Halflings
Short, carefree, amicable beings, the Halflings of T'sara rarely stay in any part of the vast world for long. Created by the Fifth Sister and blessed with her insatiable curiosity, Haflings have a strong love for travel; those that lack the wanderlust or means to leave their homes often become strong storytellers; creators of far off worlds they wish they could see and visit.
Basic Information
Anatomy
Halflings most closely resemble humans, at about half their
Additional Information
Geographic Origin and Distribution
Halflings can be and often are found in every part of the world, though hardly ever in any prominent populations. Nomniza is the land with the most common and dense population of Halflings in T’sara, though even here, they are a minority. A few other notable locations that they can be found include the holds of Hammerdeep, the ports of Linthalia, and the Sacred Reich of Vishy.
Ironically, although Dionysis, Fifth of Six Sisters also governs roads, it is in port towns and cities where one is most likely to find halflings. Some scholarly theories have proposed that the sea provides an open road where you can travel in any direction, given a good wind, that halflings find appealing. Others have noted that coastal cities are often diverse, with ships from other cities, countries, or even continents coming to them. Listening and congregating around the Sailors grants them opportunity to hear the stories of the different parts of the world; places they may never get to see and explore first hand.
Average Intelligence
Halflings are not seen as being particularly smarter than the other mortal races. Their educations are as strong as that of that the region they are raised in as children, if not being taught by their parents.
Although not being seeing as having any greater opportunity for book smarts, Halflings are often recognized for having worldly knowledge and a knack for practical skills that they’ve developed from their travels and life on the road.
Civilization and Culture
Major Organizations
The Kingdom of Nomniza is distinct as being the only nation in T’sara being ruled by a Halfling, and the only to have had a consistent ruling lineage of them. Other nations have had Halfling rulers at differing times. One of the early Prophets of the Sacred Reich of Vishy was a Halfling: Darlentha. Although not ruling per se, there have been at least three Mage Lords of D’arcan through it’s long and complicated life; remarkable given how they tend to observe and govern citizenship.
Beyond national organizations, a group that the Halflings seem perfectly well suited to The Pathfinder Society, and are highly common among them. The Society itself is founded in the ideals of Draenysis of understanding as much of the world as possible, and making transit safe, as well as the thrill of the adventure in pursuit of knowledge.
Beyond national organizations, a group that the Halflings seem perfectly well suited to The Pathfinder Society, and are highly common among them. The Society itself is founded in the ideals of Draenysis of understanding as much of the world as possible, and making transit safe, as well as the thrill of the adventure in pursuit of knowledge.
History
Halflings were the last of the mortal races created by the Goddesses known as The Six Sisters, though would not be the last to exist. The other Sisters had created beings that seemingly handled any niche of the world. Varissa’s Elves and Hjanda’s Dwarves were made to perfectly suit their environment, humans were made to adapt the world to them, and Orcs created to withstand any climate in the world. There was little space for anything else, and Draenysis would scarcely be able to create a distinctive and valuable addition to the world.
She loved traveling and observing the land of T’sara that her brothers and sisters had created, and saw that her siblings rarely joined her in journeys. She also noted that the mortals created would rarely venture far beyond where they had been created. Borrowing from the frame of humans, she would create a new sentient being, something that would not have a distinct relationship with nature, so much as they would possess a desire to be among them and see as much of it as they could.
This seemed an unusual choice, given the world as it stood. The world was known and familiar, there was little point in plodding through it as a mortal would, or having them wander through a world created in such detail. That changed with the Fey Crisis. The perfect world of the Gods was quickly being changed, the rhyme and reason gone forever. With The Sundering, the world was torn apart into three continents, the land distorted immensely. Suddenly, the world was vastly different and strange. The halflings interest in knowing the land and traveling it's hills and valleys wasn't only a niche interest, but vastly valuable.
This seemed an unusual choice, given the world as it stood. The world was known and familiar, there was little point in plodding through it as a mortal would, or having them wander through a world created in such detail. That changed with the Fey Crisis. The perfect world of the Gods was quickly being changed, the rhyme and reason gone forever. With The Sundering, the world was torn apart into three continents, the land distorted immensely. Suddenly, the world was vastly different and strange. The halflings interest in knowing the land and traveling it's hills and valleys wasn't only a niche interest, but vastly valuable.
Interspecies Relations and Assumptions
Halflings are an amicable and friendly enough group, and so friendship with the Big Folk is common. Some consider it to be good luck or showing of good manners to have multiple halfling friends among your company. Commonly, but not as a rule, a positive group, it has been said that a Halfling can befriend a dragon. Hyperbole aside, they are the most likely to be willing to put bygones aside and befriend the more difficult or despised in the world, such as the Drow, Goblins, or Orcs.
While the friendly relations are common and strong enough, romantic relations between Halflings and other species is notably more rare. The disparity of sizes between them and the likes of Humans and especially Orcs can create a physical challenge of comfort and feasibility. Their smaller size and proportions can often remind people of children, especially among the humans, who they most closely resemble, which can be off-putting for many. Some of it can also be blamed on the Halflings themselves. Most folks of T’sara wish to form a relationship and a sedentary life in one location, and the wandlust that fills most of them makes this difficult, if not impossible to sustain.
Genetic Descendants
Average Physique
By appearances, Halflings are not a stout and athletic species. Their stature roughly resembles that of human children, leaving them often ill fitted for arduous exertion or physical combat.
Despite this, it has been noted by many that despite their smaller frames, they are generally hardy of mind and spirit, willing and able to withstand more unpleasantness than the others. They are, in a phrase, more comfortable in the uncomfortable, seemingly because the rest of the world has never seemed to have been built for them.
Their bodies created largely from Human inspiration created an interesting effect. It would not be until after their creation that Dineth, in his jealousy, created death, that Phoenicia, Sixth of Six Sisters, would create children to offset this new factor. By accident, human children and adult halflings would bear many similarities in appearances.
Their bodies created largely from Human inspiration created an interesting effect. It would not be until after their creation that Dineth, in his jealousy, created death, that Phoenicia, Sixth of Six Sisters, would create children to offset this new factor. By accident, human children and adult halflings would bear many similarities in appearances.
Related Organizations
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