Dinollion

Dinn was a Rakshasa of incredible pedigree who ruled over a dominion of the 9 hells. He took great satisfaction in taking hope from the desperate in exchange for abject misery.

During one of the many tithes his court was mandated to follow he was offered a black lamp. The imp told him it was a magic lamp that made wishes come true, but they came at the cost of a great curse. Being a little arrogant he tested this, and sure enough an Efreeti (evil fire genie) appeared. The genie offered him 3 wishes and he took them eagerly - power great enough rule the 9 hells, a body timeless and eternal, and a treasure greater than any he had ever known. The genie simply smiled and said “as you wish”.

A snap of the fingers and his body began to change as he was wrapped in excruciating pain, his body turning from fur and flesh to sulphuric flame. He felt power like no other ripple through his body, the knowledge and understanding to shatter the delicate balance of the hells was his at last…and then the shackles manifested. Turned out being a being of untold cosmic power comes at the cost of servitude, and he was banished to dark void of his vessel - a lamp.

He tried everything he could to break out of that thing, but to no avail. This was no blessing. This was a curse. Over time people came sought him out, to grant their wishes, and he would happily indulge them, making sure they suffered just as much as he would inside that infernal lamp.

Millennia went by and less people sought out his lamp. He was angry and upset, but most of all lonely. He wanted someone to punish, but realised that no one would come if he only cursed them in return. He realised he’d have to do something he’d never done before - give them hope. The next person who summoned him asked them to help their sick mother, and as he reached out to remove her ailment he fought with every fibre of his being to not make it worse, every dark urge to make them suffer more.

He pushed through it all and did as he was asked. He watched as the sickness dissipated in seconds - sores closing, skin rejuvenating, it was fascinating to see. He watched as they embraced one another and shed tears of joy, and then, Dinn experienced the most spellbinding thing of all - they both turned to him and said “thank you.”

This was it. This was the treasure he’d always sought but never achieved. This simple act of kindness was all it took to give him more joy than any amount of coin or jewels could. He felt this sensation of relief, of understanding. He could feel like this every time he made wishes come true.

The Efreeti never expected him to achieve this wish for myself. The curse put upon him was meant to remain until all 3 wishes were completed, and in finding kindness within himself he broke the shackles. As the manacles exploded from his body he felt a rush, similar to the one where he’d been turned into this genie form, but this time it was like a gentle breeze. Efreeti are evil by nature, and it was a form which no longer aligned with him. As the winds rushed around him he felt warmth, tenderness, compassion. There are several types of genie in the world, the rarest and most powerful of all are the air genies - the Djinn. They are only manifested into being from a pure being of noble decent who have experienced extraordinary suffering. When the rushing winds died down he looked at my new form - humanoid for the most part, floating slightly above the ground with a strong leonin mane, a reminder of my origin, and of course his lamp. No longer a fortress of solitude, but a home.