Races of Wild

CHAPTER 2HALFLINGS44does a halfling go without his music. Someone in the campis almost always playing a tune, and while the caravan is onthe road, singing, whistling, and humming make the tripmore pleasant. Favored instruments among halflings includelutes, lyres, horns, and small drums, as well as more exoticstring and percussion instruments acquired at some pointin their travels. Their best-known compositions are merrytunes that draw listeners into dancing. Among their ownpeople, however, songs of the open road and laments for thedeparted that can draw a tear from even the most stoic eyeare equally prized.Though most halflings have a talent for acting, they producevery few plays because such forms of entertainmenttend to consume resources while doing little to mend wagons,accrue wealth, or cook dinner. Impromptu skits, however, arequite popular within certain caravans, and less than flatteringrepresentations of other races often add to the frivolity.Among the most important arts in a halfling communityis storytelling. Halflings write down practical information,such as supply lists and transaction records, but they rarelytake the time to record legends or gossip. The oral traditionis stronger in the halfling race than almost any other, andalmost every halfling is an accomplished storyteller. Tellingtales around the campfire has been a tradition among travelinghalflings for as long as anyone can remember, and thefrequent turnover in caravan personnel ensures that thereare always new tales to hear. Though in many cases the talesamount to little more than gossip, word of important eventsspreads quickly through the halfling race from caravan tocaravan. Halflings have a deep respect for the oral traditionand thus attach an absolute minimum of embellishmentto the original tales. Thus, a tale spread from one end of acontinent to the other will be substantially the same as whenit was first told.Several times each year, a number of caravans gather ina prearranged location for a storytelling fair. They holdcontests for the best tales and the best renderings, and theypresent cash prizes as well as accolades to the winners. Theseweek-long events also feature craft booths, trained animalacts, feasting, and other forms of entertainment. Outsidersare welcome, but few ever attend, put off by the prospect ofso many thieves and con artists gathered in one place.TECHNOLOGY AND MAGICMost halflings believe that magic is great for driving offorcs, entertaining outsiders, and dealing with the occasionalemergency. In the long run, though, technology is oftenmore practical and more reproducible. After all, just abouteveryone who makes a wagon wheel goes about it the sameway, and if you studied a wagon wheel long enough, you couldprobably get a good idea of how to make one. In contrast, twospellcasters may cast the same spell in entirely different ways,and no one—not even experienced wizards—can figure outhow to reproduce a spell just by seeing its effect.The study of magic is a niche activity in halfling communities.Everyone appreciates having a few wizards, sorcerers,and clerics around for emergencies, but their usefulnessis limited in daily life. Magic items, however, are anothermatter entirely. With only minimal instruction, anyonecan use many items of power; those that are not needed canbe sold for good prices. Thus, spellcasters who travel withhalfling caravans often find themselves pressured to eithercreate magic items or find something productive to do withtheir time. Most halflings who pursue such classes also haveother professions that are more useful to the community ona day-to-day basis.Halfling spellcasters rarely do research, and they displaya preference for magic of the illusion, transmutation, andconjuration schools. Abjurers and diviners are also relativelycommon, while necromancers are practically unknown. Arcanespellcasters usually travel with their clans, but each usuallyhas a wagon of his own; most halflings find it prudent to givewizards and sorcerers a wide berth in case of accidents.Halfling technology focuses primarily on practical itemsand transportation. Small, portable items are favored so thatthey can easily be carried in wagons or on one’s person. Anyitem that makes daily life easier or can get a caravan out oftrouble is of great interest to a halfling band. Heavy, bulkyitems and equipment are of little interest to halflings unlessthey can see a way to sell such items at a handsome profit.The legend that claims halflings invented horseshoes isprobably false; halflings use goats more often than horses.Still, that bit of lore does speak to the depth of the halflings’passion for transportation-related equipment. Goat carts,oxcarts, mine cars, boats, gliders, and all other kinds of conveyancesare fascinating to halflings, and they have improvedon most of the traditional designs.Animal breeding and training is also an essential partof halfling technology because animals power many of thehalflings’ conveyances and provide food for the caravan.Halflings have developed breeding to a science and canreliably produce animals with more meat, greater speed, ormore endurance than those raised by most other races.Upgrades in transportation, food preservation, medicinesand tonics, and other technology of interest are quickly passedfrom one caravan to another—and to human, dwarf, gnome,and elf communities as well. Even technology that did notoriginate among the halflings spreads quickly once they gethold of it.LOVELove is a vital part of life, and halflings enjoy it to the fullest.They are devoted to their families; the affection betweenchildren and parents, siblings, spouses, and extended familymembers such as grandparents and cousins is deep andunyielding. So great is the halfling devotion to family thattwo halflings who meet for the first time are likely to spendhours comparing genealogies to figure out how they mightbe related. Should a familial relationship be discovered, nomatter how remote, the two treat one another like long-lostsiblings—at least until one does something perfidiousenough to sour the relationship.