Halflings

Halflings
Elves claim to be the oldest race on the planet. Dwarves claim to be the toughest and hardest-working race on the planet. Gnomes claim unsurpassed intelligence. Orcs and Half-Orcs are known across the world for strength and aggression. Humans claim to be the greatest of all.
Halflings cheerfully agree with any and all of the above. They make no claims to any outstanding strengths, and are happy to have whoever they talk to convince himself he is superior in all conceivable ways. After all, if no-one takes you entirely seriously, you can quietly go about your business in safety.
This is the image Halflings love to project to the world. Since they have no significant lands of their own, they are obliged to live on others’ terms. Therefore, they seek to be as inconspicuous as possible – at first glance. Those who study them more closely notice that, no matter what society they happen to find themselves in, Halflings are never starving, and never seem to want for decent clothes or well-built houses.
While the details differ from area to area, almost all Halflings have, by human standards, a distinctly casual attitude to business ethics. Perhaps because the rest of the world tends to patronize them so much, they see little reason not to ensure the table tilts towards them whenever possible. They are not greedy or violent about this (you can shear a sheep every year; you can only roast it once – and you can sell some wool to buy mutton or lamb), but they do not view this as in any way immoral.
All other races have stories of their origins that they proclaim publicly, using them as sources of pride or grudges (or both). Halflings do not say anything about where they came from – at least not that anyone else ever wrote down.
Habitat
Halflings live wherever they can. They prefer to live in much the same climates as humans, and so are often found in human nations. Within these nations, they live in all manner of climates, though they tend to prefer cities and towns because they offer more opportunities for making a living in creative, low-labor ways.
Halfling houses are, for obvious reasons, generally too small for other races to enter easily. This further encourages other folk to leave them alone, and means that they can be built on pieces of land that others may not be able to use. Also, once in while a Halfling will have to move on rather suddenly.

Religion
Halflings will always respect the main faiths of the area they live in. There is no advantage in getting into religious disputes, and Halflings generally have no interest in influencing the religious views of others.
When they are by themselves, most of them worship Twil. They do not do so in the same way humans do (see Jak Tagowa). Instead , they believe that good luck is the reward she gives to those who earn it. This allows just about anything short of violence or outright lying; exaggeration, flattery, rigged games, and so on.
The One preaches acceptance of all, and that no-one should be denied the right to participate in society. This is appealing to some Halflings, as it is certainly a change from the usual condescension, and so the faith has gained a number of Halfling adherents. Other Halflings contend that The One is only for those Halflings unable to support themselves through their wits and creativity.

Military
Halflings have no army of their own. For obvious reasons, few nations have much interest in recruiting battalions of Halflings, and Halflings have little interest in joining one. They will serve in the armies of nations that treat them well (or those that conscript them, though such nations tend to decide to stop doing so soon enough….), where they usually end up as scouts or messengers.

Magic
Halflings are about as magical as humans. They do not usually possess the dedication required to become a serious wizard, but many of the more intelligent members of the race note how much a carefully timed charm, illusion or abjuration spell can make their activities go much more smoothly.
Halfling clerics usually worship Twil, and embrace their faith’s emphasis on creativity wholeheartedly.
Halflings in Eroth
Eroth is a tolerant and open land, at least compared to most of its neighbors. Many Halflings live in it. Some make their living more or less as nomads, moving from town to town selling their crafting skills and running a variety of carnivals and similar games (children usually love these). Others live in Sanction, where there are opportunities for anyone willing to take them. Many of these Halflings, realizing that they don’t want to move on from the city, have adapted their view of “making their luck” to rely mainly on hard work and the use of their contacts among their nomadic brethren. They tend to become merchants, innkeepers or craftsmen, in all cases using news or natural raw materials found through the travels of the nomads.
Halflings in Condor
Condor is most definitely not open and tolerant. The traditional qualities of Halflings are not considered virtues in the Land of Takhene, where strength and aggression are valued above all. Halflings who found themselves living in the state quickly realized that the only real source of profitable, secure opportunities in Condor is the government, especially the Cult of the Queen of Darkness. They found the greatest chance for success and escape from slavery in the fact that many other nations distrust Takhene and her worshippers, and will often not even allow merchants from Condor into their lands. However, these nations generally realize the Cult’s feelings towards Halflings, and so will often accept them. This allows them to gather a great deal of information about other areas, information that the authorities back home greatly value. In return for this, they tend to overlook the smuggling operations many of their spies run on the side.
Halflings on Skull Island
Skull Island is a collection of independent cities that, for different reasons, keep to themselves. In Freeport, the pirates and merchants (if there is a difference) use the Halflings in much the same way the government of Condor does. The Halflings have figured out that serving as quiet, publicly inoffensive fences earns just as much money as piracy, with much less risk of getting hit with a cannonball. Halflings, with few exceptions, avoid Coral Reef. Those who have tried to manipulate the situation there have always discovered that the locals just seem to be smarter than them….

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