Genasi

> *"Daddy, how come we've never visited Mount Maelstrom? I wanna see it!"*
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> *"No, my child. The Genasi wouldn't take too kindly of our intrusion. They're a peaceful folk but dangerous when provoked."*
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> *"What do they look like?"*
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> *"Imagine us Humans, like you and me, but covered in rock solid earth and cool lava."* - A child and her father on the Genasi.
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## Genasi

Male Genasi

Female Genasi

Genasi are artificial sub-Humans who were created from the Destroyers, living remains of the Elder Dragon Primordus, by Dwayna during the Exodus.

## **Physiology**

Genasi skin is made of humanoid flesh, while also being partly covered by softer kinds of stone, called skinrock, and cooled lava veins, which stretch through their entire bodies. The skinrock is quite much harder than Human nails and the lava-blood that streams through them can reach a temperature of roughly 70-80°C. Making them the race with the hottest and potentially most dangerous blood on Tyria. Reaching a similar height to Humans, they however weigh around 100kg in average, due to their physical Destroyer characteristics.

They strongly divert from the other races on Tyria in terms of food consumption and digestive system. Genasi require a much higher intake of minerals and iron. Their main food sources are mostly raw or even refined metal, stone, burning coal and in exceptional circumstances even firewood. Their teeth are excessively sharp and sturdy, to break the hard surfaces of their meals. Although the longer they survive without the nutritients, the softer the rockskin becomes and tthe colder their blood veins run, until they eventually crumble away from their own body heat and density. Their bodies being able to withstand temperatures up to 600°C, though being highly susceptible to water, extreme cold, and oxygen poor environments.

## **History**

The ancestors of the Genasi were nothing like their current form and essence. As the Elder Dragon Primordus fell from the skies, most likely from the influence of the Maker, it crashed into the southern regions of Kryta. The Dragon's utter hot surface vaporized the earth and melted the body into the ground, before terraforming caused a great, fire breathing mountain to emerge from the depths. A volcano known as Mount Maelstrom, which stays active to this day.

From the living remains of Primordus, the earth and lava began to fuse into a unified mass of a living create. Their destructive nature gave them the name Destroyers.

Destroyers lurked in the stomach of the raging volcano, being semi-sentient beings. Balthazar at first sought to enslave the race as his personal minions, however Dwayna convinced him to refrain from such cruelty. Finding great compassion in these creatures, Dwayna took all of the Destroyers and fused her own creation, Humans, into their form. A simple goal was to erase the grotesque appearance that the Destroyers had to bear with. And since they possessed no culture and nothing but their primal instict, Dwayna blessed them with humanoid intelligence, to form their own society.

The first Genasi awakened in the very core of the volcano. Many erstwhile Destroyers started to transform over time until the society was born, called the Genasian Empire. The modest imperial Genasi then began constructing their city Maelstrom.

### **Unknown Depths**

Often scholars dared to traverse into the uninhabitable underground world, only to find that they couldn't bear the interior temperature of Mount Maelstrom, since it could reach up to 400-500 °C. And even if they actually found their way into Maelstrom, they were most likely captured or even killed by the Genasi. For this very reason, little to nothing is known about the abyss of the burning mountain. Fortunately, on extremely rare occassions, Genasi ventured out into the open world, to explore their survivability while being outside of their homes or pure curiosity. Historians recorded the interviews with this mysterious race.

Many believed that there was a higher purpose than just the living conditions, which keept the Genasi inside of Mount Maelstrom for the two millenias, though no one could confirm anything with solid proof.

Genasi being the only race to not knowingly engage in any wars or conflicts that stirred in the test of time on Tyria. They never had a reason to, since all other living beings, safe for the Genasi, are able to live inside their home territory.

There were rare occassions that Dwarven miners dug upon the molten Empire of the Genasi, but they swiftly turned away, not being able to bear the heat or even conduct reconnaissance of the lava rich regions inside the volcano.

## **Culture**

From what the scholars were able to make out, the only inhabited place on Tyria is Mount Maelstrom. There was no other option that could provide the Genasi with food and adequate conditions that assures their most comfortable survival.

The Genasian Empire only reigns over their own race and have never confronted other races, such as the Dwarves or even the Dragonborn. Shrouded in a fiery mystery, the Genasi most likely have similar Human-esque social structures and hierarchies, but nothing is known for sure.

From what has been recorded, artists started to illustrate what Maelstrom might look like.