Talenta Plains
The halflings of the Talenta Plains have no cities and no industrialized magic, but they do have dinosaurs. The halflings domesticated the dinosaurs of the plains and use these creatures as mounts, livestock, and beasts of burden. A sacred bond exists between a hunter and mount, and few people are prepared to face a raging halfling barbarian riding a furious clawfoot raptor.
Talenta religion reveres spirits, both departed ancestors and natural spirits. Each tribe has a lath—a chieftain who guides the tribe—and shamans who consult the spirits and choose the paths of migration.
In the past, the tribes stood alone, but during the Last War, many halflings came together under Lathon Halpum to defend their land. Halpum won recognition for the Plains as one of the Thronehold nations, though it’s still unclear what this means beyond increasing passage between the Plains and the outside world.
Interesting Things About the Talenta Plains
- House Ghallanda and House Jorasco both originated in the Talenta Plains. The dragonmarked bloodlines appear throughout the tribes, though you can play a dragonmarked halfling from the Plains who doesn’t work for the houses.
- The Talentan reverence for spirits derives from the fact that a variety of spirits haunt the Plains.
- The region contains an unusual number of manifest zones tied to Dolurrh and Thelanis (see chapter 4 for descriptions of both). Ghosts are more likely to linger in such places, and minor fey are scattered across the Plains. Stories tell of ancient ruins that date back to the first age of the world and of a vast graveyard holding the bones of dragons.
Talentan Characters
See chapter 1 for quirks and other features relevant to halfling characters from the Talenta Plains. Also consider the following: Wild Warriors and Tricksters. You were born in the wild, and your wits and your weapons helped you survive. Talenta warriors are often barbarians or rangers, relying on speed and skill. Outlander is a logical background, but you could easily be a folk hero, entertainer, or charlatan. You could even be an urchin who was stranded in a great city and adapted to life there. Surrounded by Spirits. Fey, fiends, and the ghosts of ancestors, these are all part of the spirit world, and they’re all around you. Do you believe that the spirits guide your actions? Do you show respect to the spirits of a location? Talentan shamans tend to be druids of the Circle of the Moon or the Circle of the Shepherd (from Xanathar’s Guide to Everything), often assuming the form of dinosaurs. You could also reflect a strong bond to spirits by playing a warlock with an Archfey patron, a cleric with the Nature domain, a paladin sworn to the Oath of the Ancients, or a barbarian on the Path of the Totem Warrior or Path of the Ancestral Guardian (from Xanathar’s Guide to Everything). Hermit and outlander are natural backgrounds, but you could be an acolyte or a sage who consults spirits instead of books. Warriors and shamans both wear masks to present a particular face to the spirit world. Dinosaurs. Talenta halflings have a close bond to their dinosaur companions. If you don’t begin the campaign with a dinosaur mount or companion, you might acquire one over the course of your adventures. You can also consider whether a fallen dinosaur is part of your backstory; perhaps you lost your faithful mount in the Last War, but you believe its spirit is still with you.Aftermath of the Last War
The halfling tribes joined together to defend themselves from outsiders, and the Talenta Plains were recognized as a nation under the Treaty of Thronehold. Now that the war is over, most of the tribes have returned to their hunting grounds and ancient traditions. They united to defend their way of life, and now they wish to enjoy it.
But the halflings don’t yet know if it’s possible to return to the previous ways. More foreigners visit the Plains than at any time in the past. Settlers and merchants cross the Plains as they make their way to Q’barra, and they clash with Q’barran bandits. The Valenar elves ride through the Plains in search of adventure. Monsters emerge from the Mournland. Dragonmarked houses seek to expand their role at Gatherhold and to explore the untapped resources of the Plains.
The halflings have no interest in change, but it might be inevitable. Lathon Halpum believes that if the tribes can work together, they could become a nation of nations, but others aggressively oppose such a path. Holy Uldra is a powerful shaman and the leader of her own tribe. She urges halfling warriors to join together for a single purpose: to drive all outsiders from the Plains and to maintain the ancient traditions. The halflings must decide whether the tribes will choose the path of peace or return to war.
