Halfling
Player Race
In the world of Virthys, most halflings lived in the kingdom of Tyvhin, ruled by the halfling queen Shannoia. The nation was almost entirely destroyed in the War of Vallenis, and many halflings fled to the relatively safe lands of Delvaroth. Here, there were already many prospering halfling communities which welcomed the refugees with open arms.
In Ashandri, most halflings come from the region of Delvaroth, although there are some smaller communities in the Ember Wastelands, Shamrua and the Bleeding Jungles. The city of Hellward in the Forgotten Lands also has a significant halfling population.
The shock of the apocalypse and its aftermath has divided the halflings of Ashandri: While many of them needed the safety of community, and focused on the simple things in life, a small percentage are driven by greed. The halflings call this the Craving Plague, but the effect seems not to be a disease, but a natural reaction of the halfling mind to extreme stress.
Those who give in to the Craving often become greedy merchants, thieves or even criminal masterminds, and other halflings are as much repelled by them, as they fear them. This development has also led to more and more halflings becoming guards, soldiers and adventurers, in order to protect their communities from the new evil.
As Carivar is not exactly a friendly environment for halflings, most of the Mesmeric Halflings left their refuge. A few returned into the Mesmerizing Mountains, but most looked for new homes elsewhere. Only a small part of the original village still lives in Carivar, not far from the Fortress of Unity.
Subrace Ability Score Increase: Wisdom+1
Influence Thoughts and Feelings: Mesmeric Halflings can choose between casting Animal Friendship as a first-level spell, or Suggestion as a second level spell. Animal Friendship can be cast a number of times equal to your Proficiency bonus, while Suggestion can only be cast once. After being used, you need a long rest before you can use this ability again. The DC for Saving Throws equals 8 + your Proficiency bonus + your Wisdom bonus, and your spellcasting ability is Wisdom.
Subraces
The most common subrace of halflings in Ashandri is the lightfoot halfling, but others are also well-known. Two new subraces emerged during the creation of Ashandri: The Slumberpool Halfling and the Mesmeric Halfling.Slumberpool Halfling
A few small communities in the vicinity of the Slumberpool lake in Delvaroth were changed by the world-creating magic, and became amphibic creatures. They have lungs as well as gills, and are capable of surviving on land and under water. While some of these halflings are amazed by their new abilities, others are shocked or even apalled by their transformed bodies. The first Slumberpool Halflings were created in a moment where they would have drowned otherwise. The magic saved them, similar to how the Ashfolk were created. But later on the first day of Ashandri, more halflings changed into Slumberpools, and some of them were not even close to water. It's not fully understood what triggered the transformation. Sages believe that the world-creating magic somehow assigned the local halflings to the wrong environment, and mistakenly altered them to improve their chances of survival. Others have mentioned that a lot of the Slumberpool Halflings appear to be strangely curious about exploring the underwater worlds of Braythe. These sages believe the Slumberpools were created to seek something that was lost in the watery depths of Ashandri - some kind of secret or ancient artifact that will be important for Ashandri's future. Subrace Ability Score Increase: Constitution+1 Amphibious: You can breathe air and water.Mesmeric Halfling
When Marisha Veilbreaker saved what is known today as the Mesmerizing Mountains, there was a village of Halflings at the very edge of that region. They became part of the Mindweb, but as the land crashed against and fused with Carivar, a heavy earthquake destroyed their home town. They fled - into Carivar. This freed them from the effects of the mindweb - but having been part of it still changed them permanently. Mesmeric Halflings are open-minded, in a very literal sense. They are very empathetic, and while they lost their telepathic abilities, they can impose certain feelings and thoughts on others. The transformation also changed them physically: The uppermost layer of their skin crystallized, just like the Mesmerizing Mountains did. This makes them look as if they have purple (and in some rare cases, blue or red) crystalline bodies. The crystal layer is so thin that it doesn't protect them in any way - it just changes how they look.Mesmeric Halfling by henryez
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