Djinn

Djinn were the first beings created by Asur. For time without bounds, they tended the gardens of Paradise under the stewardship of Embu, and loyally praised and served the High Gods, particularly the Old Sun. But the djinn grew weary of endless service, and longed to create as the gods did. Thus they attempted to steal the Tablets of Destiny, on which the very order of the cosmos was writ. Those who altered the Tablets could alter the very nature of the gods, and the djinn wished to make the gods their servants. But Mehreb, keeper of the Tablets, discovered the djinn's ploy and told Asur of it. When the djinn arrived to claim the Tablets, they found a wrathful Asur instead. He demanded the djinn confess their disloyalty, but none would, all insisting that Mehreb had lied. For this, the djinn were banished from Paradise and left to wander the Abyss. There the djinn languished until Creation formed. 
The djinn are vengeful beings, and dwell as nomads in the spirit worlds, always looking for a home and longing for Paradise. In Vala, there are three distinct tribes of djinn. Genies meddle in affairs across Vala, but have been most influential in the Sunlands. In Age Zero, the humans of the south were made to toil and labor for the elf-lords of Zakhema. But when Irud began his revolt in the north, the southerners seized their chance as well. A man remembered as Al-Khayeen, 'the Liar,' was approached by the genie kings Marid and Afrit. Both offered to empower him. But a third genie, the queen Uzza, warned Al-Khayeen that if he took the genies’ offer, he would enslave himself and his people to new masters. Uzza showed Al-Khayeen how to trick the kings and turn them against each other, while still using their powers. Al-Khayeen used this power to free his people from Azlanic rule, but Marid and Afrit realized what he had done. They cursed him to forever wander, and to always be known as ‘the Liar,’ wherever he went. Al-Khayeen had freed his people, but would have no place among them. The genie kings then plotted to punish Uzza, but first they intended to destroy each other, so that only one king would rule all djinn.
Afrit and Marid have huge palace-cities within the Seeming, composed off all the pieces of reality that have been forced or dragged into the Mirrorlands. At times, the kings launch massive barges at each other’s citadels to steal pieces for themselves. Uzza drifts about the Seeming in a floating palace filled with her courtiers. She offers her genies as spies and agents to both kings.
Only Uzza’s genies are truly free to use their powers. Most djinn are bound to their masters, and have only limited magic at their disposal. The djinn of Marid are the shadow, or dusk djinn, while the djinn of Afrit are the dawn, or flame, genies. The djinn of Uzza, the Asil-Safak, are the grey or twilight genies. The Asil-Zaal (Shadow Court) of Marid and the Asil-Anar (Flame Court) of Afrit are mostly slaves (ishiqq) serving their lords. Shadow Court slave genies are purple-skinned and turquoise-eyed. They are vicious and vindictive but outwardly polite. They are much addicted to baubles and pleasures and can be bribed with such things. The slaves of Asil-Anar are bronze-skinned with golden eyes. They are fierce and disciplined warriors, incredibly loyal and obedient. Mortals can sometimes bargain with the genie kings to receive a contingent of slaves to serve for a time. Dusk genies can be difficult to control and motivate, but are excellent for missions requiring stealth, subterfuge and ruthlessness. The dawn djinn are less flexible in their thinking and have a very rigid sense of honor, but they are exceptionally loyal and obedient, and potent warriors. These slaves serve genie masters (khajjas), who work to further the will of the kings. The dawn masters are mighty warriors, fierce and frightening in battle. The dusk khajjas are sly and wily, little given to overt violence but terrifying when roused. They prefer to relax in opulence. The masters themselves are subject to the lords (raab) of the djinn, those in direct service to the kings. These lords are more like elemental spirits than mortal-appearing beings, rarely summoned and exhibiting immense power. They rule over cities and command armies. The dawn lords are fiery, passionate and very destructive in battle. The dusk lords are scheming, avaricious and incredibly ambitious. They frequently turn on each other in a constant quest for more power and riches. The kings still seek to punish and rule the mortals who spurned them, and so they carve out strongholds in Erebus, bargaining with the creatures that live there, using them, fighting them, and always seeking to dominate them. Vast slave hosts are commanded by a few masters, and in large cities a lord might rule. The grey genies lack such strict hierarchy and freely travel between dawn and dusk cities, though they are required to report to a lord and take on any assignment that can be fairly negotiated. The grey genies are the ones most often summoned and bargained with for the famed genie’s wish, but these cunning merchants are not to be trifled with, for they enjoy punishing the hubris of mortals. 
Category:Spirits