Quarterlings

Good-natured and happy folk, Hearthland's quarterlings are the smallest and most numerous race in Valessia. They're naturally social and work for the better of the community, seldom putting individual needs first.

Basic Information

Biological Traits

Quarterlings were named so for their height, being very small folk. Still, they are humanoid and resemble humans in many ways.

Additional Information

Facial characteristics

As with many things, Quarterlings resemble humans, though their ears are longer and slightly pointed at the top.

Civilization and Culture

Major Organizations

Quarterling society played a major role in forming the Academy as it is today. Their own societal ideals became the building blocks for it's structure, and the Academy became the lead governing body of the Quarterling race.

Common Etiquette Rules

Quarterling etiquette comes easy for their own kind, but may be difficult to navigate for other races. They are always kind, caring, and hospitable to all. This, however, comes with it's own social game of out-kindnessing one another; profuse apologies, grand gifts and gestures, helping your neighbour with the most trivial of things can seem almost comical to an outsider. Of course, as is their nature, quarterlings are never upset at other races not reciprocating their enthusiasm for kindness, though there have been cases of tricksters having a great time as foreigners bend over backwards to accommodate this culture.

Common Dress Code

The common Quarterling attire consists of a long tunic, going down to the thighs or past the knees, baggy pants, and simple shoes. While most country-side Quarterlings dress in plain work clothes, in the major cities of the Academy it became a custom for them to wear bright, colourful, and striking clothes. This came to be out of necessity to be more easily spotted by the larger races they live amongst.

Culture and Cultural Heritage

The naturally extroverted quarterlings thrive with others. Their communities are large, whole extended families often living in one large house, and thousands of quarterlings living in a single village. They organize a multitude of celebrations throughout the year, each including fairs and parades. One such big quarterling celebration is the Bonding Ceremony, in which those quarterlings who are coming of age tame and bond a critter to be their companion.

Another quarterling custom is their profession of critter-hunters. Critter-hunters are warriors trained to fight beasts, that plague their farms. This usually means rats, wild cats, birds, and so on. Critter-hunters have great renown in the quarterling community, though other races, to their dismay, see them as glorified cats for households. Of course, critter-hunters have a celebration of their own, the Great Solstice Hunt, which essentially consists of cage matches in which critter-hunters show their ability.

Common Taboos

There is nothing explicitly taboo for quarterlings. It is not that they are fine with any evil - quite the opposite. They are, by nature, not used to any evils. Thieves are a great rarity between quarterlings and murder is unheard of. Good nature is so integral to their being that they do not have a word for crime and even lack a proper judicial system.

Indeed, one of the prime punishments for common quarterling transgressions is known as the Reprimand. It consists of a strongly worded letter reprimanding the one who has committed the crime, which is read aloud at a gathering and then copied; one copy is then further given to the perpetrator and the rest is hung around the town for a duration of one week.

History

Quarterlings originated in the Hearthlands. They are a peaceful folk who tend to their great farms and live in big communities. They are classified as a Thaumic Race due to their ability to use Thaumaturgy and withstand Thaumic Pollution. They do, however, have innate magical abilities, though they can't exactly control them. The crops tended to by quarterlings are fresher and taste better; they are able to tame wild beasts and critters easily, and even bond with them for life.

They at first interacted only with the dwarves of Great Oghan with simple trade deals. When the first humans arrived to Hearthlands and created settlements, quarterlings quickly established a friendly relationship with them. They helped them found the city Hearth, where all three races thrived together. Around the same time, the city Ruiin was founded on the Ruiin Coast, and the Dwarven-Quarterling-Human Alliance was formed. With this Alliance came a great progress in science and philosophy, and it marks the first day of the new calendar (now known as the Academical Calendar) which is now widely used throughout Valessia and nearby regions. Soon thereafter, the Thaumic Crystals were discovered and the rise of Thaumaturgy began.

This, of course, culminated in the Thaumic War. During this time, the quarterling society (outside of Goblin Thaumaturges) kept to their homes within Hearthlands, which remained mostly untouched by the war.

At the end of the conflict, as other races were licking their wounds, quarterlings were at the forefront of diplomacy. The Academy was founded on quarterling laws and principles, and remains as such to this day.

Lifespan

120 years

Average Height

30 - 35 centimetres

Average Weight

2 - 4 kilograms

Average Physique

Quarterling physique differs greatly, from very lean to very stout.

Body Tint, Colouring and Marking

Quarterling skin is brown, ranging from light to dark tint.

Related Materials

• Thaumic Crystals