Tasked genie

Many tasked genies were once members of the four elemental realms. Over time they changed in appearance and form as a result of performing the specific tasks for which they were used. Tasked genies removed from their work suffered adverse effects including weakness, insanity, and even death. In the event that a tasked genie went insane, this triggered their transformation into a slayer genie.

Habitat/Society
Unlike other genies, some tasked genies consorted with humans on a regular and comfortable basis, dwelling with them in harmony. They were equally at home alone in the wilderness or surrounded by humanoids in crowded cities.

Their wilderness camps were often lavish mansions that could disappear into the sand if discovered. Some tasked genies tried to scare away intruders before resorting to violence.

Tasked genies did not recognize the caste system of Zakhara like elemental genies did. They were just as content working for a pauper as they were for the sultan.

Tasked genies were either bound by their profession to a specific location or kept inactive for long periods in between servitude. The first group included helpful tasked genies who created food, art, and structures. The second group was slowly driven insane unless called to serve by noble genies or sha’irs. Members of this group often reveled in bloodshed when they were released from service. These included warmonger genies, slayer genies, and guardian genies.

Tasked genies needed to be paid or enslaved for them to work for an ins, or a non-genie. Enslaving some of these genies resulted in poorer quality of work. Some tasked genies, such as slayers, were almost always enslaved since they were too dangerous to be left to their own devices.

Only sha’irs knew how to successfully bind a tasked genie. If their task was large enough, some tasked genies enlisted aid from their kin in order to quickly complete a project. These additional genies worked at no cost to the original master, choosing instead to help the first tasked genie so they could be released sooner.

Though it was rare, tasked genies could be transformed back to their original genie form with the help of a powerful sha'ir or noble genie. This long process first involved separating the tasked genie from its place of employment or confinement, as well as from all of the tools of their trade. This was easier said than done, especially when dealing with the more aggressive tasked genies such as slayers or guardians. The next step was to keep the tasked genie surrounded in an environment made from the element of its original form. An example of this would be keeping a winemaker genie underwater since they were once marid. From this point onward, the sha'ir or noble genie needed to cast a dispel magic spell on the tasked genie once per day until their transformation was complete. Some tasked genies possessed an inherent degree of magical resistance, making the success of this spellcasting less likely. The biggest issue during this phase of the process was that the tasked genie was completely isolated from its "task". As noted above, when this happened the tasked genie began to go insane, resulting in their death or transformation into a slayer genie. Sha'irs who successfully helped a tasked genie revert to their original form were treated well by the genie community and usually gained the loyalty and service of the genie who underwent the transformation.

Ecology
All tasked genies lived for incredibly long periods of time, the shortest of which was still double the normal human lifespan.

Tasked genies would sometimes take humanoid lovers, but the results were usually tragic. Offspring from these relationships had the same abilities as markeen.