Wild Halfling
a.k.a. Ghostwise Halfling
Wild halflings, also known as Ghostwise Halflings are simply the scarcest and most primitive of the halflings subraces and lack a civilized lifestyle in Tellene. These shy, isolated halflings live in deep secluded woods, often in bramble-covered mounds. They are mysterious and do not welcome strangers to their lands. Instead, they prefer to pursue a nomadic way of life within their adopted homelands. They fear and are cautious of all non-forest dwellers.
Likewise, these so-called "forest children" exist only as tales as far as most other humanoids are concerned. Those who seek out the Wild Halfling most often fail to achieve their goal; the fortunate among them live to regret their intrusion into their territory. Travelers sometimes believe them to be spirits of dead children, who were lost in the woods, thus the name Ghostwise for these small folk.
Personality
These halflings are hunter-gatherers, living off the bounty of the wild woods rather than practicing agriculture. They have no metalworking skill, but are exceptional weavers. Most Wild Halflings encountered outside their home are warriors.
Physical Description
Wild Halflings look very much like their Lightfoot cousins in stature. Not as nimble as their cousins, some Wild Halflings tend be slightly stockier in build. They tend to spend a great amount of their time outside in the sun, giving them slightly tanned skins and a light brown hair. Since they rely so much on physical communication, many Wild Halflings have their name tattooed in tribal symbols on a visible place on their body, and many opt to tattoo many other tribal symbols representing people and events in their lives.
Relations
The defining characteristics of the Wild Halflings are their respect for and devotion to their clan. Family is important to most halflings and halfling communities, but the Wild ‘hin’ regard the family bond with a degree of admiration some might call obsession. Those hin without surviving family often joined one of the Wild Halfling clans. As the Wild Halflings pursues a quest for atonement, their clan system evolved into the broad social structure it is today.
Alignment
Wild Halflings seek balance, both inside themselves and around their homes. As such, most of them tend toward neutrality. A true Wild Halfling is neutral to all and will not get involved in the bickering of the tall people unless their heritage or clan is threatened.
Wild Halfling Lands
The Wild Halflings primarily occupy the Lands of the Young Kingdoms, with other populations scattered throughout The Kalamaran Empire, and the Lands of Svimohzish. Each clan of the Wild Halfling has adopted a different segment of territory. Clan territories range in size from less than fifty to several hundred square miles. The clans are known to travel with organization as their leader point them in the right direction. A number of factors influence exactly where the clan travels within its territory, including the presence or absence of hostile creatures and the relative abundance of game. There is ample room in the vast forest for all the Wild Halfling clans, and so their territories are only loosely defined.
Religion
The Wild Halfling stopped worshiping The Raiser when the race split apart from other halflings. They started depending on themselves and thusly hold inner strength above all. Wild Halflings enjoy reflection to reach a balance within themselves, believing that inner balance is the first step to balancing one’s environment. They hold The Great Huntress in great regard for giving them refuge in the forests, but never actively worship Her. They respect their ancestors above all and worship the ghosts of the past. Wild Halflings have many rituals of passage at different stages of their lives. The most noticeable is the Ritual of Naming and the Ritual of Change.
The first one occurs when a Wild Halfling reaches adulthood and is finally given their true name tattoo. Before this event a child is known by many nicknames, and the one that sticks is the one tattooed onto her body.
The second is The Ritual of Change which occurs when a Wild Halfling is not able to reach an inner balance and must seek it elsewhere. These Halflings are given leave from their tribes to seek that which they need to reach a healthy state. Most Wild Halflings seen roaming around the world are normally in the Ritual of Change.
Languages
This race of Halflings, known by many as Ghostwise have developed a complex language of body expressions and hand movements. This language is so intricate that they do not need to speak in order to communicate with one another. Even when a Ghostwise does speak, 90% of the time they use an old version of a halfling dialect originated during their racial split. Nevertheless, they are respectful of others, and will do their best at speaking the Merchant Tongue language in the presence of those who will not understand them.
Adventurers
Wild Halflings adventurers are very rare. Normally every adventuring Wild Halfling is undergoing the Ritual of Change. There are, however, Wild Halflings outcasts that venture the lands to either seek redemption for harm brought to the clan or spread the seeds of the Ghostwise across the world of Tellene.