Races of Wild

Slightly mollified, the other gods nevertheless decreed thatYondalla must be punished for her crime. They ruled thather people, whom she named the halflings, could have nolands of their own. Always would they wander, and theirwelcome in the lands of others would be on their ownmerit alone. Yondalla agreed.Furthermore, they decreed that Yondalla mustexpunge the larcenous streak in her own being thathad caused her to steal the essences of the other gods’creations. So Yondalla clove off the portion of herselfthat espoused thievery, secrets, vengeance, and otherdark thoughts, leaving only the purest goodness andvirtue. The dark portion of Yondalla took on a formthat resembled her own and faded into the background,where it would remain ever after as a separategoddess called Dallah Thaun—bound to Yondalla butseparate. Yondalla stepped forward, and the gods foundno fault with her new character.Ever since, halflings have wandered the earth butcalled no place home. They have worshiped a dualgoddess while claiming to revere only one.CHAPTER 2HALFLINGSLEGENDSHalfling culture is replete with stories. Every halflingwants to make his mark and become the stuff oflegends, and many succeed. Every family has storiesabout the exploits of various uncles, aunts, cousins,grandparents, and other relatives. Every clan has talesabout its famous members. In addition, the race as awhole has legends about the halfling gods and thebest-known heroes of the race.Halflings tell their tales under the stars when theycamp at night, in the wagons to pass the time whilethe landscape rolls by, and in the taverns and innsof other lands. All halfling legends are entertaining,and most praise the wit, warmth, and deftness of thehalfling race.The following are some of the most popular halflinglegends ever told. All are considered true—or at leastmore true than those of any other race.Silinda and the King of ArendalLong ago, in a caravan that roamed the whole of thecontinent, lived a young halfling named Silinda.Fair of face and lithe of form, Silinda set off to findadventure on her twentieth birthday, after turningdown several offers of handfasting.She left with only a change of clothing, a blanket,her trusty sword, the thieves’ tools that her aunthad fashioned for her, some salve for wounds, andenough food for one day. She had no fear of starvingor misfortune, only a wide-eyed wonder at the worldthat stretched before her.After walking for a few hours, Silinda heard a plaintivecry. “Help me!” called a voice from the woods she waspassing. Silinda moved as quickly as she could throughYondalla visits the elves and finds them too flightyIllus. by E. Fiegenschuh55