FATEsy Heartbreaker: Laiela

When they were first met by Man and Dwarf, they were called halfling as a slight to their small stature. The Laiela(faithful) just smiled and accepted it. When the First Men began to move into the lands surrounding the halfling river communities, the Laiela smiled and accepted it. When these same men tried to take the villages and boats of the halflings, the Laiela did not smile. The war was short and bloody. In the end the First Men left the halflings to their rivers. The Laiela just smiled and accepted it.

Laiela serve no god or mortal authority. The only true loyalty they have is to their family. The closest to reverence they ever get is when they speak of the deeds of their ancestors. Created at the dawning of time by the trickster god Jain Coar. Some say he created them too well, others that something went horribly wrong. The halflings have great passions and know no fear. Within moments of creation the first halflings thanked their creator for existence then promptly ignored him.

Laiela live everywhere. If there is a road you will find halfling carts roaming them. All rivers have halfling names and are plied by halfling Greatboats. They have houses built along lakes and rivers, favoring houses on stilts to protect from flooding. Halflings tend to believe in comunal property. Everything in a house, cart, or Great boat belongs to all members of the family. Each family marginally belongs to a clan, but often that is just something they tell outsiders.

Laiela language is only partially verbal. All Laiela somehow have an empathic bond. Most of their spoken language is nouns of one type or another. This has led many Pankotar(non-Laiela) to believe that the halflings are liars. They do not follow any gods so most Pankotar believe them to be unfaithful and untrustworthy. They do not understand personal property so they have a reputation as thieves. However they control all trade along the three major rivers(Aibia the great, Padura the wide, and Hianda the swift) as well as countless smaller ones. They are fearless. Many a petty warlord has dismissed them, only to regret it later as halflings charge them riding the great wardogs and riding drakes. They do not give up, they do not surrender, they have never lost. As the old halflings tell people, "every setback is an opportunity!"

Things that are always true about your Halfling aspect:

• Halflings are smaller than the other races.
• Halflings have an empathic bond with other halflings and can communicate that way with them when they are within a few yards of each other.

Things that can be invoked:

• Halflings are nearly fearless. Invoke when resisting a fear effect.
• Halflings are fast and have excellent hand eye coordination. Invoke when that would be useful.
• Halflings are born to the water. They spend most of their life on the rivers and lakes of the world. Invoke when you are doing something on the water or related to rivers or lakes.
• Halflings are everywhere. Invoke to meet up with a local halfling who is related to you in some way.

Things that can be compelled:

• Halflings are smaller than other races. Compel this when being small would be a hinderance.
• Halflings are generally not trusted by the other races. Compel this when the halfling is trying to convince someone of their honorable intention or honesty
• Halflings sometimes feel their passions far too greatly and having no fear just push on and on even when it would be considered madness, even by other halflings. This is called the Neromea(blood madness). Compel when sensible logic would dictate turning back or stopping the current action. They must push on and gain what they are after or die trying.

Halfling Stunts:
Harrya: Halflings are masters of throwing rocks. when they are young they skip stones and have hundreds of stone throwing games. Later on they can translate this skill to other thrown weapons. This martial art is called Harrya, meaning stone. When using a thrown weapon you can increase the range by one zone.
Riverspeak: after years of wandering the rivers of the world you have mastered all the nuances of navigating them. You gain a +2 bonus to any roll involving navigating by river, boating, or knowledge of river lore.
Beldu: all halflings are fearless. You are something else entirely. You are immune to all non-magical fear. However this also means you can never concede a conflict. Ever. You are Beldu(fearless). Backing down is completely foreign to you.

So that is halflings done! I would love to hear what you think of my imagining of them. Any thoughts, comments, ideas, or criticisms are welcome(within reason).