Vidashlar

When you were younger, maybe around 13-14, you tried to run away from home. You're pretty sure it was because of an argument with your father, but it's been long enough that you're not sure. In any case, you took a loaf of bread and some cheese from the kitchens, grabbed a couple of days' worth of clothes, and took off on your horse in the early morning.
You eventually got tired and ended up in a small village. You remember hearing about the local village of vidashlar that your father's farmers occasionally had disputes with, and this seemed to be it. You got off your horse and wandered in, your belongings slung over your shoulder.
The people there were incredibly small. They didn't even reach up to your hips, so it was like wading through knee high grass when they crowded around you. They were all wearing wide-brimmed hats to guard against the sun, and a couple of them were carrying small baskets of grains and vegetables. They all looked up at you, their smiles bright and their eyes comforting.
Wading through them to the centre of town, you nearly squashed a stand when you sat down there. The townsfolk chatted amongst themselves and pointed in your direction; you knew that you were likely the most interesting thing that had happened to them in a while. After a couple moments of sitting, one of them came up to you and talked to you. You'll never forget what he said:
"You look lost, drakeskii, but don't worry. If you don't have a family, we'll help you. Family is often all we have out here in the harsh world."
After hearing that, you realized that you were only sad because you had left your family and friends behind, and you thanked them tritely before hopping back on your horse and riding home. Next time you decided to ride out into the world, you wanted friends by your side.

Appearance

The vidashlar are most obvious for their size. Coming up to the thighs or hips of most other races, they live a life in miniature, growing small grains and living in small houses. Were it not for their loud and boisterous talk and chatter, it is possible for you to not see them at all. Their skin is tanned and leathery from long days out in the sun, and they are incapable of growing beards.

Civilization and Culture

Major Organizations

Many Anti-Mechanist cells are led by or promoted by the vidashlar, as the farm-loving race has the most to lose from the rapid transformation of the plains. Many have also joined adventurers or sailors in order to find new places to settle away from the Factories.

Common Dress Code

Being mostly farmers, vidashlar like to wear practical clothing more than anything. Simple shirts, trousers, and belts are common, along with their characteristic wide-brimmed hats. On special occasions, dresses, suits and other formal wear are common, although there is still a certain practicality to this garb.

Common Customs, Traditions and Rituals

Mealtimes and communal feasts are very heavily regulated; the vidashlar have surprisingly large appetites for their size. Beyond the three square meals a day, halflings also make time for mid-morning and mid-afternoon snacks and a dessert just before going to bed.
The funeral of a vidashlar is a very loud affair for those not used to it. When a vidashlar dies, any and all relatives can put forward a claim on their property if the deceased didn't make a will. Even then, they still try to make off with valuables or prized objects. The burial itself is often drowned out by the familial squabbling that precedes and follows it.

History

The vidashlar were a creation of Vasil'har not long before the First War. He made them to be industrious and unafraid of the evils that had begun to infiltrate the world. They would be his great farmers and lovers of the fields, some say to rival the hunting zëganilar of Zëga'coldar. They thankfully were too small and too fast to be noticed by the demons and evil creatures of that conflict, but one hero, Friido Vaashkin, served in the armies at the Battle of Rosanri.
Following the Great Sundering, the race quickly found its way to the lush plains of western Sedesta, where they tilled and ploughed new farmland. The great homesteads of their people were raised here, and they settled down to become a small part of their land. They watched as the human empires and nations rose and fell, only interacting as necessary to keep their livelihoods.
Recently, though, the vidashlar have begun to take a more assertive role as Industrialization begins to change the countryside and make the grasslands more polluted. They know that it is only a matter of time before their farms are taken to make new Factories. Halfling heroes have begun to grow in number, joining adventurers and finding new lands to inhabit.

Historical Figures

Friido Vaashkin and other heroes of their people are venerated regardless of regional differences. A family homestead will keep track of any relations very stringently, which allows them to keep a very good record of heroic or interesting relatives or ancestors.

Interspecies Relations and Assumptions

The vidashlar are very welcoming to anyone who comes to their land and doesn't try to trample or harm one of their own. Because of this, most races have very favourable relations with them, and there are many tales of being housed in the lands of the Little Folk while recovering from a journey or battle. However, some tepilar have gotten a little angry with them due to their dislike of Factories, claiming that the vidashlar must inherently hate progress.

Also known as

Halflings, Little Folk

Lifespan

125-150 years.

Average Height

0.9-1.1 metres tall.

Average Weight

17-20 kg.

Naming Traditions

Male Names: Alesh, Bruus, Drogas, EElkar, Falniiz, Friido, Jeenvo, Klotar, Ludo, Piiplan, Rasak, Siirgee, Tomes, Vanyaa, Yuuri.
Female Names: Alisha, Bruna, Dessa, Flora, IIriin, Iniika, Jena, Liza, Laara, Miina, Priya, Selva, Tinee, Vlecla, Zara.

Languages

Vidashian is the language of choice for the vidashlar, and they use it constantly. Even in the presence of others, they may gossip about them in Vidashian and then address them in Common or the local tepilar language.

Geographic Distribution

The strong homestead culture of the vidashlar makes them live on the plains or at the edges of forests. As such, there is a large number of them living across the Lorian Plain and the Plain of Biltakash, as well as a few at the edge of the Slagetil Forest. The town of Miitan in the Thousand Stars consists of mostly vidashlar as well.

Art Credit: emperorcharlesii (me!)