Genasi
Those who think of other planes at all consider them remote, distant realms, but planar influence can be felt throughout the world. It sometimes manifests in beings who, through an accident of birth, carry the power of the planes in their blood. The genasi are one such people, the offspring of genies and mortals. The
Elemental Planes are often inhospitable to natives of the Material Plane: crushing earth, searing flames, boundless skies, and endless seas make visiting these places dangerous for even a short time. However the elemental energy from this chaos can seep into the material plane, and for a variety of reasons a child of the elements may be formed on material soil.
These children are genasi: individuals with ties to two worlds, yet belonging to neither. Most of the time genasi are born of mortal–genie unions, others have two genasi as parents, and a rare few have a genie further up their family tree, manifesting an elemental heritage that’s lain dormant for generations. A genie will find a way to venture across the elemental chaos and during these visits, a mortal might catch a genie’s eye. Friendship forms, romance blooms, and sometimes children result. Occasionally, genasi result from exposure to a surge of elemental power, through phenomena such as an eruption from the Inner Planes or a planar convergence. Elemental energy saturates any creatures in the area and might alter their nature enough that their offspring with other mortals are born as genasi.
Heirs to Elemental Power
Genasi inherit something from both sides of their dual nature. They resemble humans but have unusual skin color (red, green, blue, or gray), and there is something odd about them. The elemental blood flowing through their veins manifests differently in each genasi, often as magical power. Seen in silhouette, a genasi can usually pass for human. Those of earth or water descent tend to be heavier, while those of air or fire tend to be lighter. A given genasi might have some features reminiscent of the mortal parent (pointed ears from an elf, a stockier frame and thick hair from a dwarf, small hands and feet from a halfling, exceedingly large eyes from a gnome, and so on). Some genasi live as outcasts, driven into exile for their unsettling appearance and strange magic, or assuming leadership of savage humanoids and weird cults in untamed lands. Others gain positions of great influence, especially where elemental beings are revered. A few genasi leave the Material Plane to find refuge in the households of their genie parents.Wild and Confident
Genasi rarely lack confidence, seeing themselves as equal to almost any challenge in their path. This certainty might manifest as graceful self-assurance in one genasi and as arrogance in another. Such self-confidence can sometimes blind genasi to risk, and their great plans often get them and others into trouble. Too much failure can chip away at even a genasi’s sense of self, so they constantly push themselves to improve, honing their talents and perfecting their craft. As rare beings, genasi might go their entire lives without encountering another one of their kind. There are no great genasi cities or empires. Genasi seldom have communities of their own and typically adopt the cultures and societies into which they are born. The more strange their appearance, the harder time they have. Many genasi lose themselves in teeming cities, where their distinctiveness hardly raises an eyebrow in places accustomed to a variety of different people. An exception to the rule however would be in the Kingdom of Kelsarius, a mostly-human nation on the continent of Kaliban to the West. The land of Kaliban was the final resting place of the Primordials of old. Because of this, a primordial curse weighs on the land that brings the elements to life causing havoc against civilizations who don't live in harmony with it. The curse causes an influx of genasi to be born on the continent, and many of the Kelsarian kingdom are hunted for their circumstances of birth. The most notable of the four types hunted in this regard are the Fire Genasi, as the kingdom faces a higher number of fire elementals than any other kind. Many genasi here hide in the wilderness in camps or in the slums under the noses of the Crown.
Basic Information
Genetic Ancestor(s)
Lifespan
120 years
Average Height
5-6 ft.
Average Weight
125-250 lbs.
