Planartouched: Tiefling
Tieflings are human-based planetouched, native outsiders that were infused with the touch of the fiendish planes, most often through descent from fiends—demons, Yugoloths, devils, evil deities, and others who had bred with humans. Tieflings are known for their cunning and personal allure, which make them excellent deceivers as well as inspiring leaders when prejudices were laid aside. Tieflings tend to have an unsettling air about them, and most people are uncomfortable around them, whether they are aware of the tiefling's unsavory ancestry or not. While some look like normal humans, most retain physical characteristics derived from their ancestor, with the most common such features being horns, prehensile tails, and pointed teeth. Some tieflings also have eyes that were solid orbs of black, red, white, silver, or gold, while others have eyes more similar to those of humans. Other, more unusual characteristics include a sulfurous odor, cloven feet, or a general aura of discomfort they leave on others. In many other ways, tieflings are similar to humans physically. Tieflings are, on average, just as tall as humans, from 5′6″‒6′2″ (170‒190 cm) and weigh just a little bit heavier at 140‒220 lb (64‒100 kg). Tiefling skin is usually human-like in color, though extending past normal human colors into reddish hues as well. Tiefling hair is also often the same color as human hair, though dark blue, red, or purple are common shades amongst the race. Although it is not always the case, tieflings tend to have better reflexes than their human kin. This, along with their natural propensity for hiding and deceit help to give tieflings a reputation for thievery and duplicity. Tieflings who have strikingly inhuman features are often killed at birth by their horrified parents or others. Only those tieflings with subtle features or born to someone indifferent to their appearance, either out of acceptance or cruel purpose, are likely to reach adulthood. Those tieflings who do reach adulthood could be expected to age at roughly the same rate. They have life spans roughly 20 to 40 years longer than normal humans. The physical appearance of a tiefling often depend on the exact ancestry that spawned it, a bloodline that might have remained dormant for generations. Diabolic or demonic tieflings could, besides the common horns and tails, possess a forked tongue, leathery or scaly skin, the smell of brimstone, or unusually warm flesh. Some accounts even hold these tieflings to cast neither shadows nor reflections. Some diabolic tieflings also sport goat-like legs or hooves. Tieflings descended from rakshasa might have furred skin or feline eyes. Most tieflings had only one or two of these features.
Their start began in the Second Age, Godswar in the southern parts of the Godforge Lands, who later would become the continent of Arakhor. There the forces of evil came to the world, Demons, Yugoloths, Devils, you name it and they waged war against the northern forces of Celestials and Dragons. The great Godswar raged and many humans were used as fodder for the war in the fiendish forces, over time the corrupting energies changed them or through rape, the Tiefling race was born. No humans remained, only tieflings on Arakhor at the dawn of Third Age, Kingdoms as they were either killed in the war or outbred. Once most of their master were gone, a revolt began with the cities of Phlegathar most notable, where the great god of tieflings, The Penitent would born. The Tieflings finally had a land to call their own and thankfully, because of The Great Clash, it wasn't a desert but a rich territory. The Tieflings would form many nations in Arakhor but war would never leave them as their nature would always bring them back to deceit and cruelty. They had one major conflict and almost were destroyed - Shadow War of Arakhor, where a race of elves invaded from the Shadow Reflection but were driven back through powerful magic. The Tieflings would have many conquerers come to their land, trying to tame it, most notable from Sailan or the Old World but none were able to truly take over the lands for themselves. As a race, they only cared about Arakhor thus very rarely there were any great leaders pushing their armies to Azura, which they happily traded given their chances, or to other places. The Fourth Age, The Calamity almost brought the worst in them but in the Fifth Age, Current Age there is still hope to have.
Outside the three major bloodlines (Demons, Devils and Yugoloths), a Tiefling can become a descendant or a child of Rakshasa or Oni. The former being a race of strange Fiends, some living in the Tigris Mountains. Tieflings of Rakshsa descent tend to have more colorful skin, sometimes even fur or catlike appearance. The Oni are powerful ogre mages in Sailan, their unique blood mixed with humans can create a Tiefling (it's categorized as such) offspring. Ogre features, horns, tusks, and more bulkier bodies are some parts of the appearance of a Oni Tiefling.
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