Genie
| Genie | |
|---|---|
| |
| (Creature) | |
| Type | Outsider (varies) |
| CR | varies |
| Environment | Elemental planes or Material Plane |
| Alignment | varies |
| Images of genies | |
Source: Blood of the Elements, pg(s). 5 | |
A genie (also known as jinni, plural jinn) is an outsider native to one of the Elemental Planes, and often composed primarily of elemental material. The five best known races of genies are djinn (of elemental air), efreet (of elemental fire), marid (of elemental water), shaitan (of elemental earth), and jann (composed of all four elements, and native to the Material Plane).[1] Other, lesser genie races exist, including the diminutive zhyen and malignant black jinn.[2] Geniekind is a term used to describe the plethora of genies.[3]
History
Genies are said to have come into being with the first act of creation.[4] Their own stories call them "the first people", claiming that their suffering at the claws of Rovagug was the start of the war between him and the other gods.[5]
Concurrent with the creation of the genies, the dark demigod Ahriman came into existence as the genies' destructive shadow. Ahriman hates the genies with ever fiber of his being. He created the corrupt divs from the souls of evil genies to bedevil them.[6]
Early in their history, before mortals were created, many genies of all races were enslaved by the godlike tyrant Iblis, and the struggle to obtain and keep their freedom was the only time the warring genie races ever joined forces against a common foe.[7]
Ecology
Unlike most outsiders, genies are born in the manner of mortals, usually in sets of twins or triplets, or even in litters of up to eight. They grow much faster than mortals, reaching adulthood at the age of six (for efreet or djinn) to fifteen (for jann). The power of a genie is often linked to its physical size, with the oldest and/or most powerful being the largest.[8]
Most genies, save the nomadic jann, live decadent lives in opulent palaces or cities on the elemental planes; the most magnificent are the Opaline Vault of the shaitan and the efreet's City of Brass.[8]
Genies are effectively immortal, immune to the ravages of time and old age. When struck down by violence, a genie's body evaporates, dissolves, or crumbles into its constituent elements. Upon its death, a genie's soul is reabsorbed into the elemental plane of its birth and reincarnated into a new body. However, some genies meet a terrible fate as an undead ghul or edimmu, and the most evil of all genies' souls find their way to Abaddon and are transfigured into divs.[8]
Interactions with mortals
Many genies can grant wishes to those who bind them, best them, or earn from them a favor. However, it is widely held that one must be very wary of the wording used in such a wish. When dealing with genies, the saying "be careful what you wished for" takes on a life and death meaning.[9]
On Golarion, genies have had the most interaction with the humans of southern Casmaron and northern Garund. There even exist rumors that the Keleshites first gained the knowledge of agriculture and other building blocks of civilization from genies.[10] The Padishah Empire of Kelesh binds them for all manner of purposes, and the master genie binder Sulesh the Great was a Keleshite. Likewise, the great maharajah Khiben-Sald of Vudra bound a veritable army of marids to his will.[11] In the Inner Sea region, they are most commonly encountered in Qadira, the westernmost satrapy of Kelesh, and on the island-nation of Jalmeray, although there are rumors that in Katapesh they are infused into the very land itself.[12]
Genie kin
Genies are able to breed with mortals, giving rise to the races collectively known as genie kin. Ifrits are the result of unions with efreet, oreads with shaitan, sylphs with djinn, undines with marids, and suli with jann. Geniekin are most commonly encountered in Qadira.[13][14]
References
For additional resources, see the Meta page.
- ↑ Wolfgang Baur. (2009). Tales and Truths of Genies. The Jackal's Price, p. 48. Paizo Publishing, LLC. ISBN 978-1-60125-161-9
- ↑ Adam Daigle, and Greg A. Vaughan. (2009). Bestiary. The Impossible Eye, p. 82. Paizo Publishing, LLC. ISBN 978-1-60125-179-4
- ↑ Tim Akers, Judy Bauer, Jim Groves, Chris Lites, Dale C. McCoy, Jr., and Cassidy Werner. (2014). Blood of the Elements, p. 5. Paizo Inc. ISBN 978-1-60125-654-6
- ↑ Adam Daigle, Rob McCreary, and F. Wesley Schneider. (2009). Bestiary. The Final Wish, p. 77. Paizo Publishing, LLC. ISBN 978-1-60125-185-5
- ↑ Erik Mona. (2009). Howl of the Carrion King. Howl of the Carrion King, p. inside rear cover. Paizo Publishing, LLC. ISBN 978-1-60125-159-6
- ↑ Jesse Benner et al. (2011). Bestiary 3 (First Edition), p. 82. Paizo Publishing, LLC. ISBN 978-1-60125-378-1
- ↑ Adam Daigle, and Greg A. Vaughan. (2009). Bestiary. The Impossible Eye, p. 87. Paizo Publishing, LLC. ISBN 978-1-60125-179-4
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 Darrin Drader. (2009). The Jackal's Price. The Jackal's Price, p. 50–51. Paizo Publishing, LLC. ISBN 978-1-60125-161-9
- ↑ Wolfgang Baur. (2009). Tales and Truths of Genies. The Jackal's Price, p. 52. Paizo Publishing, LLC. ISBN 978-1-60125-161-9
- ↑ James Jacobs et al. (2011). The Inner Sea World Guide, p. 15. Paizo Publishing, LLC. ISBN 978-1-60125-269-2
- ↑ Greg A. Vaughan. (2009). The Impossible Eye. The Impossible Eye, p. 48. Paizo Publishing, LLC. ISBN 978-1-60125-179-4
- ↑ James Jacobs et al. (2011). The Inner Sea World Guide, p. 305. Paizo Publishing, LLC. ISBN 978-1-60125-269-2
- ↑ James Jacobs et al. (2011). The Inner Sea World Guide, p. 11. Paizo Publishing, LLC. ISBN 978-1-60125-269-2
- ↑ Brian Cortijo. (2009). Qadira, Gateway to the East, p. 28–31. Paizo Publishing, LLC. ISBN 978-1-60125-180-0