Visfoot Halflings are the city-dwelling halflings of Viswall who have formed a unique urban culture in the City of Colors.
History[]
Visfoot culture is derived from the Hillfoot culture of the Kingdom of Viswall, which stretched north into the lands of Norley and to the south to Barrowshire and Coppertown, as far as Thomsbridge. Even before the kingdom’s fall, Viswall was already a bustling urban center, one in rivalry with the Free City of Beepeck.
The gradual loss of its rural provinces would slowly alienate the Viswallers from their countryside kin. While Hillfoot culture in the outer counties would form the base of the quintessential bucolic traditions of the Redfoots and Bluefoots, it would instead lend its respect for industry and craft to the residents of Viswall. At the same time, as the last remaining “truly independent” halfling state, the city would also attract halfling dissidents who harbored visions of a united Small Country, giving rise to a proto-nationalistic movement among the city dwellers. By the time of the Lilac Wars, Visfoot culture had wholly diverged from its rural Hillfoot origins and was often juxtaposed against the similarly urbanite customs of Beepeck and other city-dwelling halflings in the Empire of Anbennar.
Cultural Traditions[]
The busybodies of Viswall are a colorful and eclectic lot, known for their hard work, ambition, and strong personalities. Artists and skilled craftsmen are respected for their work; though the word of the city guilds carry much weight, individual workshops and factories chafe at being painted under one brush. The more dramatic studio heads are known to flash new fashions and stir up gossip all to separate themselves from rivaling workshops forwarding their own trends in their respective fields.
In doing so, Visfoot halflings are known to derive inspiration from other cultures, leading to an air of openness and tolerance to others. The city itself has a long history of sharing its wealth and safety with other races, particularly Gnomes who helped start its famed dyeworks. Viswall prides itself in its diversity; as long as they come as friends, all are welcome in the City of Colors.
A quirk of its time as the capital of the Kingdom of Viswall is the presence of a noble class. While the rest of the Small Country is no stranger to lords and barons, the royal House síl Vis and its many, many noble cadet branches occupy a place of prestige in the city, acting as patrons for its artisans and merchants. This frequent contact between the nobles and burghers has led to a “painterly” way of speaking in the city, full of vivid imagery, frequent allusions, and dramatic pauses. As one visitor describes the difference between the dialects of Viswall and the Empire: “City-halflings sure do love to talk–all of them use a hundred words when ten would suffice. But Visfoots speak as if they have all the time in the world; Imperials speak like they have no time at all!”