Tieflings

Since Tieflings can arise from nearly any other race, their anatomy can differ quite substantially between individuals.  All tieflings however have three common features, a tail, their eyes, and horns.  The tail emerges from the base of the spine and extends for an average of four feet.  These tails can vary widely in their form, ranging from thick and muscular to thin and dextrous.  Typically, the thinner tails are prehensile to a degree.  All tails have a common feature in their end, each tail ends with a small hook, barb, or spade-shaped growth.  Their second common feature is their horns, these emerge typically from their forehead, along the hairline.  These horns are more varied than their tails, they can emerge from nearly any place on their skull, and can take a variety of shapes.  Some curl like a ram's horns, while others curve gently back along their skull, while others still point up near vertically.  Finally, their eyes differ from the other races, their sclera are typically black along with their pupil.  Their iris is usually a similar color to their skin tone, but usually brighter, some would even say their eyes glow.

Tieflings most striking feature is perhaps the method by which they reproduce.  Regardless if the mother or father is a tiefling, they are always born as twins.  They may identical or fraternal, but always one twin is a tiefling while the other is of the other race of the mother or father.  In the case of two tieflings conceiving together, one twin will be of a race from which the parents are descended from.  This rule is only broken when a tiefling conceives with a Zell.  Zells are famous for all their children being full Zells, regardless of the race of the other parent.  This is mostly true for Zells that conceive with Tieflings, however, the twin rule remains and rarely a Tiefling may be born from a Zell parent.  Cases of this a rare and poorly documented, with only 7 known cases that can be rigorously proven.

Tieflings mature at rates similar to the race from which they were sired.  However, their lives are usually shorter than those of the longer-lived races.  A Tiefling born of a human will age at a nearly identical rate as their human parent.  While a tiefling born of an elf or a firbolg will age much slower.  In the case of elves, those tieflings typically live for roughly 150 - 250 years.  If a tiefling is born of a Din, there is a small chance they will inherit their focus.  Keeping this focus may allow for immortality, but more commonly only slows the aging process.  Tieflings born Din have been recorded as living nearly a thousand years by keeping to their oaths.  Most of the time, these Tieflings age similarly to humans.

Tieflings, regardless of their base race have proficiency in low light environments.  Their vision in darkness is beaten only by the drow elves.

Due to their odd nature of propagation, Tiefling names depend heavily upon the culture from which they hail.  In long-standing tiefling communities tieflings often choose a 'virtue' name, representing some character they wish to represent.  These can range from cheerful goals to grim outlooks on their prospects.

Many tieflings consider their horns and eyes to be the focal point of their beauty.  They typically augment their horns with jewelry or style their hair to compliment their horns.  Their eyes with their unique black coloring can also serve as a focal point for their fashion.  Additionally, due to their tails, tieflings take particular care with the design of their trousers and other lower-garments.

Tieflings are perhaps the race least concerned with gender in Elsinya.  They seem to have a natural disposition that allows for a variety of personalities to appear within each gender.  Many other races believe that Tieflings have a third gender lying somewhere between male and female due to this nature.

In long-standing tiefling communities, it is typically the women who are seen that the individuals that pursue a relationship.  However, this is a generality rather than a set rule.  Tieflings are varied like no other race and typically take after their native culture.  However, due to their tendency to gender-neutral identities, they are far more open to same-sex relationships.

Most Tieflings speak a common language known to them as In'traal, but is more commonly known as Infernal.  Beyond this, they typically speak the language of their homeland.

It is traditional when greeting a new person to use a gender-neutral pronoun when speaking with them.  Because of this most tieflings will inform another of their preferred form of identification when meeting others.  Because of this tradition, many tieflings can seem more alien to other races as they seem hesitant when speaking with individuals who have not informed them of how they wish to be identified.

Whether it be for convenience to the remnant of some long-forgotten tradition, many tieflings look down upon any type of head-covering.  Many today simply associate this with the issues of their horns, but some see a head covering as a method of hiding their true nature.

Beyond many tiefling's suspicions of Cauron and its associated direction, many other suspicions permeate their societies.  Among many cultures, it is a great sign of disrespect to have one's horns filed down or cut off.  Still, other societies place great significance upon their eyes.  Their taboos and suspicions vary as widely as their various cultures.

It is not known when the first Tieflings emerged upon Elsinya, but historical records show the first mention of them in the early Second Era. With records from this time being so scattered and incomplete it is unknown if Tieflings emerged from a single population or began appearing among all races in Elsinya. Proponents of the former theory support their arguments with the fact that most early records of Tieflings are found in Keld, during the first centuries of the Second Era. Supporters of the latter theory call upon records from the other continents from nearly the same time or later, as support for the rapid propagation of Tieflings.   The exact nature of how they were created remains a mystery. None of the deities, not the gods nor those fallen, claim the Tieflings as their creations. Stories abound of ancient people selling their souls to dark powers for ominous rewards being the creation event of Tieflings. Other rumors abound of men being cursed for turning against the gods during the great conflict of that age, while others call tieflings the original inhabitants of Elsinya alongside humans. Whatever the stories may tell, scholars cannot agree on their physical origin.   Because of their monstrous appearance, and fears that their features, described as a 'disease' in older texts, would spread. Many accounts exist of the many great attempts to extinguish the Tieflings in many regions. Particularly, the people of Cauron at the time were especially fearful of the Tieflings, they lead great purges against any Tieflings that were discovered. These repeated genocides were so complete that mentions of Tieflings in ancient records in Cauron do not reappear until the end of the third era. These actions have long been imprinted upon Tiefling culture in various ways. The letter C is often seen as unlucky in many communities and the direction of South-West is also viewed with suspicion. In the current time, Cauron is the least populated by Tieflings, and while the people there are no more suspicious of Tieflings than those in other lands. Tieflings in many circles still treat the land with caution.   Tieflings of the current era are perhaps very much similar to how they have been in ages past. They are consistently the least populous of the races, due to their appearance, methods of reproduction, and their general lifestyle. Currently, they call no land home, with many Tieflings wandering throughout Elsinya alone or living in small communities. They do however have a deity to give their patronage to. Bohm, the brother of blood, is said to have pitied the slaughter of the Tieflings in Cauron. Legend says that he approached the few survivors left on the continent and ferried them off to other places to live. If this is true or not, Tieflings of the modern-day to seem to have traits relating them to Bohm. Most have a larger appetite for meat than most other races, in addition, old legends from the previous eras tell of Tiefling blood being more potent than other races.   Tieflings, perhaps more than men are adaptable, a feature that can be used to explain their continued survival in a world that is often against them.

With their scattered society and the frequent violent actions against their populations, tieflings have produced few figures that have significantly influenced the course of history with a few exceptions.  The most recent individual lived roughly three hundred years before the present day.  The then-current emperor of the Orvulian Empire was assassinated during his rule.  His daughter rose to the position of emperor, where she defied custom and married a tiefling man.  Their twins were both female, and she refused to bear more children.  Her tiefling daughter had been born first and was the next in line for the throne, a position she ascended to at the young age of 26.  This young girl ruled over the empire for nearly 80 years.  Her first child was human and the line was restored to a more 'common' bloodline.  However, her actions and those of her mother forever granted the Orvulian royal family a tiefling line which still exists to this day.

A common myth that permeates most tiefling societies is a story of how tieflings came to Elsinya. The story relates the journey of a young girl who invariably is named simply 'brave', the tale relates her journey into the 'other world'. A place of strange sights, often contrary to the real world, filled with equally strange creatures. While the exact details of the story change from telling to telling, they nearly all contain the same or similar ending. The story goes that 'brave' journeyed to the heart of the magic in this other world, where she touched this great power and was infused with a small portion of its power. The power changed her and shaped her to better survive in this place she had journeyed through, turning her into a tiefling. When she left this strange otherworld a part of her soul was connected to this power and remained there. It tried to return to her in the real world.   When she returned she was able to use this power she had discovered on her journey. She carved out a place for her family, providing them protection during the relentless wars of the time. Eventually, she fell in love and conceived a child. The part of her that was trapped in the otherworld, used this opportunity to jump between the realms, she then gave birth to a pair of twins; a boy she named hope, and a girl she named joy. Thus began the rule of twins, with her daughter becoming the second tiefling. From this point, it is said that all tieflings contain a part of that part of 'brave' that was trapped in the other world.

Tieflings have a tricky relationship with humans, while they are quite similar due to their adaptability to nearly any situation, humans are also the most prone to hysteria against tieflings.  Most other races are suspicious of them, and tieflings born of other races are usually much rarer than those born of humans, so their relationships are further stunted.  The sole exception to this are the gnomes.  Most gnomes are on good relations with tieflings, both species seem to have a natural affinity for the other.  In many gnomish settlements or neighborhoods, tieflings are a more common sight.  Most members of each species cannot fully explain their affinity for each other, but much merriment is had between the houses of gnomes and tieflings.