Halflings of the Harvest Lands

North of Chrailis the land steadily rises through the jungles till it hits a large plateau of farmlands known as the Harvest Lands. This is where the halflings primarily reside. While others may refer to them as halflings, and neither side gives or receives such comments as being derogatory, the proper name of the halfling people are the Reyjsak. The meaning of which is from a lost language but means ‘way of the sapling’. It refers to the smaller stature of the halfling in a world of giants – strong, unbreakable, yet bending when needing so as to endure.
As far as language goes, halflings have lost most remnants of any language they might have formerly possessed and now all speak a rather nasal dialect of the common tongue of Chrailis. In a sense, they may sound a little country to the citizenry of Chrailis. A simple lifestyle, however, does not mean simple intellect. In fact, halflings are considered one of the wisest and patient of races. The Harvest Lands, with their higher elevation and regular rainfall make a perfect setting to supply the majority of the crops necessary for the survival of Chrailis. Those crops include extensive floodplains for rice, large fields of maize, grain, and several crops of taro and cassava. Included in these crops are just about every other kind of common tropical agricultural item which doesn’t involve climbing up into a tree to harvest regularly. Those items are present, just not in large scale and usually more present for the local community or household, not for shipment to Chrailis.
Roughly eighty percent of the food crop for Chrailis comes from this small area.
Halflings band together in small villages, usually no more than a hundred per village. The majority are farmers or spend a good deal of their time tending to the crops before pursuing other activities like cobbling, baking, managing, etc.
Crops are community owned by the village, while households will usually have small gardens for personal use.
As far as animal crops, halflings don’t rely much on killing other animals for sustenance. They will farm goats for milk and chickens and quails for eggs, but little else. When they do eat meat, it is a rare occasion maybe once a week.
Halflings themselves, while short, are incredibly fit overall. Primarily vegetarian, they are known as big eaters, yet rarely if ever is an overweight halfling seen. This is due to the rigorous exercise regimen almost all halflings engage in daily. (There are even sayings to emphasize this along the lines of “and yeah, I saw a fat halfling the other day.”
Trade exists rather routinely to and from Chrailis with alternate routes heading north around the Quirk Woods to the various orc villages. As a general rule, halflings are accepting and prefer that others coming to them for trade (including orc traders who come bearing the occasional fresh fish.) Rarely does a halfling ever venture out of their homeland. In fact, such rogue halflings are often looked down upon and shunned. A proper halfling never ventures more than ten miles from their birthplace with the exception of pilgrimages to their avowed monastery.
The majority of halflings give obediences to Torya and Radok as their primary gods. A few will serve the other gods if their profession leans that way. As with most cultures of this area, halflings are polytheistic so they have no problem giving service to whichever god seems to warrant the service at that time. And also similar to most of the regional cultures, there aren’t many overly devout halflings. Si’Nassapherion generally leaves the halflings alone, so they really don’t concern themselves much with her or her dealings. They know that if ever there was a large scale invasion into the Harvest Lands, Si’Nassa would be there almost immediately to put it down as the crops are so vital to the success of the city. It’s happened before, so they don’t have any reason to believe it wouldn’t happen again if needed.
Being that they are half as tall as many humanoids, if not shorter, their culture has developed in such a way to deal with this disadvantage. Halflings do have to tend with occasional orc raids or the occasional magic creature venturing out the Quirk Woods, but the main threat is from the jungles to their north where large packs of gnolls reside.
With gnolls standing near seven feet and having a taste for halfling flesh, raids from gnolls are always a concern. However, this is a concern most every halfling considers a risk of life and is constantly vigilant against.
To this end, the halflings train in unarmed combat daily. From the time they can walk, there is a time a day early morning and late evening every halfling participates in katas, styles, and routine mock combat.
During the morning hours, it is done privately in the house for newer family members while in the common areas of the village many will gather each and every morning just before sunrise. Each routine is only about fifteen to thirty minutes, and each village might have their own variation.
Then at night, the halflings will band into their groups depending on their avowed monastery and might practice for upwards to two to three hours. With metal being so scarce, the halflings largely practice unarmed combat or combat with various stick type weapons, including most basic farm implements. For common sport, all halflings participate in throwing contests and they are excelled marksmen with small objects like knives and stones.
All this training comes from one of five monasteries located around the Harvest Lands. The halflings are masters of various forms of martial arts. The ability to kick the ass of a seven-foot gnoll both figuratively and literally is quite handy. Most halflings, even the elderly, can kick a target over five feet high.
Each of the monasteries provides mastery in one of five basic principles. When a halfling reaches around twelve years old, they will head off and spend two years at a monastery, usually one of their parents was avowed to. Then they will return to their home village till their twentieth birthday. At that time, most halflings (not all) will then choose a monastery to avow themselves too and go to that monastery and petition to enter their ranks. Few are ever turned away or declined and those who are usually retire to simple farming life or leave the Harvest Lands altogether. Once avowed, they will spend three more years at that monastery before returning home. Then for the next twenty years, the halfling is expected to start a family and lead a simple life, returning one month a year in two-week segments for continued training. After age 43, many halflings will give up their monastic duties and live out the rest of their lives in the simple routines of village life.
A few will remain at their avowed monastery indefinitely. Also, orphaned children also tend to become permanent residents. Those that spend decades at a monastery will become the true masters. There is no prohibition against marriage at the monasteries, however, any potential family with a child must leave and return to the village until the child is of age to avow.
Additionally, while the monasteries are competitive with each other, they are not overly aggressive in promoting one over the other. In fact, it is common custom for a permanent avowed member of one monastery at age 50 to leave and join another monastery for 5 years as an avowed brother or sister, learning much of what they have to offer.
Each monastery is more or less open with their teachings except their most advanced secrets which are reserved for their own true masters. Some of these teachings are of worthy note, however. As one progresses, each monastery has powerful techniques and practices they begin teaching their students. Of these include a type of chakra magic where the inner chi is formulated to physical constructs and tied to the chakras of that body party. For example, spiritual boots which bestow special powers tied to the chakras of that halflings feet which might allow the halfling to walk on water or making amazing jumps.
Besides being excelled martial artists and farmers, few halflings will venture into other fields. There almost no wizards, mid to high-level priests, sages, rangers, or warriors to be found.
Those few who don’t feel they fit with halfling society often leave the Harvest Lands altogether, many times after their first stay during their teen years at one of the monasteries. Seeking a life less simple, many are drawn to the role of thievery and begin leading a roguish lifestyle. It is due to these few halflings the race gained the notorious reputation of being master thieves.
Finally, when it comes to visitors and outsiders halflings are quite open. As long as they remain visitors and outsiders. They will subtlety hint at the need to move on after a few days. The monasteries, while quite open to any halfling, are for the most part closed off to non-halflings. They will occasionally allow a gnome in to study. As far as the other races go, it takes a very special reason before a monastery will teach a non-halfling. Even then, when they do approve, they will usually send the perspective student off to one of their hermit masters – someone non-halfling who has mastered one of their styles and lives in isolation somewhere around the Harvest Lands, usually having learned the style through a similar process themselves.
As far as roleplaying goes – Halflings are primarily Monks. If there is a Ninja class, it is tied to one of the Monasteries and secret at this time. Halflings are basically good aligned. All Harvest Land halflings receive instead of the standard +2 Dex, +2 Cha, -2 Str, they receive a +2 Dex, +2 Wis, -1 Str bonus during character creation.
Any halfling that chooses a monk character also gains the following benefit: halflings are so attuned with being a Monk that their unarmed combat damage is as per medium size, not small size.
Any halfling not born and raised in the Harvest Lands will conform to the normal halfling in the core book.