Halflings
The Halfling bloodline originates on the island of Jeggido. These "humans" express themselves as jovial, lucky, and care free. A Halfling's blood naturally contains high doses of caffeine resulting in short statured, high energy people that spend their entire post puberty lives with the physical body of a short 18 year old. As a result of their plight, Halflings are exceptionally hairy, and many other races attribute their behavior to juvenile adolesance. Their culture is surprisingly vibrant kept afloat by an affinity for luck, and creativity.
Also of note Halflings as an island nation between two naval powers have had to rely on cunning and neutralism to thrive. Their country operates on a direct democracy with every person getting a vote. They have been conquered many times thanks to to the efforts of their neighbors alas they continue to persevere through cunning and jovial youth.
Naming Traditions
Feminine names
Ada, Bella, Cora, Hilda, Penny, Mell, Ruby, Violet.
Masculine names
Cam, Drew, Elix, Frodo, Paul, Nelbert, Zell
Family names
Action verbs make up the most common family names. The family name you get at birth is the one you will keep and it is generally given by the parent of the opposite sex.
Culture
Shared customary codes and values
Halflings are a strongly egalitarian people, on average. They tend toward republics, communes, and other direct democracies. Jeggido, the haldling homeland, is a direct democracy, in which an elected figure, called a tyrant, rules with speakers, who try loosely to get the people to comply with the tyrant's will.
Ideals
Beauty Ideals
Halfling exhibit exacting beauty standards for both sexes, and consider exterior beauty to be indicative of interior goodness. For many, it is incredibly hard to achieve beauty however they are a vain people holding beauty to a high standard. Because of this, transmutation magic is particularly common, and magical plastic surgery by a number of guilds is an established practice.
Gender Ideals
Gender stereotypes are either blurred or strongly polar. Halflings are incredibly open with regard to gender and personality.
Courtship Ideals
It takes a while for Halflings to care about courtship but when they finally reach that age, courting becomes a battle field. In general if a Halfling wants someone they will go for them or shut down and never go for it.
Relationship Ideals
The average Halfling couple consists of two men and two women called a bicameral, or a perfect clade. Other varieties of clades exist, some numbering as many as six, all filling the same loose niche in society. Clades are a sexual relationship, but aren't necessarily exclusively sexual or comprised entirely of members who are sexual partners with each other. Each of the members tends to gravitate towards particular roles, each with its own gender and role associations expected of it. While these are intensely culturally defined roles, outsiders can frequently not make head or tail of halfling relationships. Interspecies relationships are uncommon, if only because navigating clade dynamics can be upsetting to outsiders.
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