Halfling Nayboroughs (Subculture)

[MangoArt 399]

 

Halfling Nayboroughs

History

          Back in the days of yore, when halflings were a young and budding race, they ran around cities thieving and scamming, still burdened by the curse of their dwarven forefathers. Many realized the error of their ways, moving out to small farming communities and adopting simple, minimalist lives. Save for a few, obviously, previously unmentioned.

 

          The Nayboroughs, a handful of Halfling Families, kept on with lifestyle for several generations before realizing it, having eventually calmed down although were still burdened by the need for a currency, unlike their country cousins. They moved out in carts, having already formed their own unique culture, and found welcoming people in the first villages they visited. However, this soon began to change as these Nayboroughs began to swindle their neighbors, selling false “magical items” and stealing from storage burrows.

 

          These Nayboroughs began to earn quite bad reputations, and so were often forced out of villages they visited- even as they began to adopt halfling customs such as not wearing shoes, not going to war, and generally being peaceful folk. The hardships forced them to have strong family bonds and place a great importance upon marriage and love- despite being the ones that were so larcenous even their fellow halflings rejected them. This did not stop their burning dwarven blood, however, from placing the importance of self-reliance and mercantilism into their minds from a young age.

 

          They began to starve and become poorer than they already were, viewed as second class citizens by their own kind and by cityfolk and were refused the free food normally handed out by Halfling villages. They thus became even more larcenous, and some were even driven to violence (Of course, they were viewed as entirely improper and usually cast out afterward- supposing they survived attempting to be violent with a human).

 

          For a long time, they became completely unheard of- pawning their wares in remote lands no-one could have ever heard of. Recently, however a family- the Wanderfoots, have returned to this land to barter, scam, and steal.

 

Customs and Values

          Nayboroughs walk a thin line between Proper and Improper- embracing halfling family values, shunning violence and shoes, not using currency, and drinking copious amounts of alcohol and tea. However, they also still place a lot of value on material possessions and are often dishonest, they ignore the allures of a permanent home and despite valuing family also have a strong preference for a life of self-reliance.

          As stated above, Nayboroughs love their families more than anything and are willing to lay down their lives to protect them. This also means they greatly dislike the idea of their bloodline dwindling away, and thus often have arranged marriages and typically try to have children as soon as possible. Marriage ceremonies often begin as somber occasions, representing the end of childhood- but by the end, after everyone’s said their vows and they’ve had their drinks it becomes a celebration of the beginning of adulthood.

 

          Nayboroughs have a number of strange customs. For one, before eating any meal or even a snack, they will sprinkle pumpkin shavings over the food and say a prayer to the pumpkin god. This is from days long past when Nayboroughs would often have to eat the filthiest, most rotten foods and thus pray that the food would not kill them and garnish it with delicious pumpkin related snacks. Another custom is that all carts must have a cover and curtain with artwork and ornate detailing, the specific design varying by family and telling tales of their family’s exploits. Nayboroughs also end many of their prayers to the pumpkin god with ‘put our souls to peaceful rest when we lay in the dirt with the roots and the pests’, indicating they wish for forgiveness for the actions they take in desperation.

 

          From a young age, Nayboroughs are taught the importance of self reliance- as they more than any know that many are not as welcoming as they might seem. They are also taught the importance of material goods and how to feed oneself using even the most useless of items, such as watered down, non lethal snake venom or the skull of a rat. Nayboroughs never let anything go to waste, out of a mix of inherited dwarven greed and necessity- you never know when that rat’s skull might be necessary to earn a day’s meal.

 

Clothing and Appearance

          Jewelry is a very common accessory for Nayboroughs, showcasing wealth and often having the sort of sentimental significance they love. They tend to dress in typical halfling fashion, although often a little bit spiffier to appear more responsible and wealthy- women will wear dresses while men will wear vests often adorned with gold buttons. Shoes are never allowed. Often, men will wear hats and women will wear bonnets, to protect their fair halfling skin from the blazing sun that they will be inevitably exposed to for days on end.

 

          Appearance will vary by family, but typically, Nayboroughs will be on the slightly taller side for halflings due to being introduced to burrows at a far later stage than others. Nayboroughs will also have paler skin, once again due to spending more time in cities than other folk- although some may become tanner as they age due to spending so much time travelling in the sun.

 

Playing a Nayborough

          Simply contact me if you have any questions, but otherwise- have at it. If you’re looking to have some sort of family, make sure to check out the family pages in Halfling Roleplay- I will likely be making one for the Wanderfoots. So, if you want to play a mischievous travelling halfling with slight gypsy/traveler themes, play a Nayborough!

[NotEvilAtAll 10906]

((Good job with this!))

[MangoArt 399]

1 hour ago, NotEvilAtAll said:

((Good job with this!))

((Merci boku, mon ami))

[Kaiser 2347]

((Mic shows off his cool stuff yet again! Hope the Nayboroughs still stay primarily near the village though!))