Halfling

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Halfling, Thule

Natives of the forests and jungles of Thule’s steaming interior, halflings are a barbarian people who build no cities and regard the ways of civilization with suspi- cion. They are the undisputed masters of stealth and woodcraft, using the terrain of their chosen homeland to easily avoid larger enemies. In fact, halflings are so good at avoiding people they do not want to meet that many civilized Thuleans consider stories of tribes of child-sized people living in Dhar Mesh or Phoor to be mere fables.

Halflings have a reputation for being shy and sus- picious of strangers, but this is not entirely deserved. They are often quite friendly and hospitable to strang- ers, once they have determined that the strangers are not enemies. They are happy to trade with people they trust, and more than a few jungle traders have become rich by bringing good metal tools and weap- ons to halflings with gemstones and ivory to trade. However, halflings are deadly foes to enemies foolish enough to venture into their territory. They are mas- ters of ambush and poison, pelting invaders with a rain of envenomed arrows from the jungle shadows.

Like other savage peoples, halflings know little of gods or arcane matters. Instead, they learn the secrets of nature spirits, calling upon them to help protect and nourish the tribe. They are deeply religious in their own way, and are often shocked to learn that civilized people are ignorant of the nature spirits. Curiosity about other people and no small amount of wanderlust encourage halfling adventurers to over- look the ignorance and bad manners of most humans.