Tiefling

Tieflings were the once-human former denizens of the kingdom of Bael Turath, or persons with ancestry dating back to that kingdom. The people of Bael Turath were eternally cursed by an infernal bargain made during the Dawn War. Every descendant after that time was afflicted with the curse.

Appearance

Tieflings were physically transformed to resemble the devils with which the infernal bargain was struck. Some had hooves or talons instead of feet, and many had clawed hands. All sported horns of various types, many of which resembled those of a ram or goat. Other variations of tiefling horns included those of a narwhal or a deer. Their skin was as variegated as a human's, but ranged in shades from deep crimson to purple or even jet black.

Dormant Genetic Code

Sometimes, the bloodline of a tiefling would lay dormant for generations. Humans who gave birth to tiefling children were often seen as cursed; in many societies, tiefling infants were murdered by the superstitious and fearful. Sometimes, the mothers of tieflings were burned at the stake or ritualistically killed in other ways. The prevailing belief was that the mother had engaged in intercourse with a devil or demon; however, this was known in scholarly circles to be a misconception by the late Light Age.

It was not known why the ancestry of Bael Turath became recessive or dominant. Human pairings occasionally resulted in tiefling children, due to an ancient ancestor of the mother or father being a denizen of Bael Turath. Pairings between two "pure" tieflings, however, often resulted in children with no obvious traits of the curse.

Cross-Breeding

Tieflings could not produce children with any race besides humans or other tieflings. This understanding led some to perceive tieflings as overly lascivious and hedonistic.