Halfling: the Masquerade
Dec. 28th, 2008 12:23 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
weirdletNo, not really. Although that does make me think of hobbit-controlled mecha, a la Brain of Pinky and the Brain and his giant robot-suit.
No, what I'm talking of is halflings in Alucia. Humans are the baseline, the empire and moderately civilized kingdoms, although they do have a few barbarian remnants remaining. Orcs are the barbarians who have been absorbed into civilization while still retaining their own homeland. Elves have no culture of their own, but live off of what they picked up or made up centuries ago. Dwarves are hardy, insular miners who mostly keep to themselves.
Halflings are the traders, the sailors. Alucia is oddly landlocked, barring its large lakes and rivers- tribal orcs control the west coast, north is all mountains, the western land bridge has mostly sunk, the east coast is taken up by Svartlund's old, dark forest that forms an effective barrier to mankind. The southern coast is either uninhabited swamp or controlled by the Running Tribes. That leaves the Floating City, cradled within the high Cliffs of Baenin, which is where merchants from the Halfling Isles have established a city of ships, with an actual island *somewhere* in there. Life, business and cultivation take place on the ships, from the tiny fishing vessels and rowboats that sleep one or two to the floating mansion-barges that circle the huge bay. The Floating City is truly a place where all the cultures of Alucia blend together- halflings bring their trade goods, Alucians grain merchants full of desire for silks and spices, Akyosians with cactus juice and dragon parts, Daanlanders with cheese and tulips, Svartlunders with potatoes and timber, Eirish and Rogahnish horses and hogs, elvish entertainers, dwarven mineral merchants, orcish laborers and mercenaries. All come with full pockets- very few leave with them. The halflings have a great many things for sale- plenty of which cannot be gotten anywhere else but through them. Add in bribes, 'protection' from thieves, and rental of boat-space, and you've got a tidy little racket that any number of people would love to get in on.
Not sure whether to flavor them Venetian, Japanese or otherwise. I do know that sometimes the more rowing-inclined orcs from round about the lower southwestern coast and the swampland will sometimes have a lucrative bit of piracy going on with the halfling shipments, but there isn't a great deal of repercussion from the Empire on this front.
Edit- Ooh. I think I can blend this a bit... I've been flipping worriedly between Japanese, Venetian and that 4th Edition kinda-Cajun flavor, and I think I can blend it a bit. The Halfling Isles are vaguely Japanese in artistic detail, very orderly and delicate, but more egalitarian in government- I'm getting images of something like shoji screens, but in stained glass. I'm thinking kind of a Japanese/Ancient Greek fusion, with some of the general weirdness that comes from being a D&D world. A strong sense of order and delicacy, with a large emphasis on hospitality- guests are treated very well. Halflings tend to behave at home, but loosen up when they get out and about. The more hobbity ones stay home and fish and plant, while the more adventurous take ships out and sail for the horizons and the mainlands- for there are more mainlands out there, beyond the reach of Alucia. I'm sure some have invaded/settled that huge tract of swampland down at the southwest corner, but they have to fight/make peace with the orcs there, as well.
No, what I'm talking of is halflings in Alucia. Humans are the baseline, the empire and moderately civilized kingdoms, although they do have a few barbarian remnants remaining. Orcs are the barbarians who have been absorbed into civilization while still retaining their own homeland. Elves have no culture of their own, but live off of what they picked up or made up centuries ago. Dwarves are hardy, insular miners who mostly keep to themselves.
Halflings are the traders, the sailors. Alucia is oddly landlocked, barring its large lakes and rivers- tribal orcs control the west coast, north is all mountains, the western land bridge has mostly sunk, the east coast is taken up by Svartlund's old, dark forest that forms an effective barrier to mankind. The southern coast is either uninhabited swamp or controlled by the Running Tribes. That leaves the Floating City, cradled within the high Cliffs of Baenin, which is where merchants from the Halfling Isles have established a city of ships, with an actual island *somewhere* in there. Life, business and cultivation take place on the ships, from the tiny fishing vessels and rowboats that sleep one or two to the floating mansion-barges that circle the huge bay. The Floating City is truly a place where all the cultures of Alucia blend together- halflings bring their trade goods, Alucians grain merchants full of desire for silks and spices, Akyosians with cactus juice and dragon parts, Daanlanders with cheese and tulips, Svartlunders with potatoes and timber, Eirish and Rogahnish horses and hogs, elvish entertainers, dwarven mineral merchants, orcish laborers and mercenaries. All come with full pockets- very few leave with them. The halflings have a great many things for sale- plenty of which cannot be gotten anywhere else but through them. Add in bribes, 'protection' from thieves, and rental of boat-space, and you've got a tidy little racket that any number of people would love to get in on.
Not sure whether to flavor them Venetian, Japanese or otherwise. I do know that sometimes the more rowing-inclined orcs from round about the lower southwestern coast and the swampland will sometimes have a lucrative bit of piracy going on with the halfling shipments, but there isn't a great deal of repercussion from the Empire on this front.
Edit- Ooh. I think I can blend this a bit... I've been flipping worriedly between Japanese, Venetian and that 4th Edition kinda-Cajun flavor, and I think I can blend it a bit. The Halfling Isles are vaguely Japanese in artistic detail, very orderly and delicate, but more egalitarian in government- I'm getting images of something like shoji screens, but in stained glass. I'm thinking kind of a Japanese/Ancient Greek fusion, with some of the general weirdness that comes from being a D&D world. A strong sense of order and delicacy, with a large emphasis on hospitality- guests are treated very well. Halflings tend to behave at home, but loosen up when they get out and about. The more hobbity ones stay home and fish and plant, while the more adventurous take ships out and sail for the horizons and the mainlands- for there are more mainlands out there, beyond the reach of Alucia. I'm sure some have invaded/settled that huge tract of swampland down at the southwest corner, but they have to fight/make peace with the orcs there, as well.
