A Day in the Lamp (aka Lifestyles of the Powerful and Insubstantial)

The purpose of this is to give some background and ground rules for
playing Efreets, the powerful magical creatures of Calormen.  First off,
keep in mind that none of this is from the Chronicles of Narnia; here
are the only relevant quotes:

  "[Jadis was born of] your father Adam's first wife, they called her 
 Lilith. And she was one of the Jinn." (LWW pp. 76)

  (Standing at the stone table with Jadis) "... Wraithes, Horrors,
 Efreets, Sprites, Orknies, Wooses, and Ettins." (LWW pp. 138)

Since the details which the books give to Calormen are rather few and
far between, these tiny hints have been expanded to try and fill some of
the gaps in our knowledge of Calormen.

Some definitions - these may or may not correspond to existing
mythologies in any way:

+ Efreet (aka Ifreet, Afreet, Aefreet, Ifrit) - the generic term for all
of the following types of creatures. Specifically, the masculine
singular of the species which is prone to selfish, greedy, conniving
acts (evil). The plural is Efreet or Efreets. 

+ Efreetah - the feminine of Efreet. Plural is Efreet or Efreetahs. 

+ Jinn (aka Jinni, Djinn, Genie) - A close relative of the Efreet, but
more prone to acts of kindness, albeit also meddlesome and somewhat
self-serving, as well as having a sense of humor. Generically, male or
female. Specifically, male. Plural is Jinn or Jinns.  

+ Jinnah - feminine of Jinn. Plural is Jinnah or Jinnahs.  

+ Spectre - humans who aspired to be Efreet. Either the gods didn't look
kindly upon them or it just isn't possible. Instead, they're left
bodyless relics, with no powers over the physical world other than
illusion and terror. 

In my own personal "grand scheme of things", Efreet and Jinns play roles
in Calormen corresponding to the Witches and Stars of Narnia - forces of
"evil" and "good" in the world, with powers beyond normal talking
beasts, what we'd call "breaking the laws of physics".

What sorts of power? Earth folklore (eg, Arabian Nights, "Ali Baba
Bunny", "I Dream of Jeanie", Disney's "Aladdin", AD&D's Al Q'adim world,
et. al.) give them invariably immense power, such as granting wishes,
sometimes with and sometimes without limit. However, this is not very
practical for the world of the MUSH.  

Officially, Efreet have the power to bring anything into existence, but
a living thing thus created can only exist temporarily while under the
Efreet's control. They can do this instantly, without fuss and bother,
chanting or meditations. They cannot destroy things they did not create.
They cannot directly alter the real world except by translocation (eg,
moving a boulder), without the use of tools (eg, they can create a
scimitar and behead someone). They are bound by no laws other than those
of the Calormene gods (who look favorably on humans and will likely
snuff out an Efreet which tries to harm the Tisroc, or something
similar). 

They are not limited to a human form, but that is a common one. They are
often insubstantial, like smoke or a sandstorm. Nor are they confined to
one particular size, often appearing immense when it suits their need.
But similarly, they can take on the form of a Tarkaan or Tarkheena to
blend in with other Calormenes.

Be careful when trying to apply these powers, however. Demonstrations
are best prepared beforehand... while an Efreet can create a sword from
nothing, it takes a lot longer to code. Efreet should not be involved in
human affairs like politics, although causing mayhem is always
acceptable if done in character. The normal rules of TP apply - no
forcing others into something they can't get out of w/o OOC consent, no
outright killing others, etc. Efreet can go around stirring up trouble,
and Jinn can go around performing random acts of senseless kindness.

Through RPing and stories, a few aspects of the nature of Efreets have
been invented. Efreet are by nature purely creatures of "soul" (whatever
that is). Hence the reason they fit into lamps so well. They may seek to
collect the souls of humans as nourishment, or take them in payment for
deeds - a soul is tangible to an Efreet. A Jinn may simply enjoy the
company of other souls (albeit those trapped in a body). I've also said
that the Efreet/Jinn are the creations of the offspring of Tash, their
attempt at outdoing humans. For this, the "Spawn of Tash" were
destroyed. Please note that these ideas are not binding, just ideas that
have been created to rationalize some of the things these creatures can
and will do. They may or may not be merely Calormene-invented legends to
fit the "facts" of the creatures' existence.

As for society, the Efreet and Jinn are loners, answering to no-one but
themselves and perhaps the Calormene gods. The Jinn may, however, be
found in human company. It isn't uncommon for a Jinn or Jinnah to take a
human mate. They are above mere humans in the caste system of Calormen,
but are feared rather than respected, much as the Calormene gods are (in
practice). They are also not common, more creatures of lore than of
fact, so subtle is also a keyword in playing them.