Jinn (Race)

##### [ Hobgoblin Reskin ]

Of all the Devanagari in the Xiaojiang pantheon, none are quite as aloof and enigmatic as Malliga of the Arcana Domain. While generally regarded as a force of good, her motives and machinations for what she does and how she does it are rarely understood or comprehensible by most. An example of this is her involvement in the creation of the ajna- a race of three-eyed seers. But another equally intriguing example is her involvement in the inception of the people known as **jinn**. Malliga created the first tribe of jinn to be a less active and involved counterpart to the ajna. And, in the present day, all jinn are descendants of this original tribe, and carry the gifts Malliga bestowed unto them.

They are typically nomadic, living off the land, and in harmony with nature. However, they are drawn to and often reside near, but still at a distance from civilizations. Upon reaching maturity, all jinn unlock the gifts bestowed upon their ancestors by The Arcane Mother. The gifts were not grandiose spellcasting abilities, incredible future-seeing talents, or anything so flashy. Instead, the gifts allowed the jinn to express their magical power in the form of emotions, making them natural, or perhaps more aptly supernatural empaths. A jinn is capable of drawing on the emotions of others to empower and bolster themselves, channeling their positivity for their gain. On top of that, they can magically express their emotions to others. A jinn wishing to imbue bravery and hope in another can do so in a remarkably simple manner. Conversely, a jinn wishing to express their anger or annoyance can bestow ill fortune unto another just as easily.

After being blessed with these gifts, the original tribe of jinn began to splinter off over time. Some opted to use these gifts as a blessing for people, imbuing positivity and hopeful feelings. Others strayed towards more selfish ideals, using their gifts to beguile, dishearten, or sadden people for their own gain. As such, with these supernatural gifts used to such a varying degree of morality, the jinn garnered a bit of a reputation for themselves. The presence of a jinn was seen as an omen of something significant to come, as their empathetic abilities could affect people so strongly. However, while some may revere such abilities, others feared and often misinterpreted these as ill omens.

As a result, the jinn were generally considered tricksters who were too dangerous to allow to roam the cities and tended to be cast out on sight. This growing mistrust and misunderstanding was what led to the jinn tribes choosing to stay on the outskirts of civilization for the most part. However, over the years, the jinn’s appearance has changed to become more human-like, allowing them to blend into human societies more easily, without fear of being immediately cast out. jinn cultivators often keep their true heritage a secret in these cases, pursuing their goals of developing and mastering their empathetic gifts amongst society.

## Appearance

Jinn are shorter than the average human. They can range from 4'4 to 5'5 in height, and often have slim, slender frames. However, the jinn have one fault to their human-like appearance. Whenever they utilise their ancestral gifts, they briefly manifest signs of their ancestors' forms - whether it be chitinous skin, razor sharp teeth, a forked tongue, a scaled part of the body, unusual or even multiple eyes. It is an inconvenience that jinn have to work hard to mask when blending in to human societies, for fear of being found out and cast out. The older or more powerful they grow, the more pronounced a feature can become, or the longer it can last when manifested. Jinn ancestors most commonly have features resembling scorpions, or arthropods. More uncommonly, they can also have some features of lizards and snakes.

## Age

A Jinn comes of age at eighteen years old, when Malliga's gift begins to manifest, and can live up to 200 years.