The halfling pantheon is usually a small one, with the distinctions between the gods being occasionally blurred. They are often referred to collectively as "Yondalla's children", and sometimes halfling priests use the same term to refer to their own priesthood and to the halfling race generally. Alone of the demihumans, halflings revere a female Creator Goddess at the head of their pantheon. In a variety of mythic forms, Yondalla is the mother of the halfling people. Sometimes she gives birth to them, sometimes she creates them from disparate elements of fertile nature, and (rarely) she transforms some saddened and solitary sylvan creature (a brownie, in one or two versions) into a halfling, making the race her creation alone. In this unusual myth, Yondalla needs a people of her own as much as the solitary and cast-out mortal creature needs the protection of the goddess. Whatever myth is told, halflings have a deep identification with Yondalla at a physically rooted level.
Yondalla is said to have used her powers of persuasion to have gained the fertile fields and meadows of the lands usually settled by halflings. By complimenting Moradin on his metalcrafting she dispatched him to look for mithral deep in the earth; with honeyed words she described the soul-gems of the first gnomes to Garl Glittergold and he hurried to look for them; she came to an agreement with Corellon to divide the green, fertile places between halflings and elves; and by praising the versatility of the humans and their deities she deprived them of any specific living place of their own altogether.
Yondalla is seen as an all-provider, an eternally-fertile source of protection for her small people. It is doubtful whether any deity is loved in a more all-embracing way than this goddess is by the halflings, who see her as the source of all their blessings in the world—and they feel they have many. Comforts, pleasures, security, friendships, fellowships and protection are all given from Yondalla's hands.
Yet the goddess has a terrible, dark aspect despite her lawful good alignment. She can, by a wave of her hand, restore fertility to any barren land or creature, cause flowers to bloom and crops to grow—but she can take away just as she gives. It takes much to provoke her to this, but if the homes of halflings are threatened she is unmerciful. Halflings themselves will fight with an unbelievable fearless savagery if corned in their homes and threatened with destruction, for in many ways their homes are their lives; and faced with such threats, Yondalla can age, wither and slay as readily as she can create. Few beings would dare offer the goddess grave offense.
Most of the more powerful halfling deities are female, and Sheela Peryroyl, the wise nature goddess, is the most loved after Yondalla herself. It is also noteworthy that the male deities tend to be concerned with somewhat more peripheral aspects of halfling life than the females; it is the females who rule over home and hearth, friendship and trust, plants and nature. None of them is aggressive (Arvoreen, the closest halflings have to a god of war, is concerned with protection and defense, not violence offered to others). Halfling hero myths often feature a climax in which a halfling is forced to defend himself and his home (and family) against seemingly impossible odds in combat, but often the hero triumphs because of gifts and help from friends he has made through his own generosity and willingness to share in earlier stages of the mythic story. Halfling deities stress the need to live well with those around; "a happy home has happy neighbors" is a prosaic halfling saying.
More than one deity will often have rulership over an area of halfling life and environment, underlining the unity of this pantheon. This is an important, and powerful, element of this pantheon, and the deities will often travel together or dispatch their avatars as a group because of these common concerns. Even Brandobaris the thief-god, who is usually off filching the latest pretty treasure that has caught his eye (or even goosing a dryad for the fun of it), is always ready to work with his fellows when they so wish it. There is no dissension among these gods.
The pantheon as a whole concerns itself with the spheres of home, friendship, trust, plants, agriculture and nature, as noted, and also with security, youth, play and humor, good luck, peace, love and friendship. Halflings have no deities of evil alignment, nor ones representing war, suffering, fire or water, violent death, strife, and (interestingly) none representing craftsmanship. Halfling deities of arcane, mystical and occult tendencies are also distinctly thin on the ground.
Hin Gods (see Profiles)
- Yondalla, goddess of the Hin, bounty, fertility, security, family
Other Hin Gods (see below)
- Arvoreen, god of defense, war, duty, vigilance
- Charmalaine, N Demipower of Keen Senses and Narrow Escapes
- Cyrrollalee, goddess of the hearth, crafts, friendship, trust
- Sheela Peryroyl, goddess of nature, agriculture, beauty
- Urogalan, god of the earth, death, protector of the dead
Arvoreen
The Defender, the Vigilant Guardian, the Wary Sword
Intermediate Halfling Deity
Arvoreen (ARE-voh-reen) the Defender, fiery guardian of the home, is the nearest thing to a halfling war god. He is a god of stern defense and aggressive watchfulness, who is always preparing for incursions into halfling lands and making ready to repulse hostile creatures at the first sign of trouble. Arvoreen is venerated primarily by halfling fighters, but also by fighter/thieves who prefer the former set of skills over the latter.
Dogma
Keep the community's burrows secure, and always be prepared for threats and attacks. Prepare an active defense, drill continuously, and leave nothing to chance. Put down danger before it even rears its head. Seek out allies, no matter how unorthodox. Those who give aid against a mutual foe are friends to be rewarded and trusted. Stealing from other halflings and allies is never acceptable, but thieving is not necessarily dishonorable, as long as it is employed against enemies to better the odds in combat later.
Clergy
Arvoreen's priests are the protectors and defenders of halfling communities. They spend their days constructing defensive barriers, signaling systems, beacons, and traps, and reviewing defenses already in place. Priests of the Defender regularly patrol their communities, always investigating the slightest hint of a threat. Many priests organize the local militia, procure weapons for volunteers, and train every able-bodied halfling in the use of weapons and other defense strategies or at least in how to best seek safety. Many of Arvoreen's Marshals regularly adventure to gain magical weapons and defensive items of all kinds.
Domains: War
Favored Weapon: "Aegisheart" (short sword)
Charmalaine
The Lucky Ghost, N Demipower of Keen Senses and Narrow Escapes
Hin Ascendant Demipower
Charmalaine (TCHAR-mah-lain) is a young halfling goddess concerned with awareness of her environment and the ability to react to its hazards. Sponsored by Fharlanghn and Brandobaris (halfling god of adventurers and thieving), she is an energetic and spontaneous person, unafraid of danger, for she expects to be able to detect it when it approaches and evade it before it brings her harm. The holy text of her faith reads like an adventurer's diary, detailing her escapes from an army of sahuagin. a newly-released demoness, hundreds of magical traps. and even the lair of an ancient red dragon.
Charmalaine is depicted as a young halfling with bright and alert eyes. black oiled leather armor, and muddy boots. She carries the light mace First Warning and is usually accompanied by her ferret familiar. Xaphan. Her holy symbol is a burning boot-print. She is called the Lucky Ghost because of her ability to send her spirit out of her body to scout ahead safely, and is said to warn halfling adventurers of impending danger while in her incorporeal form.
Dogma
Be attuned to your surroundings at all times, for the one who is off-guard is the one who gets caught. Hone your reflexes until your body reacts before your mind has time to make you pause, for a moment's hesitation can cost you your life. Be quick on your feet, and don't get weighed down with too many material things, as they make you slow. Enjoy the ability to explore, and revel in the times you are safe, for soon enough you're going to put yourself in danger in the hopes of getting the big catch.
Clergy
Charmalaine's clerics are almost always adventurers, but some find work in other risky professions such as monster-catching, military scouting. and guarding public officials. Her adventuring clerics are thrill-seekers, for the danger and the rewards it brings. Some join specific quests to experience new things and have interesting tales to tell.
Domains: Trickery
Weapon: Light Mace
Cyrrollalee
The Hand of Fellowship, the Faithful, the Hearthkeeper
Intermediate Halfling Deity
Cyrrollalee (SEER-oh-LAH-lee) is the halfling power of friendship and trust. She is also a protective deity, like Yondalla, but whereas the concern of the Protector and Provider lies with the overall race, Cyrrollalee cares more for the sanctity of the home itself. The Hearthkeeper is specifically a goddess who protects the hearth and home while keeping the inhabitants from being too defensive and closed in. She oversees many of the mundane and day-to-day aspects of halfling home life. Her real interest is in the hospitality, generosity, and kindness halflings can show to others, and she is most displeased with those who fail to display proper hospitality and good fellowship. Her worst enemies are those who betray the trust of a host or who break into homes (of halflings) to steal. She is also the enemy of oathbreakers. Cyrrollalee's followers are largely regular halflings as well as a few warriors.
Dogma
Be generous in friendship, and welcome all friends into your home. Earn the trust of your neighbors and repay them with kindness. Guard fiercely the burrows in which you and your friends dwell, and keep a benignly watchful eye on the home of your neighbor. Never betray the trust of your host, break an oath, or violate the sanctity of another's home. Busy hands make a happy home, and things Grafted with love will serve you and others well.
Clergy
Whereas Yondalla's priests are often the visible leadership of a small halfling community, Cyrrollalee's priesthood are the quiet caretakers and nurturers of halfling society, serving their charges with generous hearts and graceful friendship. As such, their role is often overlooked, but their absence is sorely noted. Cyrrollalee's priests are specifically defenders of the home, and they view their role as both protecting the home from outside threats and cultivating the familial bonds of those who dwell within. In addition, Homefellows oversee the drawing up of contracts and agreements of all kinds, and they also look after and educate young halflings. The priesthood is quite a homely and prosaic one, not an adventuring priesthood.
Domains: Life
Favored Weapon: "Camaradestave" [quarterstaff] (club)
Sheela Peryroyl
Green Sister, the Wise, the Watchful Mother
Intermediate Halfling Deity
Sheela Peryroyl is the halfling goddess of agriculture, nature, and weather. She balances the concern for wild untamed lands and habitats with strong roles as a goddess of cultivation, seasons, and especially harvests. She is also concerned with the pleasures of life - feasts, revelry, romance, and the general desire to live with passion. Her followers often wear a small flower in her honor and strive to work in harmony with nature and the earth.
Dogma
Living in harmony with nature requires a careful balance between the wild and the tame, the feral and the tended. The need to preserve wild growth is just as important as the need to till the fields and provide ready food. Seek to understand the natural processes that envelop and work within them. While nature can be adapted, it should be evolved, never forced; work within the framework of what already exists. Celebrating life requires one to live with passion and romance. Revel, feast, and thrive - this is the zest of life.
Clergy
Sheela's priests are concerned with nature and agriculture, and they work closely with halfling farmers and settlers to preserve the balance between cultivation of fertile lands and the need to leave some areas wild and in a pristine state. Many Green Children tend gardens of their own, seeking to develop new strains of crops and flowers. Others protect wilderness regions from careless exploitation of their resources. Members of Sheela's clergy oversee the integrity of halfling lands, leading their inhabitants through the annual calendar of seed-sowing and harvest festivals. They also try to keep the wild creatures from running rampant through settled halfling areas by guiding them to travel, live, or grow around the communities, not in or through them.
Domains: Nature, Tempest
Favored Weapon: "Oakthorn" (sickle)
Urogalan
He Who Must Be, the Black Hound, Lord in the Earth, the Protector, the Shaper
Halfling Lesser God
Urogalan (URR-roh-GAH-lan) is the protector of the dead and god of the underground. His deathly aspect is as a protector of the souls of the dead and as an adviser-judge with Yondalla. His earthy aspect is one of reverence for the very earth itself and protection from threats beneath the surface, rather than concern with natural growth. Few halflings worship him, but he is respected and revered by most as a protector. Although the Small Folk generally do not fear death, most halflings shiver at the sight of the Black Hound's symbol. Urogalan is on good terms with the rest of the halfling pantheon, particularly Yondalla, Arvoreen, and Sheela, but he holds himself somewhat removed from their joyous embrace of life. The Black Hound is closely allied with those powers of human and demihuman pantheons concerned with earth, death, and the protection of the dead, but he abhors those whose portfolios include necromancy and the undead.
Dogma
Earth is the giver and receiver of life, providing shelter, food, and wealth to those whose toes embrace it. The sacred soil is to be revered as the mantle of Those Who Have Been and the shelter Of Those Who Will Be. The thanatopsis of He Who Must Be reveals that death is to be embraced as a natural end, thus giving honor to the life that was.
Clergy
Urogalan's priests are responsible for presiding over the internment of the dead and for the caretaking of graves. They administer last rites, preside over burial rituals, and memorialize the fallen. They maintain much of the history of the Small Folk, keeping records of genealogies and deeds of those who have "gone to the fields of green." In halfling cultures where ancestor worship is practiced, the Black Hound's priesthood safeguards the sacred tokens of the deceased used in rituals to contact them. Urogalan's priests also have a role in consecrating the foundations or first diggings of buildings and new burrow complexes.
Domains: Grave, Knowledge
Favored Weapon: "Doomthresher" (double-headed flail)
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