Hairfoot Halfling
When many humans think of halflings, they envision nimble tricksters all too eager to lighten the pockets of larger races -- a conception that exasperates the hairfoots to no end. Good-natured, earthy folk who love little more than a job done right and a hearty meal afterwards, hairfoot halflings differ a great deal from their nomadic lightfoot cousins.
Hairfoots are easy-going in the extreme, valuing food and cheer over all else. A typical hairfoot village will celebrate any good occasion, and it's said that hairfoot cooks produce the most satisfying food one's ever likely to eat. Yet hairfoots also have a strong work ethic, and will see the toughest job through to the end (although they're not averse to taking shortcuts if dinner is fast approaching).
As with all halflings, family is vital to hairfoots. A hairfoot is loyal to his kin, and though they're not as obsessed with honor as most dwarves, an insult to a hairfoot's family will rarely be allowed to stand. In the older and larger hairfoot towns, the wealthier families often get embroiled in petty (if not always unfriendly) rivalries over trade and other matters. The only study about which hairfoots are commonly passionate is genealogy, as they love mapping out who's related to who and how in convoluted family trees that stretch back centuries.
Hairfoots prefer boredom to trouble. Most live by an unwritten code of decorum that emphasizes common sense and prudence. Where a lightfoot halfling will rush into a dragon's lair at the mere mention of gold to be gained, a hairfoot will shake his head and sigh, wondering what the blasted fool needs with all that money, anyway.
The hairfoots are not a deeply spiritual people and commonly keep a little shrine in their homes
Halflings pay homage to numerous minor gods and spirits, known as the Thousand Small Gods, and as such their religion is almost animistic. Where the tallfellows believe in little gods of forests and lakes, however, the hairfoots look to the gods of fields and fireplaces, stoves and kilns. Prayers to the Small Gods are simple, for instance just a silent "thank you" to the spirits of field and oven for a well-baked loaf of bread.
The hairfoots have few myths, and most of them read like bedtime stories (in fact, most are). They have no story of creation, but instead believe that their kind had always inhabited the woods and hills of the world.
Hairfoots settle in close-knit villages in plains or forests, usually within or close by human kingdoms. Their settlements are marked by their unique architectural style: They favor snug burrow-homes excavated into hillsides and riverbanks, always with round doors and windows. Even in areas where hole-houses are impractical and are replaced by little wooden buildings, round portals are the rule of the day.
In regions where hairfoot villages are common, they often band together in shires. Hairfoot shires are well-maintained areas with safe roads patrolled by organized sheriffs who keep an eye out for troublemakers and wild animals, and plied by postmen who keep different villages in touch with each other. Volunteer "bounders" are also employed to "beat the bounds" and make sure that no undesirables trespass without their knowing. Every shire has an elected mayor who leads the sheriffs and postmen, but whose duties are otherwise limited to making speeches at fairs and toasts at parties. Lightfoot halfling commonwealths are also likely to settle down in or around hairfoot shires because they're such a safe place to live.
Naming Traditions
Feminine names
Amanita, Amaryllis, Daisy, Diamond, Dora, Emerald, Lilly, Lobelia, Rose, Seraphina
Masculine names
Balto, Dolphus ("Dolph" or "Dol"), Filbert ("Filby"), Halwise ("Hal"), Kepli, Milo, Regis, Tobold ("Toby"), Tolfast ("Tol"), Wilcome ("Will")
Family names
Bolger, Heathertoes, Hedgeway, Leafturner, Overhill, Pott, Proudfoot, Roundbelly, Sackville, Sandheaver
Culture
Major language groups and dialects
Hairfoots speak Halfling like others of their kind, although they're making greater use of Common amongst themselves with each passing generation. Soon, the Halfling tongue may be little more to them than an old "book-language."
Culture and cultural heritage
Hairfoot adventurers are admittedly rare -- "adventures are dreadful things that make one late for dinner," according to a common hairfoot proverb. Some few young hairfoots choose to strike out on their own, stricken by wanderlust; such halflings are invariably labeled "queer" by their neighbors (though they're welcomed home with open arms if they return with a few bags of gold and jewels, needless to say). Most hairfoot adventurers, however, travel out of necessity -- a local boy seeking help for an impoverished village, a sheriff on orders from his superiors, or a bounder tracking a potential threat. Some hairfoot adventurers get swept away on the roads of adventure and never come home to their shires, but most look forward with a happy heart to the day they can settle down, raise a family, and live out their lives in peace and content.
Ideals
Beauty Ideals
Hairfoots stand about 3 feet tall, but are heavier than other halflings, weighing 40 to 45 pounds. Hairfoots are usually round and plump as a result of their easy lifestyle. Their skin ranges from fair to light tan, and all hairfoots have rosy cheeks. Their hair is universally curly (and often somewhat unruly), the vast majority some shade of brown; red and black hair are uncommon, and blond hairfoots are one in a thousand. Hairfoots favor clothing that is comfortable and practical; they don't care if they look good as long as they feel good.
The name "hairfoot" derives from the race's most prominent physical feature: their large, fur-covered feet. Hairfoots take great pride in their foot-hair and groom their feet neatly. Their soles are also quite leathery, so hairfoots only bother with footwear in inclement weather. Hairfoots also have tufts of hair on the backs of their hands, though not as thickly as on their feet.
Hairfoots are physically mature at around age 20 like other halflings, but they're not considered adults until their early 30s, and spend the decade in between (known as their "tweens") as "halflings of leisure," spending their days simply enjoying life (usually at their parents' expense). They live as long as lightfoots, a little more than 200 years.
Comments