Setting the Setting - OD&D (3LBB) & AD&D2e - Part 8 - Cultures: Hearthwarden Halflings

 


So far, in the Cultures subseries of my Setting the Setting Posts, I've detailed the dominant culture of the area, Eldorian Humans, our three major cultures - the mercantile Thunderan Dwarves, the Egyptian-like Sunari Elves, and the militaristic, Roman Empire inspired Tauren Minotaurs. Last post we looked at the Feudal Indian inspire Vindhyaksha Goblins, one of area's minor cultures. Next on the list is Halflings.

For the Cultural Archetype, I rolled, getting European Middle Ages, the same as the Eldorians. I considered rerolling, but then I thought about Pathfinder, where, aside from a few distinct groups, Halflings tend to blend into and take on the cultures around them, and decided to let it stand.

European, Middle Ages: The classic AD&D setting, this presents a fantastic kingdom of knights and ladies. It is an age of chivalry and castles. Power lies in the hands of the landed nobility and the various churches or temples of the realm.

Now, with the seed of the idea of our Halflings blending in with the dominant human culture, I skipped rolling on the Technology Level and just took the same as the Eldorians, Hundred Years' War.

Hundred Years' War (Late Middle Ages): The technology of muscle-powered weapons and heavy armor reaches its height. The feudal system of lord and vassal begins to breakdown as the merchant class grows in importance. Guilds and leagues of craftsmen who practice a trade appear, allowing increased production and advancements, while concentrating wealth and power in towns instead of the noble estates. As towns grow in size, more land is brought under cultivation to support the increasing population. Primitive firearms such as the handgunne or arquebus may be available at this level of technology.

Now continuing with Social Alignment, since I had already decided to have each of the 9 cultures being on one of the 9 Social Alignments, I couldn't just copy the Eldorians. We have used 5 alignments so far, and I mentioned in the last post that I was saving one of them, so for our Halflings I rolled on the remaining three and got Neutral Good - a perfect fit for the archetypal fantasy Halfling.

Neutral Good: Societies of this alignment believe that both the rule of law and the rule of individual liberty must be secondary to the general well-being of people and nation. In essence, both rules and individuals must bow to the weal of all. Constitutional monarchies, republics, and enlightened autocracies are commonly neutral good.

For the culture's form of government, I decided to roll, maintaining some degree of differentiation between the Halflings and their taller neighbors. The roll turned up Matriarchy. Bear in mind, the government of the area in general is a kind of Religious Satrapy.

Matriarchy: Government reserved for eldest or most important females. In many cases, this is an extended council of women, or a feudal system based on the alliances of female-led noble houses.

Hierarchy: A feudal or bureaucratic system which proceeds through different levels of a religious institution.

Satrapy: Conquerors and representatives of another government wield power over the region, ruling it as part of a larger empire. The satraps themselves might be bureaucrats and military officers, or they may be unusual characters or monsters of some kind, such as dragons, beholders, or vampires.

The Local Campaign Area Chapter goes on to Subsistence Systems, culture/race relations, and Population Level, but I feel like these are best addressed when we get to detailing and mapping the land itself and plotting the settlements. 

Putting Matriarchal Medieval European Halflings into the Culture Name Generator at Vondy.com, I selected 'Hearthwarden,' but went back to our Golarion inspiration and decided that the Halflings in general now speak Eldorian as their primary language. 

I also thought of migratory patterns, and through some rolls and choices, decided on settlement waves for our 9 cultures. The Hearthwarden Halflings, like the Sunari Elves, are original natives of the area. With their cultural adaptability, I figure in these early ears, the Halflings gravitated to the Sunari culture. 

So, we have a native group of matriarchal Halflings with the quirk of gravitating to and (for the most part) assimilating into the major local culture which best fits them. For the last centuries, this has been the Eldorian Humans. However, they do maintain some unique cultural traits, including their matriarchal leadership. I figure that the Hearthwardens in each settlement are guided by the most respected resident female (often, but not always, the eldest), known as a Warden.

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