Halfling
Basic Information
Anatomy
Halflings have a humanoid form
Biological Traits
Halflings are a brave race by nature, for they have to be to tame the mighty dinosaurs they ride in. They also are quite nimble, thanks to their small size they can fit in places other larger races simply cant. There are four variations of halflings: "Lightfoot", "Ghostwise", "Lotusden", and "Stout". Lightfoots appear to have some sort of natural ability to find camouflage and hide in plain sight, perhaps a learned trait from hiding from large predators. Stout halflings are more hardier then average, and resistant to poison. This confuses some scholars as though there is more evidence for halflings being some sort of human offshoot, these Stout halflings lead some to believe they have dwarven blood in them, which raises more questions then answers. Ghostwise halflings are seemingly able to telepathically communicate with other creatures within a short distance, possible a result of some sort of Illithid experiments as Ghostwise halflings didn't appear until after some tribes began to travel around the world. Lotusden halflings are more in tune with the forest, which may have been due to using magic to help clear out forest area to have a place to live
Genetics and Reproduction
Halflings reproduce sexually, similarly to humans, with gestation lasting around the same as humans
Growth Rate & Stages
Halflings mature slightly slower then humans, becoming adults at around 20 years old
Additional Information
Perception and Sensory Capabilities
Halflings possess perception capabilities similar to humans, which reaffirms how halflings are believed to be a human offshoot
Civilization and Culture
Naming Traditions
A halfling has a given name, a family name, and usually a nickname. Though with outsiders they usually use their tribe name after their given name
Major Organizations
The Tamer tribes
Major Language Groups and Dialects
Halflings speak a language simply known as "half-speech". They are very protective of this language and so very few outsiders know it. Halflings possess very little written history, and most of their traditions and history are passed down through oral tradition
Culture and Cultural Heritage
The halflings of the Sularan Plains maintain the traditions of their ancestors, including tribal masks and dinosaur mounts. Though physically the same as urban halflings, the Talentas strike a much more imposing figure. Rarely in one place for long, the nomadic tribes traverse the Sularan Plains moving with the herds they hunt for food. The Sularan halflings carry few possessions, both as a function of their nomadic lifestyle and as a function of their beliefs. Their tents are brightly painted, usually with depictions that tell the story of their tribe's ancestors. Most important among the halfling's possessions are their hunt-masks and their dinosaur mounts. The hunt-mask represents the identity of the halfling, and when donning the mask the halfling believes his spirit combines with his bonded dinosaur. The dinosaur is wrangled as a rite of passage by the young halfling and forever remains linked to that halfling, forming a special bond between them.
Common Customs, Traditions and Rituals
The rite of passage for a halfling is to tame their own mount, for that is a sign of adulthood within the tribes of the Tamers
History
Halflings are believed to have come from an small island thousands of years ago known as Prima. From the oral traditions of the Halflings ancestors, it is said that the first halflings would use strange magics to tame the beasts, but eventually this would turn into a spiritual bond with the dinosaurs. However this age would end all too soon as the druids of the land realized that the volcano of the island would explode and drown the island. Fearing the end of their tribes, the halflings would construct large jury rigged boats, and load it up with their kind and even dinosaurs and take to the sea right as the volcano would erupt, and the island sunk to the bottom of the ocean. Some boats would not make it, but many would make to the far south of the plains of Carall. Here they would make their home and expand, with many tribes roaming the plains and steppes as raider nomads. and never staying in one place for long, always moving to prey on herds and other such areas. To this day they remain small but formidable tribes of dinosaur riding warriors, and very few people can say the charge of howling halfling warriors astride roaring dinosaurs is a sight they don't fear.
However this isn't the full story, as many would immigrate eventually to the rest of the world. With the most popular settlement being Morunshire, were they share the settlement with the Harengon people. These halflings who immigrated across the world have integrated into foreign settlements and taken up local cultures. These halflings are seen as weaker by there more tribal brethren but besides that the halflings of the foreign cities seek to live comfortable lives, eating food and smoking pipes, and making pretty coin while they are at it.
Common Myths and Legends
There is one legend amongst the Tamers that one day, a very powerful halfling will tame the largest dinosaur of all, the Supsinoto. After taming this creature, the halfling would unite the tribes under one banner and lead a conquest across the world
Genetic Ancestor(s)
Lifespan
around 150 years
Average Height
about 3 feet tall
Average Weight
around 40lbs
Body Tint, Colouring and Marking
Rouhgly the same as humans, though due to their positioning in the far south of the Sularan Plains in southern Carall, halflings mostly have more tannish skin
Related Organizations
