Races of Theopetros: Halflings
The Little People
Appearance
Halflings rise to a humble height of 3 feet. They prefer to walk barefoot, leading to the bottoms of their feet being roughly calloused. Tufts of thick, curly hair warm the tops of their broad, tanned feet. Their skin tends toward a rich almond color and their hair toward light shades of brown and black. The typical coloring is barely typical. Halflings exhibit strong traits depending on which clan they belong to. A halfling's ears are pointed, but proportionately not much larger than those of a human.
Personality
Optimistic and cheerful by nature, blessed with uncanny luck and driven by a powerful wanderlust, halflings make up for their short stature with an abundance of bravado and curiosity. At once excitable and easy-going, halflings like to keep an even temper and a steady eye on opportunity, and are not as prone as some of the more volatile races to violent or emotional outbursts. Even in the jaws of catastrophe, a halfling almost never loses his sense of humor. Halflings have a serious streak when it comes to family and honor. They respect their ancestors, and their elders, and will rarely do anything that will bring disgrace to their family.
Halflings are inveterate opportunists. Unable to physically defend themselves from the rigors of the world, they know when to bend with the wind and when to hide away. Yet a halfling's curiosity often overwhelms his good sense, leading to poor decisions and narrow escapes. Though their curiosity drives them to travel and seek new places and experiences, halflings possess a strong sense of house and home. Those outside of the halfling lands do their best to bring home with them.
History
The Beginning
When the gods were creating the races the twins Jaylen and Kyla set about creating races of their own. Jaylen created the halflings, and Kyla created the gnomes. The races created by the twins bore the collective name of the Little People. These races shared the friendly rivalry of their creators, treating one another as distant family.
Kyla was one of the first to die at Dramdaus’ hand. Jaylen bent all his will toward hampering the Demon Lord’s plans. Of all the old gods, he was the only one able to return to the material plane. He quickly set about gathering his people, and the orphans of his sister. With the Little People in tow, Jaylen fled to the isolated Isle of Peln and the Kandere chain. On these islands the Little People became one. Intermarriage between the races blurred the lines. By the time the Demon Lord was defeated there was only one race, commonly known as halflings.
Jaylen knew that he would never be able to defeat the Demon Lord on his own, the best he could do was preserve his people. To that end he set about creating protections for them that went beyond himself. He sacrificed half of his power to create the first ancestor shrines, and placed one on each of the islands in the chain. He transferred the rest of his power to his people. Upon his death the power would pass to a worthy bearer, and so on for eternity. In this way the Little People would always have a champion.
Culture
The culture of the halflings is alien to most others. With the defeat of the Demon Lord they have begun exploring the world, bringing their culture with them. Their culture revolves around their ancestors. The nature of the Ancestor Shrines allows living members of a family to have access to their ancestors for wisdom and guidance. Even their deity, Khasten, is an ancestor. Halflings revere the stories of their families, sharing tales of past generations at every gathering. Many halflings, especially those outside of halfling lands, carry ancestor tokens. These act as links back to the shrines of their homeland. They also act as holy symbols for halflings who use divine magic.
Painting is common among halfling artwork. The most common medium is a type of strong but light paper produced from the plants of the island. Paintings are often paired with decorative flowing script. Calligraphy is common on its own as well. Halfling sculptures are typically made from light island wood, with stone and metal saved for important pieces such as the creation of new Ancestor Shrines.
Halflings are island hoppers. They build bamboo rafts to cross the distances between the islands in the chain. For longer voyages they build grand ships that often rival the size of a comparable ship for other cultures. With the world once again open to them, halflings have become a seafaring folk in search of the wonders found in other lands. They rely heavily on trade to bring in resources that are not found on their islands.
Those halflings living in other lands establish small communities within the cities of the larger races. These communities are known as groves. These groves are isolated sections of halfling culture. Those entering into the boundary of a halfling grove immediately find themselves surrounded by the comforts and sights of the halfling lands.
Halfling fashion focuses on light flowing garments. Silk robes, flowing pants, and sashes are common. Many halflings, male and female, go shirtless while at sea. Sailors among the other races will often forgo this practice depending on the sensibilities of the races around them.
Halfling cuisine consists of the bounty of the sea as their main meat. Island fruits and fast growing rice fill in most of the rest of their diet.
Ancestor Shrines
Jaylen knew the effect the seal would have on the dead. With nowhere to go, souls would be left adrift in the material plane, often returning in undeath. Jaylen found a way to circumvent that fate, while protecting his people. He created the ancestor shrines as a sort of afterlife for the halflings, and a shield to those still living. The shrines link every island in the chain. Upon their death, a halfling’s soul passes to the afterlife of the shrines. The power from those passed souls goes to fuel several different protective wards around the halfling lands. The weakest shrines only protect a small area around them, perhaps the size of a small home. Larger shrines spread their protective aura for miles. The greatest shrines protect the capital, warding the entire island. The power is weakest on the outer islands, growing stronger as one moves toward the capitol. The forces of the Demon Lord found themselves pushed back from the islands. The deeper they went into the chain, the more difficult it became for them to remain. Eventually the power of the shrines would always push them back.
The protective wards did not repulse the Demon Lord’s mortal followers however. For those the wards acted as an early warning, allowing the Little People to go to ground. They built few permanent structures, preferring dwellings which could be taken down quickly, and moved easily. When threats neared the chain. The only permanent structures were usually the shrines and other ceremonial places, which were left abandoned if danger neared. Unable to find victims, the forces of the Demon Lord would eventually grow weary and leave the chain in search of easier prey.
In this way the Little People stayed safe, but they also stayed isolated. Only a rare few ventured into the occupied lands, and information about the outside world was sparse.
Architecture
During the Demon Lord’s reign halflings created few permanent structures. The ancestor shrines were typically the only permanent fixtures. Homes were built so that they could be taken down quickly. Their construction often consisted of panels made from strong paper and light wood. Bamboo is a common construction material as well.
Now that the threat of demonic invasion has subsided, halflings have begun building more permanent dwellings. Those buildings which are the most important utilize stone, metal, and clay tiles. Family dwellings and other smaller buildings are still created using wood, bamboo, strong paper, and similar materials.
Clans
When the first halflings explored the Kandere chain they encountered many other residents, some great and some small. Guided by Jaylen, the halflings attempted to make alliances with these others. The major clans descend from these alliances.
Several powerful beings called the chain home. Each was approached by a halfling family, and given a deal. The family would pledge itself to the being. In exchange, the patron would become a member of the family, tying their lives to the lives of the halflings and their power to the power of the ancestor shrines. These beings became the great ancestors, and patrons of the clans.
The great ancestors are: Aboleth, Chimera, Hydra, Kraken, Medusa, Phoenix, Pixie, and the three dragon clans the Emerald Scale, the Silver Scale, and the Golden Scale.
Bloodlines
Each of the clans shows a strong connection to their patron. Skin, hair, eyes, all show the heritage of the clan. Due to their isolation, the Little People don’t have the abundance of demonic blood that many of the other races have. The strongest bloodline is kobold. Many of the great ancestors had kobold followers when the halflings arrived. These kobold clans intermingled with the halflings over the period of the Demon Lord’s reign.
There are still pure blooded kobold clans that call the chain home. There are also many daern, those who are half kobold and half halfling.
Government
The halfling government grew out of the ancestors and the clans. There are the ten major clans, and many lesser clans. Above all of these is the royal clan. The royal clan consists of the royal family and their close relations. This clan started with a single halfling couple chosen as emperor and empress. The heir of the empire marries a member of a major clan upon becoming emperor or empress. The clans rotate so that the clan marrying into the royal clan changes each generation. In this way the royal clan is made up of all the other clans.
The emperor and empress are the supreme power. They are supported by a royal council. This council consists of members of the royal clan, and the current leader of each of the other clans.
Law and order are handled on a family basis except in the case of egregious indiscretion. Families are ruled by a patriarch, or a surviving matriarch, who exercises control over family discipline. Infractions within the family are dealt with as such. Infractions involving another family require negotiation between households for appropriate punishments and recompense.
Military
The halfling army has at times been equated to kicking an anthill. In the final battle to defeat the demon lord it was the sudden arrival of a massive halfling force that turned the tide in the favor of the free races.
The halfling military is well trained, and equipped with metal weapons that are rare among the rest of their people. Soldiers spend part the year drilling and performing military duties, and part of the year tending to their personal interests. Soldiers follow a schedule so that there are always those coming off of their break while others are leaving. The exact numbers of their military vary throughout the year, but all of their soldiers are ready to be called into action in the case of an emergency.
Technology
Halflings possess comparable technology with the rest of the civilized races. They have mastered the use of iron, but the small supply on their islands means that metal is often saved for important projects. Halflings have mastered the art of using stone and wood to create amazing works.
They are experienced seafarers, experts in navigation and shipbuilding. Their grand ships dwarf those of other races, despite their smaller size. A halfling ship is much like a floating city.
About the Author:
Stephen Mayo lives in Montana with his wife, daughter, and three cats.
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