Halflings

The Halflings are an example of just how bad earning the disfavor of Theradin can be, none are certain anymore as to how the race once angered Theradin, but the god of luck seems to have forgiven them after a heavy price was paid. The Halflings are a cousin species to the Dwarves and Gnomes, while the Gnomes split off from the Dwarves the Halflings were more than happy to stay with the Dwarves and become farmers. The Dwarves were happy with this arrangement as it meant a constant source of food and of course materials for their beloved ale.
The Halflings soon became victims of the strife between Dwarves and Dragons. Once their lands were burned and pillaged the Halflings were left with nothing, their leader Vaulderman put the task of building ships to take them elsewhere. The legend goes that they tried to then settle an island to the northwest. This was the last time the race was seen in any concentration. The Island is now known as Vaulderman’s folly, for when they landed, they found the island was home to a large population of various gryphon creatures and manticores. Unfortunately for the Halflings, both found them to be a rather delicious treat. The land Vaulderman's Folly is called that for a reason as it was his folly that led to most people thinking the Halflings were extinct for many years.

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The Truth

What really happened with Vaulderman's doomed expedition was that it was not made up of the entirety of the race and in fact many refused to leave the lands they knew. The druids of the world came to Hammerock and helped bring life once more to the land and in the process helped the Halflings survive. After a decade of constant work to resew life the Halflings were getting settled once more content to fall back into the life they knew, until an exile of the city Hammerock came to them and presented them with evidence that the High King knew of the attack on the dragons, and that they expected a retaliation and gave the order that all Dwarves were to be brought to the city. While it may not have been the intent of the High King to leave the Halflings to die in their place, it became very hard to refute that claim.
Upset about what they had learned and wanting to distance themselves from their cousins and the fires of dragons and war they began to live a more nomadic existence in large groups seeking a new home for themselves. They would eventually find temporary shelter within Rhyderia near where Düncaster would eventually come to be. In the same time that Humanity was starting to become a true race the Halflings helped them learn to till fields, brew ales, and enjoy the simple comforts of home and for a time the two races existed in harmony even to the point where many humans saw the halflings as a sibling species just being shorter than themselves. This spirit of cooperation ended just before the Dark Ages began, when the humans put their sights to attacking the dragons a bitter memory for the halflings was playing out again. Thus, the halflings left Rhyderia to go into isolation, this new home would not be marked on maps but rests on the island to the northeast of Savorah in a city known as 'Half-Hill'.
They find their shelter under the watchful gaze of a dragon’s lair at the top of the 'Iron peak' the mountain that stands in the center of the island. Despite offerings of peace or intent to show their kindness the halflings are never allowed an audience and many feel it is abandoned or even haunted, the only information they know is the name of the owner 'Gal-Naruth, Lord of Storms'. The lair has been witnessed to summon raging hurricanes from a gentle gust and has destroyed raiders that would have caused harm to the island, the halflings feel as if this unknown Gal-Naruth is a benevolent being seeking to protect them.

Additional Information

Social Structure

Farming communities dedicated to peaceful living with the land, they form smaller communities around large trees known as family trees, which are more literal than what other races would use to track lineage. These trees form a record of lineage in a natural way and an acorn or seed is given to a member of a family when they marry and move elsewhere and are planted in a grove around the largest tree. These groves often attract the attention of fey and spirits who seek to live in the tree and aid the halflings with their life since they are so in touch with nature.
The halflings have always loved things that grow, plants and animals and enjoy the simple pleasure of working with their hands on the land. They are a very plain and peaceful people when they can be. That said they do have the ability to become fighters of skill with ranged weaponry. After the druids became involved in their lives, they began to learn more of the druidic craft and given that many of the druids were elven in nature learned the art of fletching and bow craft.
Each season they have large festivals of celebration where they cook massive amounts of food and celebrate another season of life, this is also a time of sendoff to those halflings about to leave the safety of home to explore the wider world. Some leave to become druids to aid the world at large, others to explore and adventure in either case they have the celebration with those absent still having a seat left open and a plate of food.

Alignment & Religion While they have not had any major horror inflicted on them in any recent years they learned the lesson well that they are a very small race in a very large world and offending a god is not a good idea. Alignment wise they are often prone to neutrals and it can be easy for them to take a more neutral evil viewpoint when dealing with other races often wondering why they should do something for those who never helped them. However, the current generation has become far more personable and outgoing.
Adventurers: Halfling Adventurers are a very rare sight, even more so than a Naga. Mostly because of their very isolationist society and the fact that most Humans have a hard time telling a Halfling apart from a child. The ones with wrinkles from age or beards often are thought of as thin Dwarves or short Humans. Appearnce wise they are unchanged from the default race descriptions.