Noble Efreeti [Genie]

Noble efreet rule the efreet, at least nominally under the sultan who rules the City of Brass, and plot against each other with a skill worthy of the lower planes. They despise humans and try to corrupt any genie-caller strong enough to command them, which has earned them few friends anywhere.

Bulkier than common efreet, they share basalt skin, brass hair and flaming eyes. They wear baggy pantaloons, sword harnesses and heavy armbands and earrings, and males bare their chests unless it is cold, a show of strength rather than vanity. They lead by force and treachery, not charm, and dress to intimidate.

Trained from youth in arms and sorcery, noble efreet relish bloodshed and lead from the front. At 16th level, three times a day each, they can grant wishes to Prime Material creatures, turn invisible, take gaseous form (a vague pillar of smoke), detect magic, enlarge, polymorph self (often as a bright rooster or a fine-looking youth among humans), misdirect, sunscorch, raise a wall of fire, or cast illusions with sight, sound, smell and touch that last until touched or dispelled. Produce flame, flame arrows, sundazzle and pyrotechnics are at will; fire seeds or fire shield once a day; fire track weekly; conflagration monthly. Nonmagical fire cannot hurt them, and magical fire deals half.

They can carry 3,000 pounds without tiring, double for three turns afoot or one aloft, plus a turn per 300 pounds under 6,000, then rest six turns, though they leave such labor to commoners unless compelled or desperate.

On hunts they let common efreet, hell hounds and other summoned beasts wear prey down, then plunge in for the kill. Toying with a victim is an art they excel at, and they fly fire creatures like hawks.

Nobles either dwell in the City of Brass or rule efreet on the Prime Material. The city, 40 miles wide on a glowing brass hemisphere above magma seas and lava lakes, is a glittering den of greed; the sultan's palace towers over it. Its beys and amirs lean more toward lawful evil than their neutral subjects. Despite clean streets and gaudy palaces, the countless glum slaves fill it with misery.

Palaces are fortresses crammed with servants: 1-6 nobles, 4-40 common efreet as guards and overseers, 10-100 jann and other slaves, 10 summoned elementals, 3-18 elemental hounds and hawks, and 2-4 nightmares. Slaves' fire protection lapses weekly, so runaways rarely survive. Some halls hold real gold and rugs, others only illusions. Secluded noblewomen have their own hierarchy and often rule through figurehead husbands.

Each bey or amir oversees 1-4 bare military outposts of 4-40 efreet under a malik or vali, with 10-100 captives being broken to service, and visits as rarely as decorum permits. Six great pashas command the Prime Material nobles, whose desert camps in ruins vanish overnight if found. Noble hunts of 1-6 nobles, 5-30 commoners and 2-20 hawks or hounds use bronze chariots pulled by nightmares, sometimes chasing slaves.

Noble efreet see every creature as servant or enemy, so fire elementals, salamanders and other locals gladly help anyone shame them. A few princes have courted human women with better manners, but demand their nature stay hidden; to them, courtship is just another hunt.

Ruler of the brass city and bearer of many fiery titles, the sultan has 20 Hit Dice with maximum hit points, all noble powers, every fire-province spell once a day and flames of justice at will. Immune to all fire, he burns within a pale red nimbus and halo of smoke that deal 1d10 to anyone within 10 feet lacking immunity to poison gas as well as magical fire; neither water nor magic can quench it. He has a tiny goatee, knife-like claws and sparking eyes, and wears white-hot iron armor or blackened adamantite mesh robes for AC -5. A jostling mob of 4-40 noble courtiers, 20-70 guards and 1-20 performers follows him, and laughing at them is fatal. He holds court in a smoky iron furnace-room lit by chained fire elementals and stages citywide parades that halt all other business. He reaches the Prime as a firestorm scorching hundreds of yards, favoring volcanoes, hot springs and wildfires, escorted by 20-200 jann, 2-20 efreet warriors and an emir, tripled when visiting his pashas.