Hellspawn

The originals. Following their punishment at the hand of Teresa, The Tieflings, or Hellspawn, forever suffer the punishment of their ancestors. Be it Du’Varn or the Demon Lords, nowhere is safe from suffering.

Origin

As the legends go, Zanu first created the mortals out of the essential qualities that the Divine Quartet created the Mortal Plane from; Ash, Stone, Darkness, and Light. The Divine Quartet reached out to the mortals, and granted them immortality; should they only follow their precise instructions. For most, this was acceptable. But for some mortals, this was not a fair deal.
Led by the insurgent Orucs, a faction of rebels known as ‘the Conspiracy’ struck against the Gods. For a time, the Gods tolerated this group. After Orcus managed to fell Nox, God of the Night Sky, and summoned the power of mortal magic, the Divine Quartet finally fired back. Teresa, Goddess of Final Judgment wielded her mortal form. Using this magic, she banished the mortals to a plane far below the mortal plane; a prison of nightmares. A world where one’s torture was neverending. Through Teresa’s Divine influence, a new plane took form: the Darkest Dimension. The Darkest Dimension preys on the temptations and desires of those within, and corrupts their physical and mental form. The immortal members of the conspiracy were forever corrupted, with its five leaders transformed into the five Demon Lords. This event would come to be known as “The Great Banishment”

Description 

The Hellspawn of Tetraverium are tortured, infernal creatures. They traditionally stand between 5 and 6 feet tall, and between 100 and 200 pounds. They have a lifespan of roughly one hundred years. They possess multicolored skin that tends to correlate to the realm of the Darkest Dimension they originate from: warm tones for the Land of the Flame, cold tones for the Land of the Flood, green tones for the Land of the Plague, and monochrome for the Land of the Storm. These tones are not always consistent. Tieflings have two horns of varying shapes and sizes. They either have legs or hooves, and hands or claws, depending on their corruption. They tend to have a short, spiked tail and glowing eyes. Further features can vary wildly depending on various strange and abnormal corruptions.

Socialization 

The Darkest Dimension is a realm of chaos and torture, where pain is a constant and survival is based on one’s ability to fight off their base instincts. The entire realm is infested with a force known as Infernal Corruption; those who succumb to it find their physical form corrupted. This corruption is a multi-stage process that transforms a Hellspawn into a form befitting their true nature. A violent, warmongering Hellspawn is transformed into a weapon. A bestial, hungry Hellspawn might be transformed into a bird-like demon. A greedy, avarice Hellspawn is transformed into a massive, living sack of money. Corruption can take several years, if not decades. For those Tieflings who survive it, it can affect them halfway. This corruption is the nature of the Darkest Dimension. To survive, one must temper their mind, and resist.
The Hellspawn of the Darkest Dimension have developed a strict survival of the fittest culture to survive this destructive and painful realm. A Tiefling must learn to fend off corruption from an early age, or be abandoned by their people. In the few settlements that survive the Darkest Dimension, those who succumb to corruption are led to the edge of civilization and left to die, rather than cause havoc in their cities.
Names for Tieflings also follow a strange pattern, as they were conceptualized differently than other mortal names. Tiefling names are based on a virtue or other basic noun. They usually embody traits the Hellspawn hopes to pass to their child. Example names are Harmony, Ocean, Virtue, Kestrel, and Renascent.
Following the Cataclysm, portals opened that let Tieflings onto the mortal plane. For a time, Hellspawn inhabited the mortal plane and found a home there. This life lasted two thousand years, only to be closed off by the Holy Kingdom of Du’Varn, which used their existence as a political platform. The Holy Kingdom, through fear mongering, took control of Tetraverium under the flag of ridding it of the Tieflings. And now, despite two millennia of safety, the Tieflings are no longer welcome on the mortal plane.

Living in Tetraverium 

Tieflings do not live in Tetraverium; they flee. The Holy Kingdom of Du’Varn has won control of all of Tetraverium, and through its rule, ordered all Tieflings to be rounded up and tossed in ‘the Void’, the mysterious whirlwind of magic that surrounds the island of Moonsden. The fate of any mortal being to pass through the magic of the Void is unknown; but none to pass through have ever been seen again.
Any Tiefling who avoids being tossed into the Void meets with a much kinder fate: death. Often, Tiefling executions are as public and gruesome as possible. The most popular form of Tiefling execution is a public burning at the stake; while Tieflings are naturally resilient to fire, that only makes the burning take even longer. It is also common to hang them, or publicly drown them in a local lake.
Most surviving Hellspawn manage to secure passage to the Darkest Dimension, where they agree to live out the rest of their days. The Darkest Dimension has received a recent influx of Tiefling immigrants who are not at all prepared to handle its harsh climate and ‘survival of the fittest’ rules. Many die in a matter of days. Other Tieflings hide out in the Chrysalis: a reclusive fortress in the Feywild established by Renascent Bladearm. Others continue to hide on the Mortal Plane. Some lingering safe havens exist for Hellspawn. Others Tieflings learn to permanently disguise themselves, and find success passing themselves off with mortals. However, the Holy Kingdom’s ability to detect these Hellspawn improves every year, and there are countless Inquisitors who would kill for the opportunity to catch a Tiefling in hiding.
If a Tiefling is to survive on the Mortal Plane, it is more than likely with the terrorist organization known as the Children of Orcus. While they were more prevalent before their infamous defeat years ago, the Children of Orcus live on, continuing to strike fear in the hearts of the common people and carry out the will of the Demon Lords. Made up primarily of Hellspawn, they fight for their dwindling right to exist.

Subraces 

There are no Tiefling Subraces but Five Tiefling Bloodlines, each of which is associated with one of the five Demon Lords. Each offers a Hellspawn different innate magical spells. The Hellfire Bloodline is associated with Kardum, the Contagion Bloodline is associated with Baltazo, the Cascade Bloodline is associated with Juiblex, the Typhoon Bloodline is associated with Xoroth, and the Misery Bloodline is associated with Orcus.

Mechanics

If you choose Hellspawn as your species, you gain access to the following traits:

Ability Score Increase: You can increase one Ability Score by 2 and one Ability Score by 1.
Creature Type: You are a Fiend.
Size: Your size is Medium.
Speed: Your base walking speed is 30 feet.
Darkvision: Thanks to your infernal heritage, you have superior vision in dark and dim conditions. You can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can’t discern color in darkness, only shades of gray.
Hellish Resistance: You have resistance to fire damage.
Infernal Presence: You know the Thaumaturgy cantrip. Additionally, when you are forced to make a Charisma Ability Check, you can cast this spell to gain advantage on the Check. Once this ability is successful, you cannot use it again until you finish a Long Rest.
Languages: You can speak, read, and write Common and Infernal.
Subraces: When you select this species, you must choose one of the following subraces:

Hellfire Bloodline

Fiendish Legacy: Drawing from your bloodline, you can cast powerful spells. You gain the Fire Bolt cantrip. Starting at 3rd Level, you gain the ability to cast the Hellish Rebuke spell. Starting at 5th Level, you gain the ability to cast the Branding Smite spell. You can cast both these spells without material components or expending a spell slot. You regain the ability to do so when you finish a Long Rest. You can also choose to cast them using your spell slots if you have them available.

Contagion Bloodline

Fiendish Legacy: Drawing from your bloodline, you can cast powerful spells. You gain the Chill Touch cantrip. Starting at 3rd Level, you gain the ability to cast the Ray of Sickness spell. Starting at 5th Level, you gain the ability to cast the Blindness/Deafness spell. You can cast both these spells without material components or expending a spell slot. You regain the ability to do so when you finish a Long Rest. You can also choose to cast them using your spell slots if you have them available.

Cascade Bloodline

Fiendish Legacy: Drawing from your bloodline, you can cast powerful spells. You gain the Ray of Frost cantrip. Starting at 3rd Level, you gain the ability to cast the Armor of Agathys spell. Starting at 5th Level, you gain the ability to cast the Rime’s Binding Ice spell. You can cast both these spells without material components or expending a spell slot. You regain the ability to do so when you finish a Long Rest. You can also choose to cast them using your spell slots if you have them available.

Typhoon Bloodline

Fiendish Legacy: Drawing from your bloodline, you can cast powerful spells. You gain the Shocking Grasp cantrip. Starting at 3rd Level, you gain the ability to cast the Thunderwave spell. Starting at 5th Level, you gain the ability to cast the Hold Person spell. You can cast both these spells without material components or expending a spell slot. You regain the ability to do so when you finish a Long Rest. You can also choose to cast them using your spell slots if you have them available.

Misery Bloodline

Fiendish Legacy: Drawing from your bloodline, you can cast powerful spells. You gain the Toll the Dead cantrip. Starting at 3rd Level, you gain the ability to cast the Cure Wounds spell. Starting at 5th Level, you gain the ability to cast the Zone of Truth spell. You can cast both these spells without material components or expending a spell slot. You regain the ability to do so when you finish a Long Rest. You can also choose to cast them using your spell slots if you have them available.