Ifrit

About

Humans whose ancestry includes beings of elemental fire such as efreet, ifrits are a passionate and fickle race. No ifrit is satisfied with a sedentary life; like a wildfire, ifrits must keep moving or burn away into nothingness. Ifrits not only adore flames, but personify multiple aspects of them as well, embodying both fire's dynamic, ever-changing energy and its destructive, pitiless nature.

Physical Description

Ifrits vary in appearance as widely as their elemental ancestors do. Most have pointy ears, red or mottled horns on the brow, and hair that flickers and waves as if it were aflame. Some possess skin the color of polished brass or have charcoal-hued scales covering their arms and legs. Ifrits favor revealing and ostentatious clothing in bright oranges and reds, preferably paired with gaudy jewelry.

History

The nomadic tribes of the Ifrit begin to center around the volcano of Mt. Tulunn and they establish a nearby city of Al Ishaq. The city has no central location, instead it is a series of small spread out villages with homes often deserted then reoccupied by wandering Ifrit. The Ifrit remain strongly nomadic and the majority of their race wanders the continent of Karmir alongside the fire elementals. Through their travels over the arid desert they meet the Shard, a territorial race resembling earth elementals. Viewing the nomadic ways of the Ifrit as a threat The Shard force the Ifrit to make an alliance and vow to respect The Shard’s territory. The Ifrit agree, but immediately disregard the agreement creating tension. Fearing the threat of war with the Shard, The Military Academy of the Crossed Saber is created to study war magic.

Ulair the Teacher inspires the Ifrit society; and creates the Incentors. Many Ifrit choose to disregard the studies of war and instead follow his bardic lifestyle traveling throughout the continent. The Nerid, a race of sea elves, establish a colony along the outskirts of Karmir. The Ifrit find that the Nerids connection to water counterbalances their connection to fire. They find a strange sense of peace and connection to the Nerid and form an alliance with the city of Shoal.

After the stalemate with the Shard dulls over time the Ifrit begin to use their knowledge to overpower the humans around them. The warlord Saif Al-Samas raised an army and captured the human city of Pobba Thri, plundering the surrounding lands for resources. This forceful overturn backfires as the Ifrits fickle and passionate nature led to infighting over leadership, mismanagement of resources, and the eventual fall of Pobba Thri. The Great Famine spreads throughout the city, starving both the ifrit and the remaining humans, forcing them to flee the city.

Society

Ifrits most often segregate into nomadic familial clans or tribes formed around common ideology or charismatic leader. Clans are typically matriarchal, with an elder - the Nānī - serving as clan leader, while tribes are usually governed in a quasi-democratic fashion. Most clans have friendly enough relations with each other, often trading or sharing resources; Ifrit have no concept of land-ownership and believe that only what one can carry is one's possession, so there are rarely the conflits more typical of non-Ifrit. That being said, clans have been known to hold grudges for generations, which can result in petty quarrels to outright warfare.

Relations

Even the best-natured ifrits tend to view other individuals as tools to use as they see fit, and as such they get along best with races they can charm or browbeat into submission. Half-elves and gnomes often find themselves caught up in an ifrit's schemes, while halflings, half-orcs, and dwarves usually bridle at ifrits' controlling nature. Strangely, ifrits sometimes form incredibly close bonds with elves, whose calm, aloof nature seems to counterbalance an ifrit's impulsiveness. Most ifrits refuse to associate with sylphs, but are otherwise on peaceable terms with the other elemental-touched races.

Alignment and Faith

Ifrits are a dichotomous people—on one hand, fiercely independent, and on the other, imperious and demanding. They are often accused of being morally impoverished, but their troublemaking behavior is rarely motivated by true malice. Ifrits are usually lawful neutral or chaotic neutral, with a few falling into true neutrality.

Ifrit Traits

As an ifrit, you have inherited the volatile mood and keen mind of the efreet. You tend toward impatience and making snap judgments. Rather than hide your distinctive appearance, you exult in it.

Ability Score Increase. Your Intelligence score increases by 1.

Darkvision. You can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. Your ties to the Elemental Plane of Fire make your darkvision unusual: everything you see in darkness is in a shade of red.

Fire Resistance. You have resistance to fire damage.

Reach to the Blaze. You know the fire bolt cantrip. Once you reach 3rd level, you can cast the burning hands spell once with this trait as a 1st-level spell, and you regain the ability to cast it this way when you finish a long rest. Constitution is your spellcasting ability for these spells.