Races of Wild

Halflings make a visitor feel welcome,but he keeps a hand on his pursejust in caseCHAPTER 2HALFLINGSThey are also happy tocheat others out of their wealth byvarious means. Every classic confidence scam—fromthe old shell game to hawking fake love potions to sellingland they don’t own—is perpetrated by most halfling clanson outsiders at some time. To the halflings’ way of thinking,someone foolish enough to think that anyone can getsomething for nothing deserves to get nothing for something.Nevertheless, halflings always ensure that some of theirtransactions are real and honest, and that some “customers”actually profit from dealings with them. Then, should thosethey have cheated actually discover the duplicity, plenty ofother people will be available to defend the halflings andobscure the issue until they can escape.Halflings who appropriate the property of others or cheatcustomers realize that they are breaking local laws and thatsuch practices do not endear them to their neighbors. Butas long as they don’t get caught and no one comes to harmfrom such an incident, they do not consider it wrong. Afterall, from the halflings’ viewpoint, the world really does owethem a living.This free and easy attitude regarding others’ belongings,combined with halflings’ innate charm and willingness tohelp, causes other races to regard them with a mixture ofdoubt, exasperation, and bemusement. A town heavily damagedby floods or storms may welcome the aid of a halflingcaravan while rebuilding, then become cold toward thehalflings when the crisis is over. The halflings understandsuch shifts in attitude and move along when it is clear theyare no longer wanted, taking care never to burn their bridgesor give a town actual cause to hate their kind. It is always tothe benefit of any group of halflings to ensure that futurecaravans to visit a town will be welcomed, because one ofthose caravans might be their own.PERSONAL EXPRESSIONThough they are less fiercely individualistic than elves,halflings do feel a strong need for personal expression.Their choice of clothing reflects this attitude, as does theirenjoyment of various arts and crafts. Halflings usuallyspeak their minds openly. A halfling who disagrees withsomeone else’s statement nearly always says so—usuallypolitely, though a heated argument can lead some to forgettheir manners. Halflings freely express their emotionswithin their own communities, though their experiencewith duplicity prompts them to temper their reactions whendealing with other races.Personal privacy is almost nonexistent in a caravan. A wholefamily usually dwells in each wagon, and neighbors can changefrom day to day, depending on how the camp is arranged.Conversations in one wagon can rarely be overheard in anotherwhile on the road, but such is not always the case at a campsite.Thus, everyone tends to know everyone else’s business, andanyone feels free to offer advice to anyone else.Personal space is likewise almost nonexistent. Halflingsconstantly wander in and out of one another’s dwellings tochat or examine each other’s belongings. Sometimes thestories of how certain objects came into the possession of aIllus. by E. Fiegenschuh41