Halflings
The halflings of Eberron originate from eastern Khorvaire, and many nomadic tribes of halflings still travel the Talenta Plains. The appearance of dragonmarks among the halflings spurred their slow migration across Khorvaire, spreading their services of healing and hospitality along with the migration of the earliest humans across the continent. Now they are found in every part of Khorvaire, putting their distinctive talents to use.
Lightfoot halflings are the more widespread halfling subrace, especially in the Talenta Plains, but stout halflings are found within nearly every halfling community.
Talenta Halflings
The halflings who migrated across Khorvaire in the company of humans ended up looking very human in dress, manners, and customs. Their cousins who remain in the Talenta Plains could hardly appear more different. In their homeland, halflings are nomads who ride domesticated dinosaurs across the wide plains. Those few Talenta halflings who journey across Khorvaire are visibly out of place, both attracting curious stares and expressing plenty of curiosity of their own about the strange ways of Khorvaire’s cities and towns.
As you make a Talenta halfling character, give some thought to why your character left the open plains. Perhaps you served as a mercenary scout in the Last War, and you’ve remained with the comrades you met in the conflict. Maybe your tribe was wiped out by a foreign enemy, spurring you to travel the wider world in search of information and revenge. You might be guided by the spirits, who send you whispers and visions that lead you on your adventures. You could be an official envoy of your tribe seeking allies in the world, or simply sent to learn more about the lands beyond the plains.
Also, consider your relationship to the dinosaurs that play a central role in the life of the Talenta halflings. You might flavor your spells and class features as dinosaur-related: you could have a clawfoot companion, take on a fastieth form, name your combat styles and maneuvers after dinosaur attacks, or take inspiration from a glidewing (pteranodon) totem spirit. Or you could simply wear a dinosaur mask (as many Talenta halflings do), adorn yourself with claws and teeth from past dinosaur companions, or adopt dinosaur-like mannerisms. Wherever you travel, your connection to the dinosaurs of your home remains strong.
Finally, it can be helpful to decide on a couple of behavioral quirks that reflect your culture. The Halfling Quirks table can provide some inspiration.(Talk to DM)Halflings of the Five Nations
Quick and charming, many halflings put their natural talents to use as bards, barristers, merchants, and politicians throughout Khorvaire. Of course, these same talents prove equally useful for burglars, grifters, and other criminals.
Of particular note is the halfling-run criminal enterprise of the Boromar Clan, the most powerful crime syndicate in Breland. The Boromars are based in Sharn, but their influence reaches across the nation and even to the distant city of Stormreach. If you decide to play a halfling rogue, or a character with a criminal or charlatan background, consider (with your DM) whether you have a connection to the Boromar Clan. You could be a freelance operative who occasionally gets jobs from a Boromar underboss. You might have a cousin in the syndicate, who occasionally pulls you in to criminal affairs. Or you could even be the reluctant heir of a Boromar leader; perhaps you’ve gone on the run rather than take your appointed place in the criminal empire, but your past may yet catch up with you. You could also be the point of contact who has made the Boromar Clan your party’s group patron, as described later in this chapter.
Halflings and Dragonmarks
Two dragonmarks appear among the halflings of Khorvaire, the Mark of Healing in House Jorasco and House Ghallanda’s Mark of Hospitality. Both marks are ancient, first manifesting among the halflings about the same time that the elves of Aerenal received their first marks — centuries before the arrival of humans on Khorvaire. Sometimes halflings of House Ghallanda joke that their mark prepared them for the arrival of humans by allowing them to make their new guests comfortable in Khorvaire. There’s actually some truth in the humor: the services provided by both halfling houses helped enable the spread of humanity across the continent.
With its powers related to food and shelter, the Mark of Hospitality was a boon to the early halfling nomads, but now it allows House Ghallanda to run the best inns, hostels, and taverns in the land. Similarly, the Mark of Healing has always been a boon to both nomads and settlers facing dangerous wilds, and House Jorasco still employs both magical and mundane healing techniques to tend to the well-being of patients across Khorvaire.
