General:

Stateless wanderers, these descendents of humble river people have shaped the world in ways unimaginable to the larger races. Preternaturally lucky, halflings have turned their penchant for wandering into a vast, mobile trade empire that defies all boundaries. Though they possess no state of their own, no state dares discriminate against these diminutive travellers, for fear of finding themselves cut off from the only truly free and unaligned traders in the known world.

Language:

The original halfling language was spread across the world early on by the halfling race. At first, it was simply trader’s tongue, used to barter goods. Over time, halfling stories became popular among the common people, their jokes, wild tales of adventures and songs shared in taverns and city squares in multiple countries. When the halflings’ abandoned claim to any land of their own, their neutrality led to their language becoming the language of diplomats. Eventually, the halfling tongue became the first (and often only) language spoken by most humans, and was frequently the second language taught to by other humanoid races.

In the last fifty years, the halfling people began to see a need to communicate among their own in a way most outsiders wouldn’t immediately understand. A new language slowly took form on the road, passed from one group of travellers to the next, a new halfling tongue layered with levels of meaning tied distinctly to their own history. While some outsiders might learn the tongue, very few would master it’s subtlety.

Politics:

Halflings are stateless, officially subject to no country or government. Their only allegiance is to each other and the open road, and are sworn to complete neutrality in matters of state. While subject to all laws within whichever borders they are currently present, they may not own land nor be called upon to defend any land. Their movement may not legally be restricted, save if found guilty of some other law and sentenced to prison. No border closure nor blockade may bar their passage. Only a siege will prevent a halfling trade caravan from entering an area, and only a quarantine can prevent a halfling from leaving. Halfling traders will often coordinate to sell to both sides in a war, working together to preserve the group neutrality while preventing any signs of favouritism without endangering their people needlessly. And while they will often drive a hard bargain, profiteering off war is harshly frowned upon, and may lead to social penalties among their own kind.

Any case of legal discrimination encountered by a halfling is subject to investigation by the wider halfling community. If it is discovered that a government is discriminatory in intent or effect, whether by applying laws against them or refusing to apply laws against those that wrong them, the halflings invoke the dreaded Blacklist against the perpetrators. While a country, province, city, or village is on the blacklist, no halfling will visit, denying the locale of news and trade. In cases where the discrimination is particularly mean-spirited, halflings have been known to arrange their own trade blockade, buying up all goods before they enter a territory and redirecting it elsewhere. This practice has only been used once in history, and the lifting of the sanction was a day of great rejoicing at the end of much suffering.

Philosophy:

Despite being masters of trade, money is of little interest to halflings. Wealth is not meant to be hoarded, but to be shared, and halflings are just as eager to buy as to sell. Halfling dreams are not based around wealth, security, or social renown. Halflings forever strive for one thing: the new. Whether it is a new vista before one’s eyes, a new taste in one’s mouth, or a new song in one’s heart, the craving for new experiences is what drives halfling society.

In the spirit of this, while halfling trading caravans often carry enough regular trade goods to turn a tidy profit, they nearly always have something exotic in their stores. Similarly, they have a broad understanding of value, and aren’t shy about bartering goods or services for non-traditional payment. A written treatise on local holidays might be paid for with exotic furs and wine, while a group of travelling musicians might earn a magical blessing in exchange for an evening of entertainment.

Community:

The halfling community is at once loose and tightly knit. Halflings might travel alone, in small groups, or in large caravans. There is no central leadership, large-scale meeting place, or formal authority to govern halfling.

Instead, halflings consider themselves as a large extended family. Indeed, many meetings between halflings begins with a stirring game of “halfling geography,” where the meeting individuals try to determine who they know in common. Hospitality among their own kind is also an important custom, frequently resulting in shared meals among travellers (a practice which feeds the stereotype of halflings being gluttonous).

Given their constant travelling, messages between halflings are often passed around widely between travellers in an effort to reach their intended recipient. While they freely share messages among their own kind, including those of a personal nature, these messages are never willingly passed along to a non-halfling. Halflings also happily carry news from place to place, and for a small fee will carry letters or messages for non-halflings when a delivery is on their way.

Security:

Naturally, as travelling traders of small stature, halflings are thought to be easy targets by bandits. While some traders hire guards, particularly for larger caravans, a life on the road has taught most halflings how to navigate these dangers. That could mean fighting, running, hiding, bribing, or talking their way out of trouble. While annoying, most halflings consider this just a small part of the joys of the open road.

However, when it comes to investigating, applying or enforcing the Blacklist, a more specialized force exits. For that, there are the Vassals of the Stars. Spies, trackers, and killers, they carry out their duties in secret, utilizing masks and codenames to maintain anonymity. Their role as a Vassal of the Stars is to serve the halfling race, not become famous. In this way, the Vassals remain humble and outsiders never know when a halfling might be one of the dangerous Vassals in disguise. Their calling card and weapon of choice is the shuriken.