descended from Asmodeus might exhibit different quali-
ties; see the "Tiefling Variants" sidebar.
A RACE WITHOUT A HOME
As offspring of the infernal, tieflings call no place in
Faerun their own, although some places and nations are
more tolerant of them than most.
In the North, the largest population of tieflings is
found in Neverwinter. Since the Ashmadai, a violent cult
dedicated to Asmodeus, is also active in the city, mis-
trust of tieflings isn't unusual even here, since folk never
know if a tiefling is a member of the Ashmadai or was
drawn to Neverwinter by the opportunity to blend in that
a metropolis provides.
Small and scattered groups of tieflings are found else-
where across Faerun, particularly in cosmopolitan cities
(where they can be anonymous to some degree) and in
rough and poor settlements that welcome anyone who
can help them survive and prosper.
Tieflings are common in Calimshan, to the south,
where many of them fought for the djinn as mercenaries
and now serve other masters with the coin to pay them.
In the east, many tieflings dwell in Aglarond-escaped
slaves from Thay or their descendants-and in Mul-
horand, where tieflings are believed to carry the blood of
the ancient Mulhorandi gods themselves.
LONE FAITHFUL
Although many Faerunian folk believe that all tieflings
worship Asmodeus and the Lords of the Nine Hells, the
truth is that only a fraction of them do so, but enough
are devil-or demon-worshipers to lend the weight of
truth to all the rumors and suspicion.
Tieflings who revere a god other than Asmodeus often
worship deities who watch over and care for outsiders,
including Ilmater, Mask, Selune, Shar, and Tymora.
Gods of knowledge, survival, cunning, and warfare are
also common attractions for tieflings who value those
qualities. Beshaba has tiefling worshipers who consider
the accident of their birth as a kind of cruel joke they
have chosen to embrace.
Equally intriguing and disturbing to followers of
some faiths in Faerun are stories spread by tieflings
who claim to have visions in which the gods of Faerun
appear to them modeled in the tieflings' own image. One
such is the entity they call the "pale horned goddess of
the moon" (Selune); another is the "dark, devilish lady of
fortune" (Tymora)-an indication, tieflings say, that one's
outward appearance and bloodline are less important to
the gods than the heart and soul within.
TIEFLING NAMES
A great many tiefling parents follow the naming conven-
tions of the culture in which their offspring are born,
such as using human names if they live in a human set-
tlement (the better to seem like "normal" citizens). Oth-
ers take names derived from the Infernal language that
have been passed down since ancient times.
In addition, some Faerunian tieflings have names
drawn from the language of cultures where they are rel-
atively common and generally accepted, such as Calish-
Aasimar
The celestial opposites of the tieflings, aasimar are de-
scended from humans of celestial heritage. Aasimar
aren't as prevalent in the Realms as tieflings, but com-
mon enough that some become adventurers. Dungeon
Masters who want to allow their players to create aasimar
characters can find rules for doing so in the Dungeon Mas-
ter's Guide.ite and Mulhorandi, which are foreign-sounding to folk
in the North and along the Sword Coast.
Al-Khem and Beni-Asmodai are two common Calish-
ite tiefling surnames that proclaim the race's heritage,
along with first names such as Haroun, Ishaq, and Ni-
zam (male) or Hania, Rashaa, and Zaar (female).
Mulhorandi surnames that begin with "Sia" or "Zia"
followed by a god's name indicate a bearer of that god's
bloodline, such as Zianhur and Siasobek. First names
commonly seen among Mulhorandi tieflings include
Aybtep ("horned"), Bahati ("wise soul"), Het ("smoke"),
Kamen ("dark"), Katsu ("star born"), and Kohl
("dark eyed").CHAPTER 3 I RACES OF THE REALMS