Fire genasi are usually thought of as hot-blooded and quick to anger, and they have earned that reputation. Mercurial, proud, and often fearless, they are not content to sit and watch the world pass them by. Fire genasi have obvious physical traits that mark them as different from humans, and they are often the target of mistrust and persecution. Some fire genasi are able to use their quick wits to turn the tables on their tormentors, while others find that their barbed words only make their foes more angry. Many fire genasi are destroyed as infants by their own parents who fear that they are demonspawn.
Most fire genasi in Faerûn are descended from the efreet that once ruled Calimshan. Planetouched of this derivation live all over the Lands of Intrigue, and some have traveled away from their ancestral homeland to escape the fear and prejudice that Calishites bear for genies. Chult, the Lake of Steam, and Unther also have a small number of fire genasi, for those lands bear volcanoes that sometimes act as natural portals to the elemental Plane of Fire, allowing efreet and other fiery outsiders to make contact with humans. A large family of fire genasi-like halflings was known to live in Unther, but the war with Mulhorand has displaced them and their current whereabouts are unknown.
Fire genasi are obviously not fully human, having mostly human features except for one or two exceptional traits related to their elemental ancestor. Some examples of these features are:
charcoal gray skin deep red skin red or orange hair that waves like flames eyes that glow when the genasi is angry unusually warm skin large teeth always smells like smoke
Fire genasi are proud of their ancestry and consider themselves superior to normal humans, although the smarter ones don't make an issue of it. Because the efreet-descended genasi of Calimshan have almost no chance of finding their original elemental ancestor (who have long since been slain, banished, or imprisoned when their empire was overthrown), they make no effort to do so and enjoy the gifts that ancestor's blood has granted them. Fire genasi enjoy the company of their own kind and have been known to form elite groups of mages or fighters that hire themselves out on the basis of their skill and heritage. They have been known to adopt the fire genasi children of human parents as well.
History
Most fire genasi in Faerûn are the result of human-efreeti unions that occurred thousands of years ago in Calimshan. These efreet rulers took human lovers, and their half-elemental offspring served their outsider parent as guards, advisors, or diplomats, eventually having children of their own, which as often as not were fire genasi. The overthrow of the genies resulted in a great slaughter and scattering of all the planetouched in that land, and since that time those people carrying the bloodline of efreet have mixed with humans in other lands. Now fire genasi of these bloodlines might be of any human race, and many do not resemble the people of Calimshan at all.
Fire genasi who originate in other lands have no common history, as their bloodlines are rare and unassociated occurrences.
Outlook
The fire genasi are a proud people, knowing that they are born of great genies. They prefer to dress elegantly and flamboyantly, reveling in their differences and advertising their superior taste and abilities. Fire genasi respect their pure elemental kin, and most treat efreet and other large fire outsiders with a great deal of courtesy and respect, both out of a sense of the creature's power and as a subtle gratitude for their own bloodline-granted talents. Because of their high opinions of themselves, fire genasi often elect themselves the leader and spokesperson of a group, even if they have no particular talents in those areas.
Fire genasi are impatient and don't take well to pursuits that require a lot of time and study. They like to travel, if only to escape the presence of their enemies or people who frustrate them. Fire genasi enjoy collecting treasure, preferring jewelry to bags of coins.
Fire Genasi Society
Fire genasi are competitive among their kind, but their rivalry is rarely lethal. Even two fire genasi of radically different alignments or philosophies are capable of putting down their swords for a talk on elemental nature and comparative histories, and should they come to blows they are more likely to ask for and grant mercy than slay each other outright. Although they have hot tempers, arguments between fire genasi quickly burn out, although their allies or minions might suffer the smoldering after effects.
Other than this friendly banter, fire genasi often go for years without seeing one of their own kind. Descended from beings who have strong and close (if argumentative) society, fire genasi still have a tendency to collect in groups when circumstances allow. Children raised by two fire genasi parents see a wide range of emotions in their parents, from phenomenal passion and epic poetry to screaming matches and thrown furniture. This is accepted as normal, and they are taught that a life not lived vigorously is not worth living.
Language and Literacy
Fire genasi share no racial language, although some learn Ignan for the sake of cultivating an exotic air. A fire genasi usually learns the language of their parents and other languages spoken in their native region.
Planetouched Aasimar Air Genasi Earth Genasi Tiefling Water Genasi Races Home
