Halfling

The tavern was packed, even for a Thursday. Every few minutes the door would open, and a gust of desert sand would blow in along with another eclectic array of Free Cities characters. Everyone was joking, laughing, speculating, and socializing, excited for the weekend. At the bar, just one individual didn’t seem to be wearing a smile.
The bartender finished cleaning a glass and walked over to check on the lonely patron. At three foot two, he was actually standing on his barstool, perched precariously and struggling to hold onto his beer as he was periodically jostled. The small man’s thick brown hair was smoothed back and his skin had a rosiness that belied his emotional state. He was dressed in a way that was artful yet understated, an orange vest over a white shirt and olive pants that were lightly embroidered.
All the bartender had to say was “What’s the matter friend?” and a torrent of a response poured forth from the Halfling. One after another, he spun whimsical stories of picnics among verdant hills and the quaint and humble dwellings beneath them. Tales of huge meals, fine wine, great conversation, and treasured lineages regaled anyone who would give their attention. The bartender listened as best he could whilst plying his trade. By the time he had a chance to get a word in, the bar was nearly empty and it was almost time to close.
“Sounds like a great place to live, friend,” the bartender observed, “so why ever leave?”
“That’s what we always said,” sighed the Halfling, “but things change, history catches up with you. No matter how hard you try to keep your head down, one day all of a sudden the world ends up on your doorstep with a bow, sword, or staff, obligating you to do something you never imagined.”
The bartender nodded empathetically, and poured out a straight shot of his hardest liquor for himself and the homesick Halfling, who raised the shotglass and managed a pained smile for his benefactor.
“We can’t go back to the way things were,” the Halfling said, “so why stay in a place that’s already left us behind?”
“Hear hear,” said the bartender, and the two downed their shots with practiced stoicism.

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Halflings are a race of small, hardworking individuals (usually farmers or small-scale artisans) who value a peaceful life and a good story. For ages the Halflings lived peacefully in their Hobbit-towns, disturbed occasionally by a bandit raid or a visit from an adventurer. They shared what they had and traded what was left over by barter with local traders. Halflings were known never to accept money, sometimes even just accepting a good story as payment, rarely leaving their own village and even then always returning eventually. So, it was well known that adventurers would seek out Halfling settlements and often return with non-monetary gifts for their Halfling friends. Over two thousand years, that amounted to a good deal of magical wealth.
So, with most Halflings living north of the Gonewald forest all the way from the westernmost point of he placid sea to the North end of the Reach mountains, the shakeup caused by the Empire's takeover has brought great change to the Halfling way of life. The Empire refused to deal with the Halflings on a barter basis and muscled them into using currency, a procedure that has broken down the trust that holds many Halfling settlements together over the past two hundred years. Additionally, draft rules forcing Halfling men and women to participate in war efforts dragged the populace out of their bubbles and left them truly changed.
The end result has been the near-collapse of the traditional Halfling way of life, with more than 70% of traditional Hobbit-towns abandoned. Those that remained have had much of their magical wealth, a major part of a foundation for an economy, removed by Magoc. The Halfling diaspora has strewn them across the empire: From the closest town, to Verdon City and Enviridian, to the Free Cities and Mountainhomes. Some hated the empire enough that they even found their way to the ill-fated Serene Republic of Xethess.
To be a Halfling in this age is to be unmoored and longing for a past that seems as unreal as it is distant.

Halfling

Ability Score Increase +2 Dexterity

Size Small

Speed 25 feet

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Lucky

When you roll a 1 on a d20 for and attack roll. ability check, saving throw, you can reroll the die and must use the new roll

Brave

You have advantage on saving throws against being frightened

Halfling Nimbleness

You can move through the space of any creatures that is of a size lager than yours.

Choose one of the following from below:

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Lightfoot

Ability Scores

Increase Your Charisma score increasces by 1

Naturally Stealthy

You can attempt to hide even when you are obscured only by a creature that is at least one size larger than you

Stout

Ability Score Increase

Your Consitution score increases by 1

Stout Resilience

You have advantage on saving throws against poison, and you have resistance against poison damage

Languages. You can speak, read, and write common and Halfling. The Halfling language isnt secret, but Halflings are loath to share it with others. they write very little, so they dont have a rich body of literature. Their oral tradition, however, is very strong. Almost all Halflings speak common to converse with the people in whose lands they dwell or through which they are travelling.