Noble Marid [Genie]

Noble marids rule the oceans and are the handsomest, mightiest genies. They take three shapes: a rushing current, a fog, or a gigantic humanoid about 22 feet tall and over 8,000 pounds, with skin shimmering like pink pearl (sometimes white or black) and wispy blue-black or gray hair. Males go bare-chested in elaborate pantaloons and turbans, females in slit skirts and cunning tunics, all in vast swaths of bright cloth heaped with jewels. Subtlety is unknown to them.

Their powers work at 30th level. Four times a day each, one at a time: detect magic, detect evil/good, detect invisibility, invisibility, polymorph self, purify water and liquid form. Twelve times daily: part water, lower water, wall of fog, gaseous form, or water breathing on others for a full week. Once daily: airy water, cone of cold, solid fog and control weather; once a month, maelstrom. Water blast is always available as a 300-yard jet for 2d6 that blinds for 1d6 rounds unless the target saves vs. spell. They water walk, swim superbly, breathe water at any depth, ignore extremes of water temperature and have 120-foot infravision.

Water spells cannot hurt them and cold deals half or none, but fire adds +2 per die with -2 on saves; steam is harmless. A noble marid carries 4,000 pounds freely, double for three turns, plus a turn per 400 pounds under 8,000, then rests six turns; since they roam constantly, they seldom own more than they can carry.

Every marid claims royalty, but true nobles attend the padisha and plot to inherit her throne, ignoring commoners unless they affect court standing; rival true heirs have often coexisted. The court, the Pearl Citadel, is a vast ring-shaped reef in warm water full of coral, corroded copper doors, giant clams, air fountains, kelp curtains and loyal fish servants and guards, home to 2-200 nobles at a time. Narrow crevices passable only by fish or liquid marids link hidden chambers, sunlight falls in shafts unless the padisha wills darkness, and the deepest vaults hold tribute: gold, coral, sea-monster scales and ten thousand lumpy, fist-sized pearls. It hosts hunts, jousts and gossip, and stands empty in unfashionable seasons.

A traveling household has 1-4 nobles and 1-8 common marid kin, lovers and followers, and 40% have 1d8+1 water creatures along: dragon turtle mounts, water elemental or triton guards, morkoth advisers or killer whales for hunting. Conversations require steering past endless self-glorifying tales without offending them, since offending a marid is a capital crime; bards win favor by recasting every song in praise of their host. War parties of one noble, 5-50 commoners and 2-20 water creatures sometimes humble other genies.

Absorbed in their own affairs, noble marids barely notice others, which is fortunate, because when they want something fleets vanish, storms rage and rivers dry or flood. Summoning one is more trouble than it is worth, and a freed one drops everything to punish its binder.

The marid empress collects hundreds of titles praising her rule over seas, currents and storms. She has 30 Hit Dice with maximum hit points, all noble powers and each sea-province spell once a day, is immune to water, ice, steam and electrical spells, and is under a continual detect lie, enjoying flattery while discounting it. Her looks shift between black-pearl skin with coral-red hair bound with opals and pearly white skin with barnacle-dark hair. Her court includes 1-20 nobles, 5-500 marids and 10-100 visitors such as tritons and hippocampi, dazzled by shows of tides, fish and glowing deep creatures. Audiences depend on whim: some win rewards for reciting her titles, others are banished, and the worthy are questioned closely; gifts and fine tales are welcome but earn no obligation. Generosity, political skill and a knack for uniting proud marids keep her on the throne. She moves the whole court for whale and salmon migrations and red tides, and arrives on the Prime as a monsoon that floods land and wrecks ships, followed by whales, sea monsters, mermaids and sahuagin.