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AlphaWaves
 
PostPosted: Tue, Sep 28 2010, 19:10 PM 

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Joined: 16 Jun 2006
Location: I'm pretty lost but I don't wanna be found.

~Halfling Lore~


Introduction

Three major subraces of halfling dwell in Faerûn: the lightfoot halflings, the rare ghostwise halflings, and the strongheart halflings of Luiren in the south. Like the rock gnomes, many halflings live among the Big Folk in the human lands. They are resourceful and quick, perfectly at home among the sprawling human lands or living apart in their own settled communities.

The halflings' name for their race is the hin, although most accept "halfling" with a shrug and a smile.

[From Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting]

Contents

The Origin Myth

Yondalla's Children
History
The Generic Halfling
Subaces
Geography
Cosmology
* Tymora to Lightfoot Halflings is considered one of Yondalla's Children.


Also see: The Big Book of Small Folk

_________________
"The householder's disdain for the vagabond hides a hint of jealousy."
~ A hin proverb


 
      
AlphaWaves
 
PostPosted: Tue, Sep 28 2010, 19:12 PM 

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Location: I'm pretty lost but I don't wanna be found.

The Origin Myth
(From Races of the Wild)


In the days when the world was still young, after the First War that spilled the blood of so many divine beings, the gods began to create mortal races in their own images. First came the elves, who laid claim to the forest and seas, and then the dwarves, who took the hills, mountains, and underground. (Perhaps it was the other way around; the elves and dwarves have never agreed about who was first.) Next came the bestial orcs, and then the humans. Still, Yondalla had created no people of her own. Instead, she travelled the world over and watched the creatures the other gods had created, determined that hers would be the best.

She saw the fey folk - satyrs, sprites, dryads, and other dwellers in the woodlands. These creatures displayed a zest for life and a curiosity about new things that charmed the goddess entirely. Many of them also had the benefit of a compact size that made them seem innocuous to larger creatures and helped them to avoid danger. However, they were frivolous creatures who feared larger beings. Therefore, with some regret, Yondalla left them and travelled on.

Next she visited the elves, who were frail and beautiful, but oh so haughty. They had a freedom of spirit that Yondalla much admired, and a grace and agility that put other creatures to shame. To top it all off, their beauty was near to that of Corellon Larethian himself. Still, they took too long to do anything; Yondalla itched for action, and there was little to be had in their towns. So on she travelled.

Next she visited the dwarves in their cities below the mountains. Such pride in family and home she had never seen before and it pleased her; for what would a mortal be without a family? Who would remember him when he was gone? Still, the dwarves were a sour folk, given to drudgery. Who could really be happy toiling away in the bowels of the earth, confined by rock and stone, never knowing the joy of the open air and the beautiful land? So she took up her shield and continued on her way.

Next she found the orcs, and oh how dreadful they seemed. So brutal and fierce they were, filling their short lives with rage and combat. Still, she was fascinated by their boldness. These creatures showed almost no fear of their enemies, of death, or any hardship. However, no good could come of such brutality, and Yondalla did not tarry long in their realms.

Next she came to the humans, and here she found much to admire. These creatures were strong and clever, brave and quick, and flexible enough to adapt to any circumstance. Indeed, they were so flexible that no two of their settlements were alike. Such diversity was surely a fine thing, but they seemed oddly given to warring with each other over the very differences that made them able to survive in different places. They spread so fast - why, they had nearly taken over the plains she had chosen for her people, not to mention shares of the forests, seas, and mountains that the other gods claimed.

After her journey, Yondalla returned to her home and thought about what she had seen. Each of the mortal races had a quality she wanted for her race, but each also had many faults. With this realization came a decision: She would take a bit of each race's essence and mold them into a new being - one that had all the qualities she admired in each of the other races.

The following night, she crept through the forest and seized a pixie to use as the vessel for her new creation. Silencing the creature with magic, she crept onto the settlement of the elves, where she drained a bit of their agility and infused the pixie with it. The creature grew several inches, and Yondalla had to bind it to keep it from dancing away. Moving below ground to the city of the dwarves, Yondalla drained off a small amount of their devotion to family and clan and infused the pixie with that. The pixie grew still more, and its wings shrivelled as its features became less delicate. Its frantic movements slowed, and it clung to her as though to a mother. Then she moved on to the orc encampment, where she drew off some of the orc's boldness and infused the pixie with that. The pixie grew yet again and began to look for some trouble it could get into. Before it could find any, the goddess hurried off to the nearest human city and drained the essence of these highly adaptable beings. A dose of this draught caused the pixie to grow a bit more and release its hold on Yondalla.

The goddess surveyed her handiwork and was pleased. The creature that stood before her was about 3 feet tall and perfectly proportioned. His wide, blue eyes shone with curiosity and an utter lack of fear. His slim, agile form radiated vitality and grace. When he picked up some wood and sharp rocks and began to fashion a wheel, Yondalla knew she had created the perfect mortal creature.

The other gods, however, were not so pleased when they discovered Yondalla had tapped their creations and drained portions of their essence. The elves were now not as agile as they had been, the orcs showed a bit of fear at times, and the dwarves sometimes left their clan homes. As for the humans, they slowed their technological advances and their spread into different lands.

Yondalla flattered the other gods and praised their creations: "Why should I try to duplicate perfection itself?” she cried. “I only took a bit of each, after all. There was more than enough of each virtue for the other races and mine as well." Slightly mollified, the gods nevertheless decreed that Yondalla must be punished for her crime. They ruled that her people, whom she named the halflings could have no lands of their own. Always would they wander, and their welcome in the lands of others would be on their own merit alone. Yondalla agreed.

Furthermore, they decreed that Yondalla must expunge the larcenous streak in her own being that had caused her to steal the essences of the other gods' creations. So Yondalla clove off the portion of herself that espoused thievery, secrets, vengeance, and other dark thoughts, leaving only the purest goodness and virtue. The dark portion of Yondalla took on a form that resembled her own and faded into the background, where it would remain ever after as a separate goddess called Dallah Thaun - bound to Yondalla but separate. Yondalla stepped forward, and the gods found no fault with her new character.

Ever since, halflings have wandered the earth but called no place home (at least, until the founding of Luiren, through the acts of one of Yondalla's Children, the god Brandobaris). They have worshipped a dual goddess while claiming to revere only one.

_________________
"The householder's disdain for the vagabond hides a hint of jealousy."
~ A hin proverb


 
      
AlphaWaves
 
PostPosted: Tue, Sep 28 2010, 21:04 PM 

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~Yondalla~
The Protector and Provider, the Nurturing Matriarch, the Blessed One
Image


Greater Halfling Deity
Symbol: Cornucopia on a shield
Home Plane: Green Fields
Alignment: Lawful Good
Portfolio: Protection, bounty, halflings, children, security, leadership, wisdom, creation, family, tradition.
Worshippers: Children, halflings, leaders, paladins, parents.
Cleric Alignments: LG, LN, NG.
Domains: Family, Good, Halfling, Law, Protection
Favoured Weapon: "Hornblade" (short sword)

Dogma:
"Those who seek to live in accordance with the way of the Provider will be blessed with a cornucopia of riches. Although violence should never be welcomed, the Protector's aegis extends to those willing to fiercely defend their home and community. Lead through example, knowing the activities of those you lead so you can shoulder their burden if need be. Treasure your family, for your parents gave you life and your children are your future. Care for the aged and the weak, for you never know when you may be one of the strong laid low."

Yondalla created the Halfling race in her own image, and it is due to her charming personality, friendly demeanour, curiosity, loyalty and sense of mischief that halflings are among the best-tempered of the goodly races. As the matriarch of the halfling pantheon (and indeed the entire race), all halflings revere the blessed one. Even those who have rejected the traditional values of the hin respect Yondalla for her guidance of the race as a whole. Yondalla serves as an example to all her people, espousing harmony among halflings, good relations with other races, and strong defence when faced with the affronts of enemies. It is Yondalla's wish that all her children are safe and prosperous, treat each other well, and live interesting, full lives. Yondalla is forgiving, slow to anger, and kind, but when her charges become threatened she acts with bravery and ferocity that has gained the respect of even her most warlike godly contemporaries. Yondalla knows that her race represents a truly good creation, and does anything within the boundaries of honour to nurture and protect it.

Perhaps surprisingly, Yondalla's clerics build few temples. Worship of the Nurturing Matriarch is so ingrained into nearly every aspect of halfling society that the hin treat the idea of specific services to their goddess once a ten-day with bemused dismissal. This isn't to suggest halflings have a theocratic culture, but rather that Yondalla (And by extension, her clergy) presents through her actions (as interpreted through stories taught to all halflings in their youth) the values a halfling should embrace to live life to its fullest and to benefit the community, namely: acceptance, community, love gaiety, curiosity, loyalty, diplomacy, tradition, and well-developed sense of mischief. The fact that many members of the clergy double as community leaders reinforces the influence of Yondalla's credo upon halfling society.

Clerics of the Protector and Provider pray for spells in the morning. Though organized common rituals and celebrations are rare, most halfling communities hold periodic gatherings in which clerics of the Blessed One minister to the public. Even nonhalflings are invited to take part in the festivals through the local enclave that gives village elders the opportunity to share locale lore with the youngfolk and visitors, strengthening the sense of community. Clerics offer even secular guidance to their communities, often acting in important governmental roles. Clerics of Yondalla rarely multiclass, though some few with a militant bent decide to become paladins.

History/Relationships:
Over the millennia, Yondalla has cultivated strong relationships with Garl Glittergold, Corellon Larethian, and Moradin, and generally can count on their support for her positions. Though her love for her halfling subjects knows few limits, she holds even greater admiration for her fellow members of the halfling pantheon, sometimes known as Yondalla's Children. Though the Blessed One is content to ignore those evil deities who do not threaten her "families" (mortal or divine), she holds deep grudges against certain deities who have crossed her in the past. Such beings include Bane, Cyric, Talona, Talos, and the Deities of Fury.

(Source: Faiths and Pantheons)

_________________
"The householder's disdain for the vagabond hides a hint of jealousy."
~ A hin proverb


 
      
AlphaWaves
 
PostPosted: Wed, Sep 29 2010, 2:02 AM 

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~Arvoreen~
The Defender, The Vigilant Guardian, The Wary Sword
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Intermediate Halfling Deity
Symbol: Two crossed short swords
Home Plane: Green Fields
Alignment: Lawful Good
Portfolio: Defence, war, vigilance, halfling warriors, duty.
Worshippers: Halflings, fighters, paladins, rangers, soldiers, warriors.
Cleric Alignments: LG, LN, NG.
Domains: Good, Halfling, Law, Protection, War.
Favoured Weapon: "Aegisheart" (short sword)

Dogma:
"Vigilance against attack protects the community. Prepare an active defence, drill continuously, and leave nothing to chance. Put down danger before allowing it a chance to rear its head. Seek out allies, no matter how unorthodox. Stealing from other halflings or allies is never acceptable, but thieving is not dishonourable when employed against enemies to better the odds in later combat."

When a general rides to the battlefront, rarely does he count halflings among his most valuable assets. The inherent wanderlust of the hin grants them little patience for the long marches and dull waiting between battles that characterizes most warfare. However, when invaders threaten a halfling community, residents send prayers to Arvoreen (ARR-voh-reen), whose worshippers follow a doctrine of guardianship, stern defence, and aggressive watchfulness. Arvoreen remains ever aware of dangers facing halfling communities, but prefers a reactive rather than proactive agenda. When an enemy strikes, his halfling servants strike back with precision and decisiveness thanks to reconnaissance missions into enemy territory and a strict, almost unhalflinglike regimen of martial training. This philosophy makes him popular with like-minded strongheart halflings, and while lightfoot halflings appreciate his protection, few rush to enter his clergy.

Though their serious outlook and intolerance for jokes and frivolity makes them unpopular in times of peace, all turn with respect to Arvoreen's clergy when the community is threatened. They believe that most of the problems faced by the community are the result of courting enemies by mixing with other cultures (particularly humans), granting them allies among the few isolationist halflings. Clerics spend their days constructing fortifications, signalling systems, beacons and traps that further protect halfling enclaves. They patrol the community, sniffing out possible threats from within, as well as without. Many organize local militias and instruct young halflings in blade-craft (particularly as related to the short sword). Arvoreen's temples usually resemble easily defensible keeps or redoubts, and serve as a final fall-back position if enemies breech the community's outer defences.

Clerics of the Wary Sword pray for spells at dawn, usually before patrolling the enclave's perimeter in search of night-time enemy incursions. If time permits, the faithful gather at a makeshift field altar prior to an important battle to ask for the blessings of Arvoreen and intone the sacred melody of the Battle Hymn of the Keepers, a living oral record of halfling triumphs in recent centuries. The Festival of the Moon brings with it another ceremony important to Arvoreen's faith-- the Ceremony of Remembrance. On this holy day, Arvoreen's followers gather to remember the names of fallen comrades who gave their lives to protect the community. Most of Arvoreen's clerics multi-class as fighters, with those who protect rural communities commonly multiclassing as rangers. An elite order of Arvoreen's followers known as Trueswords travel from community to community spreading word of the movements of local enemies and passing on advancements in the defensive arts.

History/Relationships:
Of the halfling gods, Arvoreen is most closely aligned with Yondalla, Cyrrollalee, and Urogalan. He disapproves of the more capricious members of the pantheon, such as Brandobaris. Evil deities, especially the patrons of goblinoids, incite Arvoreen to great wrath. He opposes Bane, Cyric, and the Deities of Fury.

(Source: Faiths and Pantheons)

_________________
"The householder's disdain for the vagabond hides a hint of jealousy."
~ A hin proverb


 
      
AlphaWaves
 
PostPosted: Wed, Sep 29 2010, 2:31 AM 

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Joined: 16 Jun 2006
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~Brandobaris~
Master of Stealth, the Irrepressible Scamp
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Lesser Halfling Deity
Symbol: Halfling's footprint
Home Plane: Green Fields
Alignment: Neutral
Portfolio: Stealth, thievery, adventuring, halfling rogues.
Worshippers: Adventurers, bards, halflings, risk takers, rogues.
Cleric Alignments: CN, N, NE, NG, LN.
Domains: Halfling, Luck, Travel Trickery.
Favoured Weapon: "Escape" (dagger)

Dogma:
"Seek excitement and danger wherever your feet take you, for risk-taking leads to life's greatest rewards. Lust for the thrill, not for the treasure, for greed obscures the true prize of the experience. At the end of the day, the halfling with the wildest tale is the most honoured in the eyes of the Irrepressible Scamp. "

Brandobaris (BRAN-doe-BAIR-iss) is the tall races' misapprehensions of the entire halfling race given divine form. A constantly scheming, meddling, curious, short-attention-spanned rapscallion as interested in the contents of a man's purse as he is in the contents of his character, Brandobaris nonetheless makes few enemies, as his wit, charm, good looks, and ability to work on the fly get him out of trouble in the few adventures that do go wrong. A rumoured romantic dalliance with Tymora may be responsible for Brandobaris' legendary luck, which plays a central role in the countless tales of daring-do traded from halfling to halfling like currency at way-stations across Faerûn. Such tales tell of Brandobaris tricking dragons, escaping from the clutches of devilish hordes with bags full of treasure, and even sneaking into Myrkul's Bone Citadel to rescue the souls of ten thousand slain innocents, leaving in return a vase of flowers and a box of erotically shaped chocolate candies. Predictably, lightfoot halflings adore him.

The Church of Misadventure, as Brandobaris' "organized" religion is known, teems with adventuresome troublemakers who usually emerge from some dangerous endeavour better off than when they entered it. Though most halflings (particularly children) love stories of their exploits, most prefer that such events occur as far away from their communities as possible. Many strongheart communities discourage his worship, and the reclusive ghostwise view Brandobaris and his cult as a perversion of the civilized world. Hands of Misadventure, as clerics of Brandobaris are known, engage in difficult, dangerous pursuits such as adventuring, always valuing the story of a given success far more than the physical treasure such a success might bring with it. Though Hands frequently engage in confidence schemes or larceny, they do so for the thrill, with monetary rewards simply garnishing the pleasure that comes from mastering one's (albeit occasionally illegal) craft. The Church of Misadventure has no temples - in essence, whenever a story is told of Brandobaris' courage, services are in session.

Hands of Misadventure pick one time of day or night to consistently pray for spells (those who prefer public displays of bravado usually choose to pray during the day, with the sneakier, more subtle Hands electing to pray under the light of the moon). The Hands have few formal ceremonies, but on the night of a new moon, followers are expected to hide on or more stolen items from the previous month's take in the best hiding place they can find, a ritual known as Brandobaris' Tithe. As might be expected, multiclassing as rogues is enormously popular among the clergy, and auspicians are not uncommon. They turn rather than rebuke undead.

History/Relationships:
Brandobaris gets on well with most of his pantheon. He especially enjoys the attention of ministrations of his paramour, Tymora, though the terms of their relationship are perhaps best described as casual. His sense of fun and obsession with putting himself in danger earns him respect and companionship from the likes of Garl Glittergold, Baervan Wildwanderer, Erevan Ilesere, and Vergadain. He respects Mask as a fellow miscreant of unsurpassed skill, but the Shadowloard's cruel streak keeps them from true friendship. Brandobaris's exploits have earned him the enmity of Beshaba and Urdlen. He has no love for Abbathor, who he views as in it only for the money. For his part, Abbathor thinks Brandobaris a base cad worthy of little consideration.

(Source: Faiths and Pantheons)

_________________
"The householder's disdain for the vagabond hides a hint of jealousy."
~ A hin proverb


 
      
AlphaWaves
 
PostPosted: Wed, Sep 29 2010, 2:47 AM 

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Joined: 16 Jun 2006
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~Cyrrollalee~
The Hand of Fellowship, the Hearthkeeper
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Intermediate Halfling Deity
Symbol: Open door
Home Plane: Green Fields
Alignment: Lawful good
Portfolio: Friendship, trust, the hearth, hospitality, crafts.
Worshippers: Artisans, cooks, guards, halflings, hosts, innkeepers.
Cleric Alignments: LG, LN, NG.
Domains: Family, Good, Halfling, Law.
Favoured Weapon: "Camaradestave" [quarterstaff] (club)

Dogma:
"Be generous in friendship, and welcome all friends into your home and trust. Never betray the trust of a host, break an oath, or violate the sanctity of another's home. The Day of Discovery approaches, when all hin rally around a new home based upon dignity, companionship, and love."

For more than a millenia, Cyrrollalee (SEER-oh-LAH-lee) busied herself with overseeing the mundane minutia of the stewardship of halflings' homes. She encourage camaraderie among her subjects, always with an eye toward ensuring the safety of each halfling's individual dwelling. Of late, however, she has expanded her view of home from the literal to the metaphorical. Scholars long have said that the hin are a race on the rise, a youthful species waiting for a cultural and political blossoming. Cyrrollalee agrees, believing that the time of the halfling is now, and that in order for the hin to ascend to the rightful place of honor and respect, the race needs new homelands beyond the the borders of Luiren. Cyrrollalee, naturally, would ward such a homeland, and her clerics lead evangelical missions across Faerûn, searching for a suitable location for this homeland and urging all halflings to join the call. The open door of Cyrrollalee's holy symbol has transcended its original meaning as the entrance to a single halfling's comfortable home to represent the open door inviting hin from across Faerûn to walk the path of their race's glorious future.

Cyrrollalee's change in perspective has swelled the ranks of her faithful and catapulted her from a docile deity whom all halflings normally honored to a symbol of hin pride, a rallying point for those halflings seeking a better place for themselves and their race. Her clerics, known as homefellows, lead halfling communities, set examples for good-hearted clean living by being exemplars of friendship and good will, and establish temples that serve both as a place of introspection and as homes away from home, with ample guest rooms and fully stocked kitchens. Though the bulk of the modern clergy concerns itself with the search for suitable halfling homelands, homefellows advocate the cultivation of strong, respectful relationships with other goodly races. Because their searches so often send them to distant lands, lightfoot halflings, with their pervasive wanderlust, vastly outnumber other hin subraces in Cyrrollalee's clergy.

Homefellows pray for spells in the morning, as they welcome the sun of the new day. Within the last year, many clerics have left their homes to lead the search. Those who remain rooted in their communities (usually, but not always, older halflings for whom travel and exploration bring great physical danger) are known as hearthtenders, and are universally respected as an integral part of halfling society. The church recognizes no official holidays, but Cyrrollalee herself has deemed the forthcoming Day of Discovery as a universal day of celebration for all hin. None know when the new land will be discovered, but nearly all believe it will happen in their lifetime. The hin homeland they seek is not a racial origin point (indeed, spotty archaeological evidence supports several claims at such a place), but a location at which all branches of the hin race can come together in harmony and mutual advancement. The church has hence suffered some hits to its credibility in Luiren, whose residents believe they are living in just such a locale. Given that the search continues, however, Cyrrollalee must disagree. Her clerics rarely multiclass.

History/Relationships:
Cyrrollalee enjoys cordial relationships with her entire pantheon, as well as with nearly every other kind-hearted deity of Toril. As such she sometimes acts as ambassador for Yondalla's Children when disagreements arise with other pantheons. She harbors slight disappointment toward Brandobaris, feeling that his frivolous pursuits and adventures distract the halfling people from achieving their full potential. Any god who would stand in the way of destiny of the hin ranks among her sworn enemies. Happily for her, most of Toril's malevolent deities have either not noticed her recent epiphany or have chosen to ignore it altogether.

(Source: Faiths and Pantheons)

_________________
"The householder's disdain for the vagabond hides a hint of jealousy."
~ A hin proverb


 
      
AlphaWaves
 
PostPosted: Wed, Sep 29 2010, 3:11 AM 

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Joined: 16 Jun 2006
Location: I'm pretty lost but I don't wanna be found.

~Dallah Thaun~
The Lady of Mystery
Image


Intermediate Goddess (Chaotic Neutral)
Dallah Thaun, the Lady of Mystery, is the dark aspect of Yondalla. Physically split off from Yondalla when she created the halfling race, Dallah Thaun is worshipped both as a deity in her own right and also as part of Yondalla. Anyone who worships one goddess worships both, and prayers to one are heard by both. Each goddess knows everything the other knows and is privy to the other’s plans. Since they both work toward the same goal - the benefit of the halfling race - they do not quibble over one another's methods. Instead, the two goddesses utilize each other's strengths and compensate for each other's weaknesses.

For example, when someone evil harms a great number of halflings, Yondalla's followers nurture the survivors while Dallah Thaun's seek vengeance. Likewise, the Blessed One provides her people with food, comfort, and healing, while the Lady of Mystery helps them find wealth. Should any dirty work need to be done, it falls under Dallah Thaun's purview, and Dallah Thaun is said to receive the souls of dead halflings and guide them to their final reward.

There is no inherent evil in accumulating wealth; indeed, a nest egg for one's golden years, when a hard-working halfling can no longer work as hard, is a necessity. How one gains this wealth is another matter. The Lady of Mystery does not condone killing or even harming others for money, but relieving the overly wealthy of a portion of their burden is quite acceptable. In fact, any method that harms no one is fine with Dallah Thaun, so long as the perpetrator doesn't get caught.

Secrets, guile, lies, half-truths, flattery, intrigue, manipulation, and all things done by stealth are the purview of Dallah Thaun. "Don’t get caught" is her credo, and the lesson that she passes along to all her worshippers. Dallah Thaun also serves as an avenger for any wrongs done to her people.

Very few outsiders know of Dallah Thaun's existence, and the halflings like to keep it that way. Since she is an aspect of Yondalla, halflings who venerate her can truly say that they worship Yondalla - who, as everyone knows, is a lawful good goddess. Since no one except halflings realizes that Dallah Thaun exists, she is not as powerful as her other half. In many ways, the two goddesses epitomize the dichotomy between openness and secrecy that is so characteristic of halflings.

The Lady of Mystery appears as a beautiful female halfling with dark hair and eyes. She dresses all in black and wears a voluminous black cloak with a hood that conceals her face. She tosses a gold coin in her gloved hands.

Portfolio: Halflings, secrets, guile, thieves and rogues, acquisition of wealth, death.

Domains: Chaos, Knowledge, Luck, Trickery.

Cleric Training: Clerics of Dallah Thaun are chosen by senior clerics of both Yondalla and Dallah Thaun. They covertly watch the young people in a community and identify those who have the mind-set and talents for Dallah Thaun's service. They begin to groom those individuals as clerics without even telling them they are being trained. The candidates are sent on covert missions, told secrets and bade to keep them, and provided with opportunities to participate in confidence games. When the secret of their training comes out, they may either accept Dallah Thaun's service or refuse it with no stigma.

Quests: The Lady of Mystery's followers often undertake quests that involve stealing from the rich, discovering secrets, and acquiring particular items through means other than force. If halflings are in trouble with a local lord over thefts that have occurred while they were camped on his land, Dallah Thaun's followers are the ones who enter the lord’s keep by night and suggest that harming or expelling the halflings could result in the revelation of the lord's affair with a certain young noblewoman destined to marry another.

Prayers: Prayers to Dallah Thaun are usually whispered or mumbled, and they often sound like the kind of wishes one makes while daydreaming. Typical prayers begin "If only I could get a hundred gold pieces," or "If only I could get out of this place safely," or "If only I could figure out how this trap works."

Shrines: Dallah Thaun's shrines are usually surreptitiously folded into Yondalla’s. For example, a temple to Yondalla in a halfling town might have a shrine to Dallah Thaun behind a secret door or a sliding panel. Similarly, a family shrine to Yondalla in a wagon might have a rotating panel with Dallah Thaun’s holy symbol on the other side.

Rites: Dallah Thaun's clerics celebrate the same holy days as Yondalla's do, and they are usually present for the same celebrations. They also bless new ventures, successes of any sort, newly acquired wealth, thieves' tools, and other "tools of the trade."

Favoured Weapon: Dagger.

(Source: Races of the Wild)

_________________
"The householder's disdain for the vagabond hides a hint of jealousy."
~ A hin proverb


 
      
AlphaWaves
 
PostPosted: Wed, Sep 29 2010, 3:32 AM 

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Joined: 16 Jun 2006
Location: I'm pretty lost but I don't wanna be found.

~Sheela Peryroyl~
Green Sister, Watchful Mother
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Intermediate Halfling Deity
Symbol: Daisy
Home Plane: Green Fields
Alignment: Neutral
Portfolio: Nature, agriculture, weather, song, dance, beauty, romantic love.
Worshippers: Bards, druids, farmers, gardeners, halflings, rangers.
Cleric Alignments: CN, N, NE, NG, LN.
Domains: Air, Charm, Halfling, Plant.
Favoured Weapon: "Oakthorn" (sickle)

Dogma:
"Living in harmony with nature requires a careful balance between the wild and the tame, the feral and the tended. The need to preserve wild growth is equal to the need to take in the harvest. While nature can be adapted, it should be evolved, never forced; work within the framework of what already exists."

The distant, somewhat aloof Sheela Peryroyl (SHEE-lah PAIR-re-roil) plays an important role in the culture of ghostwise halflings, representing balance between the tamed earth of agricultural civilization and the verdant growth of the wild. Sometimes worshipped by agrarian lightfoot halflings, the bulk of Sheela's worshippers dwell under the leafy canopies of secluded forests such as Chondalwood. Among civilized halflings, Sheela represents balance related to the harvest, for not only does she oversee the dutiful toil of the fields, but also the joyful celebration when work is finished. Patron of song, dance, and romance, halflings send prayers to Sheela Peryroyl during courtship, galas, and weddings. Ghostwise halflings honor Sheela as the providing force of the natural world, making her more important figure than even Yondalla in their obscure culture.

Constructed of stone and dirt, curtains of fine vines, and carefully balanced rocks and living plants, Sheela's open-roofed temples appear to be woven from the earth itself. Animals roam freely among patches of wildflowers, gardens, and weeds. Those used to the structured rooms of "civilized" regions often find the growth and life here chaotic and disconcerting, but Sheela's clerics and druids, known collectively as Green Children, insist there are patterns in the wilderness, and that these patterns maintain a delicate balance. In the farmlands, Green Children mediate disputes between growers, sanctify marriages, free harvests from natural or unnatural blights, and protect the community from animals and beats driven to violence by wounds or hunger. In return, they ensure that communities treat the wilderness with respect, that homesteads never encroach to far into natural habitats. The ghostwise consider Green Children the voice of Sheela Peryroyl, and defer to them as guardians of culture and protectors of the wild fastness.

Green Children pray for spells at dawn. Every month, several of Sheela's faithful convene with their counterparts in neighbouring communities to organize moonlight festivals known as Gatherings. All residents of the community are expected to attend and pitch in by bringing some bounty of the most recent harvest, either taken straight from the fields in the warm months or dug from the root cellar during winter. The sites of these Gatherings rotate monthly through local halfling communities, strengthening neighbourly bonds. Many of Sheela's clerics and druids multiclass as rangers. They turn rather than rebuke undead.

History/Relationships:
Sheela counts all her pantheon as allies, but is closest to the inscrutable Urogalan, appreciating his aspects as Lord of the Earth. All Toril's nonevil nature deities value her as a cool mind and level-headed thinker capable of disarming tense diplomatic issues with forthright honesty and warming smiles. Such qualities make her the perfect "Celestial Mediator" when tensions flare between such worthies as Silvanus and Waukeen. This role has transcended to the mortal realm, where even some non halflings give honor to Sheela Peryroyl before entering a pact or important negotiation.

(Source: Faiths and Pantheons)

_________________
"The householder's disdain for the vagabond hides a hint of jealousy."
~ A hin proverb


 
      
AlphaWaves
 
PostPosted: Wed, Sep 29 2010, 3:50 AM 

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~Tymora~
Lady Luck, the Lady Who Smiles, Our Smiling Lady
Image


Intermediate Deity
Symbol: Silver coin featuring Tymora's face surrounded by shamrocks
Home Plane: Brightwater
Alignment: Chaotic good
Portfolio: Good fortune, skill, victory, adventurers.
Worshippers: Rogues, gamblers, adventurers, Harpers, lightfoot halflings.
Cleric Alignments: CG, CN, NG.
Domains: Chaos, Good, Luck, Protection, Travel.
Favoured Weapon: A spinning coin (shuriken)

Dogma:
"One should be bold, for to be bold is to live. A brave heart and a willingness to take risks beat out a carefully wrought plan nine times out of ten. Place yourself in the hands of fate and trust to your own luck. Bear and conduct yourselves as your own masters, showing your good or bad fortune as confidence in the Lady. Chase your own unique goals, and the Lady aids the chase. Without direction or goals, you soon know the embrace of Beshaba, for those on no set course are at the mercy of misfortune, which has no mercy at all."

Tymora (tie-more-ah), the friendly, graceful, and kind deity of good fortune, owes her impressive popularity to two factors. Firstly, her dominance over narrow escapes and lucky discoveries makes her the patron of choice to Faerûn's burgeoning adventurer population, who propitiate her in hopes of prolonged survival and spectacular takes. The greatest boon to her church came during the Time of Troubles, however, when Tymora appeared to followers in Arabel and set up shop in the temple known as the Lady's House. As the entire continent quaked with magic gone wild, Tymora offered all-too-absent stability and the reassurances that some deity still cared about their human subjects. The ability to actually meet a deity (in exchange for a reasonable donation to the church, of course) bolstered faith in desperate times, and the ranks of her clergy and followers swelled accordingly.

Those commoners who fail to take themselves too seriously see the servants of Tymora as energetic advocates of fun and adventure. The clerics preach a doctrine that urges their followers to take chances and do something, rather than sitting around and daring nothing. Accordingly, those who choose Tymora as patron tend to possess a zest for life and a calm assurance that the Lady Who Smiles will ensure they live a long and fruitful life. Halflings consider Tymora to be one of Yondalla's Children, and consider her widespread worship in human lands as simply the greatest of Lady Luck's numerous humorous cons.

Clerics of Tymora, often called luckbringers, pray for their spells in the morning. The faithful typically greet each other by touching holy symbols, often embracing to do so. The clergy officially recognizes no set rituals, with religious observances varying wildly according to the dictates of each temple. Tymora's clerics most commonly multiclass as bards or rogues, but they have been known to try almost any class combination.

History/Relationships:
Prior to the Dawn Cataclysm, a single deity, Tyche, controlled both good and bad luck. A fickle deity whose attention just as often brought calamity as calm, Tyche wandered through her existence controlled only be her whims, seldom concerning herself with anything or anyone for more than a moment. As luck would have it, the amorous deity found herself embroiled in the war between deities initiated by Lathander, who attempted to restructure the Faerûnian pantheon according to his own sense of propriety. Deciding quickly that her paramour had become altogether too serious, Tyche kissed the Morninglord with misfortune and left him to his fate.

During her travels, she came upon a beautiful rose, which she attempted to pluck from the earth. Curiously, the flower would not budge, so she cursed it with bad luck, whereupon its stem broke and it fell to the ground. Thinking little of the incident, she placed the rose in her hair and continued her roaming, oblivious to a dangerous corruption on her very person. The rose had been an aspect of Moander, deity of rot and decay. In short order, Moander worked its corruption into Tyche's ear, eagerly draining the deity's lifeforce and withering her form within. When she finally returned home, the oblivious Tyche came upon her friends Lathander and Selûne, as well as Azuth, who had been warned of Moander's attack through consultation with the Pale Tesseract. Before the disgusting creature that had once been Tyche could greet her former companions, Selûne lashed out with a bolt of purifying light. Tyche's form split right down the middle, and from the husk emerged a completely new deity.

A bright, somewhat smaller version of Tyche arose first, looking upon the three deities with a bemused expression of confused recognition, as if she had known these figures in dreams even if they had never met. Bold, beautiful Beshaba was second to arise.

After a brief battle in which the good and evil aspects of the fallen Tyche nearly destroyed each other if not for the combined effort of Azuth, Lathander, and Selûne, Beshaba cursed the four deities, decrying them as murderers and luckless villains unworthy of both her presence and her good will. Swearing to bedevil their followers with ill fortune for eternity, the Maid of Misfortune left the assembly in a torrent of acrid smoke and foul language. The newborn deity, Tymora, simply shrugged, a small frown her only display of emotion.

Since that day, Tymora and Beshaba have continued their struggle. For Beshaba, their battle is one of wholehearted destruction. Tymora, for her part, seeks to stave off the Maid of Misfortune's depredations, occasionally punishing her cruel ambition with a particularly choice humiliation.

Though it would not be fair to call Tymora cruel, she does delight in practical jokes, often attempting to bring good humour to stern deities such as Helm and Tyr through the careful application of gentle teasing and playful trickery. Though she inherited all the good qualities of her progenitor, she also retains much of Tyche's romantic fickleness -she's seduced dozens of deities and countless mortals, seldom staying with a single paramour for more than a year or two. She shares a somewhat casual, long-running romance with the halfling deity Brandobaris, whose passion for daring-do and ribald shenanigans rivals her own.

Clergy and Temples:
Clerics of Tymora favour gaiety and spontaneity, believing that those who enjoy the greatest fortune are those who take the greatest risks. They position their temples as refuelling stops for adventuring bands, often offering such staples as holy water and healing potions. Some churches take this a step further, offering excessive secret aid to the most daring of adventurers in a public relations effort to "prove" the value of Tymora's doctrine. Clerics hail the miraculous successes of these heroes upon their return from dangerous dungeons and haunted tombs, declaring their survival and plunder the reward of Lady Luck. When such groups are consumed by walls of living tentacles or walk into a sphere of annihilation set into the mouth of giant bas-relief demon faces, Tymoran clerics are notably silent.

Each Tymoran temple is an independent operation with its own hierarchy and doctrinal interpretation, which usually boils down to the whims of the high priest or priestess informed by a baseline collection of beliefs and customs. This longstanding tradition has recently encountered a challenge in the form of Daramos Lauthyr, high priest of the Lady's House of Arabel, who seeks to unite the church under a single pontiff--himself.

(Source: Faiths and Pantheons)

_________________
"The householder's disdain for the vagabond hides a hint of jealousy."
~ A hin proverb


 
      
AlphaWaves
 
PostPosted: Wed, Sep 29 2010, 4:03 AM 

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~Urogalan~
He Who Must Be, Lord of the Earth, the Black Hound
Image


Halfling Demigod
Symbol: Silhouette of a dog's head
Home Plane: Green Fields
Alignment: Lawful neutral
Portfolio: Earth, death, protection of the dead.
Worshippers: Genealogists, grave diggers, halflings.
Cleric Alignments: LE, LG, LN.
Domains: Earth, Halfling, Law, Protection, Repose.
Favoured Weapon: "Doomthresher" [double-headed flail] (any flail)

Dogma:
"Earth is the giver and receiver of life, providing shelter, food, and wealth to those who toes embrace it. The sacred soil is to be revered as the mantle of Those Who Have Been and the shelter of Those Who Will Be. The thanatopsis of He Who Must Be reveals that death is to be embraced as a natural end, this giving honor to the life that was."

Urogalan (URR-roh-GAH-lan) protects the souls of the halfling dead and acts as Yondalla's advisor and divine judge. Sages claim that the Nurturing Matriarch values his word over that of all others. Urogalan limits his interests in the material world to the space below the surface, an environment foreign to most halflings. Thus, Urogalan remains detached from his people, uncharacteristically morose and pensive for a halfling deity. Despite his outlook, halflings appreciate his role, and know that He Who Must Be will watch over their souls when it comes time for them to make the transition from this world to the embrace of Green Fields.

Urogalan's clerics preside over the internment of the dead and tend to halfling graves. Aside from the grim duties, they keep records, archive genealogies, and note the important deeds of those that have died. They are called upon to bless new constructions and dig sites, and it is tradition for a cleric of Urogala to speak a prayer before the first meal eaten in a new building. Urogalan's clerics, known as grimwardens, pray for spells in the morning. Grimwardens celebrate nights of the full moon as "Earthsings," a time when the followers of the Lord of the Earth gather with the relatives of halflings who perished in the last month for a special ceremony within a natural earth basin. Participants give offerings to the deity, softly chanting funeral dirges and elegies to the percussive pounding of bare feet while making slow rotations around the central stone. Clerics of Urogalan share so many rituals and beliefs with the dwarven deity Dumathoin that they often are welcomed as brothers in the temples dedicated to the Keeper of Secrets under the Mountain. Grimwardens seldom multiclass. They turn rather than rebuke undead.

History/Relationships:
Urogalan finds little comfort in the company of his pantheon, keeping up cordial relations but maintaining a certain emotional distance. As his detached, somber mien is as off-putting to the other halfling gods as their frivolity and merry-making is to Urogalan, the arrangement works well for both parties. He finds some companionship with other earthlords such as Grumbar, Callarduran Smoothhands, Dumathoin, and Flandal Steelskin, but is most at home when visiting the Crystal Spire and discussing the nature of death with the likes of Jergal and Kelemvor. The time requirements of stewardship over the dead tax even those worthies, however, and such visits are rare. Urogalan has no time for deities who include necromancy and undead among their portfolios, treating them as sworn enemies.

(Source: Faiths and Pantheons)

_________________
"The householder's disdain for the vagabond hides a hint of jealousy."
~ A hin proverb


 
      
AlphaWaves
 
PostPosted: Wed, Sep 29 2010, 13:56 PM 

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The Ghostwars
(From Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting)


Thousands of years ago, Luiren was an unsettles wilderness roamed by the three great halfling tribes: the lightfoots, the stronghearts, and the ghostwise. The three races fiercely defended their woodlands against all intruders for centuries, driving off Dambrathan barbarians, packs of rabid gnolls, and sharing the Lluirwood's resources. Feuds between the tribes were not uncommon, but for the most part the three tribes lived in peace.

Around -100 DR, an evil spirit entered the forest. Under the leadership of a powerful cleric named Desva, the ghostwise halflings fell into darkness, worshiping Malar and glorifying in violence and bloodshed. Feral ghostwise hunters, their faces painted like skulls, prowled the forests in search of halfling prey. They grew ever stronger as Desva led them deeper into Malar's worship, teaching the greatest hunters to take shapes as werewolves and poisoning the forest's natural predators with maddening bloodlust. For a generation the Lluirwood was a place of death.

In -68 DR, a strongheart hunter named Chand became war chief of his folk and struck an alliance with the war chief of the lightfoot tribe. The two united to root out the madness of the ghostwise halflings. Over three years each ghostwise stronghold and lair was found out and destroyed, until Chand himself slew Desva of the ghostwise in -65 DR. The fighting was merciless and awful - entire ghostwise villages were burned and their folk killed. Chand held to his purpose and saw to it that no hin warrior stayed his or her hand.

In the aftermath of the Hin Ghostwars, the ghostwise halflings were reduced to a handful of their former number. Most were exiled from the Lluirwood, although a handful who had repudiated Desva and joined with Chand's warriors were allowed to stay. Those who left settled in the Chondalwood, taking an oath never to speak until they had atoned for the animallike savagery of their past. The atonement is long past, but to this day ghostwise halflings think long and hard before they choose to speak.

Many of the lightfoots, horrified by what Chand and the stronghearts had done, chose to leave the Lluirwood. They became a nomadic people spread across all of northern Faerun, adopting the customs and traditions of the folk they traveled among.

The stronghearts remained in the Lluirwood. Unchecked by the lightfoot or ghostwise ways, they began to clear forest and settled in semipermanent villages that grew larger and more permanent with each passing generation. They changed from woodland nomads to settled farmers and craftsfolk, defending their lands against numerous invasions and raids over the years. In time some lightfoots returned to the new realm of Luiren, but this is now a strongheart land.

_________________
"The householder's disdain for the vagabond hides a hint of jealousy."
~ A hin proverb


 
      
AlphaWaves
 
PostPosted: Wed, Sep 29 2010, 14:29 PM 

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Green Fields
(From Player's Guide to Faerûn)


In the pleasant realm of Green Fields, halfling petitioners while away their existence in peaceful meditation and hard work, enjoying the fruits of their labours and the company of their fellows. A place of safety and repose, Green Fields is basically a collection of halfling settlements among gently rolling hills.

Green Field Traits
Green Fields has the following traits
  • Divinely morphic.
  • Mild faith.

Green Field Links
A portal to Tymora's domain on Brightwater lies somewhere in Green Fields, but only Brandobaris knows its location - and he's not telling. Lower branches of the World Tree also extend into Green Fields, connecting it with the rest of the celestial planes.

Green Fields Inhabitants
Besides the halfling petitioners, the only inhabitants of Green Fields are the angels that serve the halfling deities.
Green Fields Petitioners: The petitioners of Green Fields all appear halfling, even those few who were not halflings in life. They have a vibrant, healthy look about them, as though they were bursting with life.

Features of Green Fields
Fitting for a pantheon that places such emphisis on community and racial unity, most of the halfling deities share Green Fields as a divine realm and do not carve their own realms from its planar fabric.
Arvoreen/Cyrrollalee/Sheela Peryroyl/Yondalla: These four deities hold the realm in common, dwelling where they choose. They often move among the settlements of the plane with the seasons or at their own whims. The settlement on the Material Plane, and their residents happily wander from lakeshore to riverside, and from cultivated fields to pastoral hills.
Brandobaris: The Master of Stealth, who wanders even more than the other deities, does not limit his travels to Green Fields. He is welcome in the plane, though he really takes no part in maintaining it as a divine realm.
Urogalan: The Lord of the Earth's realm is a cavern beneath the lush grass of Green Fields. Few petitioners remain there for long, though it is the entry point to the plane for spirits of all dead halflings. Urogalan is respected more than he is worshipped, and most petitioners are happy to leave his realm and move closer to their deities of choice.

_________________
"The householder's disdain for the vagabond hides a hint of jealousy."
~ A hin proverb


 
      
AlphaWaves
 
PostPosted: Wed, Sep 29 2010, 16:21 PM 

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Ghostwise Halflings
(From Races of Faerûn)


Regions: Chondalwood, Ghostwise Halfling.
Racial Feats: Blooded, Survival.
Racial Prestige Class: Warsling sniper.

The ghostwise are easily the most uncommon of the three subraces of halfling living in Faerûn. They are elusive and do not welcome strangers to their lands. Instead, they prefer to pursue a nomadic way of life within their adopted homeland, the Chondalwood, associating mainly with those of their own clan. Those who seek out the ghostwise most often fail to achieve their goal; the fortunate among them live to regret their intrusion into hin territory.

History

See: The Ghostwars.

Outlook

The defining characteristic of the ghostwise halflings is their reverence for and devotion to their clans. Family is important to most halflings and halfling communities, but the ghostwise hin regard the familial bond with a degree of respect some might call obsession. Following their self-imposed exile from Luiren and resettlement in the Chondalwood, the ghostwise congregated into groups demarcated along family lines. Those hin without surviving family joined one of these groups. As the hin pursued their quest for atonement, their clan system evolved into the all-encompassing social structure it is today.

Ghostwise Halfling Characters

Many ghostwise halflings are barbarians, but rogues druids, rangers, and clerics are also common.

Favoured Class: Barbarian [Note: on Amia this is Ranger]. As clannish nomads, ghostwise halflings have little need for society's trappings, but the barbarian's skills are essential to survival in their forest homes.

Ghostwise Halfling Society

Because clan is the focus of the ghostwise culture, it is not surprising to find it the central factor in their society as well. The wanderlust that is one of the most readily discernible traits of both the lightfoot and strongheart subraces still survives in the ghostwise, but on a more limited scale. The nomadic wanderings of the ghostwise clans are confined almost exclusively to the Chondalwood and its environs, where the few remaining survivors of the Ghost Wars settled after departing their native homeland of Luiren.

Each clan of ghostwise halflings has adopted a segment of the Chondalwood as its territory. Clan territories vary in size form less than fifty to several hundred square miles. This clan travels together as its leader directs. A number of factors influence exactly where the clan travels within its territory, including the presence or absence of hostile creatures and the relative abundance of game. There is ample room in the vast forest for all the ghostwise halfling clans, and so their territories are only loosely defined.

Many clans designate a natural feature - a distinctive rock, a lightning-struck tree, a stretch of a particular stream - as the centre of their territory and base their wanderings on their relative distance from this place. Some clans carry a tiny portion of this central feature with them as they travel, to reinforce their spiritual connection with their territory and their homeland. Such tokens might take the form of clay vials filled with stream water, small leather pouches filled with dirt from a specific spot, small bits of rock broken from a boulder and worn as a necklace, or even a bit of tree bark carried in the hollowed end of a deer's antler.

Among these clans, such tokens are considered a sacred charge. To lose or misplace one is a mistake requiring that the transgressor atone in a manner designated by the clan leader. If the halfling who makes the error is a cleric or druid, the penance is assigned by a representative of his faith. The act of atonement - often a quest or other dangerous mission or errand - must be completely successfully before the halfling may obtain another portion of the clan's central feature. Wilfully destroy a clan token is a grievous crime, punishable by exile (a fate far worse than death in the culture of the ghostwise halflings). The only permissible use of the tokens is when a member of the clan falls in battle. In that even, all nearby hin who share the same tribe as the fallen scatter their tokens, be they wood, water, or stone, around the corpse. The hin believe that doing so calls the attention of He Who Must Be and ensures that no fell spirits will disturb the body of their fallen clan member until it can be attended to properly. The ghostwise hin clans cremate their dead rather than inter them.

While clans keep to themselves, they do not shun one another when they meet in their travels. Instead, they exchange news and information about the forests' conditions and creatures. Indeed, the matriarchs and patriarchs who lead the clans often meet formally to discuss matters of mutual interest and importance. Multiple clans cooperate for the purpose of mutual defence when they are threatened by a common enemy, whether it be a band of destructive humanoids or a marauding band of trolls.

Language and Literacy

The ghostwise hin do not learn tongues other than their own with as much frequency as other races and seldom even use their voices at all. Generally they only speak in a sign language different than Drow Hand Sign called Ghostwise Sign. The matriarchs and patriarchs of the various clans are apt to learn, in addition to their native language, Chondathan and Sylvan, while clerics and druids most commonly express an interest in Sylvan and sometimes Gnoll. The typical ghostwise clan member, however, speaks only those languages that the race receives automatically (Common, Halfling, and regional). No ghostwise are literate, except for individuals with player character classes other than barbarian.

Ghostwise Halfling Magic and Lore

Most ghostwise halfling spellcasters are clerics or druids - sorcerers and bards are rarer, and wizards more so because so few ghostwise regularly use a written language.

Spells and Spellcasting
Like the wild elves, ghostwise halflings sometimes add extra components to their spells to further emphasize their connection to the land. Thus they take the Primitive Spellcaster feat. Ghostwise halflings favour divination spells that help them safely learn about threats beyond their land, and illusion spells that keep them well-hidden.

Ghostwise Halfling Deities

The ghostwise acknowledge and give due respect to all the deities in the halfling pantheon. Each clan, however, tends to adopt one specific halfling deity as its patron and venerates that power above all others. Because of their nomadic lifestyle, the ghostwise hin do not build permanent temples to the gods. Rather, they maintain small shrines throughout the Chondalwood and carry symbols of their clan's patron with them as they wander the reaches of the forest. Two deities are of special significance to the ghostwise: Sheela Peryroyl and Urogalan.

The Green Children, as the clerics of the Watchful Mother are called, encourage the ghostwise clans to maintain a harmonious relationship with their woodland home They do their best to ensure that hin treat the forest with the respect it deserves. The druids among Sheela's clergy are frequently at odds with the more aggressively militant druids dwelling in the Chondalwood and warn the clans that associating with such individuals could lead the ghostwise to commit the same grave error for which they are still trying to atone.

Worshippers who select He Who Must Be as their patron deity are more common among the ghostwise than among the other halfling subraces. During their long period of atonement, the hin of the Chondalwood looked to Urogalan for guidance, and they strove to be worthy of his final judgement. To this day, adventurers and travellers venturing through the great forest speak of the disturbing sounds they sometimes hear in the forests depths: quiet, sombre chanting and drumming that rises and falls throughout the length of an evening in eerie counterpoint to the natural sounds of the wood. Even those who recognize this noise as the ghostwise hin ceremony in honour of Urogalan find it disturbing.

Relations with other Races

Most ghostwise hin would prefer not to have relations with other humanoid races unless it's absolutely necessary and clearly to the benefit of the clan. Encounters that cannot be avoided must be tolerated with as much patience as the clan can muster, and they do not bother to mask their distrust of outsider. No ghostwise halfling will, under any circumstances, abuse or attack a guest who has the sanction of the clan matriarch or patriarch. To do so would be an unforgivable offence against the clan's honour. All the clans give a wide berth to the nation of wild elves that lies within the Chondalwood. The hin don't know a great deal about the elves, and they don't want to. For their part, the wild elves respect the ghostwise desire for privacy and leave the clans to their own devices.

The hin do sometimes seek out adventuring parties that enter the Chondalwood, however, particularly those that seem intent on exploring one of the many old Chondathan ruins that have been swallowed up by the ever-expanding forest. The hin have learned through bitter experience that such expeditions frequently unleash havoc on the wood and any nearby clans in the form of whatever horrors were waiting quiescent beneath those ruins before being stirred up by adventurers. Certain clans, particularly those that have suffered because of the blunderings of adventure ring companies, sometimes attempt to prevent any further difficulty by intercepting and harassing expeditionary groups. Clans that boast a company of nightgliders among their number often assign some of the mounted warriors the task of discouraging the intruders from entering any ruins or dungeons located with the clan's chosen territory.

This is not to say that all ghostwise halfling clans share identical racial likes and dislikes. Some clans get on well with many groups of creatures living in or near their territory. But on the whole ghostwise halflings are wary first and accepting only after experience has taught them that a particular group of outsiders can be trusted.

Ghostwise Halfling Equipment

Ghostwise clan camps have all the variety of gear that one would expect from a nomadic culture: tents, hunting weapons, religious icons, and so on. Almost everything a ghostwise halfling owns can be carried on his back.
Iconic Item: Ghostwise halflings construct and set footsaw traps to both protect the Chondalwood from intruders and to ensnare food for the clan.

Animals and Pets
In addition to the giant owls ridden by the nightgliders, ghostwise halflings also associate with several other types of creatures found in the Chondalwood.

Dire Bats: A few adventuring parties who have returned recently from expeditions to the deeper parts of the Chondalwood have claimed that they were attacked by groups of ghostwise halflings mounted not on giant owls but dire bats. According to these rumours, the bat-mounted hin were of a particularly aggressive and hostile demeanour, giving rise to a speculation that perhaps not every trace of feral bloodlust has been extinguished among the ghostwise clans.

Tressym: The ghostwise hin consider the strange creatures to be emblematic of cunning and stealth, much as the lightfoot halflings admire the fox. Ghostwise halfling sorcerers and wizards sometimes select them as familiars. Occasionally, a tressym allows itself to become the animal companion of a good-aligned ghostwise druid or the partially domesticated associate of a clan matriarch or patriarch.

_________________
"The householder's disdain for the vagabond hides a hint of jealousy."
~ A hin proverb


 
      
AlphaWaves
 
PostPosted: Wed, Sep 29 2010, 18:33 PM 

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Lightfoot Halflings
(From Races of Faerûn)


Regions: Any human region, Luiren, Lightfoot Halfling.
Racial Feats: Improved Low Blow, Low Blow, Nobody's Fool.
Racial Prestige Class: Warsling sniper.

The folk of Faerûn are more familiar with the lightfoot hin than with either of the other two subraces, primarily because the lightfoots are the most numerous and widely travailed of all the halflings. Nearly every human community of any size larger than a village has a least a few halfling residents. When most Faerûnians think of halflings, the lightfoots are the people that most often leap to mind.

History

Most lightfoot halflings trace their family ancestry back to the days when a great tribe of their subrace populated the territory known as Luiren. Following the events of the Hin Ghostwars, the majority of the lightfoot halflings departed their homeland and spread out across northern Faerûn in a great diaspora. Though some lightfoot halflings remained in Luiren, the subrace has become ubiquitous throughout the settled lands of Faerûn.

Outlook

Lightfoot halflings may be the most common of all the subraces, but their behaviour is also the most varied. It's impossible to describe the "typical" lightfoot halflings because, much like humans, the race embodies individuals that are the absolute antithesis of one another. This diversity of behaviour is mirrored in a diversity of outlooks. Some halflings adopt views and beliefs about the world that are very close or often identical to whatever human community they happen to dwell in, while others retain distinctive points of view that separate them from other races and groups (including other halflings). It's not uncommon to meet halflings who, because they spend the greater part of their lives roaming from place to place, have outlooks that are amalgams of those form multiple cultures and environments.

The aspect of the lightfoot outlook that most nonhalflings notice, however, is that they are the hin subrace that is most likely to wander out of an innate desire. It is not unknown for individual lightfoot halflings or even entire families to decide that, after living in the same place for decades, they want to move on to someplace else. Some learned folk speculate that the lightfoot experience a habitual need to see many different places and enjoy many different experiences. Other sages and loremasters wonder if the lightfoot penchant for the semi-nomadic lifestyle is socialized behaviour, learned from centuries of practice. These scholars theorize that the lightfoot hin who left Luiren because of the Ghostwar massacres were unable to find a new homeland that suited them as well, so they wandered. After so many hundreds of years of wanderings, the behaviour is not natural to the lightfoot hin, or so this school of thought holds. Whatever the case, there's no denying that many lightfoot halflings seem determined to see a great deal of Faerûn and have many interesting experiences during their lifetimes.

Lightfoot Halfling Characters

As befits their name, lightfoot halflings often take classes that work well for wanderers, such as rogue and bard.
Favoured Class: Rogue. Lightfoot halflings often pick up an impressive array of skills during their travels, and with their small size and low strength, they need the advantages of stealth and cleverness.
Prestige Classes: Some halflings become masters of the ambush, popping up form behind a bush to deliver an onslaught of stones. These guardians, the warsling snipers, are often the first line of defence for a halfling community and accordingly are much cherished by their fellow citizens.

Lightfoot Halfling Society

Lightfoot halfling society is hard to quantify, because lightfoots can be divided into three groups: those who live among humans, those who live among other lightfoots, and those who wander from place to place. Some lightfoot halfling families live their entire lives in one place, sometimes as part of a human community, and sometimes in a settlement populated almost entirely by halflings. Others live their entire lives on the roads and byways of Faerûn, never remaining in one place very long.

Language and Literacy

Lightfoots speak Halfling, Common and the language of their home region - which, given lightfoot wanderlust, could be almost anywhere. Wandering lightfoot halflings pick up the languages of the places they live, and often learn other widely spread tongues.

All lightfoot nonbarbarians (the vast majority of the race, in other words) are literate.

Lightfoot Halfling Magic and Lore

Lightfoot halflings tend to be generalists when it comes to magic, using a broad array of spells and magic items to make their travels - or their hearths - more pleasant. They are skilful clerics and sorcerers, but sometimes lack the discipline to become accomplished wizards.

Spells and Spellcasting
Because they're almost always fighting foes who are larger than they are, lightfoot halfling favor spells that help them move around the battlefield and negate the physical strength of their foes. Expeditious retreat, fly, haste, various polymorph spells, and especially Evard's black tentacles are common spells in halfling spellcasters arsenal.

Some lightfoot halflings become so enamoured of travel spells that they take the Hin Wandermage feat.

Lightfoot Halfling Magic Items

Lightfoot halflings are fascinated with magic that makes travel easier in some way. It's useful to travel faster, of course, but speed isn't always a priority to a lightfoot who's wandering anyway. Items that make travel more comfortable or safer are especially cherished.

Common Items: Bags of holding, Heward's handy haversack, carpets of flying, and any magic boots can be purchased in lightfoot halfling communities for 10% less than normal cost.

Iconic Item: One of the most consistent disadvantages that halflings face is that their size makes it difficult to for them to make use of certain types of weapons. In response to this difficulty, a halfling wizard created the first hornblades - deceptive magic weapons that inflict more damage than their size would suggest. These weapons seem to be in the possession of lightfoot hin more frequently than ghostwise of strongheart, giving rise to the speculation that perhaps the original hornblade inventor was of the lightfoot subrace.

Lightfoot Halfling Deities

The diversity evident in the lightfoot halflings' outlook and society is also reflected in their religious beliefs. Of all the hin subraces, the lightfoot are the most likely to worship deities other than those belonging to Yondalla's Children. In addition to the deity they most favour, many lightfoot households - particularly those that prefer life on the road to a more settled existence - often venerate a household patron, often inspired by some matriarch or patriarch in the family's history.

Brandobaris, The Master of Stealth, is much beloved by the lightfoot for his realistic and good-humoured view of life. Brandobaris is a common patron deity of those halflings who trust to their luck to see them through as they wander from place to place.

The worship of Cyrrollalee, the Hearthkeeper, is wildly popular among lightfoot halflings born within the last two generations. Her message of the ascendance of the halfling race to a station of respect and power in Faerûn has fallen on receptive ears. The ranks of her clergy have swelled with the number of lightfoot hin seeking to spread her message contribute to the search for a new lightfoot homeland.

Yondalla's faith is popular with the lightfoot halflings, both those who wander and those who prefer to settle in more permanent communities. Recently there has been some tension between her clergy and those serving Cyrrollalee. Yondalla is not at all certain that this younger deity's call for a halfling homeland is wise.

Lightfoot Halfling Equipment

These halflings favour the warsling, a deadly and powerful version of the common sling. The warsling fires skiprocks, which halflings delight in throwing with great accuracy as well.

Animals and Pets
Lightfoot halflings make up for their small stature by domesticating some of the largest and most powerful hounds in Faerûn. A towering human brigand has a hard time pushing around a halfling traveller with a pair of loyal hounds at his side.

_________________
"The householder's disdain for the vagabond hides a hint of jealousy."
~ A hin proverb


 
      
AlphaWaves
 
PostPosted: Wed, Sep 29 2010, 19:16 PM 

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Strongheart Halflings
(From Races of Faerûn)


Regions: Luiren, Strongheart Halfling.
Racial Feats: Improved Low Blow, Low Blow, Luck of Heroes.
Racial Prestige Class: Warsling sniper.

The strongheart halflings are, like the ghostwise and lightfoot hin, native to Luiren. They trace their ancestry back to the same long-lost days as the other subraces, but unlike their cousins, the stronghearts elected to remain their homeland following the events of the Hin Ghostwar. The legacy of Chand, the strongheart war chieftain who galvanized his tribe against the threat of the feral ghostwise, lives on today in a nation that both reinforces and defies many of the expectations nonhalfings have of this race.

History

See: The Ghostwars.

Outlook

Prior to the Hin Ghostwar, the stronghearts were, like their brethren, mostly a nomadic hunter-gatherer people. During the centuries that followed that terrible conflict, however, the stronghearts gravitated toward a more agrarian-based lifestyle centred around permanent communities. But if the communities were stationary, the stronghearts were not, moving from established community to established community.

This strange duality of nature, consisting of a desire to move about freely with a liking for permanent structures and settlements, has produced some unusual outlooks among the stronghearts of Luiren. Their viewpoint stresses cooperation above all other traits, and the ability to work as a team is the most valued behaviour in their land. Cooperation transcends many boundaries in Luiren, and even strangers of whom the locals are suspicious can earn themselves considerable credit and tolerance by demonstrating a willingness to cooperate.

Strongheart Halfling Characters

Stronghearts have relatively more clerics and martial characters (fighters, rangers, and paladins) than their lightfoot cousins, but the skilled rogue is still the most common class among strongheart adventurers.
Favoured Class: Rogue [Note: On Amia this is Fighter]. Strongheart halflings can be tricky, clever warriors or glib negotiators - or both.

Strongheart Halfling Society

The stronghearts have evolved a unique, semi-nomadic lifestyle, in which businesses, families, and even entire clans move freely and independently from place to place within Luiren. This fusion of wanderlust and stability is a source of wonderment and confusion for visitors, who find it difficult to comprehend how a society can enjoy such seemingly whimsical mobility while retaining any viable structure. For their part, most of the strongheart hin cannot understand why anyone would want to tie themselves permanently to any one community or structure for their entire lives.

Language and Literacy

Strongheart halflings speak Halfling and Common, and many pick up Shaaran as well. All but the very rare barbarians are literate.

Strongheart Halfling Magic and Lore

Strongheart halflings invest more magic in their communities than lightfoot or ghostwise halflings. Stationary magic items are far more common; strongheart communities have everything from continual flames lighting the town square at night to city walls that magically repel enemy arrows. Not every village has such wonders, for the stronghearts aren't profligate in their spellcasting. But most strongheart spellcaster devote their efforts to improving the lot of their communities - even if the spellcasters themselves will be moving on once their work is done.

Strongheart Halfling Deities

The scrupulous stronghearts of Luiren take care to honour all the deities in the halfling pantheon, but their way of life reflects the influence of certain powers more than others. They do not favour any deities from other pantheons, and they actively discourage halflings from venerating all the gods and goddesses of other races.

Among all the Faerûnian halflings subraces, Arvoreen enjoys the strongest worship from the stronghearts of Luiren. While the Luiren hin venerate all the deities of the halfling pantheon in their turn, they hold the Vigilant Guardian in very high regard. His simple dogma has become almost the de facto motto of the nation: "Vigilance against attack will protect the community. Prepare an active defence, drill continuously, and leave nothing to chance. Put down danger before allowing it a chance to rear its ugly head." Clerics of the Wary Sword are among the nation's foremost political and military leaders; most of them multiclass as fighters.

Strongheart druids and rangers frequently venerate Sheela Peryroyl, the Green Sister, and they encourage their fellow hin to be mindful of the need to balance their communities' expansions with the need to preserve nature. Most strongheart communities in Luiren maintain shrines to the Watchful Mother, usually on the edge of the settled area where it borders the wilderness.

Yondalla, the Blessed One, is the most popular halfling deity after Arvoreen among the stronghearts. Many of the subrace who dwell in Luiren find the dichotomy of her faith - do not welcome violence, but defend the home and community fiercely - to be reflective of the strongheart outlook. Yondalla reigns supreme in Luiren whenever matters of family and tradition are invoked, and her clergy enjoys considerable respect and influence in the most important national councils.

Strongheart Halfling Equipment

The strongheart hin understand that they must be ready to defender their homes an nation literally at a moment's notice. They cannot know when a hostile creature or enemy force may launch an attack from the Luirwood or the Toadsquat Mountains. They have learned from bitter experience that it's best to be prepared, even when engaged in such mundane activities as husbandry and travelling. Therefore they have developed such device as wagon shields, which can be used to bolster defences in the most unlikely situations.

_________________
"The householder's disdain for the vagabond hides a hint of jealousy."
~ A hin proverb


 
      
AlphaWaves
 
PostPosted: Thu, Sep 30 2010, 12:54 PM 

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Description
(From Races of the Wild)


Halflings are short and wiry, standing about 3 feet tall and weighing between 30 and 35 pounds. Females are slightly shorter than males, but no less strong. Their bodies are well proportioned, though their heads are somewhat elongated compared with those of humans. They are longer-lived than humans are, reaching maturity at 20 years of age and often living well past the age of 100.

Most halflings have ruddy skin, dark eyes, and straight black hair, though lighter shades of hair are known in many societies. Males often wear sideburns, though they almost never grow beards or moustaches. All halflings prefer to wear their hair long, often braided or styled in some distinctive way. Their features are more delicate than those of humans, and their ears are elongated and slightly pointed.

Clothing

Halflings prefer simple, comfortable clothing that can stand up to mud, blood, rain, snow, and the wear and tear that comes with the travelling life. The fabrics come from natural sources, most commonly wool, linen, and cotton. Halflings often use leather in their garments to lend strength and weather resistance. This leather is usually made out of cow, horse, or goat hide, and it may be either thin and supple or thick, inflexible, and sturdy, depending on its desired use. Fur is rarely used, and then only for trim or for warmth, usually in the form of entire animal skins used as blankets.

Halflings make many of their own textiles, but they often obtain additional supplies of finished cloth from other races through either trade or outright theft.

Most halflings express their individuality by wearing brightly coloured clothes in flamboyant styles. Multihued garments are common, and patterns range from the geometric to the abstract. When halflings colour their own fabric, they use dyes made from plants they have gathered along the trail. When they trade for finished cloth, they seek out jewel tones and patterned fabrics of every shade. Many halflings also keep a plain black or brown outfit to be used for clandestine activities at night. Most adult halflings also own a plain, dark-coloured, voluminous cloak that they can wrap around themselves when hiding.

Halflings see their clothing as an extension of personal style. A halfling of either gender may wear a loose-fitting tunic with billowing, slashed sleeves belted over somewhat tighter trousers, plus a leather or fabric vest. Fastenings may be made of metal, polished wood, or carved bone or ivory; leather laces are also common. Halfling women often wear peasant-style blouses belted with bright fabric strips over one or more long, swirling skirts in jewel-bright colours. Clothing is typically decorated with embroidery, often in a geometric pattern representative of a particular clan; leather vests and boot tops are often embossed.

Halflings of both genders wear their hair in numerous braids or bound into ponytails and other styles with strips of dyed leather. Many cover their heads with brightly coloured scarves or large hats to keep the sun from their eyes. Jewellery, the brighter the better, is popular with both males and females, and any halfling may wear earrings, one or more necklaces, bracelets, or rings, and hair ornaments at the same time, with little regard for how the accessories look together. Most halfling jewellery is made of carved wood, brightly coloured
glass, wooden beadwork, or hammered gold or silver set with gems. The style is usually handsome and heavy, though not as squarish as the jewellery of dwarves. Halflings often supplement their own adornments with pieces of jewellery appropriated from other races.

Many halflings wear sandals when the weather is fair, but most also own sturdy leather boots for use in inclement weather and on difficult terrain.

All halfling clothing is styled for ease of movement and appropriate to the season. When quiet movement is called for, halflings sometimes wear oiled leather or soft fabrics to avoid making noise. Halflings living in large cities where another race predominates may adopt some aspects of the other race's style, but they still prefer brighter colours than most other humanoids.

Grooming

Halflings encountered on the road are as dusty as any other travellers, but they are quite fastidious about bathing and grooming when the chance presents itself. A halfling caravan may move for days before encountering a river or lake in which to bathe, but when one appears, the weary inhabitants of the wagons invariably camp and clean themselves up.

Water jugs are carried in all halfling wagons, both for drinking and for sponge baths on the road. A few halfling travellers have rigged ingenious pump-and-sprinkler systems that provide crude showers. Still, such measures are a far cry from the pleasure of a bath in crystal waters. Males and females establish separate bathing areas when they camp near water, but several members of the same gender may bathe together.

Halflings make a crude form of soap from rendered animal fat and natural minerals. This soap works fine for both bathing and washing clothes, but it tends to be rather harsh. Thus, halflings often trade for better-quality soap with more settled races.

Whether or not water is available, halflings unbind their hair every night and comb out the day’s tangles. Such grooming is often a shared ritual between lovers or family members, who chat and exchange stories of the day while combing one another’s hair.

Clothes are changed daily, when possible, and washed whenever a water source is found. Most halflings also take good care of their boots, because top-quality footgear can prevent injuries for those who travel much.

Some halflings sport tattoos as a form of personal decoration, but most avoid them because tattoos make an individual instantly recognizable. The last thing a typical halfling wants is to have a face that anyone can identify just from the description of a tattoo. Though the flamboyant clothing of halflings is also recognizable, it often serves to confound pursuers in search of thieves because it can be changed or discarded quickly. Body piercings, especially on the ears and eyebrows, are slightly more common than tattoos.

_________________
"The householder's disdain for the vagabond hides a hint of jealousy."
~ A hin proverb


 
      
AlphaWaves
 
PostPosted: Sat, Oct 02 2010, 19:51 PM 

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Psychology
(From Races of the Wild)


The call of the open road is music to a halfling's ears. Though the travelling life poses many hardships, most halflings endure them cheerfully for the benefit of the freedom that having no permanent home affords. They can camp wherever they find a safe place, stay as long as they wish, then pack up and move on when the urge strikes them. What could be better?

A Hard-working People

The majority of halflings live in caravans that travel about the countryside, camping here and there for varying amounts of time before moving on. When a halfling caravan camps in or near a community of other humanoids, the halflings take care to make their stay as beneficial as possible to the settled people. Able-bodied adult halflings hire themselves out as temporary labourers, working for pay at any job from building to farming. They also offer a variety of services to any town near their encampment, working as cobblers, tinkers, peddlers, brewers, weavers, or whatever kind of crafters the town may lack at the time. Such an arrangement can continue for a few weeks, or even a few years, before the halflings pack up their camp and move on.

Halflings also tend to distribute favours liberally within a nearby community, knowing that should any trouble arise, they will have plenty of staunch supporters to defend them from unfounded (or even founded) accusations. Such favours can take the form of aid to people in need, discounts on services for those who have little to spend, and small gifts to people who have treated them especially kindly—or unkindly. In this way, halflings make themselves welcome wherever they choose to camp.

Halflings who work for pay treat the income they receive carefully, feeding their families first and squirrelling away the rest of their spoils in their wagons until they can cache it in a secure place—preferably with a trustworthy settled half ling.

The Other Side of the Law

Owning only a minimal amount of property themselves leads halflings to look at others' possessions differently from the way that most races do. To many halflings, the property of others is but another resource that they can exploit. They can earn it with honest labour, trade for it, or mine it for themselves - by stealing. Of course, each halfling is an individual; some find it easiest to be scrupulously honest, while a few are thoroughly dishonest. Most, however, have just a trace of larceny in their souls. When they need food or money and have no easy way of obtaining it, they feel free to help themselves to the goods of those who, in their opinion, have more than they need.

They are also happy to cheat others out of their wealth by various means. Every classic confidence scam - from the old shell game to hawking fake love potions to selling land they don’t own - is perpetrated by most halfling clans on outsiders at some time. To the halflings' way of thinking, someone foolish enough to think that anyone can get something for nothing deserves to get nothing for something. Nevertheless, halflings always ensure that some of their transactions are real and honest, and that some "customers" actually profit from dealings with them. Then, should those they have cheated actually discover the duplicity, plenty of other people will be available to defend the halflings and obscure the issue until they can escape.

Halflings who appropriate the property of others or cheat customers realize that they are breaking local laws and that such practices do not endear them to their neighbours. But as long as they don’t get caught and no one comes to harm from such an incident, they do not consider it wrong. After all, from the halflings' viewpoint, the world really does owe them a living.

This free and easy attitude regarding others' belongings, combined with halflings' innate charm and willingness to help, causes other races to regard them with a mixture of doubt, exasperation, and bemusement. A town heavily damaged by floods or storms may welcome the aid of a halfling caravan while rebuilding, then become cold toward the halflings when the crisis is over. The halflings understand such shifts in attitude and move along when it is clear they are no longer wanted, taking care never to burn their bridges or give a town actual cause to hate their kind. It is always to the benefit of any group of halflings to ensure that future caravans to visit a town will be welcomed, because one of those caravans might be their own.

Personal Expression

Though they are less fiercely individualistic than elves, halflings do feel a strong need for personal expression. Their choice of clothing reflects this attitude, as does their enjoyment of various arts and crafts. Halflings usually speak their minds openly. A halfling who disagrees with someone else’s statement nearly always says so - usually politely, though a heated argument can lead some to forget their manners. Halflings freely express their emotions within their own communities, though their experience with duplicity prompts them to temper their reactions when dealing with other races.

Personal privacy is almost non-existent in a caravan. A whole family usually dwells in each wagon, and neighbours can change from day to day, depending on how the camp is arranged. Conversations in one wagon can rarely be overheard in another while on the road, but such is not always the case at a campsite. Thus, everyone tends to know everyone else’s business, and anyone feels free to offer advice to anyone else.

Personal space is likewise almost nonexistent. Halflings constantly wander in and out of one another’s dwellings to chat or examine each other’s belongings. Sometimes the stories of how certain objects came into the possession of a halfling can take hours to tell and provide entertainment for a whole clan.

The Short-term View

Though halflings have longer life spans than humans do, they are still short-lived creatures compared to races such as the elves. Thus, halflings tend to take a short-term view in much the same way that humans do. They are, however, more careful to ensure their future welcome than humans tend to be, and more careful with the environment than half-orcs are. Still, halflings take no pains to ensure the sustainability of their communities because they rarely stay in one place for long. They take what they can from the environment, and then simply leave should it become unable to support them. They do not plant trees to replace those they have cut, or sow crops to replace those they eat. Halflings take no more from the land than they need and leave it to nature to restore any
area they have used.

Openness and Secrecy

Halflings are known for their gregarious nature and open, friendly attitude toward strangers. Unless he or she presents an obvious danger, a traveller of any race approaching a halfling camp or settlement can expect a hearty welcome and an invitation to share fire, food, and ale. Such impromptu meetings are usually replete with stories, songs, and merriment. Reflecting on the conversation later, however, a stranger may come to realize that the halflings said almost nothing of importance about themselves. In fact, almost anyone who has extended contact with halflings has a nagging sense that they are holding something back.

Halflings have developed content - free conversation to a fine art. Although they speak readily and openly with strangers about most topics, they artfully turn aside questions from outsiders about their clans, homes, customs, families, and other personal matters. Such secrecy has developed in halflings over many generations as a defence mechanism to prevent disgruntled "clients" and enemies from tracking down specific halflings. Though a halfling may spin a long and amusing tale about a hapless relative, the listeners are often amazed to realize later that they have no clue at all about how to find or identify the person who was lampooned in the story.

Halfling Traits

Part of the reason why halflings prefer to spend their lives on the road is their unflagging curiosity. They simply must see what’s around the next bend - and the next, and the next, and the next. A halfling greets each new day with an excitement rarely found among humans because she recognizes it as a new opportunity for adventure - and an opportunity not seized is an opportunity lost. Halflings are cunning enough to recognize tricks the majority of the time and are rarely taken in by them, but even so, many go along with a trick anyway, just to see what’s coming next. A halfling can’t stand the idea of an unexplored cave, a closed door, or a locked chest—he simply has to see what’s inside. Poking his nose into places he hasn’t been invited may sometimes be a mistake; at other times, doing so might bring wealth, new friends, or opportunities for adventure. Indeed, halflings prefer activity to waiting and trouble to boredom because doing something is always more interesting than doing nothing.

Though halflings do not act stupidly when danger threatens, they exhibit little fear of death or the unknown. Death is but the next great adventure, and the unknown is just as likely to contain fabulous riches as grave danger. This combination of curiosity and fearlessness makes them difficult companions for those of more careful races. Often the members of an adventuring party find that while they have been talking about options, their halfling companion has already opened a door and made their discussion moot.

Despite their apparently impulsive nature, halflings can focus intently on tasks requiring concentration. Whether she is mending a weapon at a forge or picking a lock, a halfling's focus on a task she wants to accomplish is as strong as that of any other race.

A high level of activity is characteristic of most halflings. Charged with energy, they can barely sit still. Restlessness seems to radiate from their bodies, and they are prone to twitching, fidgeting, and other physical indications of the need to move about. Halflings who embrace the path of the rogue learn to mediate such responses to a degree for the purpose of stealth, but most retain their zest for activity throughout their lives.

Though they are not overly greedy, halflings enjoy accumulating wealth just as much as humans do. They spend little of what they amass, preferring to save most of it to ensure a comfortable retirement or a steady supply of food for their families. Still, they enjoy the sight of gems, the gleam of gold, and especially the joy of finding out what a new magic item does. Many halflings incorporate magic items they have found into entertainment for their clans, creating illusions or disappearing into thin air at just the right moment.

Halflings are mindful of the needs of the group as well as those of the individual; neither is more important all the time. Sometimes an individual’s needs must outweigh those of the group, especially if the person is deserving or talented. At other times, the clan’s welfare takes precedence. Halflings have a talent for evaluating situations and making judgements without being hampered by the prejudices that the clannish dwarves or the self-indulgent elves commonly display.

The highest virtues for a halfling are an adventurous spirit, a willingness to work, and a strong commitment to family and friends. Halflings who go adventuring are considered heroes because they bring back both wealth and - more importantly - stories.

Roleplaying Application: Halflings are well suited for adventuring, given their wanderlust, their curiosity, their lack of fear, and their strong need for new experiences. Halflings who leave their clans to adventure are not only welcomed back but celebrated as heroes when they return.

Halflings are usually pleasant travelling companions, though their penchant for trouble tends to cause occasional annoyance in their companions. However, they understand how adventuring parties must work together, and they are quite able to respond to threats against their companions without becoming distracted.

Though all halflings are curious, active, trouble-prone, and fearless, other aspects of an individual character require some definition. What is your character’s personality like? Does she come from a caravan or a settlement? How do her friends and family back home view her? Does she feel the need to prove herself, or is she just out for treasure and adventure?

_________________
"The householder's disdain for the vagabond hides a hint of jealousy."
~ A hin proverb


 
      
AlphaWaves
 
PostPosted: Sun, Oct 03 2010, 19:07 PM 

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Joined: 16 Jun 2006
Location: I'm pretty lost but I don't wanna be found.

Halfling Life
(From Races of the Wild)


Most outsiders believe that halflings lead a happy-go-lucky life, free from cares and responsibilities. As is often the case, however, the truth is quite different. Though having minimal possessions does avoid many of the problems faced by more settled folk, halflings must endure cold, rainy nights, hunger when food is scarce, attack by monsters in the wilderness, wagons stuck in the mud, rocky trails, and a general lack of privacy. The fact that they can face such difficulties and still wear the carefree smiles that most people associate with them is a tribute to the halfling spirit.

Halfling culture is not as old or as developed as that of the elves, but its diversity provides a richness of its own. Like a quilt sewn by many hands, halfling culture is a patchwork of different styles, arts, and attitudes. Though most halflings espouse the same general principles, each caravan (or sailing ship, for seafaring halflings) forms a subculture of its own, with particular customs, rules of behaviour, rituals, and even speech patterns. Halflings recognize this diversity and are always eager to learn the customs of others of their kind. The constant turnover among the people in a given caravan ensures that each subculture continues to grow and evolve.

Most halflings adopt noncombat professions such as blacksmith, animal herder, or some other function within the caravan. A high percentage leave the caravan at some point to take up adventuring. The halfling's need to see what’s around the next bend or behind the next door is never served as well as in an adventuring career.

Arts and Crafts

Like humans and dwarves, halflings usually specialize in crafts and professions, with each person occupying a necessary niche in the community and providing a particular service throughout his life. Each caravan has a blacksmith, a wheelwright, a wagon builder, a butcher, various cooks, hunters, animal trainers, spinners, weavers, priests, tinkers, jewellers, and general labourers. Nearly all halfling NPCs in a caravan specialize in one primary skill and take one or two ranks in several others that they have developed in case someone needs to fill in for another member of the caravan who has become ill or disabled. Such secondary skills also stand halflings in good stead when they camp near other humanoid communities and hire themselves out.

Crafts are the primary outlet for a halfling's creative side. Halflings create very little art for its own sake; there is usually little money in such endeavours. Why spend weeks making a lovely painting or statue that will have to be carried around for months and months, taking up valuable space in someone's wagon? Better to carve and paint children’s toys and sell them at the next stop. Halflings do, however, enjoy embellishing the items they use in daily life. Some paint designs of remarkable beauty on the sides of their wagons; others make jewellery
or embroider clothing for their own use. Such use of one's creative abilities is beneficial to both the individual and the community. Brightly coloured wagons can draw attention from other humanoids, attracting them to the camp, so the halflings can easily transact business with them. Likewise, striking clothing and jewellery sometimes speaks more of prosperity than of a vagabond lifestyle, which tends to put more stable businesspeople at ease.

Textiles, fashion design, metalwork, jewellery making, weaponsmithing, armoursmithing, woodworking, pottery, and other such endeavours are all considered viable expressions of one's artistic self, and even painting has its place when used for the embellishment of otherwise utilitarian objects or for profit. Skill at architecture is nearly unknown among halflings, because so few of them build permanent structures.

Music is an art form that every halfling can appreciate. It not only helps to bring in coin but also lifts the spirits after a long, hard day of travel. It provides the framework for dancing, an indulgence of which halflings are particularly fond. Only when the need for silence is great does a halfling go without his music. Someone in the camp is almost always playing a tune, and while the caravan is on the road, singing, whistling, and humming make the trip more pleasant. Favoured instruments among halflings include lutes, lyres, horns, and small drums, as well as more exotic string and percussion instruments acquired at some point in their travels. Their best-known compositions are merry tunes that draw listeners into dancing. Among their own people, however, songs of the open road and laments for the departed that can draw a tear from even the most stoic eye are equally prized.

Though most halflings have a talent for acting, they produce very few plays because such forms of entertainment tend to consume resources while doing little to mend wagons, accrue wealth, or cook dinner. Impromptu skits, however, are quite popular within certain caravans, and less than flattering representations of other races often add to the frivolity.

Among the most important arts in a halfling community is storytelling. Halflings write down practical information, such as supply lists and transaction records, but they rarely take the time to record legends or gossip. The oral tradition is stronger in the halfling race than almost any other, and almost every halfling is an accomplished storyteller. Telling tales around the campfire has been a tradition among travelling halflings for as long as anyone can remember, and the frequent turnover in caravan personnel ensures that there are always new tales to hear. Though in many cases the tales amount to little more than gossip, word of important events spreads quickly through the halfling race from caravan to
caravan. Halflings have a deep respect for the oral tradition and thus attach an absolute minimum of embellishment to the original tales. Thus, a tale spread from one end of a continent to the other will be substantially the same as when
it was first told.

Several times each year, a number of caravans gather in a prearranged location for a storytelling fair. They hold contests for the best tales and the best renderings, and they present cash prizes as well as accolades to the winners. These week-long events also feature craft booths, trained animal acts, feasting, and other forms of entertainment. Outsiders are welcome, but few ever attend, put off by the prospect of so many thieves and con artists gathered in one place.

Technology and Magic

Most halflings believe that magic is great for driving off orcs, entertaining outsiders, and dealing with the occasional emergency. In the long run, though, technology is often more practical and more reproducible. After all, just about everyone who makes a wagon wheel goes about it the same way, and if you studied a wagon wheel long enough, you could probably get a good idea of how to make one. In contrast, two spellcasters may cast the same spell in entirely different ways, and no one—not even experienced wizards—can figure out how to reproduce a spell just by seeing its effect.

The study of magic is a niche activity in halfling communities. Everyone appreciates having a few wizards, sorcerers, and clerics around for emergencies, but their usefulness is limited in daily life. Magic items, however, are another matter entirely. With only minimal instruction, anyone can use many items of power; those that are not needed can be sold for good prices. Thus, spellcasters who travel with halfling caravans often find themselves pressured to either create magic items or find something productive to do with their time. Most halflings who pursue such classes also have other professions that are more useful to the community on a day-to-day basis.

Halfling spellcasters rarely do research, and they display a preference for magic of the illusion, transmutation, and conjuration schools. Abjurers and diviners are also relatively common, while necromancers are practically unknown. Arcane spellcasters usually travel with their clans, but each usually has a wagon of his own; most halflings find it prudent to give wizards and sorcerers a wide berth in case of accidents.

Halfling technology focuses primarily on practical items and transportation. Small, portable items are favoured so that they can easily be carried in wagons or on one’s person. Any item that makes daily life easier or can get a caravan out of trouble is of great interest to a halfling band. Heavy, bulky items and equipment are of little interest to halflings unless they can see a way to sell such items at a handsome profit.

The legend that claims halflings invented horseshoes is probably false; halflings use goats more often than horses. Still, that bit of lore does speak to the depth of the halflings' passion for transportation-related equipment. Goat carts, oxcarts, mine cars, boats, gliders, and all other kinds of conveyances are fascinating to halflings, and they have improved on most of the traditional designs.

Animal breeding and training is also an essential part of halfling technology because animals power many of the halflings' conveyances and provide food for the caravan. Halflings have developed breeding to a science and can reliably produce animals with more meat, greater speed, or more endurance than those raised by most other races.

Upgrades in transportation, food preservation, medicines and tonics, and other technology of interest are quickly passed from one caravan to another—and to human, dwarf, gnome, and elf communities as well. Even technology that did not originate among the halflings spreads quickly once they get hold of it.

Love

Love is a vital part of life, and halflings enjoy it to the fullest. They are devoted to their families; the affection between children and parents, siblings, spouses, and extended family members such as grandparents and cousins is deep and unyielding. So great is the halfling devotion to family that two halflings who meet for the first time are likely to spend hours comparing genealogies to figure out how they might be related. Should a familial relationship be discovered, no matter how remote, the two treat one another like long-lost siblings—at least until one does something perfidious enough to sour the relationship.

Halflings are as eager to experience romantic love as any other humanoids. To them, romance is just another great adventure that may bring weal or woe. Infatuation is common among halflings, and since offspring frequently result from such liaisons, lovers typically formalize their relationships as soon as possible. Romantic relationships between members of the same caravan or clan are discouraged but not strictly forbidden.

Two levels of marriage exist within halfling society. Handfasting is the most common method of formalizing a relationship within a halfling community. Only the two lovers and three witnesses of their choice need be present to complete this ritual. The lovers’ hands are usually bound together with leather thongs; these are removed, knotted together, and presented to the couple at the end of the
ceremony. The lovers speak their own vows, which usually consist of a promise to look out for one another’s welfare and remain faithful for as long as love lasts. Handfasted couples are entitled to their own wagons. If neither party already owns a wagon, one is built by the community at the earliest opportunity and presented to the couple as a gift. Until then, such a couple usually lives in the wagon of one or the other's parents. Handfasted couples are expected to live and work together as long as they feel affection for one another.

Some handfastings last for decades, and a few last for life. Often, though, because halflings are intensely curious creatures, one partner becomes interested in someone else, or perhaps one wishes to leave for an extended period to go adventuring or join another caravan; and sometimes arguments simply poison the couple’s love. In such cases, couples can end their handfasting with a brief ceremony in which the knotted cords they received earlier are untied before three witnesses and presented to the now-separate individuals. Children of such a couple live with whichever parent wants them. If both do, a child can choose if he or she is old enough to speak; younger offspring remain with their mother unless she refuses them.

The second level of formalization is true marriage. Marriages are much rarer than handfastings and cannot occur between members of the same clan. Most marriages occur much later in life than handfastings, after the lovers have had a chance to live together as a handfasted couple and become certain of their love. Some couples never take this step at all, content to remain handfasted for their entire lives. A marriage is conducted by a cleric and sparks a week of celebration in the entire community. Most married couples already have wagons, but those who do not receive them from the community, just as handfasted couples do. A newly married couple is showered with gifts, and both husband and wife are instantly accorded the position of elders within the community.

The primary difference between a wedding and a handfasting is that a wedding is for life. The halflings involved may not dissolve the union, and any attempts to separate or stray result in the expulsion of the guilty party or parties from the community. Thus, marriage occurs only between halflings who are quite certain of their ability to weather the storms of a relationship. Though true marriages occasionally go sour, the parties usually learn to resolve their differences and live together in (relative) harmony.

Reproduction
Halflings reach maturity at the age of 20, and both genders are capable of reproduction for approximately 40 years thereafter. The gestation period is seven months, a little shorter than that of a human. Female halflings rarely give up working, adventuring, or pursuing their usual activities while pregnant, at least until the last month or so. Halflings with infants or very young children often choose to halt their roaming for a few seasons, picking a good camp or a permanent halfling settlement (or even a human town) until the youngsters are a little older. Not all roaming halflings do this, though; some families never leave their caravans.

Halflings are adept at avoiding trouble, and halflings with small children especially so. Despite the perils of disease, weather, monsters, and orc raids, roughly eight in ten children reach maturity.

Halflings at War

Halflings rarely declare war on others - after all, winning might mean becoming tied down with property. In the same way, having no lands and few goods of their own means that halflings have little need to defend their belongings. No one starts a war just to take a few dozen wagons, though other races may fight long and bloody conflicts over pieces of land that are often quite small. Having little to lose and no interest in a permanent home frees a halfling to enjoy life in ways that other races can never appreciate.

Halflings are certainly not pacifists, however, and often find work as mercenaries in the wars of others. Their small size and aptitude for sneaking makes them excellent scouts, and their high Dexterity and racial bonus with thrown weapons makes them valuable in units employing ranged weapons. Though halflings have no fear of melee combat, they are prudent enough to avoid it when possible. Halfling infantry units are rare, though halfling cavalry can be surprisingly effective due to the halflings’ aptitude with animals and their penchant for doing the unexpected on the battlefield.

All halflings learn to use slings and javelins well before they reach maturity. Many also learn how to use short swords and throwing axes, as well as certain exotic halfling weapons such as skiprocks and war slings. A halfling's first line of defence is usually a ranged weapon. Should an enemy get close enough for melee combat, the longsword or short sword is the most common choice.

Death

The much-vaunted halfling fearlessness extends even to death. Most halflings view death as simply the next great adventure. Though they do not court it, they take no pains to avoid risk, nor do they resort to necromancy or other magical means to stave off death.

Halfling caravans hold funerals to mourn the loss of companions and also to celebrate their next great journey. Thus, a funeral usually has two parts: a grieving ceremony followed by a party. During the grieving portion of the funeral, the entire community gives vent to sorrow. The object of this portion of the ritual is to cleanse the souls of those left behind of their grief so that they can move on, both literally and figuratively. After all members of the caravan have cried as long as they need to, they sleep, then awaken and begin the celebration. Tables are set up with places for everyone, including an empty spot for the deceased. They roast meat, pile baked goods of all sorts on crude wooden tables, and tap barrels of wine and ale. Everyone eats, drinks, and dances. From time to time, someone stands up and tells a story (often humorous) involving the deceased, and tales of his life are woven into stories to add to the general tapestry of oral tradition that ties all halflings together. The storytelling and feasting lasts until everyone has fallen asleep, usually a full day and night.

After the party ends, the body of the deceased, if present, is brought to a funeral pyre built of branches and twigs and set alight. His ashes are then scattered to the four winds, so that he might continue his journey unfettered. The goods of the deceased are distributed to the remaining members of his family or, if no immediate family is present, to his clan.

If a funeral is held for a halfling who later turns up alive, he must take another name because his original identity has been laid to rest. Even if everyone knows who he is, he must begin again as a new member of the caravan and his clan.

_________________
"The householder's disdain for the vagabond hides a hint of jealousy."
~ A hin proverb


 
      
AlphaWaves
 
PostPosted: Mon, Oct 04 2010, 3:27 AM 

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Joined: 16 Jun 2006
Location: I'm pretty lost but I don't wanna be found.

Halfling Society and Culture
(From Races of the Wild)


For the most part, halflings lay no claim to any land, build no permanent dwellings, and grow no crops. They function as permanent guests in the world, moving from one community to another, enjoying the hospitality of any friends they find, and moving along when they wear out their welcome. They carry with them only what fits in their wagons, and they live off the land when no other means of support presents itself.

Some halflings do purchase land or homes and settle down for a time, but these individuals rarely live out their lives in one spot. After a year or two the family moves on, taking to the road again or seeking a new home in a different settlement. Halflings who settle down to stay are rare indeed, usually elderly folk who have seen all they wish to see and want only a comfortable retirement. Some settled halflings allow others of their kind to camp on their land and help farm it whenever they pass through. Others settle in cities and provide safe houses for halflings who are in trouble with the law. Whatever their dwellings, settled halflings often serve as fences or "bankers" for other halflings; they provide a safe place to cache accumulated wealth so the owner doesn’t have to carry it and risk losing it to brigands.

Permanent halfling communities are generally found in the lands of other races, and their populations turn over with some regularity. Such communities offer services to travelling halflings, give them items left behind by others, and provide safe places for them to hide or store wealth, in the same way that individual settled halflings might. A halfling in such a community may at any point trade her shop for a wagon and move on with a passing caravan, leaving some other halfling (usually from the same clan) in charge of her business for as long as the newcomer wishes to stay.

Some halfling communities, whether caravans or settlements, also include a few outsiders who have been "adopted" by one clan or another. Such individuals are usually foundlings who were left at a halfling camp by parents who did not want them, or orphans the halflings found in their travels. Halflings raise such adoptees with all the privileges of membership in the clan but still expect them to leave upon reaching maturity. If an adoptee takes poorly to life on the road, the halflings may try to find her a home in the next community of her kind that they encounter. Alternatively, adoptees may find their way to a permanent halfling settlement, where an elderly shopkeeper may be happy to have the cheap labour that a child represents.

The following sections describe the framework of a halfling caravan community, the lifestyle of a lone halfling, and the structure of a settled community, as well as some of the details of mundane aspects of daily life in each of these settings.

Roleplaying Application: The day-to-day aspects of halfling society include those elements that are considered common knowledge, the basic assumptions that halflings make about the world. Consider how these assumptions affect your character’s attitude and how the different customs of others might spark his innate curiosity.

Halfling Clans

Halfling clans are groups tied together by family relationships. The precise details of how clan membership is decided vary from one clan to another, but in most cases a halfling is technically a member of both her mother’s and her father's clan at birth. Upon reaching maturity, she must formally choose between the two clans and adopt the family name of the chosen clan. Informally, however, she usually remains welcome with the clan she did not choose and may travel with either at will.

Should a halfling commit so heinous an act that his clan wishes to disassociate itself from him, the clan ruler may choose to eject him. At that point, he may formally join any other clan that will have him. If no clan ruler is willing to accept him, he becomes a clanless loner.

Clanless halflings do not suffer from the same degree of stigma as clanless dwarves do, but they can still expect to be treated with some wariness by others of their kind. Most drift from one caravan to another, always claiming membership in a clan not represented there, or make their own way in the society of some other race.

A chief or elder heads each clan, chosen by acclaim at clan gatherings that take place every five years (or sooner, in case of an elder's untimely death). The clan ruler hands down clan law, decides major disputes, and generally directs the activities of the clan. A council of clan leaders from various caravans advises him. The composition and size of the council varies with the movements of the caravans, but the clan leaders in whatever caravans are camped within twenty miles of the leader’s caravan at any given time are expected to be at the ruler’s beck and call.

Periodically, clan rulers gather to map out strategy. They examine the clans’ recent travels, discuss which other races can be expected to welcome them and which they have offended, what opportunities for work may be opening up due to wars, natural disasters, and rapid expansion or collapse of other humanoid settlements. Then they decide upon the overall movements of the halfling race for the immediate future, making note of potentially hostile areas as well as those communities expected to welcome their presence.

Within a particular caravan or settlement, the members of a clan answer to the senior member of that clan. Should the senior member be too old or infirm to function as clan leader, the next oldest member assumes the responsibility. The clan leader must give permission for all marriages and for transactions involving significant property (such as wagons). The leader also resolves disputes between clan members and decides who will take care of the family of a dead or injured member.

Family Units

The nuclear family is the foundation of halfling society. A handfasted or married couple lives together in a single wagon or home. Once a child is born, one or both parents raise it to maturity. The community plays a significant role in the development of youngsters because everyone knows what everyone else is doing. Though young halflings do sometimes manage to sneak away from the camp or town and get into trouble, such incidents are rare. The halflings have long ago learned that failure to keep their mischievous children corralled does not endear them to the members of other races among whom they may be living. Upon reaching maturity, a halfling may choose to continue living with his parents or strike out on his own, with the blessing of the community.

Younger families usually offer widowed or disabled elderly relatives a place in their wagon. Beyond that, however, extended families usually do not occupy the same wagons - uncles, aunts, and cousins travelling with the same caravan typically have their own families and their own wagons.

Illness and Aging
When a member of a caravan or settlement falls ill or is disabled, other members take over her tasks and care for her until she recovers. No recompense is expected on her part; instead, she is expected to pitch in and help in turn when someone else encounters misfortune.

Elderly travelling halflings often stay with their caravans until they can no longer tolerate the rigours of life on the road. Many never reach this point and simply die "en route." Others gradually realize that they no longer enjoy the travelling life and leave the caravan to settle down. Those with sufficient funds sometimes buy property within human, elf, or dwarf communities and set themselves up as artisans or merchants. Others settle in a permanent halfling settlement and live out their retirement with others of their kind.

Wanderers

Most halflings spend the majority of their lives travelling by either land or sea. They usually travel in large groups, though it is not uncommon for individual halflings to strike out on their own.

Caravans
Halflings who wander the wilderness usually do so in caravans. A halfling caravan may be of any size; a typical one consists of twenty-five to thirty-five wagons. Such a number ensures that the caravan makes a formidable target for monsters or brigands but still allows the wagons to spread out in a campsite without too much crowding.

A caravan may consist of only a single clan, but such a situation is rare. Usually, three to eight clans are represented in a single caravan. The clan composition of a given caravan is fluid because families are always free to leave for other caravans or strike out on their own.

Though outsiders often consider halfling caravans to be nothing more than a chaotic jumble of wagons, these rolling communities are in fact structured and stable organizations. Each member of a caravan has his place and his specific tasks to perform, and each is both welcome and needed.

Everyone in a halfling caravan has a primary task to perform. Each person also has the skills to perform one or two other functions. Thus, if tragedy should befall the caravan's blacksmith, someone else in the group can take over that function right away.

Young halflings receive basic instruction in most of the tasks associated with daily life. When a youngster displays talent and interest in one particular kind of task or craft (usually by the age of 10), she is informally apprenticed to the master of that trade in the caravan for the next five years. When she reaches the age of 16, she is apprenticed to a master of a different craft. Each year thereafter until she reaches maturity at 20, she studies a different craft under a different master. Thus, almost every member of the caravan possesses at least one rank in several different skills commonly used in the caravan. When a young halfling reaches the age of 20, she may choose to strike out on her own or to stay and practice any one of her crafts in the caravan.

Wagons
Halfling wagons range from family-sized conveyances (occupied by six or more people and pulled by oxen or a team of horse) to smaller wagons scarcely bigger than a cart (home to a single halfling and typically pulled by a donkey, pony, or occasionally a team of goats). All wagons are covered and built of sturdy hardwood to resist rot and missile weapons. Halflings often treat their wagons with water- and flame-retardant materials.

Each wagon contains a family’s personal possessions, clothing, food stores, and the equipment for whatever crafts or professions family members pursue. All wagon doors can be locked but rarely are while in camp.

While on the move, caravans usually travel by day and camp in the open at night. Each family is responsible for its own food, so family members forage for fruit and vegetables and raise their own meat animals—usually goats, chickens, turkeys, cows, pigs, or rabbits. The larger animals trot alongside the wagon, while the smaller ones usually ride in coops or hutches; all are turned loose to forage when the caravan settles into a camp. One member of the family usually cooks the meals, though in some families that responsibility rotates.

Leaders
The following officials are present in most caravans. Other functions may also exist depending upon the kinds of work the caravan members usually undertake and the races with which they usually associate.

Head Teamster: This official sets the order of wagons when the caravan moves, decides when to start and stop, and determines the direction of movement. When informed of potential hazards by the scout, he can decide whether to face them or avoid them. The head teamster also calls for more wagons to be built should they be required.
Scout: The scout is an outrider who travels ahead of the main caravan to spot potential hazards, such as box canyons or orc strongholds. The scout reports back to the head teamster every two hours. In particularly dangerous or rugged areas, a caravan may employ a chief scout and several subordinates.
Trailer: Charged with riding behind the caravan, the trailer picks up stragglers and herd animals that have wandered off. Her primary task is to ensure that no one gets lost and falls behind, and she also serves as rear scout for the caravan. Should a significant problem develop at the rear, she can call for an emergency stop. As with scouts, caravan sometimes use several trailers.
Chief Herder: This official is in charge of all the animals that travel with the caravan. The chief herder ensures that the animals have enough time to forage and that sufficient food and water are available. While the caravan moves, he travels up and down the line of wagons, checking the animals for signs of exhaustion or illness. He tends to any serious injuries on the spot and addresses any minor ones when the caravan stops for the night. While in camp, he ensures that the animals are fed. When entering areas where food is scarce, he ensures that the caravan carries sufficient food and water to sustain the animals as well as the people.
Old One: Usually an elderly halfling, the old one decides interclan disputes and advises the head teamster and clan leaders on direction of movement and strategy for negotiations. An old one occasionally has levels in diviner or some other means of magical knowledge.
Blacksmith: Respected for her importance to the community, the blacksmith equals the chief herder in rank. The two confer on issues such as what kinds of loads and terrain the caravan’s vehicles and mounts can take and what repairs are needed at any given stop.
Wheelwright/Wainwright: These two functions - repairing wheels and wagons and building new ones as needed - may be handled by a single individual in small caravans or two different halflings in larger ones.
Cook: Most families make their own meals, but the cook ensures that those halflings who are busy with other tasks all the time (such as the scout, the blacksmith, and the trailer) get adequate meals. The cook is the keeper of the supply wagon that carries extra food stores for the caravan as well as a wide array of cooking implements.
Herald: This offi cial serves as the mouthpiece for the caravan. She deals with outsiders, asking permission to camp, determining what services are needed in a given area, and providing information on the kinds of work that the people in the caravan can do.
Cleric or Deacon: Caravans often have a cleric, though some have several and others none at all. The cleric is responsible for officiating at marriages and funerals and generally looking out for the spiritual well-being of the community.

Most halflings, however, worship the deities of their choice without the aid of a cleric. In such cases, a layperson known as the deacon administers the rituals when needed, ensures that homage is paid to the deities when appropriate, and keeps track of ceremonial items for the community.

Disputes and Laws
Disputes among halflings happen frequently, but they are rarely important enough to cause a serious rift. Quarrels over practical jokes, who buys ale, or other such small matters are much more common than deadly fights over potential mates, property, or beliefs. Halflings view property of any kind, including their own coins, as transient. It’s nice when one has plenty of money, but there’s always more to be found where that came from.

Laws exist within halfling clans to cover the worst of crimes, but halflings see no point in trying to make rules for every argument. They are always free to separate from their communities to go adventuring or to join others of their clan in other caravans at any time. Thus, should enmity exist between two halflings for a long period, they usually simply go their own ways.

Disputes that cannot be resolved peacefully between the parties are adjudicated by the clan leader or by the caravan's or settlement’s old one, depending upon whether the parties are from the same or different clans.

Loners

The famous halfling wanderlust ensures that most halflings spend at least a few years of their lives wandering alone, away from their clans and caravans. Such loner halflings are often adventurers, and most fall in with other adventurers of different races. These associations can last for many years, and a loner halfling often forms fast friendships with all his companions.

Other loner halflings choose to make their own way in the cities or towns of other races. Many gravitate to human cities, where they function as thieves, burglars, or entertainers. Some set up their own shops, offering goods to the public - and clandestine aid to other halflings. A few loner halflings wander the wilderness on their own, living off the land and making friends with the outcasts and loners of other races.

Elderly halflings who have tired of the travelling life may also become loners, purchasing homes or land and settling down to retire. Such landed halflings frequently allow other halflings to stash goods and money on their property and hide out there when the heat is on.

Settled Halflings

Although halflings prefer to wander, some permanent settlements do exist. These are often founded on land belonging to a member of some other race who owes the founders a great favour. Typically in such a case, the owner grants the halfling race permission to use the land in perpetuity, and its ownership passes to the leaders of the halfling town free of charge should any new owner ever wish to sell the original owner's lands.

Such halfling settlements are rarely bigger than small towns, because few halflings truly wish to settle down. Their organization typically mirrors that of the closest settlement of some other race; they expect to have the most contact with people from that community and want them to feel comfortable. Each town does, however, have clan leaders, an old one, a blacksmith, a chief herder, and at least one priest, all of whom function as they would in a caravan.

Halflings who live in a settled community usually grow crops in addition to raising herd animals. Orchards and cultivated fields dot the surrounding area, and most settled communities are renowned for their simple pastoral beauty. Houses are usually built of the most common material in the area, wooden structures and earthen dwellings being the most prevalent.

The residents of a settled community apprentice their young in the same manner that caravan halflings do, but the choices of profession are often more numerous in a community. Every kind of artisan and merchant is represented in a halfling settlement, though they need not all be halflings. Butchers, bakers, jewellers, metalworkers, candlemakers, wainwrights, animal breeders and trainers, tinkers, potters, cobblers, weavers, seamstresses, and purveyors of magic items all have shops, and at least two taverns operate in any such town. Just about any service available in a human community is available in a halfling settlement.

The typical halfling settlement includes a school where young halflings can gain some book learning and a school of magic where those who desire to do so can train in the arcane arts. A temple to each of the major halfling deities is on hand as well.

Each community also has a "banker" and a fence. The latter buys stolen goods from itinerant halflings and resells them in safe locations. The banker caches money from wandering halflings and keeps it safe until they return, charging a small fee for the service.

_________________
"The householder's disdain for the vagabond hides a hint of jealousy."
~ A hin proverb


 
      
AlphaWaves
 
PostPosted: Mon, Oct 04 2010, 16:02 PM 

User avatar

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Joined: 16 Jun 2006
Location: I'm pretty lost but I don't wanna be found.

Halflings and Other Races
(From Races of the Wild)


Halflings are generally amiable creatures, and they form fast friendships with people who have earned their respect. Obviously foolish individuals of any race earn only their scorn, but those who prove their worth by aiding a halfling or by seeing through one of her schemes is a candidate for long-term friendship. Many a prospective mark's ire has been turned aside when the halfling who was trying to cheat him burst out into laughter and bought him a drink.

For the most part, halflings are quite tolerant of other races. They value their own ways and assume that others value theirs just as much. "Do what you like as long as you don’t get caught," goes an old halfling saying, and most halflings are quite happy to extend that same concept to other races as well.

Dwarves: Halflings admire dwarves for their industriousness and their strong family ties, both qualities that resonate through the halfling culture as well. Dwarves also have a nose for money, so allying with them on small-scale treasure hunts can be quite profitable.

Like anyone else who lives in the same place all his life, the typical dwarf is rather stodgy and more than a little provincial. Dwarves are also a bit too warlike for the halflings' taste. Why can't they just learn to get along with everyone else, like the halflings do? They’re not even content with making their own wars - they’re always trying to teach halflings how to
fight too. It’s best just to ignore them when they act arrogant and overbearing. They can't help it, after all; it's just the way they are.

Elves: Halflings are somewhat in awe of elves and their high civilization. Elves live so long and see so much that
halflings tend to feel a bit inferior around them, like awkward younger siblings. Thus, they try to be on their very best behaviour around elves, and they tend to suppress their rambunctious nature and their open, friendly charm. Only when they have lived near elves for periods extending into years do they fully come out of their shells.

In spite of their discomfort around elves, halflings appreciate the fact that elves get along with most other races, and they are also impressed by the fact that elves try their best to avoid warfare through negotiation. Halfling caravans frequently make camp near elf lands; the elves are almost always kind and welcoming, as though they were actually glad to see their smaller friends. When elves purchase their goods or ask for help with particular ventures, halflings are generally flattered and only too glad to be of assistance.

Gnomes: Gnomes are kindred spirits and fellow little people. As such, they’re made-to-order allies for halflings. And if those considerations weren’t enough to make visiting them fun, they’re also good wizards and fabulous singers. Having a gnome bard join in the evening song around the campfire is a real treat.

However, gnomes are strangely short-tempered creatures. They can be chatting pleasantly one minute and shouting the next. They also seem easily frustrated, getting worked up over the smallest things. Perhaps they’ve developed bedsores or something from sitting in one place all the time.

Half-Elves: Half-elves are just like elves but less so. They have the same grace and charm in a halfling's eyes, but their demeanor isn’t as intimidating as that of a full elf’s. Half-elves live much shorter lives, so they’re not always talking about things that happened hundreds of years ago. This tendency to live in the here and now tends to endear them to their halfling companions.

Half-elves have all the charm of their elf parents, coupled with a respect for the ways of others that can come only from being part of more than one culture. They're as good at negotiating for what they need as halflings are, though many of them have a troubling honest streak. They're also individualists, each different from the others, and each interesting in her own way. All these factors make them real kindred spirits, though they're a little too tall.

Half-Orcs: In general, halflings consider half-orcs strong like bulls - and dumb like bulls. They tend to make good marks for confidence games and even theft, but woe to the halfling who is caught. Half-orcs are the least susceptible to halfling charm and wit of all the other races.

On the other hand, it’s nice to be on the good side of a halforc when a strong sword-arm is needed. Maybe half-orcs don't always get the more subtle jokes, but they can appreciate the more obvious kinds of humour that few others do. Of course, any halfling who can get a half-orc to laugh almost always gets a free drink for the effort.

Humans: Halflings enjoy the company of humans more than that of any other race. Endlessly adaptable and everchanging, they are very much like halflings in spirit. Halflings have worked hard to cultivate their relationship with humans and ensure that they are always welcome in human settlements. To gain the enmity of the human race would deprive the halflings of a significant area in which to roam, because humans hold more lands than any other race.

Halflings consider humans big and goofy, but rather sweet in their own way. They're smart and adaptable, they like to travel, and they can work hard when they want to. They're almost as friendly as half-elves and a little bit gullible like half-orcs—a winning combination in any halfling's book.

Human settlements are good places for halflings to find work, because humans always need something done. Often this need stems from their odd tendency to declare war on one another, but that's their own business. Even without a war, they're always creating - building, expanding, and inventing. Their societies are varied and always changing, and halflings who go to the same settlement a second time may find its needs and outlook very different.

Raptorans: To a halfling, a raptoran seems like a combination of an eagle and an elf. The raptorans' cleverness and their ability to fly fascinate the halflings, who can’t get enough of raptorans' stories about how it feels to have the wind in their faces. On the other hand, raptorans aren’t very good customers, since they hardly ever want to buy anything, and they usually don’t need to hire out any work. They also prefer that halflings camp far away from their homes and not remain long if they do pass through the area.

Overall, halflings find raptorans a bit standoffish, and see their need to give permission for camping on open land as ludicrous. This practice, combined with the raptorans' tendency to consider proposals for a long time, leads halflings to conclude (incorrectly) that they can do anything they wish on raptoran land as long as they ask first. Such misapprehensions have led to more than one clash between the two races.

Roleplaying Application: The above generalizations represent how an average halfling is likely to view someone
from a given race. Since there are no average members of society, it's up to you to decide how well these comments fit your impressions of the individual. Does your character adhere to the stereotypes presented above? If not, why not? Was there something in your character’s past that changed his or her view of a given race from the status quo?

_________________
"The householder's disdain for the vagabond hides a hint of jealousy."
~ A hin proverb


 
      
AlphaWaves
 
PostPosted: Mon, Oct 04 2010, 16:30 PM 

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Joined: 16 Jun 2006
Location: I'm pretty lost but I don't wanna be found.

Language
(From Races of the Wild)


Halfling is a language dedicated more to practicality than to beauty. Though it flows and has a lyrical quality suitable for the songs of bards, it is not as fluid as the language of the elves.

Halfling draws many terms from other languages, and new words are added all the time to account for new objects and new concepts that halflings encounter. Often, a single word may refer to a complex concept. For example, there might be a single word for "Little green leaf" and another for "big red leaf." Halflings work this treasure trove of words, some with very similar meanings, into rich tapestries of oral composition, and it enriches their songs and stories to a level that is beyond translation.

The Halfling tongue has many words for travel, wagon, wheel, draft animal, and other concepts relating to movement, but few for home and hearth. Halfling is ill-suited for describing cities, industries, or other settled pursuits, but it is richly detailed when speaking of nature, travel, and cultures. It is also quite appropriate for clandestinely exchanging information during the planning and execution of heists and confidence ploys.

Most halfling words are short, only one or two syllables; most seemingly long words are in fact compounds. As with Elven, subjects are often left out of sentences, particularly when they are pronouns. Gestures can add another dimension of meaning to the words and sometimes enable halflings to communicate about multiple topics at once.

Halfling Phrasebook

The following phrases and idioms are common in halfling culture, so halfling PCs may utter them from time to time. Translations tend to take up more space than the Halfling versions because Halfling words encompass complex meanings. You can use either the actual Halfling words or the Common translations, depending on your style at the gaming table.

Guil dulutane sig thibu nis balant rilldi. "The rabbit can dine royally only once unless it knows the whereabouts of the farmer's dog." This phrase is one of many sayings that basically means "Thou shalt not get caught." This saying also admonishes the listener to look before leaping.

Galanmo gort silmat revora. "The householder’s disdain for the vagabond hides a hint of jealousy." This saying is an affirmation of the halfling zest for travel and new experiences. It also serves as a curt dismissal of folk who jeer at halflingsfor their wandering ways.

Sitreere tuamo; dric rudanto. Sithi murant, la mento ulatir soba tua mo rudo. "A horse is tall and strong; a pony is short and nimble. Each is content with her lot, and neither feels the need to remind the other which is the taller or the shorter." This saying is a reminder that different kinds of folk have different capabilities, and a warning against braggarts and folks who jeer. A horse knows it's taller than a pony, and a pony that it’s smaller than a horse; each is the right size for what it is.

Issme milta issnoventu; sopi ginutawesin ventu. "A place that's a feast for the eyes and the senses is a movable feast; you carry the memory of it wherever you go." Another affirmation of halfling wanderlust, this saying reminds the listener that a person need not tarry somewhere to experience its joys. Just move on and savor the memory.

Donta muden sito Donta likin menli—grunti la danko. "Finding a gullible person is like finding a purse in the road - take it quickly and move on." Fortune can come in many forms, so make the best of your opportunities. Still, don't hang around in one place waiting for more. If you wait on the road for another purse to drop, you'll eventually be run over. Likewise, if you stick around after conning someone, you’ll certainly be caught.

Kendit hilto pintith ento nitli. "A lie is a spear with a point at each end." It can be useful to tell a lie once in a while, but like a two-headed spear, it can skewer you if you push it in too hard.

Rundo enka rindo, endi likni supa, la mento illli nitka sento. "A wheel's rim is round, but its spokes are straight, and neither is any good without the other." This saying is a reminder that disparate elements can work together to form a useful whole.

Paditma sinti bimini nibit, endi paditnim sinti latamin. "A bird in the hand means a morsel on the table, but a bird in the bush means song in the morning." These words remind the listener that some efforts might produce inferior results in the long run. Sometimes it is best to let things develop before acting.

Sobenit rill modot allin vento fimit soga. Wenlit modit gimlit vemit fimil nodoti. "Pity the farmer who curses the rain because it might spoil the hay. Yesterday he cursed the drought because it was spoiling the roots." This saying is a warning
against seeing the cloud around every silver lining. It is also a jibe toward sedentary folk.

Halfling Lettering

The Halfling alphabet consists of twenty-two characters and uses the Common script. Since so little is written down in Halfling, few studies have been done on how its rendering differs from Common.

Naming

Unlike dwarves or elves, who bear their names with pride, halflings do not attach great importance to names. Although a halfling does not change her clan name (unless it becomes advisable to do so in order to avoid difficulties), she may use and discard several names over the course of her life as her circumstances and perspective change.

Each halfling name consists of one or more name fragments and possibly an earned name. When combining two halfling name fragments, an "o" or "ee" is frequently added between them. Female halfling names sometimes double the last consonant and add an "-a" (thus, Furgren becomes Furgrenna). If you don’t like a particular combination, try adding an "a," "i," or "y" between the name fragments, or add "-en" or "-enna" to the end. Not every combination of name fragments will sound right; if you can’t make a particular name work, try to create one with a similar meaning.

The definitions for halfling names sometimes end up being no more than a list of pleasant things. Calopee might mean "cheese and riddles" and still be a well-respected halfling name. Of course, it might also mean "the timeless quest" - or it might mean both. Halflings enjoy playing with their names' definitions and might decide to change a definition just to confuse a friend or member of another race.

Earned names are descriptors or titles given to individuals after some important or heroic event. Although these names were once given in the halflings' native tongue, they are now usually in the Common tongue due to the influence of human culture. A halfling character might acquire an earned name during game play or start the game with an earned name. You can choose one to match a character’s personality.

Sample Halfling Names

Arv Badger, fearless, fierce
Baris Curse, fool, hapless, unlucky
Brand Adventurous, bold, courage, hero
Bren Black, cold, dark, night
Cal Curious, joker, quest, riddle
Chen Beard, hairy, handsome, warm
Cyrr Defender, elder, strong
Dair Playful, rascal, thief
Dal Home, provider, shield
Deree Brother/sister, squire, stout
Dric Donkey, lazy, pony, stubborn
Eere Deer, high, jumping, tall
Essel Arrow, bow, fleet, flying
Fur Comfortable, common, heritage, snug
Galan Burrow, earth, field, house
Gen Bargain, diligent, merchant, trader
Gren Baker, cook, feast, green, plenty
Ien Blue, clean, sweet, water
Illi Big, deity, greatest, power
Indy Beautiful, forest, kind, woodland
Iss Festive, gala, happy, village
Kal Cunning, fox, prankster
Kep Child, small, young
Kin Dance, dancing, fire, quick
Li Bard, legendary, story
Llalee Food, happy, hearth, home
Lur Hard, stone, white
Mel Lad/maiden, playful, wild
Opee Cheese, lasting, timeless, yellow
Ped Cherry, copper, red
Pery Flower, love, loyal, romance
Penel Crafter, merit, valuable, weaver
Reen Peaceful, peacekeeper, sheriff, warrior
Rill Farm, farmer, food, life
Royl Divine, eternal, immortal
Sheel Air, clouds, rainy, weather
Thea Feet, honor, proud
Ur Deadly, final, judge, stern
Wort Brown, herb, silent, mushroom
Yon Father/mother, teacher, wise

Halfling Earned Names

Bones, Caller, Cloak, Earth, Eye, Fast, Foot, Glen, Glitter, Gold, Hand, Heart, Hill/hillock, Hollow, Honor, Laughing, Leaf, Lightning, Man/Lady, Meadow, Moon, Nimble, Quick, Reed, Shadow, Silver, Skin, Sly, Small/Little, Smooth, Stout, Strider, Sun, Swift, Thistle, Wanderer, Warm, Wild, Will, Whisper.

_________________
"The householder's disdain for the vagabond hides a hint of jealousy."
~ A hin proverb


 
      
AlphaWaves
 
PostPosted: Mon, Oct 04 2010, 17:37 PM 

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Joined: 16 Jun 2006
Location: I'm pretty lost but I don't wanna be found.

Halfling Towns and Caravans
(From Races of the Wild)


Most halflings spend their lives wandering from place to place, with lengthy stops wherever they find pleasure and profit. Most of this travelling is done by wagon in caravans, but some is by boat.

A campsite is chosen based on the length of the proposed stay. A site for a one-night stay should be defensible, have a sizeable clear space for wagons, and provide some water and grazing for the animals. It should also be free of obvious predators and preferably out of sight of hostile forces such as orc bands. In addition to the above, a site for a longer stay requires a good water source, abundant hunting, wood for fires and for wagons, and plenty of wild roots and berries for gathering. Halflings rarely worry about replanting what they have taken; they simply move on when resources run low and trust to nature to replenish the land over time.

Selection of a site for a permanent settlement is something of a serendipitous process because it depends largely on the charity of those who own the land. Defence, water, wood, food, and grazing lands are all desirable, but halflings learn to make do with the lands to which they receive rights. The best lands have not only the basic resources but also raw materials for various crafts.

A permanent halfling settlement is described below as both a reference for DMs looking to design their own and as a location for use in a campaign that features halflings.

Halfling Economy

Within a halfling community, most commerce is done on a barter system; halflings do not like to carry large amounts of money in their wagons, feeling this makes them attractive targets to bandits. Since most halfling caravans operate like extended families anyway (and some are, when the clans are closely related), this system comes naturally to its members.

However, halflings do regularly trade with outsiders, and they do accumulate money. On rare occasions, halflings within the same caravan may pay one another in money for goods or services, but such transactions are frowned upon. Money is usually reserved for commerce with outsiders. Halflings sell their goods and services and accumulate cash reserves to tap when needed. They deposit most of their cash with a "banker," a settled halfling either in a large human city or in a permanent halfling town. Though some bankers use or invest money in a depositor’s absence, most leave it buried, hidden, or safely cached on their property, knowing that the depositor can ask for all of it at a moment’s notice.

Halfling communities do not mint any coins of their own, though they do sometimes melt down recognizable treasure and form it into jewellery or gold bars. Halflings know the value of all other cultures’ currency, and bankers can change one currency to another for a small fee.

Example Settlement: Fanta's Meadow

Fanta's Meadow is situated on a forty-acre piece of meadowland adjoining several farms in a rural area populated by humans. A stream cuts through the southern half of the meadow, providing water for the crops the halflings choose to grow and for their orchards. The soil is rich, and about one-fourth of the land is naturally wooded. A rocky ridge stretches along the northern side of the property.

The town was named for the halfling clan leader who negotiated its use. The land was deeded to the halflings in perpetuity by a grateful human wizard for whom the halflings did a great favour.

The business section of Fanta's Meadow consists of two long, rambling, two-story buildings that stretch for a quartermile and more on either side of a wide main street. These structures house a number of shops, all of which connect with one another. A customer can literally walk through two dozen shops without leaving the shelter of the building. Crafting areas, such as forges and ovens, often extend outdoors, behind the row of shops. The proprietor of each shop can fence goods related to his or her craft.

Toward the south end of town is an immense open area where caravans can park. At either end of this area are taverns that have a few rooms for rent.

The ridge on the north side of town contains numerous burrows hollowed out from the stone and secured with wooden doors. A few of the townspeople live in these underground homes, but most live in rooms above their shops. Most of these burrows belong to travelling halflings who come here to stay during seasons of inclement weather. The typical burrow consists of a kitchen, a living room, a family room, and one or more bedrooms. All have earthen floors, but the walls are plastered or panelled with wood.

The current leader of Fanta's Meadow is Justicia Wainwright, great-great-granddaughter of Fanta. Justicia lives in a modest burrow home with her family and tends to town business from an office in the east commercial sector.

Farms surround the settlement on all sides, providing grain, vegetables, and meat animals for slaughter. Each farm features a small house for the family.

Image


Central Temple: On the west side of town, just before the tree line, stands a building with several wings radiating out from the middle like the spokes of a wheel. These "spokes" are connected by a ring of open gardens. This building houses shrines to each of the halfling deities—Arvoreen, Brandobaris, Cyrrollalee, Sheela Peryroyl, Urogalan, and Dallah Thaun - along with their resident clergy. Each spoke is devoted to a different god, but the one that contains Dallah’s shrine is concealed behind a secret door. The round central chamber is Yondalla’s shrine.

The central chamber can contain the whole community if need be, and the temple is stocked with enough supplies in underground larders to support the community for a month.

Caravan Circle: This large open area on the south end of town is provided as a place for halfling caravans to camp. It can accommodate up to sixty wagons comfortably. When caravans stop here, they usually unpack all their gear, inspect everything and repair whatever needs it, trade for what they need, cache money with the banker (see below), and restock their food supplies. Then they pack everything back into their wagons and continue on their way. The average stay is two weeks.

At present, two caravans, each with twenty wagons, are camped at this site. One plans to leave in three days; the other has just arrived.

Party Tree: In a clearing in the wooded section of town stands a huge oak tree with spreading branches that form a canopy of sorts. The community uses this area for revels of various kinds, often hanging lanterns from the boughs of the tree and decorating its trunk and branches with strings of beads, braided leather thongs dyed in various shades, and other embellishments suitable for the occasion at hand.

East Commercial Buildings: This area houses a blacksmith, a wainwright, a wheelwright, a general store, a potter, a butcher, a bakery, a candle shop, a guide service, a mapmaker, a cobbler, and a cabinet-maker who doubles as the town's banker. It also contains the office of the community leader, Justicia Wainwright.

West Commercial Buildings: This area houses a tinker, a joiner, a tailor, a weaver, a moneychanger, a jeweler, a weaponsmith and armorsmith, an herbalist, a miller, a magic shop, a woodworker, and an animal trader/trainer.

Stockyard: Atop the ridge is an immense paddock divided into several sections to house various livestock. Horses, ponies, donkeys, cattle, sheep, pigs, goats, rabbits, and chickens are kept here for trade to caravans or for sale to residents. A large barn and chicken coop on the north side provides shelter for the animals in inclement weather and storage for their tack.

Taverns: The Pin Oak and the Merry Rogue both provide meals and a typical selection of wines, ales, and beers, but the Merry Rogue has the better selection of drinks, while the Pin Oak has the better food. Below the Pin Oak is a safe house and thieves’ guild for rogues. Each inn has ten rooms for rent plus a common room.

School: At the west end of Burrow Ridge stands a small building that serves as a school for youngsters both of the community and of the caravans that stop here. It provides a modicum of book learning for those who would not otherwise get much. Reading, writing, and arithmetic are taught here, along with the history of the halfling race and other races.

_________________
"The householder's disdain for the vagabond hides a hint of jealousy."
~ A hin proverb


 
      
AlphaWaves
 
PostPosted: Mon, Oct 04 2010, 17:48 PM 

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Joined: 16 Jun 2006
Location: I'm pretty lost but I don't wanna be found.

Character Classes
(From Races of the Wild)


Due to their racial abilities and cultural norms, halflings make exceptional rogues. Nevertheless, the halfling's bonus to Dexterity also stands her in good stead as an archer or a member of any fighting class, opening a wide array of class options.

Barbarian: Halfling barbarians are not common; most halflings thrive on regular contact with other societies and thus pick up a modicum of civility. However, a few halfling caravans, cut off from other lands generations ago by some natural disaster, could have reverted to a wilder state.

Barbarian may seem like a poor choice for a halfling because of his racial penalty to Strength, but the rage ability helps to make up for that deficiency, and a halfling's high Dexterity provides a good Armor Class. Furthermore, because of his small size and his racial bonus on thrown weapons, a halfling barbarian can be quite effective in ranged combat.

Bard: Song and story are the foundation of the halflings' strong oral tradition, so bard is a natural choice for character class. A bard can be a valuable addition to a halfling caravan because of her ability to support and enhance the abilities of others, and the halfling racial skill bonuses augment many of the bard's class skills. Halfling bards are also welcome in other communities, so they can serve as heralds to announce the arrival of their caravans and shills to spread rumours that may later support confidence schemes.

Cleric: Halfling clerics can use magic stone to take advantage of their racial bonus with thrown weapons, bull’s strength to make up for their racial penalty to Strength, and searing light to take advantage of the racial bonus to Dexterity. A number of cleric spells can also augment rogue abilities, thus complementing the halfling's favoured class. Obscuring mist and darkness can aid in hiding, command and enthrall can help confuse marks or keep enemies from attacking, and locate object can help find loot.

Druid: Halflings often feel an affinity for the druid class because of the amount of time they spend outdoors in their
travels. The druid's wild shape ability can help a halfling overcome limitations imposed by his small size and provide an excellent disguise to boot. The trackless step and woodland stride class features let a halfling move freely without being tracked, and speak with animals and speak with plants can be used to gather considerable information about an area and
the people in it. In addition, druids have access to magic stone and obscuring mist, just as clerics do, in addition to some useful spells clerics do not have, such as fog cloud.

Fighter: A halfling fighter is at a disadvantage compared to fighters of other races because of her penalty to Strength, but this choice becomes a much more viable one when feat choices play to the halfling's strengths. Weapon Focus makes a halfling's ranged attacks even more deadly, and Weapon Finesse allows a halfling to take advantage of her Dexterity for melee combat. Furthermore, two of the halfling's racial skill bonuses (Climb and Jump) play directly into the fighter's class skills, so each point spent on one of those skills goes farther.

Monk: Halflings who appreciate order sometimes choose the path of monk. Though such discipline seems at odds with a halfling's curiosity, racial penalty to Strength, and sometimes short attention span, monk can be a surprisingly effective class choice for halflings. A halfling's racial bonus to Dexterity and her size bonus help both her Armor Class and her attacks. The monk’s fast movement gets a halfling out of scrapes more quickly, and slow fall can also save her bacon. Combat Reflexes and Weapon Finesse are excellent feat choice for halfling monks, because these play directly to their high Dexterity. Furthermore, the monk’s abundant step ability can get a halfling monk into places she couldn't normally go - always a plus for a character with a bit of larceny in her soul.

Paladin: Halfling paladins have the same kinds of drawbacks and opportunities that halfling barbarians and fighters do, and the same feat and skill choices are useful. Though not all halfling deities are lawful good, paladins of Yondalla are reasonably common, and they are much respected for their ability to take care of their communities in the goddess's name. A paladin can provide healing and keep evil at bay, and his aura of courage helps his companions take heart.

Ranger: Halfling rangers face the same limitations and opportunities as halfling barbarians, fighters, and paladins, and the same feat and skill choices are useful. Halfling rangers excel at hiding, thanks to their small size and high Dexterity. The ranger’s archery combat style is an excellent choice for a halfling, but two-weapon fighting isn’t a bad choice either, especially if the character has the Weapon Finesse feat and fights with two light weapons.

Rogue: Rogue is the favoured class for halflings because it plays to the race’s strengths in almost all ways. Small, quick, and quiet, halflings are adept at sneaking into places secured against entry and at appropriating goods covertly. Their racial skill bonuses all play directly to the rogue’s best skills, and their racial bonus to Dexterity gives them a benefit on numerous other rogue skills as well as to Armor Class. In addition, halflings have no trouble infiltrating other societies because their travels make them ubiquitous.

Sorcerer: Though they do not have the innate affinity for arcane magic that elves do, halflings can make very practical use of it. Evocations are handy for driving intruders away from caravans, and ray spells make use of a halfling's racial bonus to Dexterity. That same bonus combined with the halfling's small size provides a hefty bonus to Armor Class, which comes in handy for any sorcerer. In addition, a halfling can choose from a variety of familiars that play to his racial strengths because of the skill bonuses they provide.

Wizard: Halfling wizards can be even more versatile than sorcerers because of the larger number of spells they have available. A halfling wizard can play to her strengths by choosing spells such as true strike and haste. For those occasions when she wants to function more like a spellcaster than a magically augmented fighter, she can merely select a different set of spells.

_________________
"The householder's disdain for the vagabond hides a hint of jealousy."
~ A hin proverb


 
      
AlphaWaves
 
PostPosted: Mon, Oct 04 2010, 19:34 PM 

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Joined: 16 Jun 2006
Location: I'm pretty lost but I don't wanna be found.

Luiren
(From Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting)


Capital: Beluir
Population: 838,080 (halflings 92%, humans 4%, elves 2%, half-elves 1%)
Government: Benevolent theocracy
Religions: Brandobaris, Tymora, Yondalla
Imports: Metalwork items, liveestock
Exports: Ale, beer, fruit, grain, produce
Alignment: LG, NG, N

Luiren is the only realm of Faerûn ruled by and inhabited nearly exclusively by halflings. It is the homeland of the strongheart halflings as much the same way the Great Rift is the homeland of the gold dwarves. Small numbers of lightfoot and ghostwise halflings live here as well, but nine tenths of the halfling population is made up of stronghearts - in fact, the term "Luiren halfling" is widely taken to refer to the strongheart folk, even though it's not strictly accurate.

Luiren's folk are farmers, artisans, and merchants, as are the folk of most lands. Luiren's rich fields feed the Great Rift, and its orchards produce oranges, limes, and lemons greatly in demand in northern lands. Luiren woodcarving is superb, on par with that of Tethyr, and pieces of woodworking are traded too. While few people think of halflings as possessing any real military traditions, the Luiren folk maintain well-organised militias led by the monks and clerics of the local temples and supported with powerful divine magic. Halfling archers and clerics standing their ground with strength and skill have crushed more than one invasion of humans, orcs, or gnolls from the Shaar.

Luiren boasts no real government other than local authorities, but temples of the halfling pantheon tie together society and collectively govern the land, generally under the guidance of the Temple of Yondalla. The Devout Voice of Yondalla Faran Ferromar (LG male strongheart halflings Clr13 of Yondalla) is the preeminent leader of the faith and thus the effective leader of Luiren.

Luiren halflings don't see themselves as half of anything or anyone, and generally refer to themselves as hin.

Life and Society

Most of the Luiren folk live seminomadic lives, dwelling no more than six months or a year in any one city. Luiren's cities reflect this wanderlust and mobility. Clans, families, businesses, and temples maintain permanent dwellings and hillside holes - complete with jobs and duties, normally - that are open to newly arriving individuals or families. At any given time, only three fourths of the living quarters of Luiren cities are occupied. Before leaving a home, halflings who want to be welcomed back clean and ready the home they've been living in for its next occupants. Unless they've been extremely bad tenants, their neighbours and friends help.

Teamwork is important to the Luiren hin. Compared to the halflings native to the north, the hin emphasise group effort and communal work over individualism. Individual halflings don't often remain in the same groups for long. The groups themselves tend to endure, but the halflings filling the roles one season are not at all guaranteed to be present, or even part of the same social group in another city, two seasons later.

Humans, elves, dwarves, and even gnomes have a difficult time understanding how Luiren society can appear so orderly and lawful when its individual members change their stripes the way other people buy new clothes. Luiren hin know the outsiders think their ways are strange, but find it disturbing that outsiders maintain the same habits all their lives.

The one habit that Luiren folk enjoy too much to leave behind them is their dedication to the Games. Luiren's Games are local, regional, and kingdomwide sporting events followed with interest by the nation's citizens. The type of sport that's played during the Games constantly changes. At the moment, the two most popular sports are ridge running and kite flying. Ridge running is a type of competitive obstacle course in which teams from different cities compete in races. Magic cast by the competitors during the race is allowed, but participants who use magic can also be targeted by magic cast by members of the other team. Kite flying is "Art-free," meaning it is conducted free of magic of all types.

It's rare for halflings raised in northern Faerûn to visit Luiren and have any desire to stay - most halfling immigrants find the land and its ways strange. But some northern halflings emigrate to Luiren and stay forever, and some Luiren hin can't wait to escape their home nation and live like northern folk.

Major Geographical Features

Monsters of the forests and swamps once plagued Luiren, but over many generations the hin have tamed large stretches of the land. The countryside is fertile, rich in game, and pleasant-looking. But it's also full of wildlands that resist all attempt to pacify them. These days, young hin warriors and mages keep an eye on the wildlands to keep monsters from troubling the roads and cities. Foreign adventurers are welcome to "try their luck" in Luiren's forests and swamps, and can even keep half the treasure they find - a bargain, given that the monsters obviously took treasure from Luiren folk in the first place.

Lluirwood: This dense forest defines Luiren's northern borders. Druids, rangers, and some rogues of Luiren feel most comfortable in the Lluirwood's southernmost parts. Other hin seldom venture into the forest, lacking the skills required to stay one step ahead of the monsters that come down into the forest from teh Toadsquat Mountains. When the tall mouthers, trolls, and other beasts make the mistake of venturing out of the Lluirwood, they're usually quickly dealt with by Luiren militia, Yondalla's clerics, or hin hunters. but the Luirwood remains dangerous to travellers.

Mortick Swamp: The Mortick Swamp, the only swamp in the region, is infested by a large number of merrow (aquatic ogres) and scrags (aquatic trolls). These hulking monsters often raid the lands nearby, carrying off livestock and plundering food stores. A powerful ogre shaman or chieftain known as the Bog King leads the merrow, and sometimes succeeds in bending the scrags to its will as well.

Southern Lluirwood: South of the Lluirwood and west of Luiren, the Southern Lluirwood is mostly untamed. The eastern flank of the forest is relatively tame, patrolled by militia units from Luiren and halfling druids and rangers. Beholders and yuan-ti roam the forest’s deeper zones.

Important Sites

Luiren’s cities welcome foreign travelers in peace. A small number of human merchants and craftsfolk have taken up residence in the cities.

Beluir (Metropolis, 27,210): Outsiders think of Beluir as the capital of Luiren because it’s the biggest city and contains a high temple to Yondalla. None of Luiren’s cities are really the center of authority, but foreign diplomats and emissaries come here first in search of the Devout Voice of Yondalla. Great Sea merchants make port in Beluir to buy Luiren’s produce and handiwork.

Chethel (Large City, 14,512): This port town is one of Luiren’s main trading cities. Roughly one-tenth of its inhabitants are elves and half-elves. Of all Luiren’s cities, Chethel seems most like an ordinary human city. A few families who have befriended the elves choose to stay put, placing a veneer of stability over the otherwise nomadic foundation. The other long-term residents are hin who make a fine living at boat-building.

Thruldar: Lying on the easternmost verge of the Lluirwood, Thruldar is a ruined Estagundan town watched over by several nearby tribes of ghostwise halflings. About a hundred years ago, a powerful evil druid allied with dark trees and murderous plant monsters destroyed Thruldar, but the nearby ghostwise tribes slew the druid and raised magical wards to contain the druid’s minions in the ruins. The druid’s ghost and numerous plant monsters still lurk in ruined Thruldar, along with what is left of the town’s wealth.

Regional History

See: The Ghostwars.

_________________
"The householder's disdain for the vagabond hides a hint of jealousy."
~ A hin proverb


 
      
AlphaWaves
 
PostPosted: Mon, Oct 04 2010, 21:01 PM 

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Joined: 16 Jun 2006
Location: I'm pretty lost but I don't wanna be found.

Chondalwood
(From Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting)


The Chondalwood is a large expanse of forest south of Chondath. It is a rarity in that its borders continue to expand, particularly to the north. Satyrs and centaurs roam this land, as well as various plant creatures such as shambling mounds and tendriculoses. Mistletoe and other parasitic plants are common, as are all sorts of mushrooms and other fungi. The druids who live within the heart of the Chondalwood are savage, angry dervishes, as willing to attack paladins as orcs in their protection of the woodlands.

A sizeable nation of elves also calls the Chondalwood home. These wild elves never joined the Retreat, and they remain hidden in the depths of the wood today, ready to repel human encroachment. The secretive ghostwise halflings live here as well, a barbaric folk of nomadic clans deep within the forest.

_________________
"The householder's disdain for the vagabond hides a hint of jealousy."
~ A hin proverb


 
      
Kamina
 
PostPosted: Sun, Feb 22 2015, 15:01 PM 

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Joined: 05 Jul 2007
Location: Kent, England.

Elflings and other bloodlines


Not all Hin are 100% midget and 0% anything else. Just with all races, Halflings are just as suspect-able for xenophiles as the rest of the folk in the world. We'll go through some strange Halfling concoctions and how they integrate in to Halfing society!

Elflings

Amia's Subrace page wrote:
Elflings are the stuff of legends. Halfling legends, at least. A result of elf and hin love, elflings aren’t often seen in Faerûn. Even when one is spotted, few think the fellow is anything more but a graceful halfling.

Elflings resemble hins more than elves: they are short and merry. They’re considerably prettier and more graceful than normal halflings. Elfling skin and hair colour depend on the subrace of the parents, though few manage to grow as impressive moustache or sideburns as the short side of the family.

Combining the enthusiasm and love for life hins have and the aesthetical interests of the elves, elflings are often considered a blessing in the halfling community they happen to be born in. They are celebrated as gifts from the gods. Due to this, many elflings develop a strong confidence, even a slight sense of superiority. Charismatic and pleasant folk as they are, this does not make them any less popular, though. One trait all elflings have in common is the inevitable wanderlust that burns in them. Coming from both sides of the family, its allure is simply too great for an elfling to resist for long.

Virtually all elflings are adventurers of some sort. Most excel in the arts of the bard and those who don’t, often become skilled rogues. Because of their unusual bloodline, many elflings also have an exceptional tie to the Weave: a good deal of elflings manifest sorcerous powers at one point in life. Elflings are hardly ever evil in nature, being simply too good-hearted and care-free for that.
As you can read on the article on the left, Elflings aren't too common about Faerûn, though it's not to say romantic partnerships between the two races aren't at all possible. Elflings, like typical Half-Elf folk, tend to gravitate towards both ends of their heritage. This tends to lead them to a vital role in Halfling communities: Diplomats. An Elfling living in a caravan or a village that is travelling or lives near an Elven settlement can prove their worth by aiding their kin strike deals and alliances with the Elfling's other half.

On Amia in particular, Elflings tend to have a lot of access to their two bloodlines, either living in around Winya and visiting Bendir Dale or vice versa. Their fusion of Elven and Halfling lifestyles can bring a vital component to either community. The Halflings may benefit from an Elfling who has learned the Elven way of Arcane archery, while the Elven community may benefit from an Elfling's small stature and sneaking abilities.

All in all, an Elfling is an usual folk, however their existence, through the mating of an Elf and a Halfling, proves their blessed bloodline in many forms.


Draconic bloodlines.

Dragons are weird things aren't they? They just love to put their Draconic bloodline in to any living thing they can get their hands on! While we're not dealing with a Half Red Dragon, Half Cow here, Hin are just a suspect-able to finding out their great, great, great grand-pappy is a benevolent Dragon sitting upon a mountain of gold.

What we'll discuss here, is the Draconic traits of common Dragons (Metallics and Chromatics) and what their abilities may bring to the Halfling community.

Metallic Dragons.

Goody-two-shoes Dragons are a great gift for the law-abiding folk of our Hin communities. Those who pursue to awaken their bloodlines may prove to bring something else to the table that other Hin might not.

Gold Blood

Gold Dragons, being Paladin-esque in nature, have several traits that a Halfling showing such will benefit from. The desire to promote good causes may lead them to be charity workers, clerics or paladins. While their Draconic strength may come in handy, Halflings who find themselves activating the blood of their Golden ancestor or even find themselves being directly related to one (Half-Dragon) may find themselves as advisers and seers, or bards on search of grand adventures.

Silver Blood

Silver Dragons, one of the more socially-driven Metallic dragons about, these Halflings who inherit their blood may see themselves run grand Inns or help fledgling Hin adventurers gear up for their journeys. Their love for peace may see them be vital architects, their Draconic strength can carry blocks of stone for walls, their wings helping them reach the highest towers they build for lookouts.

Copper Blood

Oooooh dear. A Halfling has just found out they have Copper blood and it's probably time to hope they don't start directing most of their prayers to Brandobaris. Granted, the scale of a Copper's enjoyment of good jokes may range from jokingly throwing a water bomb at someone to an elaborate prank for "just" revenge on someone who has wronged them. A Hin finding themselves with Copper blood may wish for themselves to bring a spice of life to the community and is quick to remind them all of their happy moods when everything seems dire.

Brass Blood

The guy over in the Inn who never ceases to have something to say, even when no one's lending an ear, is often jokingly said to be of Brass descent. In reality, those who descend in to their draconic bloodline are keen diplomats. They enjoy their book of secrets and will always be happy to share... for fair trade to their family. Brass-kin are quick to talk but never underestimate their ability to listen. A Brass-kin for their community is a vital knowledge bank, just getting them to talk about only what you want to hear is the trick.

Bronze Blood

A constant stick up their arse may be a sign, but Bronze-kin this does not make alone. A Halfling who descends in to their Bronze blood may soon become a member of their caravan's guard or their town's militia. Paladins a plenty here, whether an adamant follower of Arvoreen or a Bahamutian who's visited home to aid their family, they're a welcome sight to any guard. Their Draconic bulk aids them in their defence and their ability to breathe fire at deeper awakening is enough to make every petty thief think twice.
Chromatic Dragons.

Generally outcasted from good societies, revelled in the thieves' societies. There's no doubt about it, a Chromatic means trouble, but to the right people, they mean money, comrades and useful allies.

Black blood

Black Dragon blooded Hin can turn someone with a naive point of view on Hin only being good right on their heads. They get what they want and when they don't, just don't in-between this Hin and the thing that's pissed them off. Should they be a part of a caravan, they are most likely to act on behalf of Dallah Thaun. They will not tolerate wrong-doers to their family, and will happily set their heads on spikes to show their power and raw anger.

Blue blood

Stolen a set of expensive jewels? A Blue-blooded kin is either a likely buyer, or an experienced appraiser. These Halflings dress well and, in a position in power, want their servants to dress well. The wisdom from their ancestors make them very good at reading people's body languages, subtext and their tells. Ultimately they are keen manipulators, and get what they want not because they want it, but because they can.

Green blood

Not too unlike our Blue kin in wisdom and manipulation, however a Green kin is far more greedy. They will aim to perch themselves at the top of a hierarchy, so if a Green blooded Hin so happens to be successor to the leader of the Caravan who fell victim to an illness, you know deep down why. They love to play the game of climbing ladders in society, and why wouldn't they? Watching others fall as they ascend is something any of these evil buggers would live for.

Red blood

Greed is the only word to describe a Hin like this. The impulse to mass their own bank accounts or, if their descent leads to more primal instincts, an actual pile of gold coin and treasures. These Hin care not for family or loyalty, not when they can screw them over for their wealth. A Hin sporting the colours of a red kin is nothing but an ill omen for anyone that dares adopt or house these Hin.

White blood

As if little-man syndrome doesn't affect Hin often in mixed-race society, delving in to a White-kin's bloodline is sure to make them short-tempered. Generally snubbed by any other blooded dragon as being the weakest of the Chromatics, but Metallics and other non-White blooded kin are sure to get on their nerves. These Hin have tantrums that should not be overestimated, their icy cold breath is sure to catch most folk off-guard.


Plane-touched folk.

Hin are curious, so the chance that their ancestor did some funky stuff with something from another plane is more than likely. So, what would a Hin who exerts these traits be and act like?

Aasimar

Depending on their ancestor, much like their Tiefling counter-parts, depends greatly on the traits a Hin will exert. As a whole, Aasimar are seen as a blessing, but depending on the community they settle in, will either be a boon or a burden. Their vigilance at protecting people lesser to them are a benefit to a community, though over-vigilance can split a free-flowing community. Aasimar who begin to delve in to their bloodline may be in greater hindrance unless they are with like-minded folk. Ultimately, an Aasimar descending deeper in to their bloodline will probably find themselves straying to other celestial folk.

Earth-touched

A Hin who is born from Earth-touched may seem a bit distant from their kin, they tend to be a bit more Dwarven-like in personality and attitude. However, Hin with Earth blood may find themselves integrated in their communities in ways most might not fully expect. A good-aligned Hin Earth Genasi may find themselves being hired as a school teacher or a labourer, while evil-aligned ones may find themselves as muggers and bodyguards.

Water-touched

Water-touched are more likely to blend in to Hin society, due to their go-with-the-flow nature and a Hin's happy-go-lucky attitude. One of the main distinctions is surely their physical manifestations. Regardless, a Water-touched Hin would most likely put their effort in a their community in creative form, painters, sculptors and the like. However they would be keen religious advisers, though would probably stray away from Arvoreen.
Tiefling

Much like Aasimar, the extent on a Tiefling's influence of a Hin rely solely on their ancestor. While they may be good-natured, Tieflings would generally be shunned out of Hin societies until they do great deeds worth of note. In evil-based societies, Tieflings would be revelled as ghastly intimidaters to exploit others using their appearance. Ultimately, any Tiefling who desires to delve in to their bloodline would ultimately be shunned from good societies all together, even if they tried their best to stray away from the evil path it would send them on.

Air-touched

Air-touched love to explore, so no better to aid their kin in any society than to be a good explorer, navigator and mapper. Their free-flowing attitude make them good hunters and gatherers. Their instincts are too good to ignore, that said a Hin coupled with their careless nature may cause Hin to stray away from their homes to explore, the Hin curiosity coupled with Air wanderlust will may not keep them down for long.

Fire-touched

Whether skilled tacticians or the most powerful wizards, Fire-touched Hin definitely bring something to the table. However, their rapid and sometimes literally explosive personality may make them a bit overbearing. Seldom leaders and seldom ever want to be, a good leader will place these Hin in parts of the community where they will flourish. Frenzied spellcasters, vicious assassins, or perhaps in more laborious roles in the community, such as a chef or a plougher.

_________________
Image
"Operating in the border between light and darkness, shadowdancers
are nimble artists of deception. They are mysterious and
unknown, never completely trusted but always inducing wonder
when met"


 
      
Elyon
 
PostPosted: Mon, Aug 03 2015, 13:42 PM 



Player

Joined: 01 Mar 2012
Location: UK

Hin Festivals as celebrated in Bendir Dale


A true calendar was used instead of the Faerunian one, as the months are of differing lengths. The month names are the same though.
Year of the Banner; 1368 DR

Midwinter (Alturiak~Feb. 4) = Cyrrollalee / During this time, Hin gather together in friendship to share the crafts they are working on while they wait out the weather and prepare for the spring sowing.

Vernal Equinox (Ches~Mar. 20) = Sheela Peryroyl / Hin gather together to till and sow the fields. All Hin participate and the Farmers offer hearty fare to all those that worked in their fields and orchards. This marks the beginning of the planting season.

Midspring (Mirtul~May 5) = Yondalla / This is a time of great celebration. The fields having been planted, blessings are sought for a bountiful harvest to come. Hin gather to receive blessings from the clerics of all the pantheon and special services are held by the clerics of Yondalla. If the community has an artifact of Yondalla, it is now that it is brought out for all hin to receive its blessings.

Summer Solstice (Kythorn~Jun. 20) = Brandobaris / This celebration is a masquerade ball. It is filled with stories and song, food and drink, and riddles and pranks are the rule.

Midsummer (Eleasis~Aug. 4) = Tymora / Games, games, games. Holdovers from Luiren, such as ridge-running and kite-fighting are staples. Contests of skill and daring are planned with the winner’s receiving minor trophies and blessings from the clergy. Games of chance are also included, but excess is frowned on.

Autumnal Equinox (Eleint~Sep. 22) = Arvoreen / A martial tournament is held and a great banquet is offered in Arvoreen’s name.

Harvest Festival (not official, just a party at Harvest time) A celebration following the harvest. Yondalla and Sheela Peryroyl are venerated. Banquets and dancing are the rule.

Midautumn (Uktar~Nov. 5) = Urogalan / Also known in greater Faerun as “The Feast of the Moon”. This day is a celebration of those Hin who have gone on to the Greenfields. Hin gravesites are re-consecrated and families clean and tidy the markers and tombs.

Winter Solstice (Nightal~Dec. 21) = Dallah Thaun / *All* mature hin would (or should) know of Dallah Thaun, but *no* outsiders would. The celebration comes after the Harvest Festival and The Feast of the Moon. It allows the Hin to release tensions from the hard work of the harvest and the trials of the year (it’s tough being nice all year long). In secret Hin make masks to hide their identity. During this celebration it is understood that all transgressions of hearth law, propriety and decorum are forgiven. Hin gather and play games of chance, tell outrageous stories, conduct themselves in behaviors normally frowned on and basically give in to hedonistic behaviors.

// Found this in the archives, thanks to Gothic on this.

_________________
Rosary Doodlekins - Hin Candy WitchImage


 
      
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