Halfling

Basic Information

Anatomy

Halflings are very short, usually between 2’8” - 3’4” tall, and weighing roughly between 30-40lbs. Most resemble small humans and have the same proportions. Some halflings feature feylike, pointed ears, although these are rare, and a vestige of their ancient history from Caldor. If their ears do appear pointed, they are more rounded in nature, similar to that of a half-elf.
Halflings lived slightly longer with humans, but their ages were otherwise comparable. Halflings reached adulthood around their early twenties, and most lived upwards up to 100 years, and rarely over 150 years.

Genetics and Reproduction

There were four subraces of Halflings, each of which descends from a branching clan of those Halflings that originally settled on Rakuen: Plainfolk, Hillfolk, Timberfolk, and Driftfolk.
The Plainfolk Halflings are the ones most common on Rakuen. They are simple people, who are light of food, and prone to wanderlust. They can be found in a huge variety of different living circumstances, either with their individual clans, or mixed in with other races. But although they are deft at adapting to life anywhere and everywhere, they always seem to crave the pastoral life or the open trail, as if it is in their blood to never settle too deeply to one place, unless that place was surrounded by family.
Hillfolk Halflings are the second most common of Halfling varieties. Being more stout in nature, these Halflings can sometimes appear more Dwarvish, having hardy bodies and a more gruff nature to their cultures. This is said to be due to early parts of Halfling history, where it was said many of the strongest warriors unified to protect themselves from the dangerous monsters that lurked throughout Rakuen, crafting a hardy breed of Halflings that were stalwart in all they did, sought family as their prime directive, and were willing to fight tooth and nail for what they believe in.
Timberfolk are those that settled near the forests of Rakuen. While Plainfolk stay peaceful throughout life, and Hillfolk are more vigilant, Timberfolk try to take a more nuanced approach. Timberfolk Halflings tend to come from clans that are jacks-of-all-trades. They are highly mercantile, also agrarian in their communities, and welcome those that seek to find the adventuring life. Working in harmony with their ecological surroundings, they have closer relations with many of their neighbours, while also being less populous than most other varieties of Halflings.
The Driftfolk are a different breed entirely. Taking the Hillfolk’s vigilance to an extreme, the Driftfolk maintain their martial spirit inherited from their Caldorian ancestry. They are brutish and territorial. Once they claim a territory, they patrol it vigilantly, defending their land from perceived outsiders. They are also nomadic, moving with the seasons between different portions of territory. Although they are not inherently violent to races that aren’t violent to them, if there were ever to be a raiding party of Halflings, they would most certainly be Driftfolk.

Civilization and Culture

History

Halflings are the few race that is not native to Rakuen. Originally hailing from Calor, all Halflings can trace their lineages to the original inhabitants of a clan near the mountain of Tahuta at the Southern Pole. Although no Halfling remembers their ancient past, many races of Wildspace know their fraught history. An ongoing civil war had plagued the clans of the southern pole for nearly a century. However, During a time of great upheaval known as the the Great Tahutan Uprising, one clan, which defined themselves as the sole clan of the south, sought to dominate all the other clans. They did so expeditiously, quickly bringing the entire south pole into their sphere of influence, seemingly in the spirit of union, but with terrible ideals.   The Tahutan Empire saw their clan as the dominant clan, and sought to purge all other clans, first by targeting their elders and scholars, and then by subjugating large portions of those that remained. Although it is unclear how, the clan of Halflings known as the Nym gathered enough influence or wherewithal to board the majority of their clan aboard a flotilla of spelljammers. Although it is said the clan bickered much, the majority of the clan settled in the fertile lands of Rakuen, with other fragments of the clan settling other places in the solar system.
The distant past of the Halflings soon became something of myth, until all that was left in their legacy was being one of the “Sun Folk,” with no memory of their ancient history as wartime refugees. Despite the new troubles in the chaotic lands of Rakuen, it was far more peaceful than anything they once knew on Caldor.
Halfings on Rakuen adapted very quickly, and lived largely unremarkable lives throughout history. They tended to stay in their own communities, but were deeply adventurous, and highly sociable, able to mingle between many different communities without much issue. They were always more rare and uncommon of a sight among the other races of Rakuen, looking as if small human children, but they were generally fine with this perception, happy to experience life to the fullest.