Warfare
Though they abhor war, halflings nevertheless have proven to be tenacious
fighters in defense of their homes or in the service of an alliance. The following
letter, written by General Krastarian of Keltar upon the event of his defeat at
the hands of an outnumbered halfling militia, perhaps best describes their
tactics:
The little devils stayed out of the open country--undoubtably they knew that
our horsemen would have trampled them like rabbits! They gave us their towns and
farms in the plain, while they fell back to the accursed wood. And there I,
the conqueror, would follow with my footmen--though in truth I knew there to be
ten of them to every one of my own men.
My companies vanished in the tangle, breaking ranks and thrashing blindly
ahead. And then, across the length of the front, came a murderous shower--a
thousand deadly arrows piercing the flesh of my men, while the vermin archers remained
invisible.
I swear, Your Majesty, they swarmed through the brush like mosquitoes!
Thousands of them, on all sides! Everywhere we turned, little figures skulked--arrows
flew with uncanny accuracy, piercing eyes and necks, dropping even armored men
in their tracks! We charged and they scattered, vanishing into the thicket as
if they had never been--only the bodies of my men told otherwise.
At last I determined to fire the wood--the wind favored our advance--and gave
orders to do so. The blazes took hold with great effect, but again that hellish
place betrayed the logic of war. The brush exploded like tinder, and the blaze
swept not only with the wind--but back into our faces!
Many fine men perished in that inferno--a blaze I believe to have been
sorcerously altered by the enemy. Minutes after my own very narrow escape, my scouts
reported the bulk of the enemy force slipping from the brush while we fled the
blaze.
I request, Excellency, that we return to Lurien with sufficient forces to deal
with this pestilent threat--perhaps two legions, and a full column of horse. I
realize that this will stretch the defense of your borders in a tenuous
manner, but I believe there to be no other way for the forces of Keltar to prevail
against this pervasive foe.
It makes an interesting historical footnote to add that the general commanded
some eighteen hundred men, including companies of elite guards, longbowmen, and
light lancers. Never did the halfling force opposing him number even a
thousand! He was subsequently removed from command through the simple expedient of
removing his head from his shoulders; the halflings of Lurien were left alone for
many decades to follow.
Though this is an heroic incident in the annals of halfling military history
(and admittedly, a more patient and imaginative commander may well have found
the human force sufficient for the conquest), it is illustrative of the tactical
finesse and courage displayed by the small folk when they are motivated for
battle.
Another feature has also contributed to the halflings' fine reputation as
allies: the small folk traditionally have demonstrated a willingness to honor the
terms of a longstanding alliance. They will provide the troops they promised,
when and where they are required--and those troops display almost as much
determination in supporting an alliance as they would in defense of their own burrows.
However, they must have some strong motivation before resorting to violence to
solve a dispute. Almost always this motivation is defensive in nature--either
the halflings or their friends are attacked by some aggressor. Occasionally the
small folk might participate in an offensive campaign, but only when it is a
preemptory strike against a foe who has already committed enough bloody acts to
warrant retribution and is currently gathering forces for an attack on the
halflings or their allies.
However, when the need is clear, halflings are speedy and resolute to answer
the call to arms. Indeed, this trait is one that makes halfling/human treaties
attractive to the rulers of the latter. Also, the deadly accuracy of halfling
bowmen and slingers is known to all who have faced them--and few of those desire
to do so again!
Table of Contents