Djinn

### Leaders

Anahid, The Nahid Council, Zaydi al Qahtani, The Qahtani rulers, the new government

### Notable Members

Anahid, Zaydi al Qahtani, Darayavahoush e-Afshin, Ghassan al Qahtani, Manizheh e-Nahid, Kaveh e-Pramukh, Muntadhir al Qahtani, Zaynab al Qahtani, Alizayd al Qahtani

### Enemies

The Ifrit, previously the Marid, the Peri (after Empire of Gold)

### Description

The original Daevas who humbled themselves before the Prophet Suleiman, toiled under his rule for a hundred years, then were free to live their lives in their new mortal forms with limited powers.

The djinn are a race of magical fire-beings that were split into six tribes after the Prophet Suleiman cursed/blessed them. Their Original Daeva form was identical to the Ifrit.

## History

Several thousand years ago, the Original Daevas and the Marid had fued over their human worshippers that led to many human villages being wiped out. The Prophet Sulieman intervened and took away the Original Daevas' magic with his ring. He then gave them a choice. If they humbled themselves before him and served him for 100 years, they could get their magic back. If they refused, they would be cursed forever. Those who refused became the Ifrit. Those who submitted served for 100 years, including building his temple, and then were freed.

However, once freed their magic was not as powerful as it once was as they could no longer travel on the winds. They were scattered across the world into six tribes, where their new forms resembled the humans they lived near. In addition, they were made mortal. Where the ifrit could live for several thousand years, the djinn as they would come to call themselves could only live for around 300. It also created a deadly rift between the ifrit (who saw the djinn as traitors), and the djinn (who saw the ifrit as monsters).

Anahid, an Original Daeva that was a close companion to Suleiman, was given unique healing abilities and Suleiman's ring. She and her descendants would become known as the Nahids, and the tribe she was a part of would take the Daeva name for their tribe name. Anahid would eventually go to the marid's sacred lake, use Suleiman's ring to enslave them as retribution for their part in the original fued, and build the island/city of Daevabad in the center of their lake.

The six tribes are:

* Sahrayn of Qart Sahar (Maghreb/Northwest Africa)
* Ayaanle of Ta Ntry (Horn of Africa)
* Geziri of Am Gezira (Arabian Peninsula, Yemen)
* Daeva of Daevastana (Iran, Afganistan)
* Agnivanshi of Agnivansha (India)
* Tukharistani of Tukharistan (Karakorum Mountains to the Gobi Desert)

## Physical attributes

When the original Daevas were released from Suleiman's bondage, he scattered them to the various corners of their world, where their new mortal forms would resemble the humans that lived in those areas. However, there are some notable differences with the djinn anatomy:

* The tops of their ears are peaked rather than rounded
* Their blood is black
* Their skin has a magical gleam, in part because of their jet-hot blood
* Their eye colors are metal-toned, depending on their tribe. Copper for Sahrayn, gold for Ayaanle, steel-gray for Geziri, black for Daeva, tin for Agnivanshi, tawny sand for Tukharistani.

### Aging & lifespan

Djinn age normally from when they are born, but as they reach their mid-twenties/early-thirties their physical aging begins to slow down. As an example, King Ghassan was only beginning to get gray hairs when he was 200 years old in The City of Brass, but still looked middle-aged by human standards. Therefore, turning 25/reaching their first quarter-century is seen as an important milestone for marking adulthood.

Assuming a djinn's life isn't cut short by magical illness or violence/mishaps, djinn can live into their 300s.

### Powers and Abilities

Djinn of any tribe are able to summon and control fire, generally from their hands. In addition there are other abilities that are unique to family lines/certain castes, including metal-forging, shape-shifting, and healing.

The most notable example is the Nahid family line, which have the ability to heal others and understand any language.

Additionally these magic abilities can occur in djinn of mixed-blood/shafit, even powerfully. Notable examples include Nahri e-Nahid, a Nahid shafit with all of the Nahid powers and able to take Suleiman's Ring, and Hanno, a Sahrayn shafit with the ability to shapeshift.

## Relations with the other races

### Humans

Because the original Daevas were cursed/blessed by the Prophet Suleiman for their behavior toward the humans, after they were freed, the humans were considered to be off-limits lest they incur the wrath of the Prophet again. The djinn built their homes in ruins far from human settlements, but learned from them as they could. The Daeva tribe in particular became repulsed by humans (and later their mixed-blood descendants), which became a central tenet of their religion and laws.

Some tribes were closer to the humans than others however, including the Geziri who struggled with them to survive in the deserts, and the Tukharistani who marveled at their ability to weave silk. Relationships between djinn and humans were possible now due to the djinn's mortal forms, and relationships between the two did happen. The resulting mixed-blood children were named Shafit.

Because the shafit could use magic or may have strong djinn attributes, the Nahid Council deemed that all shafit were to be brought to Daevabad to live out their lives. Not all of the tribes agreed to this, mainly the Geziri who saw the shafit as their equals, and it became the root for many conflicts and wars.

### Ifrit

The original Daevas who refused to humble themselves before the Prophet Suleiman were cursed and stripped of their magical powers. However they were trapped in their original fiery forms which could survive for thousands of years. And they used those thousands of years to learn a new form of magic by taking it from the blood of others, and dedicate themselves to seeking revenge on the djinn who they saw as traitors. Most particularly the Nahids who were the descendants of Anahid, and whose blood was capable of poisoning the ifrit.

## References

1. ↑ The City of Brass, ch. 4
2. ↑ The Empire of Gold, ch. 27, pg. 418