Physical Form
Halflings are a diminutive species originating from the Byspell Plains, though their wanderlust has seen them make their way into every corner of the continent and many places beyond. They have short pointed ears with a measure of mobility for emoting. They have thick, padded feet for walking long distances, which they may do on a daily basis without tiring if they so desire, being adapted for a largely nomadic lifestyle that follows the warm weather back and forth over the year. To make up for their small size, halflings may avoid danger by way of their extremely fast and fine tuned reflexes. Halflings are fast a nimble, uncanny in their ability to dodge and weave through enemy attacks, and unafraid to stand their ground against creatures larger than themselves. Halflings of both genders possess a pouch with an opening at the base of their sternum - the intended use of this is to carry halfling children while traveling, but halflings with no children on hand may tuck away personal possessions instead. Halfling children have a striped coat of fur that allows them to camouflage among the tall grass in dangerous situations. When a halfling reaches puberty, they lose most of their fur, leaving only patches on the back of the hands and feet and a strip along their belly up to where the pouch is.
Halfling skin tends to be brown or very tan, and their hair is usually dark brown, though occasionally light brown or blond haired individuals can be found. Their eyes are commonly varying shades of brown, and more rarely green or hazel. Halflings have a high rate of unusual skin patterns and conditions such as vitiligo, piebald patches, albinism, melanism, and "calico" stripes - such conditions affect roughly 15% of their population.
Halflings are the shortest of the Dûnan, standing between 2'9" and 3'3" feet tall, and weighing around 37-43 pounds. Females are typically larger and heavier than males.
Lifespan and Reproduction
A healthy halfling can live up to the age of 250. They are considered preteens at 7, teens at 11, adults at 16, middle aged at 100, and elderly at 175.
Halflings have a unique life cycle that maximizes their ability to continue travel. Halflings "pups" are born in litters of 1-4 after a gestation period of 2 months. They are underdeveloped and must spend the next several months in a pouch to live, but these circumstances make the birth quite easy for the mother, meaning little time stopped for the occasion and basically no recovery time required. Halfling pups are blind and deaf for the first month after birth, and they spend much of their time sleeping within the pouch until the 5 month mark, when they will begin to stay awake more and poke their heads out of the pouch.
To ensure that a halfling clan can't become overloaded with tiny mouths to feed, ovulation is blocked for all halfling women living in close proximity to a pregnant or nursing mother. Some halflings are so sensitive to such pheromones that they may find their efforts to conceive thwarted by pregnant and nursing mothers outside their own species. City dwelling halflings may find it necessary to vacation in a secluded location in order to conceive.
Diet
Halflings are generalists, and will eat most anything non-rotten that they can get their hands on, but the better part of their diet is various fruits and roots, supplemented by meat and grains as available or needed. Halflings living in places where vegetation is less readily available easily adapt to alternate diets.
Notable Attributes and Abilities
Halflings are known primarily for their swift reflexes - they react at great speed to sudden danger, and are adept at dodging attacks and slipping through tight spaces, even to the point that they may weave through the legs of a larger enemy in order to trip them up. These abilities have allowed the halflings to survive and thrive on the plains and in other places despite their small stature.
Halflings are also known to be particularly unflappable in the face of danger - they do not bat an eye at taking on larger creatures, particularly in defense of their loved ones. The typical halfling clan strategy when faced with dangerous creatures is for the most able and nimble members to take on the task of distracting them, whilst the elderly, the children, and anyone carrying a baby escape in the chaos.
Culture
Halflings tend to live in family groups consisting of a related group of women, their spouses, and their children, relying on the strength of numbers in addition to their agility to aid them in life. Though bearing children is the right of all couples in the group, classically only one batch of children is cared for at a time, and all adults participate even if the children are not their own. Due to their propensity for carrying for children not their own, it's not uncommon for a halfling clan with enough resources to adopt foundlings of other species.
Races
Kuldra (KULL-druh): the smallest in population size, the Kuldra are descendants of a devil cult that settled on the Kel Islands. The high occurrence of tieflings among them has left its mark on the Kuldra - they resemble the Saffra, but with a reddish hue to their skin and hair, and yellowish or amber eyes. Their teeth are also much sharper than a normal halfling's would be.
Maebyn (MAY-bin): originating from the Skyfang Mountains and the Onureth Caverns, Maebyn haflings are adapted to for the cold. Their skin is very pale and their hair nearly white, and their eyes are either a light hazel or frosty blue. Maebyn haflings have much greater retention of their childhood fur into adulthood to help provide extra warmth in the cold and the dark. Albinism is not uncommon among them.
Oreni (or-EN-ee): originating from the Kiebe Forest, Oreni halflings have brown skin and brown, reddish, or black curly hair, tones sitting somewhat evenly between those of the Prahlla and the Saffra. Uniquely, Oreni retain their childhood stripes as skin markings. They are the tallest and slimmest type of halfling.
Prahlla (PRAH-luh): originating from the Byspell Plains and most closely resembling the original halflings, Prahlla generally have brown or tanned skin, brown or occasionally blond curly hair, and brown or hazel eyes. They have the highest rate of calico stripes among the types of halfling, and they are also the shortest.
Saffra (SAF-ruh): originating from the southern coastline, Saffra halflings are well-equipped for the sun, with brown skin, coily dark hair, and dark brown eyes. They are the tallest and stoutest type of halfling, and have the highest rate of piebaldism.