Halflings by Region
Halflings are spread throughout Summer's Tale, and you might find them anywhere save for the cold and mountainous regions. Here are some examples, where halflilngs are best known to reside.
HALFLINGS ON DREAMSGATE, IN A REGION CALLED THE BREAKS
When humans arrived in what is now called “the Breaks,” over 300 years ago, Halflings greeted the Big Folk with open hearts. The humans were helpful in many ways, especially in defense against hill creatures, and in the art of mining. Halflings and humans collaborated in farming as well, and soon the rich mix of cultures was in full swing. The Halflings have adopted the human calendar, never having developed a completely organized and standardized one of their own.
The “Hillfolk,” as they are called–a sturdier kind of stout–are a slightly sturdier stock of Halflings that live further up in the Shadowhill. They are miners, and just as their lowland kin have done, they live among humans (or really, humans live among them). The humans and Halflings of the western Shadowhill are hardy and resourceful, and perhaps a bit more grim than the people below in the Breaks. This Halfling stock is more likely to produce warriors, as they tend their numerous outposts against goblin trouble. Meanwhile, there are other creatures in the hills that keep them busy defending their mining claims.
All manner of metals are mined by the Hillfolk and their human allies, gold being the favorite, along with copper and iron. The ruby mines yield fine gems for the dedicated Shadowhill miner. These rich hills yield a number of other metals and stones that provide the Hillfolk with good income. This keeps the Hillfolk comfortable and well-armed.
The Halflings of the Northern Breaks are known for their strength, bravery, and luck, and not just for their hardy survival of the bitter winters there. Every village and town musters a militia that trains faithfully throughout the year, to protect this region from the Goblins of the Shadowhill. The wicked "Creepies" are always lurking about, looking for a weakness. In this defensive operation, both Halflings and Humans work together to keep their lands safe. Every number of years, the Goblins will descend, in the name of Bane HImself, and terrorize the bordering villages, and the people of the North respond to rout them back, victorious.
Breaks Halflings on the Border of the Shadowhill Halflings do not as a rule live in the Shadowhill, although they are found immediately on its edges, in the lowlands. The strange and amazing oak trees that grow in a small area of the hills just up from Foxham have perennially been sacred to the halflings, and the Hobbi-Nobbi-Popo keep their hermitage there. They have been there as long as the oaks themselves, people say. Now among the lowlanders they are thought of as quaint, and with some xenophobic fear even. The trees, called Nobbins, are a relic of thousands of years past, so the druids say, and their legacy is some way the legacy of the halflings themselves. Thus they keep their vigil and their sacred rituals to bless the trees and keep them healthy. The biggest of the trees is said to be 10,000 years old. The druids are among the only halflings to reside in the Shadowhill proper. Others are scattered and very infrequent.
Halflings of Sallador
These people are unique among halflings for their nomadic lifestyle. Traveling in wagons trailors across the plains of Sallador, stopping in aspen copses near water sources, or coming to the outskirts of a town, these halflings are known for their music and storytelling, and the barrels of beer and wine they always seem to have on hand. The Travelers, as the Salladori call them quite affenctiately, sell their food and drink and handmade trinkets of utility, adornment, (or who knows what else!) to those who come out to greet them, or to shop their wares.
The Travelers usually draw quite a crowd, and love sharing the songs and tales, which go deep into the night. Everything about them is festive, from their bardic skills, to their fancy billowing shirts, to their colorful wagons painted bright green, red, or yellow, or rarely another color. The Travelers often know things about the countryside, for their livelihood is to travel through it!
Rarely they go within the city limits of Teharre and stop in the marketplace, but the business there offends their sensibilities.
Halflings of Aligoria
These halflings are more footloose and fancy-free, and here you are most likely to meet a travelling or adventuring halfling. They are mischievous, and they'll give you a wink and a drink, and next thing you konw they're gone with your purse. Much of Halfling culture here is drawn from and near to humans. The Tessinae and the Narrans welcome the Little People, and the former two have mingled with halflings for many years. There are halfling villages proper, but they are rare, and off the Eastroad usually quite a ways.
The village halflings in Aligoria generally stay where they are. Their villages are built in the hilly places across the plains. There is another faction altogether that lives in far western Aligoria, the Eastlands and the Great Metropolis of Tellarus. They are fun-loving and free-wheeling and given to pranks and theft when the opportunity arises. These halflings will get wild in a local tavern in a way their village relatives never do.
Other Halflings Acroess Summer's Tale
Halflings are found all over the world and are in no way limited to the above regions. The above are simply places with particular halfling cultures and locations. Otherwise, the are a smattering all across the continents and lands, except for the cold and evil places. A general description of the Little People: Halflings, Overview A history of the Halfling people: Halfling History
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