Races: The Halflings
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The legendary origin of the Halfings is discussed in The Tale of Fenella (see in Sage Scrivenings). They are a race closely related to humans and the name 'Halfling' arose because they look like the children of humans. They call themselves the Hin. They speak a variation of the human tongue Brethic. Adventuring Halfings can become Warriors, Clerics, Thieves and Bards. They can only apprentice to Mages.
Description
Fully grown Halflings are between 3'9" to 4'8" tall and weigh 55-130 pounds. They have similar proportions to humans but in a smaller size. They have brown to ginger hair and hazel or green irises. Hair tends to curliness. They can live as long as 72 to 100 years. The temperament of Halflings ranges from cheerful to reserved and from cheeky to proper (in other words rather like humans). They prefer temperate to cool climes of gently rolling hills and prefer a rustic way of life.
Culture
The Halflings worship the same gods and goddesses as do humans. If they are described at all they tend to be given a Halfling aspect and some characteristics are emphasised over others. The sins of the gods and goddesses themselves are overlooked in most sermons. The Deliverer is particularly popular. Halflings focus on living a life of safety and comfort mixed with decency and humility. Work is important but so is rest and relaxation of a well-behaved kind. Games like hide-and-seek are enjoyed - even by adults. The village is the standard unit of Hinnic society.
There is a Halfling nation of Hinhome which is itself a former province of the human nation of Rolania. There is a tendency therefore for polite society in Hinhome to emulate the customs and manners of that mentor-nation. However there is also an undercurrent of resentment for the generations of discrimination they faced and with that comes a hint of irreverence. The more adventurous or eccentric of Halflings seek to discover the 'original' culture of the Hinnic which was lost during generations of servitude to the Rolanians. The closest they think they can come is in emulating another human culture - that of the Brethic.
Technology
Halfling skills are very much those of the humans they lived among for generations. There are however a few distinctive Hinnic designs of which the most noteworthy are the warren and the wind mill. Warrens are rambling homes dug into hillsides or artificially covered by grassy mounds. The wind mill is a recent innovation of Halfling make which they use as an alternative to the older and more popular water mill. Halfling music focuses on simplistic and infectious tunes played in a Brethic mode.
Clothes
Halfling militia of Hinhome wear leather armour and wooden shield and wield short sword and stone slings. Some however ride pony-drawn war-carts and wield spears. Halfling clothing is practical and modest while also suggestive of comfort and affluence. This rustic look is supplemented in formal occasions by trappings of Brethic origin like the kilt and the torc.
Food
Halflings tend to have the same food as the humans they share lands with. However one invention of Halfings is the pie. They are particularly renowned for the making of a mashed-tuber topped pie filled with mushrooms. They also enjoy sweet things like honey-seed cakes and ciders. Finally they will often follow a meal with the smoking of pipe weed - an export of Hinhome of growing popularity.
Reproduction
Halfling courtship standards are very similar to those of humans of the more reserved and private kind. Indeed the average Halfling is most coy on the topic of sex and utilises all manner of euphemisms if the topic must be discussed at all. Halflings prefer small families of one to three children and focus on giving those few children as good a life and livelihood as they can.
Half-Hin
Halflings and humans can interbreed but this is rare and considered controversial. Any child resulting from such a liaison will grow to become a normal sized human in every respect who can pass as of Brethic kin perfectly. Any children they have are also human. Such 'fullsome' children living among Halflings tend to find life difficult as they grow - even if prejudice is curbed they still have practical issues with the size of furniture! By adulthood they will have left to find a new life among humans.
The legendary origin of the Halfings is discussed in The Tale of Fenella (see in Sage Scrivenings). They are a race closely related to humans and the name 'Halfling' arose because they look like the children of humans. They call themselves the Hin. They speak a variation of the human tongue Brethic. Adventuring Halfings can become Warriors, Clerics, Thieves and Bards. They can only apprentice to Mages.
Description
Fully grown Halflings are between 3'9" to 4'8" tall and weigh 55-130 pounds. They have similar proportions to humans but in a smaller size. They have brown to ginger hair and hazel or green irises. Hair tends to curliness. They can live as long as 72 to 100 years. The temperament of Halflings ranges from cheerful to reserved and from cheeky to proper (in other words rather like humans). They prefer temperate to cool climes of gently rolling hills and prefer a rustic way of life.
Culture
The Halflings worship the same gods and goddesses as do humans. If they are described at all they tend to be given a Halfling aspect and some characteristics are emphasised over others. The sins of the gods and goddesses themselves are overlooked in most sermons. The Deliverer is particularly popular. Halflings focus on living a life of safety and comfort mixed with decency and humility. Work is important but so is rest and relaxation of a well-behaved kind. Games like hide-and-seek are enjoyed - even by adults. The village is the standard unit of Hinnic society.
There is a Halfling nation of Hinhome which is itself a former province of the human nation of Rolania. There is a tendency therefore for polite society in Hinhome to emulate the customs and manners of that mentor-nation. However there is also an undercurrent of resentment for the generations of discrimination they faced and with that comes a hint of irreverence. The more adventurous or eccentric of Halflings seek to discover the 'original' culture of the Hinnic which was lost during generations of servitude to the Rolanians. The closest they think they can come is in emulating another human culture - that of the Brethic.
Technology
Halfling skills are very much those of the humans they lived among for generations. There are however a few distinctive Hinnic designs of which the most noteworthy are the warren and the wind mill. Warrens are rambling homes dug into hillsides or artificially covered by grassy mounds. The wind mill is a recent innovation of Halfling make which they use as an alternative to the older and more popular water mill. Halfling music focuses on simplistic and infectious tunes played in a Brethic mode.
Clothes
Halfling militia of Hinhome wear leather armour and wooden shield and wield short sword and stone slings. Some however ride pony-drawn war-carts and wield spears. Halfling clothing is practical and modest while also suggestive of comfort and affluence. This rustic look is supplemented in formal occasions by trappings of Brethic origin like the kilt and the torc.
Food
Halflings tend to have the same food as the humans they share lands with. However one invention of Halfings is the pie. They are particularly renowned for the making of a mashed-tuber topped pie filled with mushrooms. They also enjoy sweet things like honey-seed cakes and ciders. Finally they will often follow a meal with the smoking of pipe weed - an export of Hinhome of growing popularity.
Reproduction
Halfling courtship standards are very similar to those of humans of the more reserved and private kind. Indeed the average Halfling is most coy on the topic of sex and utilises all manner of euphemisms if the topic must be discussed at all. Halflings prefer small families of one to three children and focus on giving those few children as good a life and livelihood as they can.
Half-Hin
Halflings and humans can interbreed but this is rare and considered controversial. Any child resulting from such a liaison will grow to become a normal sized human in every respect who can pass as of Brethic kin perfectly. Any children they have are also human. Such 'fullsome' children living among Halflings tend to find life difficult as they grow - even if prejudice is curbed they still have practical issues with the size of furniture! By adulthood they will have left to find a new life among humans.
posted by Daniel | 8.5.06
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