Tieflings

Hundreds of years ago, the leaders of the human empire of Bael Turath made pacts with devils to solidify their hold over its enormous territory. Those humans became the first tieflings, and they governed their empire in the name of their infernal masters. In time, Bael Turath came into conflict with Arkhosia, the ancient empire of the dragonborn, and centuries of warfare left both empires in ruins. In the present age, tieflings are less common than many other races, but their numbers grow stronger with each generation. The bloodline of a Turathan tiefling is tainted by their diabolical connections, passing their curse to their descendants through all generations. They can have children with humans or elves, for example, but their offspring are always tieflings. Every Turathan tiefling descends from aristocracy. Most tieflings alive today cannot accurately trace their ancestry to any particular house. Generations of tieflings partnering with each other-and with humans-have blurred the bloodlines of the noble houses, making it nearly impossible to trace a specific bloodline. However, some tieflings actively seek the truth of their past, and a few among them find it. Others simply find it comforting or useful to claim descent from a noble house, regardless of the truth of their birthright. House names often carry an honorific or a descriptive phase that has been associated with the house since Bael Turath. Some such houses and the reasons for their honorifics are infamous; others remain a mystery carried on through the generations as tradition. Some of the known noble houses of Bael Turath are: Achazriel, the Destroyer’s House (named in honor of a renowed general in the Arkhosian-Turathi Wars Baikanul, House of Happiness; Dreygu, House of Love; Kahnebor, Houses of Feasting (because male members of this house had a reputation as cannibals Kahlir, House of Blood (because is rumored all members of this house are vampires Kyrandanul, the Wailing House; Rennet, House of the last Moon; Synnaridia, the Plague House; Thavios, House of Shadows; Zannifer, the Red House (because members of this house are cursed: if they don't wear red clothes or kill a criminal, they will die by oozing blood like sweat and Zolfura, House of Ice and Fire (because members of this house have an affinity for elemental magic). In the Wastes, tieflings are uncommon and most likely to be found living under the thumb of a few merchant families.