Recis Varell was born in a temporary mining camp in the Wealdshield east of Ashenport. Their Half-Elf mother cooked for the workers, and their Devilborn father, already mistrusted by many of the camp workers, was gone before Recis could speak. As a half-tiefling child, they were watched closely and blamed often, especially as their skin grew more red. When their horns started to grow, they were cut short by a local priest. The priest claimed it was for Recis' own safety, speaking about how a life of meaning could only be found in self-restraint.
The camp's harsh lifestyle taught the crossborn child to keep out of trouble, speak plainly, and avoid drawing attention. Recis eventually found work in porting along the Ashwater River, and was finally exposed to other cultures in Fort Creechling. They learned of tiefling virtue names, and adopted one that the priest had used in his sermon - "Temperance". They kept their mother's surname, and realized that not only were they a child of many lineages, but realized they possessed many genders as well.
Years later, they arrived at Cliffsunder with a clean record and no place left to go, but were approached by Quentin Togglepocket Whee Quickweasel Witt, who was hiring any tiefling willing to work. The Afterlife Casino offered Temperance a position as a boatman, rowing visitors across the "River Styx" inlet to the barge. It was quiet work, bound by rules and routine, and they took to it without complaint.
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