User:Apateus

Halfling History rework

“Nothing is less tiring for an halfling than keeping quiet.”

Euphemia Aquilani The Halfling Cultures

History

The Halfling history starts in the ancient Denur hold of Dar Farhum (now Zadh Nadrozz). The first documented Halfling in history is Helena Riccoboni, one of the city's three founders.

Also formerly called Hill Denur or Small Denur, the first Halflings were a race of inventors, politicians and workers in the mines of Dar Farhum.

Undoubtedly the poorest of the three ethnicities in the city, they ruled the city council in 200 BFS when Hieronimo Riccoboni decided on the foundation of Dar Vziun. Hieronimo is credited with inventing the city's complex steam system, powered by a huge Magma Drake.

The Haldurs contributed to the growth of southern Eden for generations, and from there they sometimes migrated to the Hinterlands, where they helped the Hinterlanders establish their first cities.

Some Halfling families also followed the elves in their migrations, supporting one faction or another during the Age of Fallen Spiers.

Following the famous coup in Dahr Farum, Prime Minister Leone Riccoboni and most of the Haldur in the city were massacred and forced to emigrate elsewhere (see Dahr Fahrum for more details).

“There are men who know everything, too bad this is all they know.”

Oreste Francobaldi, An History of Sudrun Republic, Quoting Leone Riccoboni’s last words

Cassandra Riccoboni, Leone’s daughter and last heir of the house, fled after Dar Farhum was couped. She went to the glade where she married Oreste Francobaldi, who wrote the history of the city.

Since its earliest moments, the Halfling history splitted into the many histories of the many Halfling families who became renown in all the Eden countries.

There are three main Halfling cultural groups: The Haldur, The Haldarr (or Porporati) and the Corvini.

Haldur

The term Haldur originally meant all the Halflings who assisted in the founding of the city and then only that portion of the latter who remained in the Hinterlands.

In fact, today those who fled from Dar Farhum heading north are considered Haldur. Their story is the oldest since from the foundation of the city it has maintained relations with the Hinterlands and its human inhabitants.

Some Halflings made their way north, and their numbers increased considerably first with the anomalous wave of goblin migration, and finally with the capture of the city by General Sudrun Diocles, who slain many of the high-ranking Halflings including Council President Leo .

“The life of the dead lies in the memory of the living.”

Oreste Francobaldi History of the Sudrun Republic

The Haldurs (♖) are highly creative, critical, and socially active. Their positivity and activism combines well with the humans, who have profited greatly over the centuries from the Haldur's openness and their dwarven knowledge of metals and good governance, the first Hinterlanders were dazzled by the democratic experiments brought by the Haldur exiles of Dar Farhum so much that they wanted to imitate and improve the republican system several times throughout their history.

Famous Haldur families

♖ Arcillari ♖

The Arcillari are well known as the greatest exponents of the Haldur identity which is still known today. They are the ones who invested the most in spreading republican culture in the Hinterlands and, as in the case of Flaminio A., the art of doing politics or speaking in public.

“I believe that one has to see the end in things and not the means.”

Flaminio Aquilani Political Essays

The latter managed to convince the goblins not to attack Mapledale in the fifth century and was the first to theorize the perpetual neutrality of Mapledale. Other well-known characters are Rosario and Euphemia A., who lived around the fifteenth century AFS and known as the greatest historians of Attia and the Halflings, of which they made a ruthless portrait.

♖ Aquilani (extinct) ♖

The Aquilani family is fundamentally known for the foundation and management of Prezza L'Aquilla, and their continuous contacts and fine alliances that have allowed its growth up to the extinction of the entire family during the Rotting Plague, which saw the rise to the power of the better known Brandobrass.

The two founders of this prestigious family were Isotta and Olympia Aquilani, who arrived in the Hinterlands around the fifth century, where they began to transmit the dwarven knowledge of metallurgy and their knowledge of hardened steel. They are also responsible for the invention of the bell.

They died during the city's capitulation during the famous Hobgoblin invasion. Another famous member was the entrepreneur Haldur Arturo Aquilani. He financed the project of a Hinterlander couple who invented the printing press and an instrument for measuring time, which he called a clock.

♖ Merma ♖

The Mermas are known as the “Mapledale Creators”. Ludmilla Merma is the legendary founder of Mapledale in 700 BFS. Ludmilla is said to have been the first halfling to leave Dar Farhum, when the Hinterlands were still inhabited by warring human tribal clans.

Ludmilla taught some of them modern administration and the art of building pleasant houses, as well as the use of iron, turning Mapledale into a unique town of Hinterlanders in the vale.

“Halfling are good for nothing but capable of anything.”

Euphemia Arcillari The Halfling Cultures

The extremely peaceful policy of Mapledale and its prestigious yet humble history as a welcoming city led by skilled Halfling politicians has allowed its survival, thanks to the protection guaranteed to it by all (or almost all) of the peoples of Eden.

This policy still continues today, where the Podestà Eustachio Merma continues the policy of perpetual neutrality theorized by Flaminio Aquilani in the sixth century.

Haldarr

The Haldarr, or Porporati (♗), are the halflings who during the Age of the Fallen Spires joined the elven kingdoms in their earliest formation are called Haldarr, after all elves were banished from Dar Farhum by the so-called despotic decision of the city council.

The Haldarr are smart, resourceful and full of inventiveness and are famous for their creative flair and their often excessive resourcefulness.

“Thinking is like living twice.”

Oreste Francobaldi Memories

Famous Haldarr families

♗ Francobaldi ♗ The Francobaldi are by far the most famous Halfling house. They are known by all those in Eden who are at all interested in having generated what is believed to be "the greatest Halfling of all time", i.e. the brilliant Evaristo Francobaldi.

The noble Oreste Francobaldi was the progenitor of the family, known both as a philosopher and as an historian, told of the Sudruns and the origin of the Halflings after the killing of Leone. He is one of the major Halfling historians, as well as having married Cassandra, the daughter of Leone Riccoboni.

"If you have a vegetable garden next to the library, you will lack nothing."

Oreste Francobaldi Memories

Evaristo Francobaldi, was a Haldarr scientist, philosopher, architect, sculptor, painter, draftsman, treatise writer, magician, mathematician, anatomist, botanist, musician, engineer and designer who lived in Aerial at the turn of the 11th century.

He is considered the most brilliant person who has ever walked on Eden and has contributed to progress in countless fields, especially in the study of the anatomy of monsters and demons and in the understanding of magic, so much so that many of his elf contemporaries said "he might have surpassed in acumen and extraordinariness even the great archmages of old, which is very remarkable for a non-elf."

“Once you have experienced the thrill of flight, when you are back on the ground, you will continue to look at the sky.”

Evaristo Francobaldi Diary of an Ornithotterist

His greatest artistic work was the so-called "Maam Lea" a painting that is said to seem almost alive to the point that the high elf lady portrayed in the painting could follow the viewer with his gaze.

His amazing inventions were also famous, such as "The anti-dragon chariot" for hunting Fire Dragons, never tested, or his "Ornithopter", which according to legend allowed him to fly from Aerial to the Sepherum Sea. Most of these projects or works have been lost or arrived incomplete due to the excessive dispersion of his art and the enormous black market that was generated. He died of old age at the age of 82.

Ambrogio Francobaldi is Evaristo's less known direct cousin. He was a talented architect and was in charge of the construction of the Phoenix Temple which he designed himself. Alas he died trying to surpass his cousin in greatness. He built a building with a tower that was too high, as his calculations did not take into account the effects of the wind and thus ended up crushed during construction.

♗ Dendolo ♗

The Dendolos were a famous Haldarr family who lived as courtiers in the court of Aerial. Tiziano Dendolo was one of the greatest innovators of art in the 12th century. Titian collaborated in the design of Aerial's first urban plan and invented perspective in pictorial representation. He is also counted among the greatest sculptors of all time.

“Why do not you talk?”

Tiziano Dendolo raging at one of his sculptures.

It is said that his art was so advanced that his laboratory in the mountains was filled with gargoyles curious about his art, and that his sculptures at some point came to life.

“Painting holds divine strength in itself.”

Euphemia Arcillari Lives of the Halflings, quoting Tiziano Dendolo

He died young at the age of about 40, in a love quarrel in a duel for single combat. Also belonging to this family was Cornelia Dendolo, historian of the elves who lived in the XIII century. Cornelia collaborated in drafting the first bestiary of Eden, which at the time contained 17 rare creatures and many plants.

Corvini

The Corvini (☩) are those who were convinced by the Dark Elves to follow them during the Age of Fallen Spiers, on their westward adventure, thus settling in Anjyarr or the Heartlands.

Famous Corvini families

☩ Calandrini ☩

The Calandrini are a famous family of navigators and explorers. Cecilia Calandrini is remembered for being the first to make the journey across the Coral Sea in the 5th century, returning with a ship loaded with elven wine.

She was also the first to explore the Jungle of Spiders but died young of a fever from a monkey bite.

“The tongue is not enough to tell and the hand to write all the wonders of the sea”

Cecilia Calandrini Exploration Diaries

Gaspare Calandrini is perhaps one of the most iconic Halflings ever; his resourcefulness and criminal ingenuity were noted in the 15th century. Calandrini was born to a Halfling family who moved to Anjyarr, where impatient with too rigid rules, he studied ever more ingenious ways to smuggle prohibited goods into Anjyarr, or rare goods such as the Sun Lotus out of Anjyarr. He quickly became very rich and then moved to the Heartlands where he retired to a peaceful life offering his navigation knowledge to the Attians. He invented the lock pick and perfected the encrypted message, which he used to enlist Halflings from all over the world to join his band.

"In the Haldur vocabulary, idealist becomes synonymous with stupid and intelligence with cunning."

Euphemia Arcillari Lives of the Halflings

He died in old age, trying to invent fireworks.

☩ Fiaschi ☩

The fiaschi were distinguished bankers and businessmen who are said to have made their first fortunes trading with the dwarves of Dar Zenur. Their legendary progenitor, Dionigi Fiaschi, arrived in Anjyarr around the 4th century where he found an easy way to produce silver and gold coins, which he had stolen by observing the blacksmiths of Dar Zenur. This method was later copied throughout Eden. The high quality of the Anjyarri coinage soon gained fame and Anjyarri coinage began to circulate everywhere west of the Spine. He died of old age amid lavish riches in Al Khadir.

Even more famous was Fosco Fiaschi, belonging to a younger branch of this family who lived around the 9th century. Ruthless and unscrupulous businessman, he invested his capital everywhere in the Heartlands and in the Kingdom of Hadriana, participating in the construction of Adelsburg through his invention: the bank. Fosco Fiaschi offered a never-before-existed money protection service, allowing merchants to deposit their money upon departure and then withdraw it at their destination. This important invention greatly limited banditry and made Fosco make many friends and enemies.

“Friendship ends where interest begins.”

Famous quote attributed to Fosco Fiaschi'

We owe him the invention of the Andros, the single currency of Eden. He died assassinated by a criminal Haldur gang, reduced to absolute poverty by his invention.