Water Djinni

Water djinn are intelligent, magically sensitive humanoids from the djinni family of species.

## Biology

They have translucent blue skin which provides very little protection against sunlight. As a result, their clothing often obscures their face and other features to keep their skin safe from the sun. To make up for this, their fashion choices are often more ornate or flambouyant compared to other humanoids.

Their eyes, which lack irises, are blue, and glow very faintly. This is a bioluminescent process, and not a magical one, although it increases intensity during periods of heightened magical practise.

Water djinn do not have noses like a human, but rather a raised area above their mouth with nostrils, as opposed to an obviously visible proboscis. Despite this, they do indeed have "noses" which are visible in the proper lighting.

Water djinn are less sexually dimorphic than most species. Female water djinn often have smaller breasts, and male water djinn often are much more slender than other species. Of course they have all the same parts which interlock in quite the same fashion, but an untrained eye might have difficulty telling them apart, especially under all that clothing.

Water djinn are unusually sensitive to magical energy, even moreso than other djinn. This provides them with a vulnerability to magic, but also a natural talent for sorcery.

They are most typically much shorter than other humanoids, averaging between 100cm to 140cm. On their hands, they have three fingers and a thumb. Although they do not typically grow fingernails, their fingertips can sometimes callous into quite sharp points.

Their horns, a trademark of the djinni race, are like those of a sheep.

## Culture and Quirks

Like most intelligent species on Ijzeria, water djinn do not have a "home". They form a sizeable demographic in the city-state of Saha'i, but there is no primary source of cultural identity to which all water djinn look to for guidance. Regardless, you can always tell a water djinni apart from a crowd because of their unusual biology, which itself affects how many of their traditions form.

In some water djinni cultures, a person might only show their face to a close personal friend or a loved one. This is because over time, the purpose of their choice of clothing, which was originally a matter of practicality, became forgotten and developed into a form of modesty. In highly urbanised areas, this tradition of modesty is often not observed.

Water djinn almost always pursue careers in academia or craftwork. Their size and physicality make them poor general labourers, yet conversely make them excellent artisanal craftspeople. Due to their innate sensitivity to sorcery, they often incorporate magic into whatever they do, and naturally gravitate toward careers that make use of their magical talents. There are some of course, who have no qualms about pursuing a career in organised crime, however.

Most water djinn are totally unaware that other people perceive them as "adorable". The ones that do eventually figure this out are often horrified.

It's usually impossible to visually confirm whether or not a water djinni is male or female, since they wear so many layers of clothing. In order to communicate gender identity, feminine water djinn wear bows. A masculine water djinni who goes about in public wearing a bow has perfectly disguised himself, and will fool even his closest friends. This is the only fashion distinction based on sex or gender among water djinn.

## In-Game References

**Cards from *Hello, World!* which Depict a Water Djinni:**

* Alhanalem, the Alchemyst
* Rumour Broker
* Gather Hearsay
* Practical Application
* Promise of Power

## Trivia

* The character design of the water djinn is heavily inspired by characters like the Jawas from Star Wars, Vivi Ornitier from Final Fantasy IX, and Orko from He-Man and the Masters of the Universe.
* Even though water djinn almost never show their faces, there was a concerted effort to establish what was "under the hood" for the water djinn as they appear in **Hello, World!**. Even though the intent is that water djinn are "hooded mysterious little people", the Ministry of Distraction wanted to avoid dehumanising them for the sake of an aesthetic.
* Water djinn are generally quite law-abiding - even though two of the water djinn depicted in **Hello, World!** are criminal masterminds!