Halfling

Halflings are a short, resilient people who exhibit remarkable curiosity and humor.

Claiming no place as their own, halflings control few settlements larger than villages. Instead, they frequently live among humans within larger cities, carving out small communities alongside taller folk. Optimistic, cheerful, and driven by powerful wanderlust, halflings make up for their short stature with an abundance of bravado. At once excitable and easygoing, halflings are the best kind of opportunists, and their passions favor joy over violence. While their curiosity sometimes drives them toward adventure, halflings also carry strong ties to house and home.

SUB-ETHNICITIES
Gutsy
Hillock
Jinxed
Nomadic
Observant
Twilight
Wildwood

Halflings are short humanoids who look vaguely like smaller humans. They rarely grow to be more than 3 feet in height. Halfling proportions vary, with some looking like shorter adult humans with slightly larger heads and others having proportions closer to those of a human child. Most halflings prefer to walk barefoot rather than wear shoes, and those who do so develop roughly calloused soles on their feet over time. Tufts of thick, often-curly hair warm the tops of their broad, tanned feet. Halfling skin tones tend toward rich, tawny shades like amber or oak, and their hair color ranges from a light golden blond to raven black.

Halflings reach physical adulthood around the age of 20. A typical halfling can live to be around 150 years old.

Despite their jovial and friendly nature, halflings don't often tend to congregate. They have few cultural centers in the various regions, and they instead tend to weave themselves throughout the societies of the world. Halflings eke out whatever living they can manage, many performing menial labor or holding simple service jobs. Some halflings reject city life, instead turning to the open road and traveling from place to place in search of fortune and fame. These nomadic halflings often travel in small groups, sharing hardships and simple pleasures among close friends and family. Halfling names are usually two to three syllables, with a gentle sound that avoids hard consonants. Preferring their names to sound humble, halflings see overly long or complex names as a sign of arrogance for their people. However, they understand that elves and humans might have longer names to suit their own aesthetics.

Halflings are loyal to their friends and their family, but they aren't afraid to do what needs to be done in order to survive. Wherever halflings go, they seamlessly blend into the society they find themselves in, adapting to the culture and beliefs of the predominant ancestry around them and adding their uniquely halfling twists, creating a blend of cultural diffusion that enriches both cultures. Halflings favor gods that either grant luck, or encourage guile, and many appreciate liberator gods, as well as any religions common among other ethnicities around them.

Popular Edicts share good meals with friends and strangers alike, stand up to bullies and oppressors, stay beneath the taller folk's notice
Popular Anathema take your luck for granted