PART FOUR OF AN IN-PROGRESS SERIES
PART ONE HERE ///// PART TWO HERE ///// PART THREE HERE ///// PART FIVE HERE ///// PART SIX HERE ///// PART SEVEN HERE
GENDER POLITICS
Halflings have long been disapproving of the relative parity between sexes shown by many of the other races, holding to the argument that whilst there may be no legal difference, there are enough physical and mental ones to justify the continued separation of functions within a community. Even among the Stalwarts, who are by far the most innovative of halflings, there has been little effort to change this oldest aspect of their societies. Perhaps unsurprisingly, it is in the occupied lands where this disparity is dying out most rapidly.
Men are expected to work in the fields or woods, learn a craft or otherwise develop a useful skill for the community. It is they who are held responsible for maintaining the flow of foodstuffs, building materials, trading items and suchlike. Before the conquest of their shires, hositan men could make their own way in life, but these days there is enormous pressure for them to learn straight from their fathers and establish what is essentially a family business. Halfling men who do not work with their hands are typically traders or clergy, with indolence a luxury permitted only to the aged.
Women are expected to maintain the family homes and provide appropriate education to the children. When it becomes necessary to do so, it is they who dig out new chambers, repair the plumbing or ventilation and direct the menfolk to produce the furnishings. They have an iron grip on medicine, maintaining a complicated internal hierarchy separate to that of the wider community, with specialist surgeons and midwives believed to rank most highly. It is also women who regulate marriage, although only the Proudfellows have forgone the system of arrangements and dowries that still plagues their cousins.
It has long been noted that whilst hositan men derive great amusement from seeing the women of other races try to perform what are traditionally male activities, the opposite is true for hositan women, who take umbrage at the mere notion. Indeed, they have been known to become outright savage when a man of any race tries to help them with a task - many an unfortunate human or elven guest has been beaten about the knees for daring to try washing a plate or offering cooking advice.
Whether male or female, hositan who have left their homes to become adventurers or wanderers are rarely treated as fellow halflings upon their return. Instead, they are viewed as something akin to employable lunatics and given a huge amount of leeway in what they are permitted, since they are evidently too broken to be taught how to be a proper hositan, but must still be granted the benefits of any community which accepted them into its ranks.
The only hositan establishments which allow equal access to men and women are the priesthood of Bunga and the offices of the Marshalskeep, although the latter does bear something of a stigma as an escape clause for lazy halflings averse to learning even the most basic of occupations. There does remain some numerical bias of course, with men historically comprising the majority of marshals and sheriffs, possibly because women bear responsibility for many of the things halflings enjoy the most and therefore are intrinsically inclined towards working for them.
Beyond these strictures, however, there is little in the way of discrimination when it comes to who can do what. Men and women both are permitted and encouraged to take up art or riddling or any number of recreational activities that can bring the community together - ideally over several massive tables groaning under the weight of a light meal.
>>>>>
RACIAL RELATIONS
Ashara (Dark Folk) - When you see one, be swift and be silent. When one sees you, be swifter and be loud. Remember the ancient cry and sing it out often. If you should be felled, do not let your kin be caught unawares.
Although nobody has ever been particularly fond of the Dark Folk, hositan experiences with them have been even less positive. Troll games of Kick The Halfling, Punch The Halfling and Throw The Halfling are often cited as one reason, along with the orcish habit of using them as slaves when goblins are at a premium. Their lack of appreciation for fine cuisine or anything approaching manners, good or bad, are further points against them.
***
Dalsni (Humans) - Most are clumsy and ignorant buffoons as apt to go to church as they are to go to war. Only the farmers have anything approaching wisdom, honestly, but only if they listen to our advice.
Humans are a strange lot as far as the hositan are concerned, so much more varied and confusing than the hositan themselves. Conventional wisdom says that so long as they are not aggravated, they are relatively harmless, which just leaves the question of what exactly will aggravate any given human. Halflings remain divided as to how much they should avoid contact with humans even or especially when living alongside them.
***
Garzimal (Elves) - A worthwhile bunch, if you can get past their condescension. Lovely artwork, lovely music, lovely food. Do not ask for advice though, as they will answer both yes and no. Utterly infuriating, honestly.
If the supposed origins of the Proudfellows are not mere myth, then the elves and halflings have had a long history of considerable friendliness. That said, it is a rare elf these days who does not look upon the hositan as either childish or uneducated, or both, making modern relations a bit more strained than they may have been historically. However, the two races still get along far better with each other than they do with almost any others.
***
Hynaph (Centaurs) - Pray to Bunga you encounter one of the pleasant kinds, the grazers, because the others will think nothing of having you as a snack. There is no finer worker though, tireless, loyal and remarkably cheap.
Hairfoot and Stalwart farms make considerable use of centaurs, for the mighty creatures can work for longer and in harsher conditions than hositan ponies, albeit for a price. There have been an increasing number of incidents in the last few decades of centaurs claiming the relationship is akin to master and slave, but there has been no violence as yet and the halflings are making sure that it stays that way, no matter how much the centaurs grumble.
***
Shahum (Gnomes) - Disturbing creatures. You could overlook the clothing, Bunga knows fashion is strange, but not the whiskers. Some of them could almost be attractive if they would only lose those ridiculous whiskers.
The Stalwarts have long associated with and even adopted the customs of gnomes, being the only halflings to do so and thus earning the distrust and ire of their cousins. There is simply too much that is bizarre and different about this race so otherwise similar to their own that makes most hositan quite uncomfortable around them. Any given region is apt to have a population of either hositan or gnomes, but almost never both at the same time.
***
Tsakeer (Aarakocra) - If you can persuade them to stop shedding feathers in high summer, then by all means, invite them to the festival. Otherwise they can just keep on enjoying themselves at the Marshalskeep.
Halflings may lack the interest in flight that elves and humans have, but they do acknowledge that it is a valuable tool to be wielded by the wise. Diplomatic overtures in ages past resulted in a strange alliance between the races, such that aarakocra and hositan emissaries regularly visit each other to stay informed on current events and warn of the movements of the dark folk. The Proudfellows maintain a similarly cordial relationship with local raptoran tribes.
***
Vallin (Dwarves) - A fine people indeed, if a little too fond of drink and violence. True, they could stand to learn a thing or two from us about how to live underground, but they never seemed to be interested in efficiency.
Widely considered to be extravagant, ostentatious, wasteful and a wide variety of other descriptions, the dwarves are nevertheless fondly thought of by the halflings, who appreciate the skill behind dwarven engineering, if not so much the execution. This is mainly because the hositan believe they have improved upon the techniques originally taught to them by the dwarves, hence the similarity in many architectural designs between the two races.
PART ONE HERE ///// PART TWO HERE ///// PART THREE HERE ///// PART FIVE HERE ///// PART SIX HERE ///// PART SEVEN HERE
GENDER POLITICS
Halflings have long been disapproving of the relative parity between sexes shown by many of the other races, holding to the argument that whilst there may be no legal difference, there are enough physical and mental ones to justify the continued separation of functions within a community. Even among the Stalwarts, who are by far the most innovative of halflings, there has been little effort to change this oldest aspect of their societies. Perhaps unsurprisingly, it is in the occupied lands where this disparity is dying out most rapidly.
Men are expected to work in the fields or woods, learn a craft or otherwise develop a useful skill for the community. It is they who are held responsible for maintaining the flow of foodstuffs, building materials, trading items and suchlike. Before the conquest of their shires, hositan men could make their own way in life, but these days there is enormous pressure for them to learn straight from their fathers and establish what is essentially a family business. Halfling men who do not work with their hands are typically traders or clergy, with indolence a luxury permitted only to the aged.
Women are expected to maintain the family homes and provide appropriate education to the children. When it becomes necessary to do so, it is they who dig out new chambers, repair the plumbing or ventilation and direct the menfolk to produce the furnishings. They have an iron grip on medicine, maintaining a complicated internal hierarchy separate to that of the wider community, with specialist surgeons and midwives believed to rank most highly. It is also women who regulate marriage, although only the Proudfellows have forgone the system of arrangements and dowries that still plagues their cousins.
It has long been noted that whilst hositan men derive great amusement from seeing the women of other races try to perform what are traditionally male activities, the opposite is true for hositan women, who take umbrage at the mere notion. Indeed, they have been known to become outright savage when a man of any race tries to help them with a task - many an unfortunate human or elven guest has been beaten about the knees for daring to try washing a plate or offering cooking advice.
Whether male or female, hositan who have left their homes to become adventurers or wanderers are rarely treated as fellow halflings upon their return. Instead, they are viewed as something akin to employable lunatics and given a huge amount of leeway in what they are permitted, since they are evidently too broken to be taught how to be a proper hositan, but must still be granted the benefits of any community which accepted them into its ranks.
The only hositan establishments which allow equal access to men and women are the priesthood of Bunga and the offices of the Marshalskeep, although the latter does bear something of a stigma as an escape clause for lazy halflings averse to learning even the most basic of occupations. There does remain some numerical bias of course, with men historically comprising the majority of marshals and sheriffs, possibly because women bear responsibility for many of the things halflings enjoy the most and therefore are intrinsically inclined towards working for them.
Beyond these strictures, however, there is little in the way of discrimination when it comes to who can do what. Men and women both are permitted and encouraged to take up art or riddling or any number of recreational activities that can bring the community together - ideally over several massive tables groaning under the weight of a light meal.
>>>>>
RACIAL RELATIONS
Ashara (Dark Folk) - When you see one, be swift and be silent. When one sees you, be swifter and be loud. Remember the ancient cry and sing it out often. If you should be felled, do not let your kin be caught unawares.
Although nobody has ever been particularly fond of the Dark Folk, hositan experiences with them have been even less positive. Troll games of Kick The Halfling, Punch The Halfling and Throw The Halfling are often cited as one reason, along with the orcish habit of using them as slaves when goblins are at a premium. Their lack of appreciation for fine cuisine or anything approaching manners, good or bad, are further points against them.
***
Dalsni (Humans) - Most are clumsy and ignorant buffoons as apt to go to church as they are to go to war. Only the farmers have anything approaching wisdom, honestly, but only if they listen to our advice.
Humans are a strange lot as far as the hositan are concerned, so much more varied and confusing than the hositan themselves. Conventional wisdom says that so long as they are not aggravated, they are relatively harmless, which just leaves the question of what exactly will aggravate any given human. Halflings remain divided as to how much they should avoid contact with humans even or especially when living alongside them.
***
Garzimal (Elves) - A worthwhile bunch, if you can get past their condescension. Lovely artwork, lovely music, lovely food. Do not ask for advice though, as they will answer both yes and no. Utterly infuriating, honestly.
If the supposed origins of the Proudfellows are not mere myth, then the elves and halflings have had a long history of considerable friendliness. That said, it is a rare elf these days who does not look upon the hositan as either childish or uneducated, or both, making modern relations a bit more strained than they may have been historically. However, the two races still get along far better with each other than they do with almost any others.
***
Hynaph (Centaurs) - Pray to Bunga you encounter one of the pleasant kinds, the grazers, because the others will think nothing of having you as a snack. There is no finer worker though, tireless, loyal and remarkably cheap.
Hairfoot and Stalwart farms make considerable use of centaurs, for the mighty creatures can work for longer and in harsher conditions than hositan ponies, albeit for a price. There have been an increasing number of incidents in the last few decades of centaurs claiming the relationship is akin to master and slave, but there has been no violence as yet and the halflings are making sure that it stays that way, no matter how much the centaurs grumble.
***
Shahum (Gnomes) - Disturbing creatures. You could overlook the clothing, Bunga knows fashion is strange, but not the whiskers. Some of them could almost be attractive if they would only lose those ridiculous whiskers.
The Stalwarts have long associated with and even adopted the customs of gnomes, being the only halflings to do so and thus earning the distrust and ire of their cousins. There is simply too much that is bizarre and different about this race so otherwise similar to their own that makes most hositan quite uncomfortable around them. Any given region is apt to have a population of either hositan or gnomes, but almost never both at the same time.
***
Tsakeer (Aarakocra) - If you can persuade them to stop shedding feathers in high summer, then by all means, invite them to the festival. Otherwise they can just keep on enjoying themselves at the Marshalskeep.
Halflings may lack the interest in flight that elves and humans have, but they do acknowledge that it is a valuable tool to be wielded by the wise. Diplomatic overtures in ages past resulted in a strange alliance between the races, such that aarakocra and hositan emissaries regularly visit each other to stay informed on current events and warn of the movements of the dark folk. The Proudfellows maintain a similarly cordial relationship with local raptoran tribes.
***
Vallin (Dwarves) - A fine people indeed, if a little too fond of drink and violence. True, they could stand to learn a thing or two from us about how to live underground, but they never seemed to be interested in efficiency.
Widely considered to be extravagant, ostentatious, wasteful and a wide variety of other descriptions, the dwarves are nevertheless fondly thought of by the halflings, who appreciate the skill behind dwarven engineering, if not so much the execution. This is mainly because the hositan believe they have improved upon the techniques originally taught to them by the dwarves, hence the similarity in many architectural designs between the two races.