Lightfoot Halfling
This most common of halflings is found throughout lands that have been settled by humans. They live much as humans do but prefer rural settings and villages to towns and cities. Their crafts tend toward the ordinary and practical--farmers, millers, innkeepers, weavers, brewers, tailors, bakers, and merchants are common in Lightfoot society.
Averaging about 3' in height, Lightfeet are slightly stockier in build than is typical for humankind. Their complexions run the gamut from pale to very dark, with hair color correspondingly blond to black and eyes that are brown or hazel. They rarely wear shoes (only in bad weather and bitter cold) and can be easily distinguished by the thick patches of hair growing atop each foot. They have no facial hair (besides eyebrows and eyelashes, of course). Their faces are round and very expressive, often appearing child-like to humans.
Lightfeet are slightly longer-lived than humans, averaging 100 years--though a few patriarch and matriarchs have reached ages of 140 and beyond. Full adulthood is generally recognized at about 25 years of age.
Culture
Culture and cultural heritage
Lightfeet are only moderately industrious, but they tend to make up in talent for what they lack in drive. A Lightfoot farmer may tend a small plot in the morning, for example, and spend the afternoon lying in the shade--yet his or her irrigation ditch will be so cleverly aligned that his or her field yields a crop equal to that of a much larger human-tended farm. A Lightfoot-woven tunic will have a finer weave and be less scratchy than a similar human product, thus fetching a considerably higher price.
Lightfeet are the halflings most closely integrated into human society. They will work for human employers or hire human laborers, and many a Lightfoot merchant has made his or her fortune by appealing to the human elite of a city's population. While they will dwell in buildings in human neighborhoods, Lightfeet do prefer to live among others of their own race (though not necessarily their own subrace) when this is possible.
Common Dress code
They wear brightly-colored, comfortable clothes, such as trousers and shirts or dresses, with a vest, jacket, hat, sash, or bonnet added as a flourish.
Art & Architecture
A Lightfoot's preferred type of house is the combined above and below ground burrow. The upper portion is almost always wood-framed, with several doors and windows and a bright, airy feel--though the ceilings are typically no more than 5' above the floors. The lower portion will contain the fireplace and several small, cozy rooms.
Lacking the time, property, or means to build a traditional home, however, a Lightfoot will cheerfully occupy a human house, a sheltered cave, or even a shack or tent. Wherever he or she lives, a Lightfoot will find a place to have a fire and gather for social conversation.
