The 87 Hills of Hywela

Sacred Homeland of All Halflings

A Protected Realm

The rolling green hills of Hywela are a gorgeous sight to behold but they are enjoyed by only a very specific population. Located in northern Arna, it is an unusual place because no one is capable of entering it unless they are a small person (halfling, gnome, goblin, kobold, small fey etc). There is a divine barrier that follows the Galatea River, cuts through portions of the Ulad Mountains and follows the northern coastline. It was erected by the halfling goddess Galatea to protect halflings from ancient invading humans who were slaughtering and taking their former homelands. Now Hywela is their homeland and no one can take it from them... except perhaps goblins if they can organize themselves well enough. Unfortunately, this promised land is not without its dangers. When this protective barrier was erected, there were already a number of hill giants, trolls and others living within these hills- now locked in. There were also a number of Hill Dwarves who already lived in this area near the mountains but they generally only interact with the halflings during brief trades. Most of them slipped through the barrier without knowing and found themselves locked on the outside. There are rumors that children of any race may be able to enter as there have been incidents of this happening- but it is not guaranteed to work. Most would say it is by the will of the goddess who erected this barrier that determines if someone can enter.

The Hills have Names

Hywela is generally quite peaceful and composed of many small rural towns that are self governing (generally by heads of families and clans), and they may come together to make large decisions in a given valley. Located north of the Marasen Empire, there are 87 Hills and 4 major valleys that make up the Homeland. Why do these halflings know how many hills are there? Because each one has a name- so named by Pelenei (deity of travel) who left a marker stone atop each one. It is a certain rite of passage for a halfling to attempt visiting all 87 hills and record every name. Only then would a halfling be considered wise enough to leave the safety of the homeland if they so-wished. This journey generally takes months, years even for some, and most pass through the majority of the halfling settlements of Hywela in the process. They meet other halflings with different upbringings, fight or run from goblins, giants, and wild beasts, and learn to survive in the wilderness. Not every halfling completes this rite of passage of course- and some of them may find a way to cheat by learning the names of the hills from someone who has already undergone this ritual trek. This is considered very dangerous and foolhardy of course, because it is a great insult to Pelenei. Those that do complete this journey are given a high level of respect, and it is a requirement for clan leadership in many towns.
Much of halfling culture and religion is based on stories and folktales and the halflings have many. Halflings tend to be religious but not quite in the way humans or dwarves might be. Grandiose temples and complicated rituals seem like a very silly prospect to them and not likely to please any of their gods. Halflings connect to their gods like family members. They have no problem speaking their mind if they are cross with one of them. They go through phases where they like some gods for awhile and then feel like they've "outgrown" them. Just like personal relationships may grow and fade so do their relationships with their deities. Worshiping outsider gods is not really something that is punished in any way but it is considered very unusual and may be the subject of some exciting gossip. Clerics among their kind are rare but most who are gifted in this way become town leaders if their patron god is of halfling origin.

Small Town Culture

This region is mostly composed of Stout Halflings and they have pretty concrete ideas about how to live a good honest halfling life. They praise life's simple pleasures and don't want to get involved with outsider drama or complicated matters. Most would not understand someone who walks the path of a wizard or warlock. Why would you ever need powers like that? They struggle to understand the need for violence outside of self defense. The halflings of Hywela see themselves as the appointed gardeners of the world and they live to do it. Individuals who have natural magic, be it as druids, sorcerers or otherwise, hold high positions in society. As a people, many are master farmers and excellent at domestication and breeding animals. As mining is to dwarves so is farming to the halfling people and there's only so many degrees of separation from this that they will tolerate another halfling to exercise without some kind of rebuttal in Hywela. The exception are the sailors of Port Moys and Killemore who brave the terrible ocean for it's delicious bounty. Any halfling who chooses to partake in hobbies that deviate from the norm are seen as 'going through a phase' and most believe all will eventually find their path back to the family farm or family business. Hywelan towns may be small but their social lives often are not. They have a small town mentality that can cause even the smallest bit of drama to escalate and many halflings from this region are awful gossips. They carry around reputation like currency and in many cases it is more valuable than the copper in their pockets. As natural storytellers, most news that spreads beyond one town to the next is more than likely to be riddled with changes and false information that makes it a bit more exciting and grandiose. Some halflings thrive in this kind of social climate- but it is certainly not for everyone.
For many, the hills call to them- the urging of Pelenei to hit the road and see what else there is to see. Hywelan traditions do not meet the emotional needs of all halflings and for many the relative safety of the divine barrier is not enough to keep them around and endure the mostly peaceful but boring and provincial life they will end up leading here. Many halflings end up leaving Hywela, landing somewhere in northern Marasen, Namiza, or down in Kardath. They don't often venture past these regions unless they are exceptionally adventurous, still having ties to the green, fertile earth. They generally feel out of place in locations like deserts, tundra, high mountains, or on the sea.

The Large Towns

Fion's Heart
Fion's Heart is one of the few halfling towns that stood before the great migration from the south as humans pushed them from the southern plains. The largest church to Fion is located here, making it a religious destination for many of her especially devout. It also has come to be the largest halfling cultural hub and it holds most of the largest yearly festivals. Unlike most townships, Fion's heart is so populated that many do not actually come from farm families any longer- instead focusing on various artisan trades. As it resides near the center of the region, most major roads (and the region's largest river) all lead here making it a travel hub. Fion's Heart, as well as the other townships in the mother valley, are protected by "The Children", fighters who were trained in martial arts upon the Highest Hill that overshadows the city. Their patrols are the closest thing Hywela has to a protective military force.

Cefnelwy
Cefnelwy sits atop a large hill close to the Ulad Mountains and a large portion of the populace is actually composed of Hill Dwarves who happened to be on this side of the border when the divine barrier was erected by Galatea. These dwarves were never tempted to cross back over to the other side and instead split themselves from their Uladian cousins to pursue their independent interests. There are a number of nearby mines which they work, the ores and gems of which are largely processed in Cefnelwy. It is the only proper source of ore in Hywela and exports from this city are extremely important to most other settlements. The region is a bit perilous and they face many issues with raiding goblinoids coming down from the mountains.

Aethdin
Though Cefnelwy is the largest source of ores in Hywela, Aethdin has access to its own small mine as well, though it mostly produces decorative gemstones, quartz, and marbles. The large hill that sits at it's back was likely once a very old volcano as even diamonds can be found in the deepest mines. Aethdin is the halfling town that has the largest population of humans, though all these humans had to either have been invited in or they are children of humans who were invited in. Its actually not a huge amount of humans, but it is compared to the rest of Hywela. In Aethdin the biggest issue is not with the usual goblinoid raiders, its will gnolls that come from the forests to the south. Aethdin has many local hunters who double as guards in an attempt to keep the region relatively safe to travel through. Many of the local humans end up taking up this vocation as most halflings do not think they are suitable for "proper" farm work.

Port Moys / Killemore
The ports of Moys and Killemore mostly function as fairly average but sizable fishing towns but they do also accept trade imports (not that the visitors are capable of disembarking onto Hywellan soil). Though halflings tend to favor river fish in their cuisine, the addition of seafood has become increasingly popular in recent years as these newer towns have begun to flourish. Sea travel is a new hobby for the halfling kind of Hywela- it requires them to leave their precious bubble of divine protection after all and it's vastly different from the perceived 'purpose' halflings are supposed to serve (being the world's gardeners). Still, many halflings are born with adventurous hearts and those who cannot abide a life on the farm inevitably make their way to one of these two ports, looking to travel or meet other travelers and to see if the sea calls to them. Most ships from Killemore travel west to Namiza or Ilvare typically. Those from Moys typically sail east and hit Northkeep of the Marasen Empire and Port Carradeen of Ardenmore.

Government:
Sovereign Townships

Largest Populations:
Halfling (75%), Goblin (15%), Hill Dwarf (7%), Other (3%)

Major Settlements:
Fion's Heart, Cefnelwy, Aethdin, Port Moys, Killemore (port)

Common Languages:
Halfling, Goblin, Common, Giant

Large Organizations:
Children of the Highest Hill (Monastery)