Halflings
Often called "halflings" because of their short stature, the people of Al-gon refer to themselves as "The Hin" or "Hinfolk" which directly translates to "the people" in Common.
Very little is known of their culture, as a result of their tendency to treat nearly all living things they see as food, to support their enormous roaming tribal groups. Observations have found that most halflings live in a form of nomadic pastoralism, where a tribe will occupy a specific range, and move within it at regular intervals to avoid stripping any particular area of game and edible plants. These migrations are often led by druidic shamans who stay watchful for signs of overhunting.
Culture
Major language groups and dialects
Very little field research has been done into the nature of Hin as a language, but no evidence of any major dialect divergences has been found, and it is assumed most if not all Hin tribes find each other's speech to be mutually intelligible.
Foods & Cuisine
With halfling culture occurring in enormous social groups supported by an equal or greater population of dogs, meat consumption is a very necessary part of the survival of the Hin. Most living creatures encountered are treated as food, regardless of intelligence level. Agriculture is effectively non-existent, beyond the notion of a tribe's druids declaring when it is time to move to avoid stripping an area of resources completely. Any food other than meat comes in the form of things gathered on the go, and is mostly foods that can be eaten raw or easily roasted along with meat, meaning a large emphasis on mushrooms, berries, legumes and various tubers.
Despite outward appearances, culinary culture among the Hin is not entirely without sophistication. While the lack of agriculture means no flour with which to make a true gravy, many of their meaty dishes can be said to be served au jus, meaning that sauces are made from the drippings of the meat during the cooking process, which is often used as a stock to stew vegetables and edible fungi. One such sauce is made using Miskioca, a wine-like product fermented from potatoes, and carried by the Hin in hollowed-out gourd vessels during fermentation, to deglaze a roasting pan, and then simmering onions, chives or other root vegetables in the sauce while it reduces, to be poured over the roasted meat. This sauce is often enhanced with flavorful herbs, like rosemary or thyme.
The fact that most of this is performed with improvised tools or implements scavenged from (most likely devoured) travelers and passed down through families gives an air of barbarism, but the Hin take eating seriously, and mealtime is a socially important part of their culture.
Common Customs, traditions and rituals
Most of the Hinfolk shamans tend to be druids, and usual take on the role of both kennel master and priest within their communities, caring for the well being of the dogs the tribe depends on for their way of life.
Coming of Age Rites
When a halfling child learns to walk, they are bonded with a puppy, which in turn becomes their first mount. Later in life, when the dog dies, the rider personally butchers the dog and chooses friends or honored tribemates to gift the choicest morsels to.
Funerary and Memorial customs
Hin culture does not contain any taboos against eating the flesh of intelligent creatures, and while they never hunt each other, their practice of eating their own dead is well attested in the few scholarly works to be compiled about their practices. It is considered an extreme insult to a dead tribe member to declare their flesh unworthy of feeding and discard it.
Common Taboos
The wasting of food is the biggest social transgression among the Hin, and few other hard and fast rules have been observed by outsiders.
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