Genie, Noble Djinni

Noble djinn are the rulers of all genies on the Elemental Plane of Air, and they are masters of the province of wind. They can speak their own tongue and that of any intelligent creature they meet through a limited form of telepathy. They never forget either a service or a slight from another creature.

Noble djinn pride themselves on being the tallest and fairest of their kind. They enjoy wearing jewelry and rich clothes to distinguish themselves even further from common djinn. They prefer loose, lightweight silks and cottons.

On their home plane, noble djinn are always accompanied by processions of 4-40 common djinn who are their courtiers, soldiers, fan-bearers, minstrels, grooms, and servants. On the Prime Material Plane, noble djinn are always carried by either an animal (such as an elephant or camel) or in a rich palanquin by four servants. Under no circumstances will they allow their feet to touch the ground. Ideally, of course, djinn nobles travel by air under their own power, but often wind and weather or the need to enter a city in grand style dictate that they travel near the ground. Noble djinn sneer at life forms unable to fly naturally and will generally hover over earthbound nobles of other races to make their point.

Combat: The noble djinn can create nutritious food for 4-24 people, create water or wine for 4-24 persons, create soft goods, including nonmagical cloth, wood, brass, copper, or tin items (up to 25, 16, and 9 cubic feet of each) with permanence, create iron, gold, platinum, and silver items of short life span (about 24 hours), create illusions with visual, thermal, audible, and tactile components which last without concentration until dispelled, become invisible, assume gaseous form, windwalk, or form a whirlwind. In their gaseous form, noble djinn resemble clouds. In addition, a noble djinni may cast gust of wind at will, cloudkill once per day, control weather once per week, and airwalk on up to seven other creatures once per day. Once per year, a noble djinni can cast windtomb. All noble djinn magic is cast as if at the 20th level of ability.

Noble djinn can grant three wishes to their masters, but if they are forced to grant such wishes they will undertake no other service; they are freed of their servitude upon granting the third wish. These wishes are only granted to creatures from the Prime Material Plane.

A noble djinni's whirlwind is a funnel 20' across at its base, 60' across at its top, and 100' high. It requires five rounds to form and five rounds to fully dissolve. It lasts for as long as the noble djinni concentrates on it. Nonaerial creatures of less than three Hit Dice are swept away and killed by the whirlwind while hardier beings take 3-18 (3d6) points of damage. This whirlwind may also carry up to 15 man-sized creatures or 6 djinn- or jannsized creatures, which may be protected from harm by the genie's will. Whether carried creatures are harmed by the whirlwind or not, they can be transported at a movement rate of 21 and a maneuverability class of B as long as the noble djinni's concentration is not disturbed.

Air-based attacks are utterly useless against noble djinn, including poison gases, gaseous breath weapons, cloudkill, wind control, and all elemental air spells.

Noble djinn are too intelligent and too powerful to be captured by physical means. Magically enslaved noble djinn will refuse to extend their abilities to the fullest for their masters unless they are constantly deferred to in matters of opinion (though they will still obey orders), given slaves of their own to replace the ones they no longer have at their disposal, and generally treated as equals or even superiors.

A noble djinni can carry up to 2,000 pounds either afoot or flying without a penalty to movement, though they consider such work beneath them. They can carry double that weight for three turns afoot or a single turn while flying. (For each 200 pounds less than the maximum, add one turn to the time before tiring.) A fatigued noble djinni must rest for six turns before attempting further strenuous activity.

Noble djinn rarely allow themselves to be drawn into direct combat with opposing forces, preferring to command common djinn or summoned creatures to fight for them while casting spells and giving orders. If possible, noble djinn will use their illusion and invisibility spell-like abilities to avoid combat altogether, and under no circumstances will they do combat in an unfavorable elemental environment, such as underground.

Habitat/Society: Noble djinn are of two types. Most are local caliphs, sheiks, sherrifs, and maliks who rule over a small number of landholders. These noble djinn command small groups of djinn scattered throughout the Plane of Air. A typical local ruler commands 1-6 households, each of which consists of 3-30 djinn, 1-10 jann servants, and 1-10 elemental creatures of low intelligence. The local sheik or headman of each of these holdings is a djinn of maximum hit points. In general, noble djinn who dwell and rule on the Prime Material Plane command only a single household. Female noble djinn take part as leaders of their people, and they have more freedom than the common djinn.

Any holding attacked by a large or dangerous force sends messengers cloaked by invisibility to the nearest two holdings, which each send two more messengers, until the entire djinn nation is warned. Some noble djinn also raise homing pigeons and other flying animals to accomplish the same end. Other nobles have raised falconry and the husbandry of fancy talking birds, tumblers, pouters, and other unusual breeds to a fine art.

A smaller but more influential group of noble djinn spends its time at the court of the Great Caliph of the Djinn, known as the Court of Ice and Steel. This rich palace is carved from a huge glacial rock which perpetually hurtles through the gulf of Elemental Air, creating a permanent rush of wind throughout the court. The chambers of the court are secured by steel portals set deep into the ice, and the air is only still in any one of the Court's rooms when all the portals to that room are shut. Whenever the portals open, a blast of wind stirs the curtains, banners, and clouds of incense throughout the room. Illumination comes from flickering orange lanterns or from the blue light that filters in as it refracts through the glacial ice. Most chambers are only accessible to flying creatures, as there are no stairs, and hallways are just as likely to be vertical shafts as horizontal ones. Visiting creatures not native to the Plane of Elemental Air are usually escorted everywhere to ensure their safety, and to allow the Great Caliph of the Djinn to keep an eye on them.

The noble djinn of the Court of Ice and Steel are the viziers, beys, and emirs. They only leave the premises when they are commanded to assume the onerous duties of rulership over groups of djinn elsewhere or when compelled to answer the summons of a powerful sha'ir.

Noble djinn are rarely pleased to serve even the most powerful of human wizards, and if the servitude drags on for months they may complain bitterly of the duties they are neglecting by serving a human. Noble djinn who are mistreated and who make their way back to their estates will return with half their subjects to avenge their honor.

Ecology: Noble djinn require very little from other creatures, as their djinn subjects provide them with all the necessities of life. However, their constant rivalry both among themselves and with other noble genies leads them to strive for the richest gems, jewelry, cloth, spices, and perfume they can obtain. Often manners and ethics are no obstacle to a noble djinni on the trail of something unique. Noble djinn will sometimes send their servant creatures to obtain these sorts of riches from the Prime Material Plane.

Noble djinn hate the efreet and will cooperate in any attempt to harm them. Despite their haughtiness, noble djinn respect individual achievements and will cooperate with other creatures of the Elemental Plane of Air rather than attempting to enslave them. Their servants are retainers who may leave at any time, but stay because they consider it an honor to serve. From time to time, a particularly driven noble djinni will undertake either a raid or a crusade against the dao or efreet and seek to free slaves and embarrass opposing nobles. Since those genies are generally more powerful than noble djinn, these expeditions are rare.

Great Caliph of the Djinn

The ruler of the djinn is known by a long list of titles including, but not limited to, the Commander of the Four Winds, Ruler of all Djinn, Defender of the Heavens, Prince of Birds, Storm of the Righteous, and Master of the Air. He is always attended by his courtiers, who number 4-20 noble djinn (half of whom are his dancers and consorts), 40-400 jann, and 10-100 common djinn at any given time. The Great Caliph of the Djinn rarely leaves the Court of Ice and Steel; he is perpetually called upon to decide matters of state, matters of law, and matters of politics among his nobles. When he does leave, it is generally with an entourage of nobles to go hunting elemental creatures, though occasionally they go to the lands of Zakhara to stir up trouble among the cities there.

Infrequently, the Great Caliph will demand a procession be held (in his honor or to celebrate the anointment of a new noble djinn or a noble marriage). These processions are grand affairs involving at least 50 noble djinn, 100-1,000 common djinn, and clouds of banners, flags, and streamers. The course of a procession often takes it in loops, rolls, and dives, and its meandering path often tours the Plane of Elemental Air for days or weeks.

The Great Caliph has 15+6 Hit Dice and maximum hit points for a noble djinn. In addition to having all the usual powers of a noble djinn, the caliph has access to all spells of the province of wind magic once per day. He is always surrounded by a gentle breeze, which stirs his hair and flowing garments. All hurled and ranged missile weapons are ineffective against him, as the winds protect him, acting as permanent protection from normal missiles and protection from magical missiles spells.

The Great Caliph of the Djinn is fickle and easily bored, but this by no means indicates that he is soft or unable to rule. When required, he can rouse genie armies to victory and can wrestle monsters into submission. In general, however, the caliph prefers to win his battles by his wits rather than by the strength of his armies or his magic. Since the efreet that often harass the djinn are individually stronger than the djinn, this tactic is common among lesser djinn as well.

The court chamber itself is at the center of the Court of Ice and Steel, with clear shafts running to the outer surfaces in all directions. Creatures who (willingly or unwillingly) gain an audience with the Grand Caliph are brought to hover before him. If they cannot fly under their own power, they are buffeted by the whirlwinds of their djinn guards for 3d6 points of damage each round. Presenting oneself as earthbound before the Great Caliph can be exhausting. The chamber of the court itself seems to be in perpetual motion, as layers of silk streamers constantly flutter in and out. In dealing with creatures not from the Plane of Elemental Air, the Great Caliph is inclined to be merciful and often ends his recitation and judgment within a matter of a few minutes.

When traveling to the Prime Material Plane, the arrival of the Great Caliph of the Djinn is always signaled by a great blast of wind. Once there, he often travels in a procession like that of noble djinni, only of twice the usual size.