Bestiary

You might wonder whether this djinni’s name means “mad” as in hot-tempered, or “mad” as in crazy. The answer to this question is “all of the above.” While al-Ghadib literally means “the angry” in Arabic, any zealot who still directly and actively works to destroy all humans is also a dangerous lunatic in the eyes of mainstream djinn society. Not that al-Ghadib cares a bit what those cowards think of him. He has his lieutenants to keep him company and aid him in his holy mission. Humans are one of the most destructive and arrogant species anywhere in the whole of the Tellurian, so he and his band of thugs must exterminate every one of them like the vermin they truly are. For a little variety, driving them out of their minds with fear and then leaving them alive to suffer can also be amusing from time to time.

Al-Ghadib and his allies call themselves “The Flames of Iblis,” after the first djinni who refused to bow down to humans, even when commanded to do so by the Almighty himself. They call humans “mud apes,” “dust golems,” or merely “the enemy.” While al-Ghadib is technically in charge, he rarely exercises that authority unless someone is neglecting their commitment to terrorizing as many humans as possible. Each member of the group has his or her own favorite places to lurk in the mortal realm or the Near Umbra, ready to use Call for Aid to summon the other members when they spot a good victim (or better yet, a few). al-Ghadib prefers to stalk the mortal realm, waiting for stragglers to wander into a secluded forest or a back alley where only he and his friends might hear their screaming.

His merry band of vengeance isn’t particularly picky about whether they attack actual humans — to them, changelings

and werewolves seem more human than not, and vampires all used to be human at one time. Close enough. If one of the Flames finds anyone even a little human-like in the Astral Plane, the Shadowlands, or anywhere else in the Near Umbra, all or most of them will soon provide a few excellent reasons not to trespass there again. When they feel like a little leisure time, the Flames retire to one of several bars or inns in the City of Brass to drink mass quantities of ale and boast of their exploits to anyone willing to listen. Most also collect teeth, finger bones, or other small pieces of their victims, both as trophies and to prove their zeal for the cause. Al-Ghadib began this tradition with his tailbone collection, which now fills several rooms of his opulent manor in the city.

The Mad Warrior himself is as fearless as he is violent and hateful. His anger and bitterness mainly come from his memories of the time before the Code of Solomon, when humans had to bargain with the djinn fairly, rather than taking what they wanted by force. While his allies don’t always live up to his expectations in terms of cruelty, each is loyal to the cause in his or her own way. The caliphs and emirs of the more moderate djinn learned long ago that trying to infiltrate the Flames of Iblis could be dangerous; al-Ghadib only turns his rage upon his fellow djinn if they try to impede what he sees as his sacred duty. The modern world is the legacy of Solomon, so humans are all guilty and all deserve punishment. Pity anyone who gets in the way. Al-Ghadib cares nothing for the relative power level of his prey, partly because he is old and formidable, but mostly because he enjoys a good struggle.

Membership in al-Ghadib’s little murder-and-torture club fluctuates from decade to decade, but usually the Flames have between five and 10 active members at any given time. Among them, they have access to nearly any Charm one could name. However, as traditionalists who enjoy evoking the good old days by inflicting pain and fear, they favor classic mythological djinn abilities such as Create Fire, Create Wind, Mirage, Lightning Bolt, Corruption, Mislead, Sand Storm, and Sand Swallow. Their favorite game is to use Insight and Soul Reading to learn what a victim fears most, then shapeshifting into it, making it the last thing they ever see.

The Flames do not make agreements with humans or human-like beings under any circumstance. In case of enslavement by a Solomonic seal, each Flame has sworn a solemn oath to carry out their master’s wishes in as harmful or humiliating a manner as possible. Most would start looking for a way to die after little more than a decade or two of servitude, but the Mad Warrior knows he would escape to wreak further vengeance upon his enemies, regardless of how long that might take.

Many djinn are surprised to learn that al-Ghadib has a wife and several children whom he loves dearly. When it comes up in conversation, he is glad to explain that his holy mission includes helping to replace those djinn who went into battle with the Taftani and their allies, never to return. He is as friendly and compassionate to his fellow djinn, provided

they don’t hinder his life’s work, as he is unforgiving and uncompromising toward his human victims. The only information that might distract him for a little while is credible intelligence about the location of an imprisoned djinni. While he still won’t work with a human for such a rescue, he has been known on occasion to enlist elementals, naturae, chaos spirits, and even Banes or demons if they can smash a Solomonic vessel to release its captive resident. It galls him that he cannot affect these vessels himself, but he has little trouble enlisting aid from many other types of Umbrood. His reputation as a stalwart if overzealous defender of spiritkind has traveled far, and he trades fairly with any spirit who can negotiate truthfully.

Willpower 8, Rage 7, Gnosis 6, Power 30

Charms: Control Electrical Systems, Create Fire, Create Wind, Corruption, Insight, Lightning Bolt, Materialize, Mind Speech, Mirage, Shapeshift, Solidify Reality, Tracking, Mislead, Sand Storm, Sand Swallow, Soul Reading

Materialized Attributes: Strength 7, Dexterity 5, Stamina 6, Charisma 4, Manipulation 3, Appearance 3, Perception 4, Intelligence 3, Wits 3

Abilities: Academics 2, Alertness 4, Art 2, Athletics 5, Awareness 4, Brawl 5, Cosmology 4, Empathy 2, Enigmas 3, Etiquette 3, Firearms 3, Intimidation 4, Investigation 4, Martial Arts 3, Melee 5, Occult 5, Streetwise 2, Stealth 3, Subterfuge 5

Materialized Health Levels: 8

Image: A tall, muscular Arabic man with a reddish tint to his skin.

Roleplaying Notes: Mad, bad, and dangerous to know. Unless you’re a djinni, of course.