Demi-Djinn
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Contents
Origin
In our realm of magical creatures, sights and oddities- there existed rumors and legends of yore concerning those who have ventured to seek the existence of such spirits. Many tales have been told about these creatures, yet most served as no more than honeyed words for the sake of telling children something to help them sleep at night. They say these spirits had the forms of unholy nature and that their faces were ever-changing; the sign of an avid shifter of forms. Their alignment seemingly neutral, their origins are obscured - history unknown to the common man. They could only be known as الجن, or Jinns. These Jinns were most commonly said to be half-beast, half-men; their appearance mainly humanoid with the malformed heads and limbs of atrocious horrors. Whilst carrying a dreadful visage, they were believed to hold the vigor of a radiant essence, albeit cunning and mischievous in nature as stated by many chroniclers. Despite this, very few have been able to say that they’ve gone face-to-face with a real Jinn. Though, there was one man who had.
Long ago, in the times of old, a Farfolk named Solomon was born. Though relatively average for a commoner of his status- he found that he had the undying need to travel, to explore. Soon after growing into an adult, Solomon set out on his journey to see the world before his pale eyes. Sometime throughout his venture, Solomon was said to have come into contact with a Jinn. This creature promptly introduced himself to be Ifrit, a spirit that bore the head of a snake and the build of a large crimson man- larger than any the curious Solomon had ever seen before in his days. Although the Jinn had approached Solomon with ill intent- and yet, no fear was fostered within the man’s heart. This intrigued the beastman, this behavior being unheard of at that time, though this was simply due to Solomon’s curiosity. As time continued, the spirit found himself warming up to this young man; they had become allies, after mere moments of discussion. Something that lowered Ifrit’s status amongst his kin- the fact that the pride of a Jinn was above all, and yet he stood as tall as the mortal did. Solomon became a great traveler, Ifrit always remaining by his side as the two of them ventured into the unknown, meeting new people and discovering new cultures- ancient and recent alike. Through that long and fulfilling epic, their bond was akin to a braided knot- though it was unbreakable nor yielded to stress, there’d come a day where it - too - would wither away. Ifrit was granted pause before Solomon’s graying hand and with it, the grim realization; where time, itself, stopped for no-one. Not mortals, and not even a Jinn. There, a simple choice was granted; either wither away, where all but a bed of flowers will be the mark of his existence and below it, him. A lonely pile of bones. And the other choice, should Solomon wills it - a new body, unlike his own. Strip away his identity and self to become something more. And from there, the page turned. Their story was still to be told, the ending laid further ahead as it awaited to be written. The deal was taken, the choice settled and from it did the withered hand grow crooked. He awoke, eyes glazed over himself - he was himself, whole and anew. And yet, differences laid. The man was a charred reflection of himself; bearing similarities to what he once was, yet bearing enough differences to be called something else. The pigment of his skin had turned a brilliant aquamarine, and his vigor was restored from its decrepit state. Though- from the many changes that occurred, there was always a price. The bargain was made and forgotten, thus from it, Ifrit had become no more than a mere memory for the man.
The Demi-Djinn
It was said that after Solomon had become adjusted to his new lifestyle as a Demi-Djinn, he went off to somewhere unknown, but not before bestowing his powers to another- and another after that. Soon, the Demi-Djinn had grown, but their fate remained not with another. They split up and scattered across the land, their different goals and contrasting views guiding their paths to cross again one day. Why Solomon bestowed his powers to others is unknown, but the reason is most likely that the wise man had felt the need to spread his new-found gift to others- perhaps to atone or to remember. Now, the Demi-Djinn scour the lands, offering the same gifts and choices that Ifrit once did. Their purpose for doing so may vary from person to person, but one thing is the same within all of them- they are Solomon’s chosen and Ifrit’s legacy. They do not worship him, but instead respect his memory as their superior, their idol, their muse. So therefore, they must respect Solomon’s Shackles
Forms of the Demi-Djinn
In their efforts to reject their finite holds- to become something more- the acolytes of the Wiseman sought at the end of their path something new; artificial frames wrought from the birth of their growing potential and the will of a vagabond hermit. The Demi-Djinn’s prowess found them shifting into creatures birthed behind closed walls and occluded windows- a form to which the operations of such a being could perform their tasks in a secluded manner. Their bodies had become pliable and easily shaped, like a ball of colored clay; a simple rearrangement of their features had caused them to become different people, wearing a mask of hidden truths.
Formed from the supernatural energy derived from their soul, the spiritual beings created three forms using their innate polymorphism, each driving them closer to the visage of a true Jinn. Many Demi-Djinns have different names and titles for their incarnations, however the most common name was obtained via their known respected seniors, masters of their craft; these forms were thus dubbed Phases.
The First Phase: Origin
Acquired through their natural state, their first form begins with their natural vessel- their mortal form. This form is no different from the body inherited by a descendant. Their soul is still synergized with the aura of the Wiseman, however no abilities or added strengths are granted to this vessel- they are simply their own person- their braces nowhere to be found. The prowess of the Demi-Djinn reveals itself within their other phases.
The Second Phase: Form In-between
The body in which a Demi-Djinn’s prowess begins to reveal itself. This form is crafted from within the image of a race within the mortals’ understanding- that is, the race they were born as. Their skin color remains stagnant however, linked to that of their true Djinn form. To achieve this form, the image of their body must be crafted from within the psyche of the Demi-Djinn, and the morphing process begins. Shifting into the Second Phase from the First Phase requires two emotes; Following the rather uncomfortable shaping of their bodies their braces appear over their wrists, albeit the colors of such baring a colorless hue to that of which it would normally be. This body is linked to the soul of its vessel, therefore it will inherit all of its respective curses and unavoidable traits- that primarily being their gender and race. Furthermore, they may age their bodies to look young or old in only a matter of one emote, the process of shapeshifting happening in real time- though the amount of effort they may put into this can strain their bodies. The minimum they may age themselves down to is the adolescent age of five. If a Demi-Djinn lowers the age of their vessel under that of ten years old, they’d find that this act of de-aging themselves so low has resulted in the loss of their abilities. To age themselves too old, however, they would find themselves in the development of a frail vessel - one ridden with the aches and rheumatism pains of the elderly; the most they can age their vessels up to is somewhere around the age of an 80 year-old human, an elderly elf, etc. The Demi-Djinn may also summon armor upon themselves in non-combative environments. If they are in an combative environment, summoning armor takes two emotes.
The Third Phase: The Demi-Jinn
The true form of a Demi-Djinn is where their abilities are most potent and their body has become perfectly in-tune with their supernatural abilities. This form may only be accessed during the activation of a contract or in the presence of their fellow kin. Their true name - a name etched onto their shackles in the lost language of a Jinn - must be stated by their contractor’s or by another Demi-Djinn. Following the utterance of their chosen moniker, the name brought with their shackles, they may shift into their true form in only a matter of one emote. If brought upon while in their Second Phase, their bodies would come to resemble that of their Third Phase, their shackles gaining color.
Not only do Demi-Jinns have access to their aforementioned abilities, but they also are able to cast a unique set of spells based on their mastery; that being their blessings. After the contractive meeting has concluded, the Demi-Jinn reverts back into their Second Phase. Attempting to activate the Third Phase in any other way would result in a fruitless ignition of their own mana, steadily taking a toll upon their stamina to the point where after two or three emotes their own legs may not be able to support their weight and further ignition of mana will result in their untimely demise; a fruitless effort, essentially.
The reason this state cannot be held for long periods of time is because it is an unstable form, holding the memories of all past and current incarnations of the Demi-Djinn within. When their time in this phase has concluded, they will lose the memories of such soon after with not even a hint of déja vu. Due to this ailment, a Demi-Jinn becomes more and more unfamiliar to the mortal’s body with each incarnation it passes through, becoming a chimera of multiple personalities after each lifetime.
This form holds a unique appearance instinctually crafted within their inner-psyche once they enter the Third Phase for the first time; this form cannot change even through their reincarnations once it has been conceptualized, nor can they shapeshift within this phase. It will gain some likeness to their First Phase in their weight and height however.
One thing remains within these hybrids; once a Demi-Jinn has been summoned, the first thing to notice about one is their head. Like the creatures told within legend, the Jinn were known for being half-beast, half-men, and the Third Phase is the closest a Demi-Djinn will ever get to them. As such, their mortal heads are garbed in a sort of helmet or mask wrought from flesh or fur as well as a thin layer bone, an outer shell resembling that of an animal that harks their soul. This ‘mask’ is an extension of their own features, their beastly eyes will work like their original and they may hear from whatever they now use for ears. This is the minimum of what they inherit from a Jinn’s appearance, being able to garner more animalistic features, albeit they remain humanoid and are grafted over the Demi-Jinn’s descendant-like body. However, the mask is extremely fragile, the bone masking their face as brittle as wood. Therefore if their second head were to become broken somehow, their second head would be revealed underneath. Any blow to this would result in their fog-like aura leaking out, evaporating any blood that would escape instantly. Any damage dealt to any part of this head would then be transferred onto their original body as long as the head remains. A blow to their eyes would temporarily leave them blind, plugging their nose would make them unable to breathe. That is not to say that the head cannot be removed. As stated before, the Demi-Jinn’s head remains underneath, but removing their second head would be extremely painful - not much different from ripping off their own flesh.
