A theoretical question:
Thanks to the Spellplague and the apocalyptic changes that came after, the Five Shires of Luiren (traditional homeland of the halflings) are now permanently wiped from the map, flooded beneath the ocean. Would it be possible, feasable for displaced survivors to migrate to other parts of Faerun and re-establish a diaspora of "Little Shires"? Small tight-knit halfling-ruled halfling-dominated communities?
The core books tell us that most halflings live as minorities under Human kingdoms and human-dominated city-states.
The Five Shires of Luiren was the only thing that came close to a Halfling-governed nation-state, but as of 5th Edition... Luiren no longer exists. I'm trying to propose (in my Forgotten Realms campaign) that the Halfling survivors would certainly try their best to re-establish the old traditions of the Shires.
And how big does a halfling community have to be to be considered a (new) Shire? A large (halfling-governed) town surrounded by several robust farming villages?
And finally.... if a self-governed Halfling shire could be established, would it make sense for them to ally themselves (for protection, defense, etc) or possibly swear allegiance as a vassal under a large (benevolent) Human city-state? I see that in 5th Edition, there are several powerful new Human city-states that are Lawful Good and Paladin-ruled (e.g. Elturgard in the Western Heartlands).
moonbeast wrote:
Yep, the Greenfields! A fertile plains area. OK, so I realize the Tyranny of Dragons storyline starts off with a dragon raid on Greenest. Not a big deal if he also burns down half of a halfling village or two.
A half-half halfling village is a quartling village, right?
Other than Hoard of the Dragon Queen starting off with an angry dragon rampaging on the nearby (human) village of Greenest, is there any reason why a robust Halfling community cannot grow somewhere in this region? It's a huge area. At least several hundred square miles in size.
moonbeast wrote:
Fair enough!
Have you considered making a large halfling town or city? I was always fascinated by the idea.
In my home-brewed world, there's a halfling port city called Blue Bay, whose main industry is crab fishing, but from its position at the mouth of a major river, has become a successful in trade by river and sea. It's been relatively safe from human and humanoid incursion due to an alliance with an ancient brass dragon that comes to their aid in times of need.
Of course, the city is also reknown for its bakeries and beer halls, making it a fun place to kick off an adventure!
I don't know if it would be something that fits your campaign, but I thought it might be an option for a halfling community.
Good luck with your campaign.
....Does anyone know what happened to Lurien after the Sundering? I'm under the impression that most of the Sundering is a massive retcon to pre-Spellplague conditions, but I don't particularly care enough for the Realms to slog through six novels to pick up scattered clues to figure out what happened.
Tempest_Stormwind wrote:
An interesting concept that a post-Sundering retcon would bring back dry land in Luiren. But pukunui is correct, even if that were the case, it would take decades before the Halflings could re-establish thriving towns and cities that resembled the Old Shires. It would make for an exciting campaign quest (mission) for Halfling PCs, I agree.
In the meantime, I'd simply "roll with it" in the 5th Edition post-Spellplague era..... the assumption that so many (Stout) halflings already died and drowned along with their Five Shires, whilst a small group of survivors (maybe a few thousand?) managed to escape the ordeal and simply scattered to resettle across the various corners of Faerun. This is why I entertain the fact that many of them would resettle in the Western Heartlands and Sword Coast, areas which already have some scattered Lightfoot halfling presence.
Naturally, they would want to resettle in areas that are similar to The Old Country (e.g. the Luiren shires). Fertile regions which are suitable for farming and agriculture. An area which has relatively limited threats of monster/orc/horde invasions.
@DarthMacho Is it possible for halflings to build their own cities and towns? Sure, it's theoretically possible that they could. But in my campaign, I tend to stick with "traditional" lore of D&D with a hint of Tolkien. Hence, I would still see Halflings as creatures of habit. They have grown accustomed to the peaceful easy-going rural and agricultural lifestyle. Is it possible they could change their lifestyle to become urban city-builders? Sure. But most of them don't want to be bothered with all the effort and all the headaches of attempting to build large cities.
FWIW, I remember reading somewhere that many of the surviving Luirinites settled in Amn and the human cities ringing the Sea of Fallen Stars. The Greenfields are just north of Amn and seem like the perfect place for halfling communities - in fact, I wouldn't be surprised if there weren't some already there.
Grand History of the Realms includes a full-page sidebar where Halflings from Tethyr / Amn are invited to move north because conditions are better. (Secomber, near Loudwater along the Delibiyr River, was originally a halfling community.) A folklore memory of that letter could give the Luiren refugees someplace to start out for. They "run out of gas" near Greenest, which conveniently was founded by a halfling pre-3e era as a caravanserai on a minor trade route. Families and groups just build a few houses wherever they happen to be - and small villages / thorps / hamlets spring up all over.