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Halfling

"When Mother Rhya made the peoples... She measured out some things To the Dwarfs she gave the long beards The Halflings got the chins To the Dwarfs she gave the scowlings The Halflings got the grins To the Dwarfs she gave the virtues The Halflings got the sins!" — Reiklander Children's Nursery Rhyme
Halflings are a race of short, intelligent, mammalian humanoids dwelling primarily in the Mootland in Rhemia and various other scattered regions in the Old World. Halflings are known for their excellent agricultural produce and cooking, but are often discriminated against by the other mortal races, particularly Men, for their short stature and perceived physical weakness. It is a common belief across the Old World that all Halflings are thieves and swindlers. Stirlanders in the southern and central parts of that province are particularly notable for their dislike of Halflings -- as they deeply resent the 1500-year-old decision that stole their best farmland (The Moot) and gave it to the "Shorties," and the belief that all Halflings are thieves is stronger here than almost anywhere else in Rhemia.   In the town of Wördern, there is a tradition when celebrating a child's birthday, to make a straw-man the size of a Halfling, and stuff it with treats and candies that he "stole" from the children. Then, it is hung from a tree while blindfolded children beat it with sticks until it breaks and "gives back" the candy. Locals deny that drunks have occasionally used a real Halfling for this. Most if not all Halflings speak their own language which is separate from Reikspiel, known as Mootish.  

History

 
"Why do you think your predecessors always supported a southern emperor?" —Karl Franz, then Prince of Altdorf, negotiating with Elder Hisme for his vote for emperor.
  The Halflings are a race as a whole who are roughly half an adult Human's size yet have always seemed to be wherever Men have gone. The Dwarfs record that a tribe of "beardless Manlings we first thought to be children" travelled with the human tribes as they passed through the Worlds Edge Mountains. On the other hand, some Imperial scholars think the Halflings are a race of men experimented on by Verena to find a way to resist Chaotic corruption, while a few others argue Ranald created them as a bizarre joke. Regardless of what others say, the Halflings simply say they are as they have always been, and they "like it quite a bit, thank you very much." Being a rural folk, even in their towns, the Halflings are earthy types who enjoy good food, strong drink, a good smoke, and conversation that would turn a Marienburg marine's ears blue. Expressive to a fault, Halflings think nothing of discussing their aunt’s nightly business with perfect strangers in complete detail. "Just to pass the time, y'know." They love a good chat and strangers are welcomed by farmers along the roads as long as they bring gossip, coin, or lunch. Or preferably all three.   Halflings outside the Moot usually are seen by the small-minded as nothing more than cooks or thieves —or cooks and thieves— though this is rather unfair, because it creates stereotypes out of two Halfling traits. The first is their indisputable ability to make a fine meal out of almost any ingredients. The second is their differing views on property, ownership, and theft.   Most Halflings have grown up in what is effectively a large extended family of siblings, aunts, uncles, “cousins by way of marriage,” and the like. The practice of taking what is needful, be it a pie, a few crowns or even a piece of jewellery, is deeply embedded in the Halfling character. After all, if everyone is family, why should you ask permission? Of course, they’ll let you “borrow” it. These two traits have led to a perception outside the Mootland of Halflings as little more than domestic help you have to keep an eye on.   Many halflings have a deep knowledge of genealogy, able to trace their lineage to the time of Ludwig the Fat. The greatest treasure of the Moot is said to be Haffenlyver, an embossed scroll expounding the family lines of many of the Moot's most notable families. The Haffenlyver is kept by the Elder of the Moot, Hisme Stoutheart.   Outside of the Moot, Halflings may become restaurant owners, tavernkeepers, pipeweed sellers, or street vendors in one of the Rhemia's major cities. They may become innkeepers or farmers in a human village. They also have a strange affinity for Ogres, serving as overseers for Ogre work crews or cooks for Ogre mercenary bands.

Female and male Halflings of the Mootland
Lifespan 120 years
Height 3'6" on average (105 centimetres)
Usable Magic Varied, thought of as none
Possible Corruption Chaotic (Mind, very rarely body) Vampiric
Subtypes Pygmies (Disputed)

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