Tiefling

Tieflings are a species of humanoids with obvious fiendish ancestry, most commonly diabolic. While historically rare and discriminated against, the Night of Torrid Blood made tieflings the most common form of planetouched in the Remnants of Diaghal. While “tiefling” is the most common name for the species in the modern day, they have also been historically referred to as Azradai, Turathings, Khiravi, Gherylen, and Fiendspawn, among other names.

Physiology

Tiefling appearance was heavily dependent on their fiendish ancestry. However, certain qualities were common among a vast majority of tieflings. Nearly all tieflings had horns, which could take the form of those of a wide variety of horned animals, and tails, which could be thick or thin. Tieflings could have human-like eyes, cat-like eyes, goat-like eyes, or pupiless eyes. Sharper teeth and pointed ears are typical marks of a tiefling’s appearance as well. The colours of a tiefling’s skin, hair, irises, and sclera are widely varied, far more than most other humanoid species. Shades of red were the most common skin tone for tieflings, however. Along with these other features, tieflings also could have human-like plantigrade feet or goat-like legs, forked tongues, six fingers on each hand, scaly skin, or some sort of appendage, like a spade or a tuft of fur, at the end of their tails.
Most tieflings had human parentage or descent, which gave them a more human-like appearance. In fact, the term “tiefling” was supposed to refer to fiendspawn of human heritage, though it was used as a catch-all for any individual descended from fiends. Other common humanoid parentages for tieflings were elves, where they were called Ri’Alfar, and orcs, who called them Tanarukks. The rare tiefling with dwarf or halfling ancestry were referred to as Maeluths and Wisplings, respectively.
Tieflings manifest esoteric harmonization depending on the fiend, or plane of that fiend, that they are descended from. These are usually referred to as bloodlines or legacies. While many tieflings of differing fiendish ancestry could cast innate spells that are similar to each other, these legacies were often referred to in terms of the infernal planes of the Nine Hells. As a result of Asmodeus enacting the Night of Torrid Blood, the most common type of legacy among tieflings was the Legacy of Nessus. Other common legacies included the Legacy of Maladomini, the Legacy of Dis, the Legacy of Phlegethos, the Legacy of Malbolge, the Legacy of Stygia, the Legacy of Minauros, the Legacy of Cania, and the Legacy of Avernus. Bloodlines more typical to tieflings not born of diabolic ancestry included the Devil’s Tongue legacy, common among those descended from Rakshasas, the Winged legacy, common among those descended from Abishai, and the Feral legacy, common among those of demonic descent.
Tieflings have progeny dominance. Most tieflings had preeminent progeny dominance, but a few instead displayed recessive progeny dominance.
Tieflings matured at the same rate as their mortal parentage, and lived a little longer than them.

Culture

Even though they were not historically a traditionally defined ethnic group, tiefling communities and culture have existed for a long time. Tieflings that were begat by parents of a different species, or those that were descended from those that were, are called Scion Tieflings. Olcarish culture was unique in their perception of tieflings, in that they viewed them as a blessing from the Horned Twins, Lugha and Bascka, rather than a sign of fiendish ancestry. For this reason, Olcarish tieflings, called Gherylen, were categorized separately from Scions. After the Night of Torrid Blood, all Tyfilian humans became the most populous group of tieflings, the Khiravi.
Originally, the term “tiefling” was used only to refer to the Tyfilians that were transformed into fiendspawn, as the word was a combination of “Tyfilian”, and a common word for human fiendspawn at the time, “turathing”. However, the term “tiefling” became a catch-all for any human fiendspawn, and then for any humanoid of fiendish ancestry, so the historical Tyfilian term “Khiravi" is used for them instead. Khiravi are native to the Arduli Dynasty. They practice the religion of the Court of Niran, and speak Ardulese Infernal. As one might expect from the descendants of the Tyfilians, they were proficient in many forms of magic.
In Olcarish cultures, tieflings were seen as blessings from Bascka and Lugha, and so did not have the negative connotation that they did in many other cultures. Many parents of these tieflings, called Gherylen, pushed them into becoming part of the clergy of the Horned Twins in Morndinsamman, called Kaxanor. Others became adventurers or mercenaries, finding fame and glory.
Scion tieflings did not have much of a unified culture, being made of people from various cultural ancestries. Many either lived within the same culture as their families, within communities of other tieflings, or traveled the world alone or with a group.
One unifying aspect of tieflings between cultures was the concept of virtue names. Some tieflings adopt words that exemplify virtues or concepts as personal names, such as “Creed”, “Hope”, or “Sorrow”. It is unknown exactly which culture first started using virtue names, and when, but the practice quickly spread among tiefling groups.
With the advent of the Night of Torrid Blood, many people were exposed to tieflings for the first time. As a result, tieflings in the modern day faced less discrimination and outright ostracization than they had throughout history. Most no longer believe all tieflings to be evil, or that tiefling heritage was a sign of low morals. However, many inaccurate and offensive beliefs about tieflings persisted. Some believed that all tieflings were capable of great magic, and could easily hex or charm a person if they wished. Others were hesitant to have romantic or sexual relationships with tieflings,uneasy with the fact that their children would be tieflings, since tieflings often breed true. On a paradoxical note, tieflings were also often fetishized.

History

Throughout most of history, tieflings were ostracized from society. Records of tieflings existing go back as far as the Age of Arrival, but only a handful of accounts are either positive or written from the perspective of the tiefling.
With the rise of spellcasting during the Arcane Age, the total population of tieflings increased from humanoids making pacts with fiends in order to gain spellcasting knowledge. These children often ended up being sold into slavery. The rare nations where tieflings seemed to be accepted into society were Pitiqua and the human nations of Olcaris.
After The Retreat, the number of tieflings born dropped. Many tieflings were born in the nation of Tyfilion during its reign, but like their Arcane Age counterparts, these tieflings were often sold into slavery.
On Amaunoth 18th, 1080 MT, all Tyfilian humans, excluding the imperial family, were transformed into tieflings. According to legend, this was Asmodeus’ doing, in retribution for the Emperor of Tyfilion, Zarmenos the Avaricious, breaking a pact between them. This became known as the Night of Torrid Blood.
Zarmenos’ callus reaction to the Night of Torrid Blood, along with growing dissatisfaction with the government prior to it, caused a revolt against the emperor, known as the Algenos War, after the name of the ruling House of Algenos. The revolt was initially led by Hadyanos Arduli, but found a voice in Zhalita, an enslaved girl who was a tiefling prior to the Night of Torrid Blood. Zhalita soon became the symbol and leader of the resistance, with Hadyanos at her side. In an effort to crush the rebellion, Zarmenos summoned a cataclysmic maelstrom known as The Great Charybdis to consume the region of Qamenkas, where the rebellion had made its headquarters. This attempt failed however, and, on Agoroth 26, 1106 MT, Zhalita slew Zarmenos by magically binding him in chains and stabbing him through the throat with a dagger. Soon after, on Siamar the 6th, Zhalita and Hadyanos were married, becoming the new rulers of the Arduli Dynasty. After their deaths, they were supposedly elevated into godhood, and their daughter, Shah Sarza I, founded and codified the faith of the Court of Niran, with Zhalita at the head of the pantheon.
In the modern day, tieflings are the most common type of planetouched found throughout Diaghal. They are a majority population in Arduli, and have sizable minorities in Zemylia, Hjolthrum, and Rond.

Origin/Ancestry

Fiends, usually Devils

Lifespan

Slightly longer than mortal parentage

Average Height

4'11" - 6'1"

Average Weight

115 lbs - 240 lbs