Many halflings from the nearby hills moved to Wenjansków a few decades ago when their homes were ransacked by House Wenjansk’s rival great house: House Jutmek. These halflings are now twice displaced.

In their previous homes, the upland halflings maintained shockingly similar lifestyles to many of the lowlander agricultural workers living outside Wenjansków. Overwhelmingly, these halflings were subsistence farmers who had little in the way of formal government or religion. When necessary, small bands of halflings would form makeshift militias to protect themselves, but this was no match against a proper army of archers and cavalry. When House Jutmek came for their territory, they surrendered their valuable farmland and fled to Wenjansków.

Perhaps surprisingly, most of the relocated halflings had little difficulty assimilating into life on the outskirts of the lakeside city. They willingly became vassals of House Wenjansk and pledged to work the land in exchange for autonomy and protection. This agreement proved exceedingly prudent for both parties in the wake of Wenjansków’s destruction: the halflings needed protection more than ever, and the lowlanders needed hardy laborers with experience farming at higher elevations. In general, the halflings fared much better in the mountains than most of the humans. As such, the halfling numbers have grown from roughly 10% to nearly 25% of the population.

All upland halflings are hermaphroditic. As such, any two halflings can mate and bear children. The halflings hold dear the notion that one’s biological sex need not mandate one’s gender identity. Some halflings identify as male, others as female, and some as nonbinary. Some lowlanders have theorized that the egalitarian spirit of the upland halflings is at least partially the result of their unique biology and gender expression. Undoubtedly, the halfling diaspora has influenced House Wenjansk’s recent commitment to gender equality.

Halfling Names