Exiled Convoy

When halflings were expelled from the Nepenthe Lowlands by the Directorate forces during the 5 Century War, they formed a great caravan made up of the remaining bulk of the surviving halfling population. They called this the Exiled Convoy, which has spent the centuries since wandering on the borders of the Red Wanders and the western Lowlands.

Whether simple carts, airy tent structures or entire houses, the Exiled Convoy is made up of a number of wheeled structures that stretch for miles until they stop, and then they form rough concentric circles with the Matriarchs' tent at the centre, where the halflings can go to consult their leaders.

Halfling culture is based on tribes led by Matriarchs, elder women who keep the stories of halfling ancestors alive, and who settle disputes or make major decisions of convoy business. The Convoy as a whole is made up of tribes, each a dozen or so families, with a Matriarch at the head of each tribe. Sometimes the tribes will split off from the main convoy, perhaps to seek out resources, or trade with humans, but every five years the tribes always assemble for a massive celebration.

Halflings worship their ancestors in a grand oral storytelling tradition, with the Matriarchs keeping the stories and passing them on to future generations. Chiefly amongst the famous ancestors is Vitalia, the halfling Matriarch who led her people out of their homeland to save all halflings.

In recent years, halflings have been helping lost and starved Desert Folk fleeing across the Red Wanders. Of all the places in Malex, Desert Folk have best integrated into the Exiled Convoy in the dozens.

The Convoy relies heavily on Wowos, large, dusky-coloured flightless birds native to the Red Wanders, to pull the caravans.