Nelwyns - People of the Waters

From ramshackle patchwork barges to the decks of fishing boats and smuggling vessels, riverfolk halflings – the Nelwyns – are found along the rivers, marshes, and swamps of the world that they claim as their territory. The gruff barge pilot in the wide-brimmed hat, predicting a river with near-prescient skill; the singer, stamping out rhythms on the deck while belting out bawdy songs; the charming huckster, swindling the big folk out of their savings for promises and trinkets with a gleam in his eye – all different, but all riverfolk, and all making their sometimes-contentious homes wherever the current takes them.

Halflings benefit from a nomadic, world-spanning culture that has survived thousands of years, including the rise and fall of several empires. When other races saw their great empires topple, found their deals with extra-mortal entities go bad, or were enslaved by terrible monsters, halflings survived unchanged. Their oral histories contain a vast amount of lore about people and places long past, especially remnants still found in the world of today.

Bound by traditions and customs that have served them well for thousands of years, halflings place great importance in being friendly to other peaceful societies and on sharing both the burdens and rewards of fortune. Among their own kind, halflings settle easily into their customary interactions, which are characterized by a more serious and practical mien.

Yet their Grandsires speak of times before a brutal humanity rose up and almost annihilated the empires of dwarves, elves and dragonborn, then nearly annihilated itself in pointless internecine wars, allowing the oppressed remnants of those races to rise up and forcibly carve a place for themselves out of the ruins. A land ever shifting under the pretense of Great Beings, who did not bend to the will Dwarven Psionics or the Elven White-Gods. Before the Second Coming of Man who gave Titles to the Primordial Beasts.

Basic Information

Behaviour

Halflings don't collect themselves in kingdoms or realms, and they don't recognize any sort of royalty or nobility. Instead, halflings organize themselves by clans, groups tied together by family relationships. Thus the head of the clan is also the head of a family. Clan elders are expected to look after their own folk. Families many miles distant from each other keep in touch by means of avian couriers and messengers, so most halflings in a given area are quite well informed about what's going on all around them. Clans move around with the seasons to avoid trouble, to find better fishing and hunting, to visit a distant family group, to relocate their water caravan to a new center of trade, or simply to live someplace different. In their travels, clans pass knowledge on to others they meet, exchange members via marriage, and reestablish relationships with clans with whom they have been out of touch.

Sample Halfling Names:

Male: Ostran, Reed, Ulmo, Wendel, Wnner, Nevil, Alton, Ander, Harol, Kevin
Female: Jasmine, Jo, Myria, Dee, Andry, Gynnie, Euphemia, Philomena, Tawna, Willow
Clan: Riverslye, Swiftwater, Renefik, Sunmeadow, Wildheart, Cherrycheeks, Brightmoon, Leagallow, Quick Step, Reedfellow