The Djinn in the Elder Races universe are creatures of air and fire, and almost unimaginable Power.  Born at the beginning of the world, they have no corporeal bodies; instead they can assume whatever physical form they choose and discard it afterward, rather like wearing a set of clothes.  Some Djinn are not gender-specific and they might assume either a male or a female body, according to their mood.  Other Djinn identify much more closely with the masculine or the feminine, and those invariably appear as purely one or the other.

The Djinn are actually part of the Demonkind demesne, which is comprised of several races, and the Djinn social structure is made up of five Houses—the Shaytan, the Gul, the Ifrit, the Jann, and the most Powerful of them all, the House Marid.  The Houses are based on relationships, much like humans conceived of clans or extended family groups.  Large decisions that affect an entire House are made through consensus, with the older, more Powerful Djinn having the final say.  The elders (either first generation Djinn who were born at the beginning of the world, or the second generation Djinn) are assigned honorifics:  the males are called Princes of their House and the females are called excellencies.