Tiefling

A tiefling, which translates roughly to "low one" in Sonnern, is a cursed being. A child of any race may be born a tiefling, and virtually any parent would abandon such a child as soon as the curse became evident. Tieflings are shunned by most people due to prejudices and fears—which may be justified—concerning them. It is well-known that tiefling behave erratically, and many people believe that their supernatural visage and powers mark them as evil.

The Tiefling's Curse usually manifests as oddly colored skin, hair, and eyes, with the eyes being completely monochromatic. These traits may not appear until the tiefling child is a year old. In extreme cases, a tiefling can have horns, sharp teeth, claws instead of nails, slits for a nose, or even a tail; these traits appear much sooner, even before birth.

The true impact of the Curse is mental, not physical. A tiefling gets impulses to act either chaotically or orderly, and feels discomfort from resisting these impulses. Some tieflings even hear voices encouraging such behaviors. The Curse strengthens with age, both mentally and physically. When a tiefling fully succumbs to the Curse, they act solely on these impulses for few years before entering a coma and ultimately dying.

Magic can suspend the mental impacts of the Curse, but nothing truly cures a tiefling.