glidewing (pteranodon) totem spirit. Or you could simply
wear a dinosaur mask (as many Talenta halflings do),
adorn yourself with claws and teeth from past dinosaur
companions, or adopt dinosaur-like mannerisms. Wher
ever you travel, your connection to the dinosaurs of your
home remains strong.
Finally, it can be helpful to decide on a couple of be
havioral quirks that reflect your culture. The Halfling
Quirks table can provide some inspiration.HALFLINC QUIRKS
dlO Quirk
You are constantly amazed by things the people of the
Five Nations take for granted.
2 You pattern your behavior on a species of dinosaur.
3 You are extremely curious, and you're always search
ing for new experiences.
4 You love to boast, and you're always telling exagger
ated stories of your amazing adventures.
5 You wear a mask that you believe holds the spirit of
your former dinosaur mount. You like to talk to it.
6 Yo u don't understand the concept of"facts." To you,
everything is a story, and truth is in how you tell it.
7 You are annoyed by buildings and tools designed
without consideration for small people.
8 You seek vengeance for a wrong done to your people.
9 You never forget an insult or injury.
10 You ascribe everything to the work of spirits.HALFLINGS OF THE FIVE NATIONS
Quick and charming, many halflings put their natural
talents to use as bards, barristers, merchants, and pol
iticians throughout Khorvaire. Of course, these same
talents prove equally useful for burglars, grifters, and
other criminals.
Of particular note is the halfling-run criminal enter
prise of the Boromar Clan, the most powerful crime syn
dicate in Breland. The Boromars are based in Sham,
but their influence reaches across the nation and even
to the distant city of Stormreach. If you decide to play a
halfling rogue, or a character with a criminal or charla
tan background, consider (with your DM) whether you
have a connection to the Boromar Clan. You could be a
freelance operative who occasionally gets jobs from a
Boromar underboss. You might have a cousin in the syn
dicate, who occasionally pulls you in to criminal affairs.
Or you could even be the reluctant heir of a Boromar
leader; perhaps you've gone on the run rather than take
your appointed place in the criminal empire, but your
past may yet catch up with you. You could also be the
point of contact who has made the Boromar Clan your
party's group patron, as described later in this chapter.HALFLINGS AND DRAGONMARKS
Two dragonmarks appear among the halflings of
Khorvaire, the Mark of Healing in House Jorasco and
House Ghallanda's Mark of Hospitality. Both marks are
ancient, first manifesting among the halflings about the
same time that the elves of Aerenal received their first
marks-centuries before the arrival of humans on Khor
vaire. Sometimes halflings of House Ghallanda joke that
their mark prepared them for the arrival of humans by
allowing them to make their new guests comfortable in
Khorvaire. There's actually some truth in the humor: the
services provided by both halfling houses helped enable
the spread of humanity across the continent.
With its powers related to food and shelter, the Mark
of Hospitality was a boon to the early halfling nomads,
but now it allows House Ghallanda to run the best inns,
hostels, and taverns in the land. Similarly, the Mark of
Healing has always been a boon to both nomads and
settlers facing dangerous wilds, and HouseJorasco still
employs both magical and mundane healing techniques
to tend to the well-being of patients across Khorvaire.••