We're not half of anything!: On the Roleplaying of Hin

TrooperMaxx · Post by **TrooperMaxx** » Sun Nov 20, 2005 10:13 pm

"Hin" is the term halflings call themselves. Lightfoot are the most commonly encountered subrace, and yet it is hard to describe a typical lightfoot, though most other races think of halflings as thieves. Their outlooks vary widely, but it may be safe to say that most have some trace of roguishness in their blood or a skewed outlook upon possessions and wealth. 
 
The most apparent quality of the halfling is of course their small size. Some halflings will simply use their size to their advantage to not make a scene or attract attention, invisibly integrating themselves into societies. Others will make up for their diminutive size with the size of their hearts and their boldness. 
 
Another common quality of the lightfoot is travel. They generally have an innate wonder of the world and optimistic attitudes. They are a less materialistic race, so that they can travel easily, and even those who live in societies do not often have too many possessions and may easily up and leave should the urge strike them. Some more settled hin however will serve as safehouses for traveling hin and may store possessions for them. There are exceptions however, and some hin do settle down, perhaps notably agrarian lightfoot. But I would not be surprised if even these are not too strongly tied down that they could not move, should they need to or later wish to, perhaps selling their farm and wandering only to later settle down upon another farm. 
 
Community (and family within) is also an important motif to consider when thinking of hin. It is perhaps not as strong as the dwarven clans, except perhaps among the ghostwise, but hin do tend to have strong familial ties. They are close among their kin, and also very hospitable. They do not have a strong sense of privacy as most cultures. Among traveling caravans it is often hard not to overhear things when the wagons are not moving. So they will generally know of each others business and openly offer each other advice when warranted. They will also often wander into each others dwellings to chat or examine each others belongings. Think of privacy as erecting barriers around each other, the hin are close such that they do not really have these barriers. They do not feel a strong need to hide things from each other and share in each others lives much more freely. When their caravans stop near water, they do split into separate gendered bathing areas, mind you. :P 
 
Openness (and hence personal expression) is another strong motif. Some hin just have a very open, gregarious personality. Others though have developed something of an art and have developed an interesting duality between openness and secrecy. They will talk freely, but skillfully turn the conversation away from whatever secrets they may wish to keep. Someone will converse with a halfling for a long time and then later realize upon reflection that they did not really learn anything at all about the halfling, "Content-free conversation", as Races of the Wild calls it, particularly useful when this someone may find his purse missing and not have a clue as to how to hunt the halfling down. <img src=http://www.ezboard.com/images/emoticons/wink.gif ALT=";)"> 
 
Larceny or some touch of roguishness is also a common motif among hin. Their size easily gives way to stealth and going without notice, and nimble fingers take easily to the skills of a rogue. Less materialistic as a people, they do not think much of relieving others of excess wealth. Outright theft is not even the only means by which they may do this, they may gamble (perhaps with tricks or cheats, or simple skill), hawk 'love potions' and such, or pursue confidence games (cons). "To the halflings' way of thinking, someone foolish enough to think that anyone can get something for nothing deserves to get nothing for something." (Races of the Wild, p. 41) 
 
Stronghearts take more to the bold approach, and often take it a bit further (hin pride!). They populate Luiren, the only civilization made up almost entirely of hin. They have settled establishments, but are not themselves settled. They will move from house to house as the urge strikes them. When they move out, they leave a home in good condition so that some other family can later move in. There are generally numerous free houses in a strongheart community at any given time and they move around within the settled community as they like. As such they have a settled community, but much freedom of movement within. This odd duality between the love of moving about freely and liking of settled establishments is a strong influence upon the strongheart outlook. Cooperation is the dominant motif in their society and teamwork is highly valued. 
 
Ghostwise are a wild and elusive subrace of hin. Devotion to their clans is the dominant motif among their society. The way to think of the ghostwise is as elusive, wandering, closely-knit clans. To really understand the ghostwise, one needs to know of the hin ghost wars, described in the Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting on page 196 in the Regional History of Luiren. Originally the land was inhabited by the three tribes (lightfoot, strongheart, and ghostwise), since all hin are descended from Luiren. The ghostwise fell into darkness, worshipping Malar and relishing in wild bloodlust. The strongheart and lightfoot tribes struck an alliance and waged merciless war upon the ghostwise. In the aftermath, the ghostwise had been reduced to a handful of their former number and there was a great diaspora, the stronghearts staying, most of the lightfoots leaving from the horror of the events and wandering, and most of the ghostwise were exiled, moving to the Chondalwood and taking an oath "never to speak until they had atoned for the animallike savagery of their past." They have long since atoned, but still give much thought before speaking. Also of note is their telepathic ability to speak without sound, which I think may originate from an exaggeration of their ability to communicate with each other despite their oath of silence. They learned to read each other and express their points without vocalizing them, perhaps over time developing this telepathic ability (this is a magical world, maybe one of the hin gods influenced this, but I've not seen mention of it anywhere) This is mostly my own conjecturings, but I've seen older references where the ghostwise ability only worked among ghostwise and so may not even have been telepathic, just a strong ability to get their point across and read each other without sound that developed through necessity over time. Perhaps in a magical world or with a deity's influence, this could evolve into a telepathic ability to speak without sound. 
 
I've intended this post to serve as a good introduction to hin, pouring through the books (Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting, Races of Faerun, Races of the Wilds) and rather than quoting them at length, trying to divulge the important motifs and qualities expressed and express them simply without growing overly verbose. As such some of this may have a little of my own interpretation, but is strongly influenced by the books I mentioned. 
 
I will pour through Faiths and Pantheons some time and try to give a nice summary of each of the hin deities, perhaps giving more thought to associated motifs, as well as hin religion in general. 
 
Feel free to add any important motifs and qualities I may have left out, or more in-depth quotes/discussions on particular details that were not discussed here. 
 
Hin Power! 
 
~Troop

PensivesWetness · Post by **PensivesWetness** » Mon Nov 21, 2005 12:37 am

The deities themselves.... 
 
Yondalla and Arvoreen certainly serve Stronghearts, Yondalla herself serving all the hin. Sheela Peryroyl supports the Ghostwise, and Urogalan serves all the hin in death... 
 
so where exactly does Brandobaris, one deity near and dear to my heart as, eventually, established as Millia's faith, ? 
 
so many ways, so many ways... 
 
discus! <img src=http://www.ezboard.com/images/emoticons/happy.gif ALT=":D">

Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of all who threaten, annoy, or spam it.

elion · Post by **elion** » Mon Feb 13, 2006 4:57 pm

*giggles* brandobaris is exactly what other races see as the *classical* hin.....a michievious, rogues hin. ne need to say he's most commenly worshipped by the more adventurous lightfoots. 
 
but the main problem for me is the yondalla/dallah thaun. 
is that a commenly known thing? or simply the One thing hins don't talk about?

sarah petite.(EST+6) 
plays pansy felloscobbert,hilly hillyfields, ragus, roden rift, glognar fenk and some others.

Dracharla · Post by **Dracharla** » Mon Feb 13, 2006 7:18 pm

I don't know of this thing you speak of Elion could you elaborate?

~Dracharla, Bushwhacked Wild Elf 
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 
 
Hello my name is Isendyl and I will be your Meat Shield for the day. In case of emergency please cower! The exits are located directly behind me. Thank you for Flying Pwnge Airways and please come fly with us again!

TrooperMaxx · Post by **TrooperMaxx** » Tue Feb 14, 2006 1:36 am

Sorry, I meant to post about hin religion, but kept putting it off, here's what I've got: 
 
Hin Religion 
 
In general, hin are a religious people. They have deep reverence for their own pantheon, but as wanderers know the value of local divinities - get on the good side of whatever gods and spirits hold power wherever you happen to be, it's in your best interest (hin really are pretty practical people). As such, you will likely find hin honoring one of the hin pantheon as their patron as well as giving honor to the other hin divinities at appropriate times as well as paying respects to non-hin or even minor deities that hold power and influence in whatever region they find themselves, so long as there is no ethical conflict, of course. 
 
Now to take a look at the deities that make up the hin pantheon, collectively known as Yondalla's children. It is a fairly sparse pantheon and so the divinities within are often many-faceted. 
 
<hr /> 
 
Yondalla The Protector and Provider, the Nurturing Matriarch, the Blessed One 
Symbol: Cornucopia on a shield 
Alignment: Lawful Good 
Portfolio: Protection, bounty, halflings, children, security, leadership, wisdom, creation, family, tradition 
Worshipers: Children, halflings, leaders, paladins, parents 
Domains: Family, Good, Halfling, Law, Protection 
Favored Weapon: "Hornblade" (short sword) 
 
Mother of the Hin race, she is the creator of the hin people and as such is held in high honor by all self-respecting hin. She is the embodiment of hin values and culture, for indeed she created the hin in her own image. She provides a great bounty to her people and protects them with valor and courage. 
 
<hr /> 
 
Sheela Peryroyl Green Sister, Watchful Mother 
Symbol: Daisy 
Alignment: Neutral 
Portfolio: Nature, agriculture, weather, song, dance, beauty, romantic love 
Worshipers: Bards, druids, farmers, gardeners, halflngs, rangers 
Domains: Air, Charm, Halfling, Plant 
Favored Weapon: "Oakthorn" (sickle) 
 
Revered even above Yondalla by the Ghostwise, she is the nature deity of the Hin pantheon, representing the balance between the wild and the tame. The need for the harvest is just as great as the need for wild, untamed earth, so the two are kept in balance. Work within the system in place and don't seek to change anything quickly, but rather let it evolve, changing it slowly over time. Level-headed, she often takes on the role of celestial mediator and settles disputes when other deity's motives clash, finding compromise and balance between the two opposing factions. Even non-hin will often invoke her name before entering terse negotiations. 
 
Being associated with the harvest, she is also associated with the festivities that go on at the completion of the harvest and so is the Hin deity of song, dance, beauty, and romantic love as well. In Hin religion all of this is tied strongly to the cycles of the harvest and the celebrations therein. 
 
<hr /> 
 
Cyrrollalee The Hand of Fellowship, the Hearthkeeper 
Symbol: Open door 
Alignment: Lawful Good 
Portfolio: Friendship, trust, the hearth, hospitality, crafts 
Worshipers: Artisans, cooks, guards, halflings, hosts, innkeepers 
Domains: Family, Good, Halfling, Law 
Favored Weapon: "Camaradestave" [quarterstaff] (club) 
 
Another important Hin deity, especially for her association with the hearth and hospitality. Hin are very hospitable people, and are very open with their homes and hospitable to guests. So they will usually respect those that are hospitable to them as well. Cyrollalee is usually invoked when moving into a home or for anything residential. 
 
<hr /> 
 
Arvoreen The Defender, The Wary Sword 
Symbol: Two Crossed Short Swords 
Alignment: Lawful Good 
Portfolio: Defense, war, vigilance, halflings warriors, duty 
Worshipers: Halflings, fighters, paladins, rangers, soldiers, warriors 
Domains: Good, Halfling, Law, Protection, War 
Favored Weapon: "Aegisheart" (shortsword) 
 
The militaristic deity, Arvoreen is a common patron of soldiers and those who do battle. He represents the discipline and order that is needed for an army to protect the people and remain vigilant of threats. He focuses on reconnaisance and reactive tactics rather than proactive/preventive tactics, defensive, rarely offensive. You don't find halflings conquering nations really, they mostly just keep to themselves and defend themselves. 
 
<hr /> 
 
Bandobaris Master of Stealth, the Irrepressible Scamp 
Symbol: Halfling's footprint 
Alignment: Neutral 
Portfolio: Stealth, thievery, adventuring, halfling rogues 
Worshipers: Adventurers, bards, halflings, risk takers, rogues 
Domains: Halfling, Luck, Travel, Trickery 
Favored Weapon: "Escape" (dagger) 
 
Actually one of the lower ranked Hin deities, but nevertheless, he is the scoundrel most people would think of when they think of Hin. He holds a place in the minds of most adventuring hin, who will invoke him to aid them in stealth and adventure and safe travel. 
 
He has a hot and cold relationship with Yondalla and they both deal in luck, which is why Yondalla is often thought of as a deity strongly associated with the hin. 
 
<hr /> 
 
Urogalan He Who Must Be, Lord of the Earth, the Black Hound 
Symbol: Silhouette of a dog's head 
Alignment: Lawful Neutral 
Portfolio: Earth, death, protection of the dead 
Worshipers: Genealogists, grave diggers, halflings 
Domains: Earth, Halfling, Law, Protection, Repose 
Favored Weapon: "Doomthresher" [double-headed flail] (any flail) 
 
Probably the least known/prominent of the hin deities, he is associated with death and the return to the earth, and so is necessary nonetheless. 
 
<hr /> 
 
If anyone would like to add to any of them, feel free or if I've said something wrong, point it out. Also ask if elaboration is needed somewhere and someone can probably help out. 
 
<hr /> 
 
<blockquote>Quote:<hr>but the main problem for me is the yondalla/dallah thaun. 
is that a commenly known thing? or simply the One thing hins don't talk about?<hr></blockquote> 
 
Dallah Thaun is mentioned in Races of the Wild for Hin religion. She is basically a darker aspect of Yondalla. Yondalla is the goody goody that everyone sees, but behind the scenes Dallah Thaun does the dirty work that may be necessary to uphold Yondalla's ideals. This tinges from the whole creation myth mentioned in Races of the Wild where Yondalla had stole a bit from all the other races to make the Hin, but this got her into trouble and so to be a deity, she had to purify herself, and Dallah Thaun is that larcenous, thievish part of her that was separated from her. Of course not everyone knows of this aspect, and the hin certainly don't tell any of the other races about her. 
 
Which is interesting enough, but I'm not sure how well it works out. And I think it only applies in non-FR d&d, or else it would be mentioned in Faiths and Pantheons or the FRCS as well. So I'd say just forget about Dallah Thaun as far as what is incorporated into the forgotten realms is concerned. 
 
~Troop

elion · Post by **elion** » Tue Feb 14, 2006 8:26 pm

cool. 
 
just out of interrest. since the FRCS was first published some 4 years ago, and the RotW last year, does this mean things are still developing? (i noticed that the FRCS also took works from S. Williams regarding deities and stuff....who wrote the RotW later on) e.g. the elven pantheon got another deity listed, n.b. a lawful one.....or is that just to have elven-monks in accordance with a deity? 
 
seems to me the pantheons are still growing (don't know what are concidered the ultimate FR sources, but i couldn't help noticing that the Dragon magazine is also mentioned as a source for writing the FR-guides) 
 
but..anyway. the subject got into my head because of the call from Clover to have more in-depth talks about the hin-relegion in-game and in-character.......i still am looking forward to that, but my time is..alas..quite limited. 
 
just a little spoiler to finish off <img src=http://www.ezboard.com/images/emoticons/smile.gif ALT=":)"> 
ever thought about playing a hin who follows Cyrrollalee? 
then concider you'll have a hard time with entering any inhabited caves..... 
 
think about it. 
 

sarah petite.(EST+6) 
plays pansy felloscobbert,hilly hillyfields, ragus, roden rift, glognar fenk and some others.

PensivesWetness · Post by **PensivesWetness** » Sun Feb 19, 2006 4:23 am

/me grins Dragon Magazine (And Dugeon, to a lesser extent) has always been a invaluable tool in regards to adding to existing rules over the years and editions of the game... <img src=http://www.ezboard.com/images/emoticons/pimp.gif ALT=":hat">

Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of all who threaten, annoy, or spam it.

L3 · Post by L3 » Mon Apr 03, 2006 8:10 pm

"ever thought about playing a hin who follows Cyrrollalee? 
then concider you'll have a hard time with entering any inhabited caves....." 
 
Not entirely accurate. As Cyrrollalee is concerned with providing hospitality, the inhabitants of most caves, being inhospitable to the point of violence may even be seen as something of an abomination to Cyrrollalee which must be dealt with. 
 
Just felt I should get my two cents in.

elion · Post by **elion** » Tue Apr 04, 2006 1:19 pm

*nods* true, but the main point being....invading someone's Home is considered a sin, no matter if you like, dislike or hate that person. the security of anyone's home is holy. 
 
oh, and about the dallah thaun? 
 
don't know if it meshes with any FR setting, at least, i don't see how it could. as yondallah is THE embodiment of all that is Hin it's no more than logical she'd have a darker side to her. hin are very easygoing, but one should never forget that they also have long memories....both about the good things in life and for the wrongs done to them. this dualness makes them the best friend or worst enemy one could have. 
 
just a thought, really...i like to think a lot about hin, maybe because i play mostly hin?

sarah petite.(EST+6) 
plays pansy felloscobbert, roden rift, and some others.

L3 · Post by L3 » Tue Apr 04, 2006 7:18 pm

"just a thought, really...i like to think a lot about hin, maybe because i play mostly hin?" 
 
Yeh... I noticed hin characters are extraordinarily addictive. I never really gave them a shot before. I originally tried out Nev as a silly experiment in halfling RP but he quickly unseated both my main characters at the time and now enjoys much more of my attention than that crappy wookd elf and the vacuous half elf pally. Go figure...

Strongbad333 · Post by **Strongbad333** » Sat Aug 19, 2006 1:09 pm

On dallah Thaun...

Drudoc Goodbare (may he rest in peace) was the first hin i tried to play, and he hinted that many hin in his village worhsipped dalla Thaun as a secret band in his village of kistendale. None picked up on the hints, instead thinking he meant the irresistable scamp.. so I assumed Dall Thaun was not done on this server so I abadnoned that idea and decided to make it the irrestiable scamp.

As to it "meshing" with faureun i can tell you that other servers in nwn which have a lot of roleplay with hin do include Dalla Thaun, so this god can be incorporated

The Vast

We're not half of anything!: On the Roleplaying of Hin

We're not half of anything!: On the Roleplaying of Hin

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Re: We're not half of anything!: On the Roleplaying of Hin

Re: We're not half of anything!: On the Roleplaying of Hin

Re: We're not half of anything!: On the Roleplaying of Hin

Re: We're not half of anything!: On the Roleplaying of Hin

Re: We're not half of anything!: On the Roleplaying of Hin