The Rivenglades

66% Halflings (stout halflings), 16% Halflings (lotusden halflings) 9% Elves (drow), 2% Gnomes (svirfneblin), 7% Other Races

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Nestled in the foothills of the Kras'Kora Mountains, halflings live in their homely villages, settled in treetops, under hills, and on rivers.

A Very Warm Welcome

The halflings of The Rivenglades are always kind, always ready to treat a guest to a warm meal, and, at the moment, mildly confused by the influx of refugees from Barak'tor. Equally confused are the refugees, who have come from the unforgiving world of the Underdark, only to be met with a society in which respect is synonymous with kindness. The villages nearest the mountains have had the most new visitors, but as the years have gone on, all of the Rivenglades have grown accustomed to taking in a harsh stranger, although they have tried to bolster their defenses just in case something does go wrong.

Family Ties

Halflings of the Rivenglades and The Singing Dales have nearly identical family traditions. Halfling family units are large. The youngest of the families are tended to by the older siblings, aunts and uncles, and grandparents; they are expected to take on these roles themselves as they grow, caring for their own children and the elderly who cannot care for themselves anymore. Couples and individuals who are without these family units for whatever reason are almost always adopted into other families. Traditionally, everyone involved in a merging of families changes their last names, combining them to represent their acceptance of those not tied to each other by blood. This happens even when a single child is adopted.

Blessed Guardians

Some of the halflings born in The Rivenglades and The Singing Dales are gifted with an innate talent for druidic magic. These children are believed to be blessed by the land themselves, and in The Rivenglades, they are raised with a dedication to the chapels of their villages, nurturing their inborn talent for either healing or protection of their villages. As they grow, they are not forced to continue their study, and it is ultimately their choice to serve as a village druid or not, but a halfling bearing druidic magic and not using it to keep the village safe will likely get disapproving looks from their neighbors.

Pictured: A Rivenglade village built into the treetops.

Languages. Halfling, Common, Undercommon

Government. Rivenglade villages are entirely democratic. Usually there is an arbiter who decides when village meetings need to be called, but even this position is voted on.

Demographics. The Rivenglades are almost entirely made up of stout halflings. They say that these halflings have dwarven blood in them. Given their proximity to Barak'tor, it could be true, or the rumour could have come from their geographic location. The other denizens of the Rivenglades are mostly refugees from the Underdark by way of Barathkalsa.

Military and Defense. Each village has a druidic chapel where the gifted, and sometimes just the curious, are trained to hone their skills in keeping the forest. These are the people who keep the villages safe, wielding the power of nature to keep them hidden and to keep those that would harm them out.

Economy. Rivenglade halflings live generally simple lives, and they don't have a strong mercantile tradition; in fact, the exchange of goods within their villages is usually without monetary gain. Citizens help each other with the understanding that when they need help, they will get it, and though markets do exist, they are seldom profitable and more for ease of access. The only true trade they participate in is that with Barak'tor, which does pay them with gold for their produce.