Comments on: The Tiefling Spires

By: jamesintrocaso

jamesintrocaso — Fri, 21 Feb 2014 23:15:14 +0000

That is a great idea. Thank you, Joe! It really layers the tieflings and makes them more interesting. Gotta give the layers!

By: joelastowski

joelastowski — Fri, 21 Feb 2014 22:33:05 +0000

It’s a good start, though. Since the original devils were summoned by the dragons, and later discarded by those same dragons when they decided to make dragonborn, perhaps that did something to the essence of the devils/tieflings. Maybe, while tied to their summoning dragons, they were in full control of their devilish powers, and reality allowed them to exist in the world on the magical authority of the dragons… but once the dragons put their energy into another species, the successive races of devils were less complete, and the world was less accepting of their metaphysical justification for existing in the world. Tieflings now have no tie to their race’s original purpose in the world, and maybe certain parts of the world naturally avoid tieflings (natural animals, plantlife, etc) in subtle ways (that might become less subtle when dragonborn are around). Usually there’s just probably a general emptiness in the heart of each tiefling, and they each try to fill it in different ways. When a dragon (or dragonborn) gets near, perhaps the existential pain gets too great, or manifests in some way, as any pretenses about new purposes fall before the crippling reality that their alien species is no longer wanted in the world. Just an idea that hit me while reading your stuff.

By: jamesintrocaso

jamesintrocaso — Thu, 20 Feb 2014 22:49:00 +0000

I agree John, but hundreds of generations hasn’t destroyed all of the devilsh nature of the tiefling’s soul in Exploration Age. I’m also thinking the pain of losing their metallic dragon allies (who are no small ally to have!) they blame on the dragonborn, fairly or not. It’s a relationship I hope to explore a little more deeply, but I think you bring up a good point. Right now that description is, at best, vague and could use some strengthening.

By: John F.

John F. — Thu, 20 Feb 2014 22:43:23 +0000

So, based on what you wrote here, I’m a bit confused at the nature of tieflings in your world. You’ve said that they are what devils evolve into after hundreds of generations. But if that’s the case, how and why do they have any resentment of Dragonborn at all? Would cultural hatred like that be maintained over multiple generations? If a Royalist from the English Civil war showed up today, I don’t think I would care about him one way or the other, no matter what my ancestors would have thought of him.