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Descended from ancestors who dwelt in the
harsh northern territories of Eastern Elanthia, the halflings
are a tough, colorful people with a rich heritage of myth
and a deep-seated reverence for the land and all good things
in it. While the varieties of small pony they once bred are
now extinct, the equine influences from their past still figure
largely in the present-day halflings' customs and colloquialisms.
Among the eastern halfling population, the
importance of family, community and the race as a whole (referred
to as Truefolk among themselves) is celebrated in an ancient
ceremony each year, called the Trine. The word Trine, as well
as being the major halfling holiday, is also used to refer
to the three original branches of the halfling nation, the
Mhoragian, Brughan and Malghavan.
Centuries later, the calamitous events of
the Despana War resulted in the formation of a fourth branch,
the Paradis halflings, who migrated to the western side of
the continent and settled there. While halflings are small
in stature, rarely reaching more than 3'4" in height,
they are, nonetheless, hardy and have a great capacity for
courage, a quick intelligence and, unless seriously provoked,
a congenial nature.
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