Tiefling
Children of Hell, devil spawn, hellkin - that is just a small selection of monikers given to those who carry a bit of infernal lineage within them. They are the product of interaction between the denizens of the Nine Hells and mortals. Though most assume such interactions are sexual in nature, they do not have to be - often times, all it takes for a bloodline to be polluted by infernal magic is for an ancestor to make a deal with a devil. Tieflings can be born to any parent, provided the bloodline of one or more of the parents has infernal influence in it. As such, two perfectly average-appearing humans can have a tiefling child - which at times leads to violent outbursts and accusations of infidelity or devil worship. The birth of a tiefling is believed to be frequently preceded or accompanied by episodes of famine, plague, or natural disasters, as tieflings are seen as bearers of bad luck. Many tiefling children, if born to non-tiefling parents, end up abandoned in the streets or on doorsteps of temples to Mirt.
Over the years, disdain for tieflings has died down somewhat, as people come around to the idea that a fiend's memory is long and a tiefling's birth may not have anything to do with the actions of them or their immediate relatives. Still, most people view tieflings as horrifying, albeit mystifying, creatures and prefer to deal with them as little as possible. Some places still refuse service to tieflings, and in the nation of Valiant, they are treated as little more than pets, if not pests to be hunted for sport. On the other hand, some of the more progressive places, like the Calvard Collective, even has tiefling nobles. The Order of Alabaster watches tieflings with particular interest, as their connection to infernal powers makes them both powerful allies and likely conduits for the enactment of a devil's will.
As the Lords of the Nine Hells have not walked the mortal plane freely for a very long time, all bloodlines that originate from them directly are old, with contracts made centuries ago (even if they have not manifested until recently). More recent pacts are typically made with lesser devils - balors, bone devils, etc - who managed to find a purchase in the mortal world.
While most tieflings share reddish skin and variously shaped horns, some take more keenly after their Devil forebearer, which manifests in th variety of appearances often seen in tieflings. More often than not, a tiefling that looks more like a particular Devil is shunned more vehemently than a tiefling with only the most genertic fiendish traits, as this is seen as a sign of favor or connection with the Devil. The possible variations are as follows:
Asmodean Tiefling
Most tieflings are descendants of the humans that forged contracts with Asmodeus, the King of the Nine Hells, during his first foray into the mortal world during the Storm of Wrath. It is believed that Asmodeus is always watching all of his descendants and waiting to use them to take over the mortal world. Asmodean tieflings have reddish or brown-ish skin and black or red-tinged eyes. Those with the closest connection to him have golden flecks in their eyes and hair. Their horns are typically some kind of curved ram horn shape, forming a part of their browline - though this is not always the case.Baalzebul Tiefling
Descendants of the Lord of Flies are rare, as there are not many desperate enough to seek him out. Tieflings of Baalzebul tend to appear sickly, with yellow or grey-tinged skin and large, bug-like eyes. They have a proclivity for disease and poison, which leads some of them to take up the healing arts in order to combat their heritage. Those who embrace their grotesque heritage find a talent for manipulation of the mind and corruption of the senses. Their horns are typically long and narrow, sometimes appearing more antler-like than most other tieflings. They also often have freckles and white nails.Dispater Tiefling
Those that come from the bloodline of the Lord of Dis tend to feel like they're being watched at all times. Some call it paranoia, while others believe it is Dispater himself keeping watch over his potential minions or enemies. Whatever the truth, Dispater's tieflings are predisposed to deceit and manipulation, with many ending up as spies or infiltrators. They typically have darker skin tones, ranging from obsidian to dark burgundy. Instead of two large horns, many Dispater tieflings have several smaller pairs of horns on their heads.Fierna Tiefling
Tieflings of Fierna's bloodline are predominantly female, and even among tieflings, their physical appeal is noticeable. On top of that, they tend to develop strong personalities if allowed, and if their ambitions are not tempered, they may end up becoming narcissistic tyrants that force people into submission both with the force of their personality and with their innate mind-rending abilities. Despite their natural charisma, they have very short fuses and hot tempers. Fierna's tielfings tend to have golden, red, or pale pink colored skin, with pointy, arched horns.Glasya Tiefling
Glasya sees herself as above dealing with mortals, and it is believed that she only begun to create tieflings in order to one-up her father, Asmodeus, by proving that her offspring are more powerful than his. Her proclivity for illusions shows in them as well, with natural magic flowing through them that allows them to hide and blend into the masses. Their skin is typically a variant of bronze or copper, with hair colors ranging from red and black to more bizarre ones like purple. Their horns are often small and located high on their forehead, but more pointy than other tieflings'.Levistus Tiefling
Levistus cannot leave his icy prison, but his voice still reaches those who are desperate in the face of certain, inescapable damnation. He offers a way out of those consequences - and when the deal is signed, the signer's soul is forfeit and their blood forever tainted with infernal magic. Levistus tieflings find it difficult to keep warm and thus stay away from cold climates. They tend to have skin in tones of blue, green, or white, as if frost-bitten or drowned. Their hair can be black or shades of blue, with occasional white or silver. Their horns grow from the sides of their head, right above the ears, and curve forward. Despite their natural dislike of cold weather - it chills them to to bone - Levistus' offspring have a natural proclivity for cold-based magics.Mammon Tiefling
The safeguarder of wealth, Mammon made deals with mortals only for coin or other material possessions. His greed is reflected in his offspring, who naturally seek wealth with almost obsessive tenacity. Their skin is often shades of brown, gold, or ashen gray, and they have a hard time growing hair of any kind, leading to most either shaving it off or keeping it short. Their horns are typically long and pointy, swept backwards in an arch from the top of their head. The most prevalent eye color among such tieflings is green - which leads to many jokes about envy.Mephistopheles Tiefling
The Lord of Cania deals only and exclusively with those who carry magical power within them, and thus is often the one that mages call out to in search of greater power. Tieflings of his bloodline are more likely to manifest magical abilities, and thus are of great concern to the Alabaster Order. Mephistopheles' offspring have reddish skin, dark hair, and typically large, curling ram horns that are difficult for them to hide. They produce a lot of body heat and thus do not particularly mind colder climates, though they thrive in hot areas.Zariel Tiefling
Having once been an angel, Zariel's blood brings with it the sting and power of the divine, though twisted and corrupted by infernal attributes. Her offspring are the rarest and are usually more physically imposing than other tieflings, with metallic-colored skin and dark-colored hair. They also, mysteriously, either lack horns completely or have horns that form strange, almost halo-like shapes around their heads or faces. They also often have markings on their faces, especially around the eyes.Basic Information
Anatomy
Tieflings walk the line between devil and humanoid, with specific characteristics dependent on the amount of fiendish blood flowing through their veins. Some tieflings can practically pass for humans, albeit with slightly more pink-tinged skin and horns. Others have tails, forked tongues, pupil-less or slit-pupil eyes, or even hooved feet. Though reddish skin tones are the most common (due to Asmodeus being the progenitor of many of them), tieflings can also have white, blue, purple, black, or grey skin, dependent on the fiend that they originate from.
Like their celestially-touched cousins, the aasimar, tieflings are strangely appealing to other races despite their apparent devilishness. Though terrified, people are captivated by their haunting appearance, either terrified or mystified by them. They have infernally attractive behinds and have an easy time swaying people with their charisma. Tieflings also age gracefully, looking barely older than mid-thirties even at the ripe age of eighty. It's exceedingly rare to see an elderly tiefling that actually looks their age.
Civilization and Culture
Major Language Groups and Dialects
Though they are rarely taught it, tieflings have a natural, innate understanding of Infernian (Infernal). Because it is easily recognizable in certain areas, they tend to keep this knowledge to themselves and use mostly written Infernian. Devils and certain studied tieflings can often identify what kind of ancestry a tiefling carries by the dialect of Infernian they speak. Because tieflings do not have a nation of their own, they often speak the Alltongue and whatever other languages were spoken by those in their surroundings.
Common Customs, Traditions and Rituals
Tiefling horns are their most recognizable feature and come in many shapes and sizes. Some tieflings carry their horns with pride, reveling in the attention they receive - a rare few even dare attract more attention through decorations. Others hide their infernal aspects, covering their horns with hoods and scarves, trying to look as human and possible. Regardless of their attitude towards their appearance, however, all tieflings see their horns as an intrinsic and intimate part of their identity. There is a great multitude of nerve endings in the horns, which means that sensations are more powerful there. (This has led to rumors that tieflings can 'hear' through their horns, which is not true). As a result, tieflings consider letting someone touch their horns to be an intimate act of affection - platonic or romantic, and touching one's horns without permission is taboo. A tiefling whose horns have been removed is barely considered a whole person at all, as they lose a lot of their sensory capability, and as such the practice of de-horning tieflings has long be outlawed in most places.
Among tiefling communities, one's status and position is demonstrated by the decorations on one's horns. The exact meaning of these decorations may change depending on where the tiefling is from, however the following are some of the more commonly used decorations and their meanings:
- Gold-capped horns carry a similar meaning to human wedding bands, demonstrating that a tiefling is either married or dedicated to someone for life. A tiefling may choose to wear different caps when they are engaged than from they are married, and some long-lived couples change each-others' caps when they reach 10, 25, 50, and 80 years together.
- Silver-capped horns are a sign that the tiefling is a widow. Typically, during mourning, tieflings attach black ribbons or veils to the caps.
- Studs and rings are used as a demonstration of wealth and success. In some circles, they are used as secret symbols amidst criminal organizations, with the amount of rings/studs showing rank in the organization. In other areas, a similar effect is achieved through gemstone attachments.
History
It is uncertain when the first contact between the Nine Hells and the mortal world first happened, though scholars speculate that following the collapse between the barrier between the mortal plane and the Veil, during the Storm of Wrath, Asmodeus first descended onto the mortal plane. There, he met a woman that sought to usurp power amidst the chaos - Cassandra Diavales, who would one day soon become the matriarch and founder of one of the most notorious demon-worshipper cults in the history of Aradia. She made a deal with Asmodeus, handing over her two children to be his servants in Hell. In exchange, he gave her power, enough to survive and thrive. The Diavales bloodline continues to exist to this day, and is considered to be one of the most tainted, with almost every member being a tiefling.
Over time, many more devils and other fiends would find ways to influence the world of mortal beings and forge contracts. Some mortals sought them out willingly, seeking dark power and knowledge. Others would be tempted with whispers in their heads of powers that could grant them their dearest wishes. Others still would stumble into such power accidentally and be burdened with it for a lifetime. All those who dealt with the fiends left the contract carrying a bit of their malevolent influence within them, and while not all ended up leaving descendants, some did, giving rise to the first tieflings.
Nowadays, it is difficult to say which tieflings are a result of direct influence of a devil and which are but sufferers of sins committed eons ago. Few tieflings ever find out what fiend is affecting them, even. In old times, tieflings were considered a sign of bad luck and were relentlessly persecuted, with their tails and horns being cut off to 'rid them of the devil's touch'. Such practices were outlawed with the establishment of the Church of Aidios, which saw tieflings not as a blight, but as an unfortunate consequence of sin. While tieflings are still watched by the Order and are unwelcome in a lot of places (notably Valiant, where they are not allowed), they are not as persecuted as they used to be. It is currently illegal in Aidios-worshipping nations to de-horn or de-tail tieflings.
Common Myths and Legends
Many myths and old wives' tales are told about tieflings. They include, but are not limited to:
- Tiefling being cursed and being bearers of bad luck. It is believed that a tiefling's birth is preceded by
- Asmodeus is always watching his children, and when he is done biding his time, he will take over their bodies and minds and raise his army on the mortal plane.
- Tieflings do not have souls and thus cannot pass through the Veil and into the Maker's Kingdom.
