Tieflings

**Tieflings** are a humanoid race hailing from the northeastern island Salmir. Their naval prowess and methods of survival has helped to solidify their already loose presence in Erta, and as a result many small encampments and occasional ships have passed through nearly every major country in the world.

## History

Tieflings were the last major race to be created by the Wildwood Spirits in 8 P.B.C. shortly after the creation of the Berten. For years they lived peacefully alongside their ursidae bretheren, however in 139 P.B.C. the Mother Tree that the Berten revered as a religious idol and home was destroyed, causing them to frenzy for no apparent reason. The Tieflings tried to appeal to the Wildwood Spirits for assistance as the Berten were rampaging through their lands, but the Spirits offered no such assistance. Angered and losing numbers quickly, the Tieflings harnessed their knowledge of craftsmanship to their full advantage in the task of building large carrier vessels that they would use to escape from Salmir. The Wildwood Spirits disapproved of this as they wished to control the Tieflings and Berten alike by maintaining a strict policy of non-interference with the outside world and as a reaction to the former's defiance they cursed the Tieflings with a shortened lifespan to roughly 44 Sun Cycles instead of their previous average of 90-115. Regardless, this did not stop them from fleeing their homeland as the Berten raged through their capital city, Tolldew.

For the next 1100 years the Tieflings, led by the Faell line of successors, sailed from coast to coast in search of a new place to call home. Over the years they faced many challenges including storms, pirates, sea creatures, and many more dangers that plagued them for centuries. As time passed, their numbers grew even smaller and they sent out small detachments and scouting parties in nearly every major country to better their chances of creating a permanent settlement. In 1298 P.B.C. their capital ship, *Growing Wake*, was caught in a storm off Drachenheim's eastern coast and sank with only 74 of the 500+ crew surviving. Among the survivors were the Tiefling king, Bernardo Faell, his wife Maldren, and their son Jerome. A few days after the shipwreck, Maldren gave birth to the next successor of the Faell line, Sebastien, in a teardown camp.

Over the course of the next century the Tieflings have coordinated more complex systems of communication and labeling of camps, and have made great strides in technological advancement, naval warfare, militaristic power, and overall sustainability as a species. There are roughly 2000 or less Tieflings currently in Erta. The location of their home camp is unknown.

## Military

Being the first and only people from Salmir to build seaships, the Tieflings have utilized this immense power to the fullest extent, going so far as to decorate the Colonial Navy as their primary military force. Naval prowess, however, is not their only strong suit when it comes to militia forces. The other half of their military comes in the form of the Recon Scouts. This group excels in stealth strikes and reconnaissance to counterbalance the Navy's attention-grabbing troop deployments and general presence in the sea. Combined, the Colonial Navy and Recon Scouts have played a role in 53 official campaigns for the Salmirian Military in addition to performing countless smaller reconnaissance tasks and redeployments. In addition, there exists a Royal Guard that acts as the king's personal hand in battle and has a wide range of skills across both formats of warfare, land and sea.

After the *Growing Wake* sunk and King Bernardo was marooned in Drachenheim among the other survivors, the ability to rebuild the navy and train new recruits took a massive blow and as a result the overall military presence of the Tieflings in Erta has been almost nullified save for the occasional Battleboarder here and there.

## Biology

Tieflings are very similar to Humans and Enlightened in terms of overall biological setup save for a few key differences. The most obvious are their trademark reddish-gray skin that changes shades very little depending on the Tiefling's common environment, the horns that start out as small stubs which can grow to be over five inches in length, and a fully articulate barbed tail that many sailors use to weave between rope ladders for stability and to assist with direction while swinging from ship to ship. Other minor differences include eyes that while commonly gold or red can also be gray or brown, and teeth that are slightly sharper than the average Human's, especially the canines.

Because of their shortened lifespan, many Tieflings begin sexual activity between the ages of 11 and 14 in hopes of producing offspring to secure the next generation of the species' survival. Tiefling fetuses take 13 months to completely grow, and even post-birth the infant is still vulnerable. Despite their already dwindling numbers, only about 40% of all Tieflings born survive past the age of ten.

## Cultural Relations

Because of their policies of non-interference (a societal trait of their nomadic nature), Tieflings rarely associate themselves with other cultures and species. The closest thing to a 'working relationship' that they have achieved has been with the Elkler Empire, as both peoples keep to themselves and maintain neutral relations with the rest of the world. Many Tieflings can be found within the capital of the Elkler Empire, Kanva, within which they have taken refuge and assimilated themselves within the culture to a degree. In most places, a Tiefling is a rare sight and any large number of them in one place is surely suspicious to those that observe them.

## Notable Tieflings

* Sebastien Faell (b. 1298) - Tiefling Scout Commander and captain. Best known for his travels with a group of heroes from all over Erta.
* Bernardo Faell (b. 1276) - King of all Tieflings and father of Sebastien.
* Maldren Faell (1277-1301) - Married to Bernardo and mother of Sebastien.
* Jerome Faell (b. 1295) - Son of Bernardo and Maldren, older brother to Sebastien. Current leader of the Devil Scouts.
* Marklese Faell (birthdate unknown) - The Tiefling that led his people from Salmir on the great ships.
* Cedric Frann - Commander of the Colonial Navy.
* Granger Rimyes - General of the Salmirian Royal Guard.