Brindinford

The Halflings of Brindinford no longer rely on cities and utilize no industrialized magic, but they do have dinosaurs.  The halflings domesticated the dinosaurs of the Talenta Plains and use these creatures as mounts, livestock, and beasts of burden.  A sacred bond exists between a hunter and mount, and few people are prepared to face a raging Halfling Barbarian riding a furious clawfoot raptor.

Brindinford religion reveres spirits, both departed ancestors and natural spirits.  Each tribe has a Lath - a chieftain who guides the tribe - and shamans who consult the spirits and choose the paths of migration.

In the past, the tribes stood alone, but during the Last War, many halflings came together under Lathon Halpum to defend their land.  Halpum won recognition for Brindinford as one of the Thronehold nations, though it's still unclear what this means beyond increasing passage between Brindinford and the outside world.

House Goodseller and House Wainwright both originated in Brindinford.  The dragonmarked bloodlines appear throughout the tribes, though there are some dragonmarked halflings from Brindinford who don't work for the houses.

The Brindinfordian reverence for spirits derives from the fact that a variety of spirits haunt Brindinford.  The region contains an unusual number of manifest zones tied the Feywild.  Ghosts are more likely to linger in such places, and minor Fey are scattered across the region.

Stories tell of ancient ruins that date back to a time before the Age of Yore and a vast graveyard holding the bones of dragons.

Brindinfolk are born in the wild, and their wits and their weapons are what help them survive.  Many of Brindinford's warriors are often barbarians or rangers, relying on speed and skill.  Outlanders, folk heroes, entertainers, and charlatans are commonplace in Brindinford.  The region also has its fair share of urchins who were stranded in a great city and adapted to life there.

Fey, fiends, and the ghosts of ancestors are all part of the spirit world, and they are all around in Brindinford.  Shamans of the region tend to be druids of the Circle of the Moon or the Circle of the Shepherd, often assuming the form of dinosaurs.  One may also run across those with strong bonds to spirits - a Warlock with an Archfey patron, a Cleric with the Nature domain, a Paladin sworn to the Oath of the Ancients, or a Barbarian on the Path of the Totem Warrior or the Path of the Ancestral Guardian.  Hermits and outlanders are common, but Brindinford also has its fair share of acolytes and sages who consult spirits instead of books.  Warriors and shamans both wear masks to present a particular face to the spirit world.

Brindinford halflings have a close bond to their dinosaur companions.  If they are not encountered along with a dinosaur mount or companion, it is highly possible that they might acquire one over the course of their adventures.  Fallen dinosaurs are also often part of a Brindinfolk's back story; many faithful mounts were lost in the Last War, and many Brindinfolk believe the spirits of those fallen allies are still with them.

Brindinford has been described as an ocean of grasslands.  The nomadic halflings have little interest in building towns; most shelter in the region is temporary.  Halflings shun the ruins scattered across the area, believing them to be haunted by fiends.

Many Halfling tribes joined together to defend themselves from outsiders, and Brindinford was recognized as a nation under the Treaty of Thronehold.  Now that the Last War is over, most of the tribes have returned to their hunting grounds and ancient traditions.  They united to defend their way of life, and now they wish to enjoy it.

But the halflings don't yet know if it's possible to return to the previous ways.  More foreigners visit Brindinford than at any time in the past.  Settlers and merchants cross the plains as they make their way to and the Goliath Tribal Lands of Q'barra, and they clash with bandits from the area.  The Valenar elves ride through the plains in search of adventure.  Monsters emerge from the Mournland.  Dragonmarked Houses seek to expand their role at Gatherhold and to explore the untapped resources of Brindinford.

The halflings have no interest in change, but it might be inevitable.  Lathon Halpum believes that if the tribes can work together, they could become nation of nations, but others aggresively oppose such a path.  Holy Uldra is a powerful shaman and the leader of her own tribe.  She urges halfling warriors to join together for a single purpose:  to drive all outsiders from Brindinford and to maintain the ancient traditions.  The halflings must decide whether the tribes will choose the path of peace or return to war.

• The Heroes of the Fifth Age attended the 4154th Annual Brindinford Halfling Carnival at the Wandering Inn in the year 5003.  It was there that they met Angelica Estrella d'Ningle and traveled Around Argones in 50 Days.