Halflings are humanoid creatures, resembling
humans, though roughly half their average size - thus coining the people's common name. Considered one of the main people groups of the continent of
Galessia, the small halflings have spread themselves around the world in recent times after the devastating
mass deportation from their original homeland - the
Verdant Hills - by the
Kingdom of Grasynnia during the
Zenith War.
Society
Typically, halfling society exists in a state of stasis, the people living jolly lives as if the passage of time is a mere suggestion. Often calm, peaceful, unconcerned with progress, expansion, or conquest; the halflings find contentment in their humble homes, living their lives in tight-knit communities of farmers, craftspeople, and the occasional artist. Halfling families are traditionally very close, and lineage is important to their society: nearly every single halfling on
Luquastra is a member of one of the eight families who found their home in the Verdant Hills. Each family has its own history, affinity, and traditional role, as every child within them is taught from birth. Interestingly, the negative results of a limited number of bloodlines that plague other races do not seem to exist for halflingkind, making them especially suited to remaining in their isolated civilizations for centuries on end. Due to the inherent reluctance of the typical halfling to seek riches, glory, or anything beyond what they already possessed, halfling adventurers and travelers used to be very rare.
The eight traditional halfling families are as follows:
- Pitchill, traditionally a farming family;
- Lightner, known for spawning many a bard and skald;
- Baradane, typically merchants and archers;
- Brushfoot, traditionally a family of cooks and bakers;
- Marbuck, often a family of crafters and artisans;
- Pott, the more heavyset brawlers;
- Wayfair, an untypically mercurial family;
- Squillin, the family seen as the most likely to spawn an adventurer.
Many of these traits are overly generalized, and individual differences of course exist; these traits are however often stereotypically associated with the listed families. While theoretically, nearly all halflings on Luquastra should be able to trace their lineage back to one of these eight families, some choose to abandon their family name and strike out on their own - a decision frowned upon within halfling society. When a halfling introduces themselves with a name that isn't one of the eight, most proceed with wariness or caution. It will also invariably lead to speculation among other halflings as to where the halfling's true lineage lies, as is common with well-known halflings like
Hari-wen Threecloak.
In modern times, after the mass deportation, the halfling families have spread around the world, mostly staying together in groups belonging to a specific family. Most of halfling society has relocated to areas including
Balkholme in
Starn, the
Protectorate of Highvale, the
City of Garlond, the town of
Sootfall in the
Ossyeard, and to areas outside of Galessia:
Waversham and the
Tolkayle Province in the
Republic of Fennerland, and a branch of the Wayfair family even migrated all the way to
Fallbreak in
Asmarea.
History
Most of halfling history is remarkable for its unremarkableness. As stories are mostly conveyed through oral history as opposed to writing them down, much of halfling history is packaged within their folktales and legends - as such, it is difficult to discern what is truth and what is fiction. However, even with the most generous assumption, halflingkind rarely engaged in more than an argument or a rare pub brawl.
Halfling history would, however, take a stark turn for the worse during the continent-wide conflict known as the Zenith War. While many a war had come and gone - and passed the halflings of the Verdant Hills by - the Dragonbane dynasty had different plans, and rapidly invaded the hills, tearing down what little resistance the halflings could proffer with relative ease. After conquest, for reasons understood by very few, the Grasynnians ordered all halflings removed from the region, and enforced this with violent force. The halflings and their formerly close-knit families were forced to spread across the globe, many choosing to escape across the rivers and seas to free lands. This unexpected journey has awakened within many a halfling a latent desire for discovery, adventure, or thrills, and as such, the amount of halfling adventurers has never been higher in Luquastran history.
Whereas the regime of the Dragonbanes vehemently attempted to minimize the public awareness of the deportation, the works of a brave halfling writer named Argo Squillin have brought the news to the world - most importantly his book
The Tragedy of Argo Squillin, or: the Halflings' Plight. This would give the common name of the Halflings' Plight to the event. Squillin vanished not long after its publication, presumed to have been hunted down by bounty hunters following the Grasynnian declaration of his outlaw status.
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