Tieflings, a mysterious and cursed race.
They were born of unions between fiends and humans. Every tiefling could trace their ancestry back to a fiend, usually a devil, though sometimes a demon.
Every tiefling looked much like a human, but retained unmistakable fiendish traits-horns of various shapes. Some curved like a ram's, some were long and straight, and others spiraled upward like an antelope's.
They also had thick tails four to five feet long, which they could lash violently or wrap around their legs when frustrated or anxious. Their canine teeth were sharp, their eyes were solid colors with no visible irises or pupils, and their hair came only in dark shades.
Most mortals felt uneasy around tieflings. Their appearance advertised their close ties to the Hells or the Abyss, leaving people deeply wary of them.
For example, half-orcs and tieflings were both unwelcome in human society, but humans still treated them differently.
For an ordinary person, encountering a half-orc on the street was like meeting a heavy-metal rocker carrying a skateboard, his hair dyed every color imaginable. Most people would frown in disapproval, perhaps give him a wide berth, and avoid contact to stay out of trouble.
But an ordinary person's encounter with a tiefling required a more fitting comparison.
It was like encountering a hooded black man in a deserted American neighborhood before dawn in Aaron's previous life. One hand was tucked into his pocket, gripping something unseen, as he said with ill intent, "Hey, man, come over here. Hurry!"
Any ordinary person would feel wary and afraid.
In truth, their fiendish ancestry had little influence on tieflings. Their inclination toward evil was extremely slight and easily overcome. Yet years of discrimination had made them accustomed to it. They answered prejudice with hostility and distrust, and had become