Bluefoot is a term used to broadly describe the halflings who live in the Gawedi-influenced northern half of the Small Country, derived from the association of blue with Gawed.
History[]
Prior to the consolidation of what would become the Bluefoot lands under Gawed, the halflings of the northern Small Country were divided into three cultural groups: the Oakfoot Halflings of Elkmarch and Uelaire; the Ciderfoot Halflings of Pearview and Butterburn; and the Hillfoot Halflings of Norley, later Greymill. Over time, Gawedi hegemony gained through the Tall Wars melded these disparate peoples together, leading to the eventual emergence of the Bluefoots as a distinct people by the First Lilac War.
Cultural Traditions[]
The Gawedi have left their mark with their pastoral customs being adopted by the Bluefoots. With access to the lower reaches of the Dragonhills during the summer months, the halfling herders of Butterburn are able to feed their cows and sheep with highland grass, making for a distinct and rich milk to make butter and cheeses from.
In the Elkmarch, the local Oakfoots had adapted to life in the dense woods, learning how to hunt, hide, and survive. Their Bluefoot descendants would continue to keep in touch with these roots with the practice of keeping a forest cabin and camping in the wild for the summers becoming popular among the gentry. Bluefoot marksmanship and forest guerilla warfare owe their success largely to this custom.
Proud and competitive, the Pearlords of Pearview have seeded their second and third (and fourth and fifth and sixth) children throughout the north as extensions of their family-run businesses back home, keeping close economic ties with relatives. Nepotism is a way of life among the Bluefoots, a wholly Ciderfoot contribution to their culture.