Halfling

The halfling race is a divided one; not because of some deep religious schism or historical event setting family against family, but rather by a difference in lifestyle and philosophy. Nearly all halflings fall into one of two categories: the Mossfoots and the Lightfeet. The Mossfoots are homebodies, farmers who distain adventure and excitement, preferring a quiet but productive life in their idyllic rural communities. The Lightfeet, on the other hand, live their lives on the road, seeking new experiences, excitement, and adventure.

History

How far back the history of the halflings goes is unclear, as they don't tend to keep formal histories outside of family histories, and their records beyond a few hundred years old tend to have deteriorated into uselessness with age.

Before the Serpentfolk

Not terribly much is known of the history of the halflings prior to the rise of the serpentfolk, as they are easily overlooked and not mentioned in any of the other races recorded histories... at least the portions which go back that far. The Mossfoots claim that the halflings have always been farmers living quiet, respectable lives, but it's unclear if this is actually based in historical fact or just a claim that falls in line with their philosophy.

The Reign of the Serpentfolk

The reign of the serpentfolk is the likely origin of the traditional halfling hill-homes. Built into hillsides with grass growing over their soil covered roofs and doors hidden by bushes and shrubbery, these homes, along with the fact that they werent regarded as particularly good slave stock, allowed the halflings to successfully hide from the serpentfolk in most cases. The Mossfoots will tell you that their lifestyle was what kept the halflings alive, and that those upstart Lightfeet would do well to remember that.

After The Cataclysm

It actually took the halflings a little while following The Cataclysm to realize that the serpentfolk were gone. They certainly felt the earth shake and experienced the strange weather following it, and a number of their communities which had the unfortunate luck to be built in areas which would become newly formed seas and lakes were wiped out, but for most of them, life continued as usual. When they were informed that the serpentfolk were gone, most of them shrugged and went back to their gardens; perhaps they removed some of the camouflage around their doors and put some more effort into landscaping.

Eventually, with the threat of the serpentfolk gone, and the various rapidly expanding and warring human states happy to ignore the halflings, some of the younger halflings began to experience wanderlust, and departed their communities looking for adventure, with the dire warning of their elders echoing in their ears. These young halflings are regarded as the first of the Lightfeet, and as more of them experienced this wanderlust, it became increasingly common for them to band together in their travels.

Modern Times

Today, the Mossfoots live much as they have for millenia, peacefully farming, preferably without any unasked for excitement in their lives. The Lightfeet, on the other hand, are a common sight throughout the Great Inner Sea and Alboria regions. They tend to be easily identifiably by their garishly colored wagons and caravans, moving from town to town trading, tinkering, and occasionally being chased out of town by the exasperated town guards.

Halfling Society

While the Mossfoots and Lightfeet may live their lives by drastically different philosophies, there is no real hostility between them, more of a mix of exasperation and a bit of a condescending attitude towards the life choices of the other group.

The Mossfoots

The Mossfoots are consummate homebodies, typically enjoying a peaceful agrarian lifestyle in their idyllic rural communities. As far as they are concerned, their lifestyle kept them safe from the serpentfolk, safe during all the human conflicts, was good enough for their parents, good enough for their grandparents, and should be good enough for them. Adventures and excitment only bring trouble, and are better left to the big folk.

The Lightfeet

Some halflings fiind themselves driven by a powerful wanderlust, a desire to see what's over that next hill and around the next bend in the road. These halflings live lives on the open road, moving from city to city, town to town, always seeking out the next adventure. Lightfeet caravans are a frequent sight on the roads of the shattered continent, their garishly colored wagon caravans standing out among the other traffic.

Religion

Main Article: The Halfling Gods

Just as the halflings are a divided people, their worship is split across two gods as well, each reflecting the ideals of a different group of the halfling people, but still family at the end. Darda Undermeadow is generally considered to represent the agrarian mossfoots, while her son Falpos Nimblefoot represents the wanderlust of the lightfeet, but in truth their worship isn't nearly that cleanly divided. Many mossfoots entreat Falpos to keep their foolishly wandering relatives safe, and as they bed down for the night many lightfeet spare a prayer to Darda to both bless their campsites and to keep the stodgy homebodies back home safe.

Halflings out in the world

Halflings are common but largely overlooked across The Shattered Continent, their settlements tend to be in out of the way, quiet places, and city dwelling halflings tend to blend into the crowds. Halflings use this to their advantage, both to ensure their own safety and to gather information that they can use for profit. Even in battle halflings tend to be ignored in favor of their larger, more threatening companions, something that more than one enemy has ended up regretting.

Mossfoots

While the classic image of a Mossfoot is the rural farmer, only likely to be encountered if one travels to a halfling settlement, many Mossfoots have adopted a city lifestyle. These individuals have grown accustomed to easy access to all the things that make life comfortable, and often work as shopkeeps, business owners, and other safe, respectable jobs. If a Mossfoot is encountered in the sort of situation that one would expect to find a lightfeet in, the constant complaints will quickly make it clear that one is dealing with a Mossfoot.

Lightfeet

Any halfling who is encountered out in the world, away from the comforts of home is likely to be a lightfeet. Whether in their iconic colorful wagon caravans or wandering alone, lightfeet are always looking for excitement. When not moving from place to place, they are usually found working jobs which they find exciting, interesting, or that bring them into contact with lots of interesting people; foot messengers, barkeeps and servers, minstels, and a number of jobs which might straddle the line of legality.