Ioehque

The Ioehque are a distinctive halfling culture living within the western temperate rainforests of Halyren. A region which sees intense rains and dense forests due to the Sködorran Mountains blocking nearly all moisture from moving across them to the east, it is extraordinarily biodiverse and supports a significant halfling population. The Ioehque descend from two distinct, blended groups, who call the forests their home and over time have merged into one, that being the Ioehque. The first of these groups are the indigenous halflings who lived in the forests as isolated hunter-gatherers until roughly 2000 years ago. Then, they were joined by a sedentary population of halflings fleeting Gnollish conquests during the Halyric Calamity, a subset of the Great Calamity. Unlike many races, who may have entered conflict with one another over the land, the natives welcomed their fellow halflings as brothers, with the two groups both influencing one another's development.

Modern Ioehque have adopted sedentarism, but have maintained significant parts of their migratory past far better to the rest of the halfling cultures. They have a deep reverence for nature, and have maintained their fine forests as a natural resource, rather than cutting down trees to feed farms. That is not to say they are not agrarian, they are, but that their farms are built into and around the natural landscape, often using magic to ease the transition. Unlike most halflings, the Ioehque traditionally place their burrows beneath the roots of an ancient tree, tunneling into the earth and establishing a central home to rest in. Over the years, a family may expand this home into a many-chambered dwelling which can rise above the surface, but typically the majority is indeed below the ground. Of critical importance to this endeavor is of course preventing water from soaking the whole area during the frequent storms, and special cisterns, wards, and constructions are combined to prevent this.

While much of the Ioehque are now sedentary agriculturalists, their governments are largely tribal, although modern principles such as tax registries and administrative reforms have crept in over the years. One's allegiance to their clan, with many clans being trans-national or at least having a significant population that maintains contacts outside of the national boundaries of each state, is paramount. This makes wars difficult, as all clans will try to prevent their people from being targeted in any expansionism. However, it also means that wholesale migrations may occur to unite a clan under one banner can happen, depriving one state of their resources and empowering another.

Some of these clans remain partially migratory, spending the winters in one nation and the summers in another or at least travelling within one throughout the year. These clans, known as the Lweaperde, maintain some populations as far northeast as Lokkana, and span the whole rest of the woods, catching up with all other groups and sharing news. They are also known as excellent foragers and musicians, with many Lweaperde being of the bardic calling. They are well-loved by the people in most of the rainforest, but perhaps not so much by the governments of the various Ioehque nations, due to the difficulty in enforcing taxation on them or getting them to join the army.

Besides the Lweaperde, there are three more distinct subculture within the Ioehque, these being the Læilor, the Sælfore, and the Upwendior. The Læilor are generally herders, with pigs or goats being their animal of choice. Due to the dense foliage of the jungle, there is always plenty for these animals to snack on, and they help to keep pathways clear and serve to make use of land not suitable for agricultural use or which is further from the village center. Læilor may be found prominently along the inward borders of the halfling nations, with populations even into kobold territories in the mountains themselves. They, like the Lweaperde, may be semi-migratory, though they typically do not range between countries, staying in one locale and moving as pastures are exhausted throughout the year.

In contrast to the preceding groups, the Sælfore and Upwendior are both exclusively sedentary groups. The Sælfore are concentrated in the south and northwards along the coast, but have little presence inland in the north, while the Upwendior dominate in the laterally wider forests of the north, but have only a small coastal expanse. Some Upwendior clans can also be found in Triunlend and Lokkana, while the Upwendior also hold the only Ioehque state east of the mountains, in the woods along the edge of the Argelona desert. These Upwendior are the only Ioehque for whom the Gnolls are a threat, with the rest living entirely removed from that particular threat. Both groups are relatively similar, but the Upwendior have absorbed more of the refugee culture, being more similar to the other halfling cultures, while also trading much more with their fellows. The Sælfore are much more isolated, but also the only Ioehque to have notable trade with the gnomes, thanks to their largely coastal disposition. They are fine sailors, catching numerous fish within the many bays and inlets along the rainforest coast, though they rarely venture into the choppy deeper waters farther from land.