Korrigans

Korrigans, also commonly known as Halflings, are a diminutive race of simple and carefree folk. Korrigans are often notoriously unpredictable and rowdy, but simultaneously extremely gregarious and hospitable to anyone who can earn (or pay for) their trust.

Appearance
Korrigans gained the nick-name Halflings for their resemblance to incredibly short humans or elves. They rarely reach more than 4'4" and their proportions can often lead them to be mistaken for the children of taller races, although they have muscular and physical development appropriate for adults. Korrigans' hair often comes in shades of red or light browns, and usually have fair skin.

Overview
Korrigans are a simple folk, enjoying the simple pleasure of life like food, booze, and the occasional fight. As such they are a very contented people, sometimes even coming off as lazy. However, most Halflings are nothing if not tenacious when a problem arises and downright vicious in fights, whether they be verbal or physical. Anyone on their good side can expect a warm welcome and insistent hospitality when passing through their area.

Most other civilizations know the Korrigans as notorious tricksters and cheats, mostly born out of a combination of their usually mischievous sense of humor and love of games of chance, fitting for their fey-touched heritage. Most Halflings are not shy about speaking on luck or fate and are deep adherents to the idea, although individual philosophies on the matter vary wildly. Despite their chaotic nature they are usually rather set in their ways, and as such their culture rarely strays far from its roots, though, they are quick to pick up new magical knowledge or technology when it arises.

The Halflings value, above all else, their freedom to enjoy life and often have a natural distaste for authority. Those who would try to impose their will on them will find them fighting to the bitter end and surprisingly harsh combatants. Korrigans form very firm attachments to friends and family and are quick to jump to the defense of their loved ones. It is not uncommon for a slight against a single Halfling to escalate into the ire of an entire community, especially when outsiders are concerned.

Religion
Worship in Korrigan communities is something done openly and often. Stones carved with holy runes arranged into ritual grounds to their God Madam Hadil or simply fate itself can be found in almost any settlement. The Halflings themselves are prone to carrying around charms and trinkets. Most praying is done in the form of small prayers, often with accompanying gestures, for all manner of situations with each family often having a set of personalized prayers intended to influence fate. Occasional big rituals are performed at their holy sites, usually with plenty of dancing and booze to go around.

The main focus of their worship is the concept of fate, that some things are predestined to happen. However, they also believe that they can have some influence over fate, whether it be fair weather for a ship or the draw of the next card in a big stakes game. This must be done sparingly, however, as they feel that luck has “tides” with each person, and appealing too much for some good luck too often will cause a backlash of misfortune in the future. Their clerics tend to be equal parts holy man and fortune teller, many even willing to give readings for a price.

Government
True to their nature, Korrigan government tends to be minimalistic and relaxed, usually boiling down to a loose justice system to settle disputes. Halflings rarely live in communities bigger than large towns, and so are led by an elected mayor that has to run for office every ten years or so, although a mayor that does a moderately decent job usually gets reelected constantly until either they become too old or they mess up in a spectacular or consistent way.

When communities cluster together they sometimes hold a large meeting where the local leaders get together and discuss more over-arching legislation. This rarely escalates to an exchange of ideas, however, as the larger a government body gets the harder it is keeping the Korrigans under control, and they are always eager to violently overthrow anyone who is encroaching on their freedoms.

Craft
Halflings generally tend to keep things rather simple in terms of their crafting abilities. Their structures are usually simple wood and brick, only very rarely using stone as anything more than foundation or their ritual grounds. Sometimes other carved monuments will springs up, supposedly to "store" luck for those who need some. Particularly good carpenters will often decorate with knotwork flourishes, particularly on eves and corners. Towns will often have several "big person" buildings as well, usually inns to facilitate travelers of a larger size.

Their tools and weapons tend to be simple but perfectly functional, occasionally having a few flourishes on handles and hilts. Korrigans aren't particularly known for any craft in particular but are usually decently skilled in all manner of areas, particularly cooking and brewing. Every Halfling community boasts to have the best food and booze in the area and their enthusiasm reflects well in their products.

Halflings with a particularly high amount of disposable income often start dabbling in art, especially sculpture. This often results in very finely-designed waystones, graves, and statues cropping up in Halfling territory. Illustrators also enjoy churning out hand-made playing cards, board games, and dice to their local communities and often well beyond their borders.

Military
The Korrigans rarely keep much of a standing military, usually only a local militia for guard purposes. That said, in times of need a huge number of Korrigans are ready to take up arms and form a surprisingly vicious fighting force. While rarely as regimented as other races, the Halflings make up with instinct and raw enthusiasm. They favor guerilla tactics with high mobility, engaging in hit-and-run skirmishes until they clearly have the upper hand.

Despite their small size the Korrigans make formidable melee combatants, favoring two-handed swords and clubs. Even more feared are their slingers, who can hurl finely crafted stones with incredible accuracy over long distances, often even enchanting their bullets. Finally, the Halflings are infamously crafty, changing their tactics on the fly and utilizing any resource they can get their hands on. Some tales even speak of Korrigans riding into battle on livestock.

Halflings often employ bards on the battlefield, usually toting large warhorns and bagpipes, to bolster their morale while straining their opponents'. Of course, the pipers themselves are often skilled warriors in their own right and are known for continuing to play in the heat of battle. Highlanders, named after the mountainous lands that their fighting style had developed, are among the only full-time warriors that the Halflings have, but they are more than fearsome enough to compensate. Known for their reckless courage and for wielding absurdly heavy blades for their size, they've stopped more than a few attempts at conquering Halfling territory.

Magic
Rather than academies or archives, the Korrigans' magical traditions are largely individual practices passed down through apprenticeship. Rather than rigorous study, most Korrigans get a "feel" for magic through experience and instinct. Most mages treat it as simply a profession in order to make a living. Leprechauns are particularly powerful Korrigan mages who wander the continents, spreading mischief and conning folk wherever they go.

Priests and divine casters often focus on divination and fortune telling, so much that Korrigan fortune tellers are renowned for their accurate predictions, although they are also infamously cryptic and can often be misleading. Many Halflings also practice druidic magic, developing a particular connection with their fey roots.

Fashion
Most Halflings show little interest in being fashionable and individual tastes vary wildly. Working folk generally dress very plainly, favoring tartan for anything with decorative flourish but otherwise dressing in simple earthy tones. Politicians rarely put too much more effort in, favoring impressive hats and coats as symbols of their status. Korrigan who are mages, gypsies, or entertainers decorate themselves with translucent scarves, tassels, and feathers, anything that will flutter and float while they move.

Rural Folk
The most commonly encountered of the Korrigans simply call themselves "Rural Folk" to signify that they've put an end to their wandering ways, settling in central Tyravia. They predominantly live as simple farmers and traders, but are fiercely protective of their homes and are legendarily difficult to invade, despite their rather unassuming appearance and unorganized nature.

The Rural Folk are legendarily friendly despite their often uncouth nature, which only increases their popularity as traders. Many Rural Folk choose to set up shop amidst other cultures, sometimes even forming small communities in the heart of another race's cities. Many settlements come to depend on the Halflings' trade of food and goods to support themselves.

Wandering Folk
These Korrigans wander the world in wagon caravans, acting as traveling merchants, entertainers, and fortune tellers. They have no permanent settlements, just a listing of pre-made campsites that are marked with their blessed stones. The Wandering Folk have a fairly dark reputation as swindlers and criminals, and it is often fairly deserved as they have little respect for the laws of the lands they visit. However, their chipper disposition and a demand for their services ensures that, in most places, they still have business.

While they still posses the typical Korrigan friendliness, the Wandering Folk are much more closely guarded in terms of their society, rarely allowing outsiders to get too close. Their mysterious nature only deepens the stigma that other races, even the Rural Folk, have against them, which also serves them well to keep their less-than-legal dealings a secret. They do, however, have a very strong moral compass and do not take delivering genuine harm lightly. Many a criminal have found themselves in shallow graves at their campsites.

Pre-History
It is said the Madam Hadil created the Korrigans using the threads of fate and a pinch of Fey blood before scattering them throughout the world. They spent the majority of their early history wandering the lands and finding new worlds. Eventually, a heavy majority of them wound up traveling and settling in Tyravia, which proved to be the most hospitable continent for their lifestyle.

The Great War
The Halflings only played a minor role in the fighting, preferring to keep to themselves and simply defend their territories or simply pack up and move when large armies arrived. The armies of evil saw them as an easy target and so they were often chased and raided. It was these constant raids that helped shape the Halflings into a more aggressive and territorial people.

The Dark Times
Despite the disappearance of their goddess, it was hard to find a Korrigan who did not still adhere to the concept of Fate. They felt that the gods leaving was predestined and was all part of a greater plan. It was during this time that many of the nomadic Halflings chose to settle down in the hills of Tyravia, where many of their clans had been staying anyhow. The Korrigans in other lands such as Ibianus or Froskal continued to roam, as did a few select clans in Tyravia.

It was during this time that the long history of border disputes between them and the humans began, with several budding kingdoms attempting to subjugate the freedom-loving Korrigans only to be overthrown and destroyed in short order.

The Return of the Gods
The Halflings embraced The Divine Pact believing it to be proof that their reluctance to fight was warranted all along. With their godess's watchful eyes returned, their fortune-telling tradition regained its legitimacy and they continued to flourish in their new settlements. Soon after the gods' return the Gnomes chose to begin expanding out of their southern fortresses, but again their progress was halted by the Halflings who refused to concede an inch of their territory. This attempted expansion was so disastrous that the Gnomes chose to never attempt to take Halfling territory again, instead purchasing a few choice locations.

Notable Settlements

 * Durnesh: Often considered the unofficial capital of the Rural Folk. Durnesh was the largest town that the Korrigans ever built, though it was never more than a small city. It became the most common meeting place for political parties.

Notable Korrigans

 * Angus McFife: A legendary hero among Korrigans who rallied the clans to halt the aggressive expansion of the young but powerful Telrain empire. Said to have wielded a human-sized bastard sword and ridden into battle on a barded farm hog.
 * Mayor Toby Biscuit: The Mayor of Durnesh during the King's Plague. Allied the Korrigans with Nova Dawn and led them into battle against The Forsaken.
 * Ryan McTavish: A priest of Madam Hadil that joined The Sentinals. A legendary tarot reader and con-man opposed to the Radiant Empire.