The Demon Caravans of Kyoinotomi
The Demon Caravans of Kyoinotomi are one of the very few cultural groupings of tieflings in the Runelands, and the only one of notable size -- it's said that there are more tieflings in the Demon Caravans than there are criminals in Bailymena, which puts the number somewhere over two million infernal souls, though no one outside the caravans is really sure. Their ancestry is rumored to be tied to the First Emperor's court witch, a shadowy and sinister figure whose identity is largely lost to history. What is somewhat more well-known these days is that any new infusion of demon blood is punishable by exile -- the tieflings of the Caravans breed true and can even accept a certain amount of human blood before their tiefling heritage begins to waver.
A population of tieflings so large is able to exist in the Runelands for a few reasons. The Caravans live on the periphery of society in Kyoinotomi, without competing with the great walking cities or the ancient kingdoms for resources or space. They are able to survive the Demon Rains better than most, whether this is due to their ancestry or the generations of survival secrets they've passed down. Their traditions are as martial as they are secretive, centuries of scrabbling to survive making them experts at the unending grind of guerrilla warfare. Their third great secret is just that: secrets. Tieflings of the Caravans don't socialize much with outsiders, so most of what the world knows about them is rumor and speculation, only aided by the fact that they are the only source for many alchemical and arcane components left by the Demon Rains.
Caravans are scarcely the best setting for record-keeping, so most of the traditions of the Demon Caravans are passed orally. They are known as great storytellers. Though the Imperatori and their disdain for the demon-born have diminished their influence in the modern world, the stories of such mythic figures as Demon Prince Zunkareth, the White Whisper, and Arveth Loss remain. The storytellers and record-keepers of the Caravans are held in high regard, and even now saying a tale comes from the Demon Caravans lends it a certain weight.
All manner of demonic features are recognized among the tieflings of the Demon Caravans: horns, hooves, spade-tipped tails, fangs, claws, bat wings of all sizes, eyes with oddly-shaped pupils or no pupils at all. Some features common among the tieflings of the Caravans are not even usually recognized as demonic in origin -- leonine tails with tufted ends, extra joints in the feet, preternaturally keen noses. These features help the half a dozen clans that the Caravans are roughly divided into remain recognizable, at least to some degree; there has been enough intermarriage that none of them are instantly recognizable any more.
The Caravans have strict rules of hospitality. While they are most stringent with other travelers of the Demon Caravans, they apply to all travelers in the Demon Rains -- while an outsider may receive a chilly reception, they will do so while safe from the Rains among the tents and wagons of the Caravans.
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