Brief History

The Halflings of Ezrahn live a quiet and agriculturally focused civilization in the plains around Cloud Lake, south towards Nishwam, eastward towards the Wild Wood, and north for many leagues.

Long thought to simply be short Humans, the Halflings have been content to let the taller races ignore them, as long as it is not done with disrespect. Building their familial compounds across the plains, the Halflings have founded two major seats of gathering.

Lomava, on the shores of Cloud Lake, is often awash in the fog rolling from the waters and serves as a centralized place for the Halfling people to gather when necessary. With no recognized or formal government, any gatherings tend to be giant parties while the elders of the more influential families discuss whatever business they have.

Breill, a medium sized fishing and trading outpost, boasts a stable population of nearly 90% Halflings. The towns of Alivar and Pilten also boast large populations of Halflings, though the towns are considered independent and not beholden to any centralized government.

Halfling society is one of play hard, but work hard when necessary, giving the appearance of laziness to any who do not understand them. Though not considered great warriors by the standards of their neighbors, those who turn their back on a Halfling do so at their own peril.

Physical Description

Halflings rise to a modest height of 3 feet, with rare members reaching a few inches more. Preferring to walk barefoot, their bottoms of their feet to become roughly calloused. Tufts of thick, curly hair warm the tops of their broad, tanned feet.

Their skin tends toward a rich cinnamon color and their hair toward light shades of brown. A halfling’s ears are pointed, but proportionately not much larger than those of a human.

Halflings prefer simple and modest clothing. Though willing and able to dress up if the situation demands it, their racial urge to remain quietly in the background makes them rather conservative dressers in most situations. Halfling entertainers, on the other hand, make their livings by drawing attention, and tend to go overboard with gaudy and flashy costumes.

Society

Rather than place their faith in empires or great causes, many halflings prefer to focus on the simpler and humbler virtues of their families and local communities.

Halflings rely on customs and traditions to maintain their own culture outside of the Cloud Lake region. They have an extensive oral history filled with important stories about folk heroes who exemplify particular halfling virtues, but otherwise see little purpose in studying history in and of itself. Given a choice between a pointless truth and a useful fable, halflings almost always opt for the fable. This tendency helps to explain at least something of the famous halfling adaptability. Halflings look to the future and find it very easy to cast off the weight of ancient grudges or obligations that drag down so many other races.

Relations

A typical halfling prides himself on his ability to go unnoticed by other races—a trait that allows many halflings to excel at thievery and trickery. Most halflings know full well the stereotypical view other races take of them as a result, and go out of their way to be forthcoming and friendly to the bigger races when they’re not trying to go unnoticed. Halflings respect elves and dwarves, especially elven music and dwarven brewing. The other races of Ezrahn are viewed somewhat suspiciously only because of the size difference. Though if you earn the respect and friendship of a halfling, you have it for life. By and large, only half-orcs are shunned by halflings, for their great size and violent natures are a bit too intimidating for most halflings to cope with. Halflings coexist well with humans as a general rule. Halflings strongly value their freedom, especially the ability to travel in search of new experiences and the autonomy this requires.

Alignment and Religion

Halflings are loyal to their friends and families, but since they dwell in a world dominated by races twice as large as themselves, they have come to grips with the fact that not all will share will viewpoint. Most halflings are neutral as a result. Though they usually make a show of respecting the laws and endorsing the prejudices of their communities, halflings place an even greater emphasis on the innate common sense of the individual. When a halfling disagrees with society at large, he will do what he thinks is best. While most races respect the big three Immortals of Tessahl, Woldram and Sephter, Halflings hold a healthy love for Melbahkt and Viharn. Those who stick to the shadows may also revere Iztal.

Adventurers

Their inherent luck coupled with their insatiable wanderlust makes halflings ideal candidates for lives of adventure. Though perfectly willing to pocket any valuables they come across, halflings often care more for the new experiences adventuring brings them than for any material reward. Halflings tend to view money as a means of making their lives easier and more comfortable, not as an end in and of itself. Other such vagabonds often put up with this curious race in hopes that some of their mystical luck will rub off. Halflings see nothing wrong with encouraging this belief, not just in their traveling companions, but also in the larger world. Many try to use their reputation for luck to haggle for reduced fare when traveling by ship or caravan, or even for an overnight stay at an inn. They meet with mixed success, but there are just enough stories circulating about the good fortune that befalls people traveling with halflings to give even the most skeptical pause. Of course, some suspect that halflings deliberately spread these reports for just that reason.

Halfling Traits

Your halfling character has a number of traits in common with all other halflings.

Ability Score Increase: Choose 1 ability score to increase by 1.

Age: A halfling reaches adulthood at the age of 20 and generally lives into the middle of his or her second century.

Alignment: Most halflings are lawful good. As a rule, they are good-hearted and kind, hate to see others in pain, and have no tolerance for oppression. They are also very orderly and traditional, leaning heavily on the support of their community and the comfort of their old ways.

Size: Halflings average about 3 feet tall and weigh about 40 pounds. Your size is Small.

Speed: Your base walking speed is 25 feet.

Lucky: When you roll a 1 on the d20 for an attack roll, ability check, or saving throw, you can reroll the die and must use the new roll.

Brave: You have advantage on saving throws against being frightened.

Halfling Nimbleness: You can move through the space of any creature that is of a size larger than yours.

Naturally Stealthy: You can take the Hide action even when you are obscured only by a creature that is at least one size larger than you.

Languages: You can speak, read, and write Common and Halfling. The Halfling language isn’t secret, but halflings are loath to share it with others. They write very little, so they don’t have a rich body of literature. Their oral tradition, however, is very strong. Almost all halflings speak Common to converse with the people in whose lands they dwell or through which they are traveling.