Halflings

Halflings are common throughout the civilized lands of Tellene. They are rare in the harsh north and rarely live high in the mountains, but they thrive in the peaceful lands tamed by themselves and others. Halfling subraces include the lightfoot (gurin) and golden (azravan) .

Civilization and Culture

Naming Traditions

Family names

Altean, Bojardi, Kapran, Maleki, Murmalal, Padravan, Ramin, Sadek, Sapran, Takhti

Halflings use both personal names and surnames. However, nicknames are extremely popular with halflings, and any given halfling might be known by a dozen different nicknames among his friends and other associates.

Feminine names

Arenou, Bousrah, Catrakkan, Mari, Noolau, Sahar, Sarshar, Sejeyla, Tajela, Virda

Masculine names

Babaktar, Borin, Furum, Gonflen, Guvrokam, Kavleta, Nolan, Nurdan, Theartan, Zandi

Common Myths and Legends

The Myth of Creation

In some halfling tales, the Creator is little more than a semiintelligent force that birthed her god-children at the moment she passed out of existence. It was these gods who built the foundations, waters, plants and animals of Tellene . Individually or in groups, they also created the elves, dwarves, gnomes and halflings (the humans came later).

In one oral account, it is the Holy Mother who planted the halflings as seeds in a dry wasteland, and the Raiser who watered the seeds with her sweat. From this dry ground, the first male and female halfling (Azimen and Astemia) were born. Following in the footsteps of their creators, they watered the land with their sweat and nurtured life from the harsh land, turning it into a paradise. Halfling sages disagree about this fabled land’s location, eventual fate and virtually every important detail concerning it.

The azravan (amberhairs, or golden halflings) claim to be directly descended from these first halflings, and state that the gurin (lightfeet halflings) are an offshoot. Lightfoot halflings simply shrug their shoulders at this, caring little what the amberhairs say.