Tiefling

To be greeted with stares and whispers, to suffer violence and insult on the street, to see mistrust and fear in every eye: this is the lot of the Tiefling. And to twist the knife, tieflings know that this is because a pact struck generations ago infused the essence of demons into their bloodline. Their appearance and their nature are not their fault but the result of an ancient sin, for which they and their children and their children’s children will always be held accountable. Tieflings are derived from human bloodlines, and in the broadest possible sense, they still look human. However, their infernal heritage has left a clear imprint on their appearance. Tieflings have large horns that take any of a variety of shapes: some have curling horns like a ram, others have straight and tall horns like a gazelle’s, and some spiral upward like an antelopes’ horns. They have thick tails, four to five feet long, which lash or coil around their legs when they get upset or nervous. Their canine teeth are sharply pointed, and their eyes are solid colors—black, red, white, silver, or gold—with no visible sclera or pupil. Their skin tones cover the full range of human coloration, but also include various shades of red. Their hair, cascading down from behind their horns, is usually dark, from black or brown to dark red, blue, or purple. Tieflings alo have darkvision.

Tieflings subsist in small minorities found mostly in human cities or towns, often in the roughest quarters of those places, where they grow up to be swindlers, thieves, or crime lords. Sometimes they live among other minority populations in enclaves where they are treated with more respect. Lacking a homeland, tieflings know that they have to make their own way in the world and that they have to be strong to survive. They are not quick to trust anyone who claims to be a friend, but when a tiefling’s companions demonstrate that they trust him or her, the tiefling learns to extend the same trust to them. And once a tiefling gives someone loyalty, the tiefling is a firm friend or ally for life. Since the Calamity, it is said that many tiefling communities have banded together with the outcast Dark Elf populations in some sort of underground society.

Tieflings were talented warriors. In melee combat they were agile and quick on their feet. They preferred to use weapons that combined sharpness with speed. They commonly used hand crossbows, daggers, longswords, ranseurs, scimitars, spears, and stilettos. Most tieflings were ambidextrous and as a result favored a two-hand fighting style. Tieflings preferred to wear light armor and rarely used shields. Those tieflings who sought power through arcane magic were most often warlocks. Tiefling arcane spellcasters of all kinds, however, felt a draw towards the fiendish energies of the planes and tiefling wizards commonly specialized as diviners for the purposes of seeking knowledge of the other planes.

Basic Information

Behaviour

Most tieflings were aware from an early age that they were different from others around them, and would give in to strange urges and desires because of their unusual ancestry. Few tieflings were raised with the love a normal human child might expect to receive and this shaped most of the race into bitter individuals who expected eventual rejection from all whom they meet. While some would follow this path towards evil, others rejected it wholeheartedly and sought to make a good impact on the world around them, sometimes becoming the most heroic characters of all. Few could maintain this discipline however, and most tieflings fell somewhere between both extremes.

Civilization and Culture

History

The Great Calamity / The Heliocide had a profound affect on all races inhabiting Astara, fundamentally changing the way many cultures survived. The majority populous of many races were wiped out entirely, and those that survived were left in utter desolation. The years following the Calamity consisted of mass migrations of displaced cultures, forced to move somewhere safe or intact to start anew. During this time, alliances were forged and broken, ancient treaties abandoned, and a lawless chaos ensued. Most were desperate, and resorted to whatever measures necessary to survive. This greatly impacted the behavior of not only individuals, but cultures as a whole, as seen with the re-emergence of unsavory practices like cults, slavery and cannibalism. As such many races had evolved throughout the calamity, some only vaguely resembling their former selves. See below for some important distinctions of this race:

Since the Calamity, it is said that many tiefling communities have banded together with the outcast Dark Elf populations in some sort of underground society.

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Lifespan

90 - 150 years

Average Height

4'11" - 6'2"

Average Weight

115 - 250 lbs