Tieflings

Tieflings are the direct descendants of mortals living in Malice Sanctuary (also known as Sanctuary) who, during The Great Aether War, entered a pact with the Nether Gods. Malice was ravaged by the forces of the Nether Gods in the early days of the conflict, and some of its denizens turned to the Nether Gods for protection.
Three such pacts exist, thus giving rise to the three Tiefling sub-races: Knowledge, Deceit, and Fortune. Tieflings of Knowledge trace their lineage back to the pact struck with Thanatos, God of Forbidden Knowledge. This pact was made by rulers of a long forgotten kingdom to grant themselves the knowledge needed to survive the War. The ancestors of the Tieflings of Deceit were tricked by Psemia, Goddess of Deceit and Untruth to enter a pact that promised survival at the cost of eternal chaos within their city. Descendants of Fortune were collateral when one person entered a pact in exchange for a prophecy foretelling their people's salvation, but those people now find themselves the pawns of Navaros, God of Fate and Prophecy. Regardless of the ethical dilemma poised by these bargains, the continued existence of Tieflings begets a simple fact: these pacts succeeded in preserving these lineages.
While Tieflings face prejudice across all the continents of Syndeomai, many are undeserving of such injustice. Although born of evil circumstances, Tieflings retain free will and can choose to do good. Many Tieflings choose names of virtue to signify their good intent. In fact, Tieflings are no more predisposed to evil than any other race--it is nurture, not nature, that turns them to evil. But they face prejudice and discrimination that often leads them towards evil.

The Three Pacts

Theologians have pondered what benefit the pacts would provide to the Nether Gods. It is known that it is dangerous for a Nether God to dispatch a Demon or Devil to execute their will; if one is slain on the Material Plane, their energies are lost to the god forever. It seems obvious that the pact gives the Nether God some sort of power or control over Tieflings, but the exact nature of this power is debated as there are reports of heroic Tieflings standing against the will of the Nether Gods.
Legends tell of the Three Cities - Gnossos, Semata, and Moria - that traded their free will for a guarantee of survival through The Great Aether War. Gnossos was ruled by mages who called upon Thanatos for the knowledge required for their kingdom to survive The Great Aether War. He provided them with the knowledge of a profane ritual that has since been lost to the ages. Once completed, this ritual was guaranteed to protect the denizens of the kingdom from the ravages of war, but great sacrifice was required to power the ritual. The blood cost was payed by the poorest citizens of the capital city. The resulting magic transformed the surviving denizens into Tieflings. However, the survivors were beholden to the will of Thanatos and press-ganged into service of the dark god, released only when he was banished into the Nether.
Semata fell victim to the powers of Psemia, Goddess of Lies and Deceit. She whispered lies to the populace who began to clamor for salvation by her hand, convinced that the only way for them to survive was to give themselves over to her. The rulers of said populace relented and gave over their people to the forces of the Nether. However, they were tricked and forced to become minions of Psemia until she at last retreated to the Nether. To this day, the vicious crime syndicates within continue to use the lives of its citizens as pawns in their machinations.
Moria fell victim to the desires of one person, who sought a prophecy from Navaros that foretold the survival of their people. Navaros was reticent to grant them knowledge but they persisted. So Navaros provided a prophecy: the people would survive but would suffer a horrible curse: the curse of slavery to Navaros himself. Those people were transformed into Tieflings and made into slaves of Navaros's will. When the god was shattered, the control ended.

Inheritance and Names

Half of the children born with a Tiefling parent are born with budding horns and a tail, evidence of their ancestry. A child born of two Tiefling parents will always be a Tielfing themselves. Unlike Half-Orcs and Half-Elves, there do not appear to be half-Tieflings.
As soon as a Tiefling child draws their first breath, the parents and the child are given knowledge of their True Name. Although the origin of this name is unknown, the significance cannot be understated. If someone uses the True Name of a Tiefling, the Tiefling knows immediately. The sensation of being called by their true name differs for each Tiefling. Some say that it sounds like a whisper from the other end of the room, others say that a particular piece of music comes to mind, unbidden. However, all Tieflings agree that it is horribly distracting.
It is tradition in many Tiefling communities to hold a ceremony after birth, during which the parents release the name to Agapi, Goddess of Beauty and Love. Her religion, Love's Embrace, preaches that Tieflings should not be held accountable for the sins of their ancestors, as the Aether Gods granted them forgiveness. To honor this forgiveness, the parents of the Tiefling tell the name of their to Agapi. This release does not free the Tiefling of the effects of using their true name, and the parents usually choose another name for the child to use instead. Tiefling parents usually choose an ideal that they hope the child will strive to achieve. However, children raised outside of Tiefling communities are often given more typical names, and their True Name is simply kept secret as opposed to given to Agapi.