Tiefling

"Look, everyone loves the Token Attractive Tiefling. Heck, I write one! And it's been insanely popular, which is mindblowing-- imagine say, one or two hundred years in the past and my books would have been thrown in a fire for heresy. And here we are, #1 bestseller of the Pillowside Bazaar."

-- Chastity Scarlet, author of best-selling novel "Sixty Six Shades of Infernal"

Tieflings are born from infernal heritage: one of their ancestors was a fiend or devil. Given that the connections between planes is thin in the New World, this must have been a substantial feat. How did such infernal influences find their way into the Material Plane? A powerful wizard, morally corrupt enough to conjure a friend perhaps? Or maybe demons of the Old World still stalk this plane, striking pacts with unassuming mortals? As a mark of this heritage, tieflings often have scarlet skin, demon horns and several-feet long tails. Once the subject of fear in times past, Tieflings have it slightly easier than the olden days as science has now publicly proven little correlation between the race and evil tendencies. And now that the days of demon-summoning and gates to hell are tales of myth and legend, very few modern-day folks have seen enough fiendish activity to really attribute Tieflings to them.
But old prejudices die hard, and they still get handed shorter ends of many sticks- especially out in the countryside where races rarely intermingle and old folktales of infernal monsters still float around. Tieflings are rare, but over the years they have found an easy and comfortable living in southern Zaman, where the scorching heat turns most other races away and allow Tieflings to live amongst each other in relative peace.

Basic Information

Anatomy

Tieflings come in a variety of shapes and sizes. Most tieflings have skin of a reddish hue, from pink to rich burgundy-- but other skin tones do exist, from blue to lavender to ashen gray. Their hair colours range similar hues. Tiefling eyes are of one solid colour, with no visible pupil or iris. Tieflings are known for their enhanced perception in dark places-- less-known is their ability to reflect light like a cat's in the dark. They are also born with the innate ability to understand Infernal, a power many put to good use in monster-hunting or wizardly studies.

Tieflings are humanoid, but bear demonic traits. In addition to horns and tails which are near-universal for Tieflings, other demonic traits include third eyes, cloven feet, fangs, forked tongues, or bat-like wings. It is assumed that the stronger a Tiefling's demonic heritage is, the more infernal traits they have.

Civilization and Culture

Naming Traditions

Tieflings have two variations of names. Those that pull from ancient Old World lexicons, plane-touched with mythology, or names that embody a virtue. Tiefling names tend to be single, with no surname or middle names unless the Tiefling chooses to take one.

Old World Names, Female: Aisa, Purah, Hadia
Old World Names, Male: Fenriz, Qemuel, Sammal
Virtue Names: Levity, Luminance, Muse

Lifespan

Mature at late teens, up to 90-110 years old

Average Height

1.5-2m

Tiefling Impressions

When seen positively: They’re a charming, hardy folk who always find a way no matter how tough things get. They value family immensely, and are intensely loyal to those who befriend them.
When seen negatively: Literally demons.