Hellborn

Emaxus' Tieflings

Throughout the Age of Rebirth, the Devils Ultimate of Iduran incessantly sought new ways to expand their influence beyond the Burning Gates. One of many methods they developed was the creation of infernal hybrids -- fusions of devil and human. This created two new races: those with more devil than human became known as cambions, while those with more human than devil became known as hellborn. Unlike celestellans, new hellborn are still being created to this day and, because the devilish influence is much more obvious than the celestial influence of celestellans, descendants of hellborn are not free of the curse placed on their ancestors.

Infernal Bloodline

Hellborn 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. Hellborn 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, purple, blue, and even sickly green. Their hair, cascading down from behind their horns, is usually dark, from black or brown to dark red, blue, or purple.

Self-Reliant and Suspicious

Hellborn subsist in small minorities scattered across Yophas. Typically, the longer a hellborn community has existed in a town or city, the more trusting the city becomes of hellborn -- or at least the hellborn that are apart of the native community. Sadly, roaming hellborn and hellborn in new towns or cities that don't have experience with them are treated with distrust at best and outright hate at worst.

Iduran's Grasp

Whether willing or not, all hellborn have some influence from Iduran in their bloodline. Hellborn who don't show signs of personal power or are far-removed from their infernal heritage can sometimes avoid the call of Iduran, but any hellborn who makes a name for themself or is closely related to their family's original hellborn in blood often grapples with the call of the Hellish Realms. 
Sometimes, this call is as small as a slight temper or a heightened sense of revenge. Other times, it is a direct connection to a devil in Iduran who attempts to influence the hellborn, and even attempt to possess them. Those hellborn that are fully controlled by an Iduranith devil are known by many names, but are most commonly reviled as Hellraisers. It is Hellraisers that have earned all hellborn the reviled reputation they have in many places.

Hellborn Names

Hellborn names fall into three broad categories. Hellborn born into another culture typically have names reflective of that culture (which can be founds in Cultures/Ethnicities). Some have names derived from the infernal language of Iduran, Iduranith, passed down through generations, that reflect their fiendish heritage. And some younger hellborn, striving to find a place in the world, adopt a name that signifies a virtue or other concept and then try to embody that concept. For some, the chosen name is a noble quest. For others, it’s a grim destiny.
Male Infernal Names: Akmenos, Amnon, Barakas, Damakos, Ekemon, Iados, Kairon, Leucis, Melech, Mordai, Morthos, Pelaios, Skamos, Therai
Female Infernal Names: Akta, Anakis, Bryseis, Criella, Damaia, Ea, Kallista, Lerissa, Makaria, Nemeia, Orianna, Phelaia, Rieta
“Virtue” Names: Art, Carrion, Chant, Creed, Despair, Excellence, Fear, Glory, Hope, Ideal, Music, Nowhere, Open, Poetry, Quest, Random, Reverence, Sorrow, Temerity, Torment, Weary

Creating Your Character

At 1st level, you choose what race your character belongs to. If you choose a hellborn, follow the rules found below to make your hellborn hero -- or villain.

Ability Score Increases

When determining your character's ability scores, increase one score by 2 and increase a different score by 1, or increase three different scores by 1. Follow this rule regardless of the method you use to determine the scores, such as rolling or point buy. The "Quick Build" section of your character's class offers suggestions on which scores to increase. You can follow those suggestions or ignore them, but you can't raise any of your scores above 20.

Languages

Your character can speak, read, and write Common and one other language that you can your DM agree is appropriate for the character. The Player's Handbook offers a list of languages to choose from. The DM is free to modify that list for a campaign.

Creature Type

Every creature in D&D, including each player character, has a special tag in the rules that identifies the type of creature they are. Most player characters are of the Humanoid type. Your race tells you what your character's creature type is.
Here's a list of the game's creature types in alphabetical order: Aberration, Beast, Celestial, Construct, Dragon, Elemental, Fey, Fiend, Giant, Humanoid, Monstrosity, Ooze, Plant, Undead. These types don't have rules themselves, but some rules in the game affect creatures of certain types in different ways. For example, the cure wounds spell doesn't work on a Construct or an Undead.

Hellborn Traits

Hellborn share certain racial traits as a result of their infernal descent.

Age

Tieflings mature at the same rate as humans but live a few years longer. Those who are in close contact with an Iduranith devil are known to be granted even longer lifespans, up to two centuries.

Creature Type

You are a Humanoid.

Size

Tieflings are about the same size and build as humans. Your size is Medium.

Speed

Your base walking speed is 30 feet.

Darkvision

Thanks to your infernal heritage, you have superior vision in dark and dim conditions. You can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can’t discern color in darkness, only shades of gray.

Hellish Resistance

You have resistance to fire damage.

Infernal Legacy

You know the thaumaturgy cantrip. When you reach 3rd level, you can cast the hellish rebuke spell as a 2nd-level spell once with this trait and regain the ability to do so when you finish a long rest. When you reach 5th level, you can cast the darkness spell once with this trait and regain the ability to do so when you finish a long rest. Charisma is your spellcasting ability for these spells.

Bonus Language

Alongside Common and another language of your choice granted above, you know Infernal. Even if you have never studied it or spoken it, you have an innate understanding of it when you encounter it in reading or speaking.

Creation Mythos

Hellborn were first created in the early centuries of the Age of Rebirth and were likely one of, if not the first, Second Race. Hellborn are woefully cognizant of their infernal heritage; however, non-hellborn -- and even some hellborn as well -- have fallen prey to horrible tales and myths that make the hellborn seem much more vile than they tend to be. While some hellborn are likely the spawn of willing pacts, willing victims of infernal influence tend to become cambions. Hellborn, on the other hand, tend to be created through an unknown, unwilling, or otherwise secretive curse or pact, after which the new hellborn's skein of fate becomes noticeably darker.

Genetic Ancestor(s)

• Human