one else, but in reality there are always groups within the court, and here the strict yet unspoken hierarchy comes into play. While a servant would never say it, they know that some are above them, some are below them, and some others belong to them. Servants will be "taken under the wing" by some of the more powerful servants, and quickly learn that if they do no do as they are ordered by their superior they will be faced with dire consequences. While weak servants and slaves are not much different in terms of their place in the hierarchy, the biggest and most important difference is that a weak servant is allowed to rise in ranks if they become powerful enough, a slave can never do this.
Infighting within the court is common, however this will usually be a political war, were words are the weapons. These conflicts will be anything from petty squabbles over how much land a servant oversees as compared to another, to accusations of betrayal and manipulation of the Master and court. If the conflict becomes serious enough, assassination and even executions ordered by the Master can come into play.
Uses, Products & Exploitation
Djinnis are one of the most popular genie subspecies to be summoned to the mortal realm, and there are two big reasons why.
- While Djinnis are not more built for combat than their cousins, their ability to fly means that they are typically more maneuverable than other genies. Usually djinnis are summoned to support other combatants, here they use their flight and speed to flank the enemy, potentially attacking the weaker back line of enemy formations.
- For servant genies, who are summoned less for combat and more to assist in every day life, the djinni is by far the best choice in most situations. Due to the strong hierarchy it comes from, the djinni is very used to obeying it's superiors or masters, and is usually quite well mannered, even when enslaved. Due to their light body, wind manipulation and flight, the djinni is capable of almost any task a household would need of it.
Geographic Origin and Distribution
A majority of djinnis never leave their home plane, staying there by choice or simply because they did not live to see another plane. Since a djinni is, by definition, born in the plane of air, the few who find themselves in other planes were not manifested there, but instead traveled there.
Djinnis can be found in the material plane, usually because they were summoned through magic, these djinnis are the ones most commonly enslaved by mortals. A djinni cannot be summoned by just anyone, it has to be relatively strong magic in order to overpower the djinni, so usually summoned djinnis are young and fairly weak.
Very few Djinnis travel to the other planes of their own volition, the djinnis that do usually have a goal with the trip and therefore do not stay for very long. While there may be a few djinnis in the plane of fire and the plane of water, and quite alot in the material plane, there is almost never a djinni to be found in the plane of earth. Djinnis are not only born into an element that is the complete opposite of earth, the plane itself seems opposed to their presence. Djinnis that travel to the Plane Of Earth rarely survive, killed by either the plane itself or the creatures that call the plane home.
Perception and Sensory Capabilities
General information about the sensory capabilities of genie can be found in the parent species article.
Djinnis have a unique extrasensory ability as they can sense the air around them. A djinni will be able to detect creatures and objects around it due to sensing the change in wind patterns, however this does require at least a light breeze. An experienced Djinni could detect creatures miles away if there was a strong storm, however if there is little to no breeze, the Djinni would not be able to use this ability. A djinni which is unable to use it's extrasensory ability will be quite uncomfterable, their ability being like a second set of eyes for them, and losing that sight would confuse and annoy them.
Civilization and Culture
History
Djinni history is as old as the elemental planes themselves, and so most of their major historical events are impossible to date. The Presumed History Of The Genies timeline will detail all the major events of the genie species as a whole, including the djinni.
Genetic Ancestor(s)
Scientific Name
Uni Calaifi Nulinto Alumenta
Lifespan
Immortal
Average Weight
A djinni is mostly if not completely made from it's birth element, more so than most elemental beings. Due to air being close to weightless, a djinni can only actually become heavier through picking up objects or increasing their weight magically, as getting a physically larger body would not increase their weight.
Body Tint, Colouring and Marking
A djinni will usually take on a body tint of either fairly light blue or light green, and while the brightness of the tint may vary, it will generally be the same color all over it's form. Djinnis will usually have markings along parts of their body, forms that look and flow much like wind, and these markings will glow in a brighter color than the body tint.
Brightest of all things on a djinni is their eyes. A djinni will have glowing eyes like the sky, the color will be a brighter version of their body tint, and will look as if energy flows wildly in them like a storm.
Geographic Distribution
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