"I've sailed with every kind of folk there is, and I'll tell you this: lose a halfling's trust and you'll never find your way back into her kitchen. Keep it, and you've got family in every port." — a Tidegate deckhand
Halflings are small, warm and fiercely loyal folk who carry home with them wherever they go. A halfling's hearth is always open to friends, whether it's a kitchen, a barge cabin or a corner of a ship's hold. Behind that welcome is a sharp sense for people, and halflings are quick to tell who's genuine and who isn't. They also never forget a slight. Every insult, cheated deal and broken promise is remembered and passed down over family meals, and a halfling may still be settling a grandparent's grudge long after the offender has forgotten it. Their easygoing charm makes them natural traders, sailors and go-betweens, and wise folk take care to stay on their good side.
Names
Halfling names follow a set sound pattern. Each name is built from two single syllables, A and B, which are usually a consonant with a vowel, or just a vowel. The first name is A followed by B twice, and the second name is A and B once, as in Tokiki Toki or Ulala Ula. To other species the names sound playful, but to halflings the echo is a mark of family and belonging.
Halflings by Homeland
Sylvaris
River and hearth halflings live alongside elves and gnomes in the grove-towns of Sylvaris, such as Starbloom Hollow and Nantwich, and tend Myrath's rivers.
Tidegate
Seafaring halflings of Tidegate are often Windweavers, who dance the winds at Galecrest to speed the ships of the Stormborn Armada.
Aetheria
Canal traders of Aetheria, many of them born and raised on barges, have a growing voice in the Senate. Aetherian halflings honour Serenna, keeping a lantern lit at every barge hearth in her name.