Yondalla

Yondalla, the Protector and Provider.

Yondalla, the Nurturing Matriarch, is the Lawful Good goddess of the halflings in various Dungeons and Dragons settings including Greyhawk and Forgotten Realms. She is a kind, nurturing goddess protecting and guiding her people, keeping them safe and guiding them towards riches. This is examplified by her holy symbol: her shield adorned with a horn of plenty.

Because of her outlook and her status as the leader of a race-wide pantheon she is on good terms with Bahamut, Corellon Larethian, Garl Glittergold, Moradin and Pelor.

Creation of the Halflings

The Halflings are amongst the youngest of mortal races in the world. They were created by Yondalla, who looked for a people to make her own. She found the fey: curious and full of life yet afraid of those bigger than them. She found the elves, beautiful and graceful yet too slow to take action. She found the dwarves, proud and dutiful to family but insular. She found the orcs, fearless but brutal. She found the humans, adaptive but warlike. While she saw good things in all of these races she also saw their bad parts.

Eventually Yonalla came up with a plan. She captured a pixie and channeled the essences of various races into them: the agility of elves, the devotion to family of the dwarves, the boldness of the orcs and the resourcefullness of humans. The end result was the first halfling. Yondalla took pride in her work, but the other gods were not amused. They claimed that because of her actions their chosen peoples had become less, and they agreed that Yondalla should be punished for her crime.

The punishment was twofold: halflings would never have lands of their own and would forever be on the road, living on their merits. Yondalla would also purge herself of her thieving streak so that only the pure good and virue in her would remain. When these two things were done the gods were pleased and moved on.

Dallah Thaun and Yondalla, two sides of the same coin.

Dallah Thaun

Yondalla had complied with the demands of the gods and removed the darker side of her personality. However, it was not completely gone. The dark portion of the goddess became its own being: Dallah Thaun. She embodies the secrets, the criminal skills, the desire to gather wealth and other things that cannot be associated with a Lawful Good deity. There is no rivalry between Yondalla and Dallah Thaun like with other divine counterparts (like Selûne and Shar): the Blessed One and the Lady of Mystery are two sides of the same coin. The worship of Dallah Thaun is done in secret and she is unknown to non-halflings, with shrines to her often being hidden somewhere in or near houses of worship of Yondalla.

Domain

Yondalla is the goddess of the halflings first and foremost. She protects her people, guides them on their travels, sees to their health and teaches them on the way of the halflings. Dallah Thaun on the other hand is the goddess of knowledge, trickery, secrets and stealth, allowing her followers to perform clandestine acts to ensure their survival and prospering. While she does not condone stealing from the poor or harming people while robbing them, she allows her followers to relieve the overly wealthy of a part of their riches.

Realm

The third layer of Mount Celestia, Venya, holds the realm of Green Fields. Here Yondalla and her faithful live amongst the lush flowing hills, where they tend the fields and live undisturbed by large predators and those who would wish to do them harm.

Other Halfling deities

The halfling pantheon numbers a half-dozen, all of whom protect the halflings in some way or form.

The Halfling pantheon.

Arvoreen

Halflings are not warlike. Still, a few of their number tend to the martial traditions of their race (consisting mainly of reconnisance, espionage and decisive strikes against weak targets. His clerics are notably straight-laced and diciplined, making them an odd bunch for halflings. Still, their skill at arms is widely respected amongst halflings and their foes and they will form the first line of defense against attackers.

Brandobaris

The halfling god of rogues, Brandobaris is all about skill, the silver tongue, luck and sneaking. His clergy, the Hands of Misadventure, care more about the glory of a successful scheme than the treasure though: they like to impress others with thier pursuits. He gets along with like-minded gods and at least respects the skills of the darker rogues like Mask. He is also in a casual relationship with Tymora.

Cyrrollalee

The Host Goddess. Cyrrollalee is the patron of camaraderie, hospitality and those who care for others. With her status as the goddess of the house she pleads for her race to find lands of their own to settle and build their own nations. She asks of her followers to be good friends, show good will whenever it is appropriate and that the halflings are well fed and have a place to call home.

Sheela Peryroyl

Sheela Peryroyl is the goddess of nature, agriculture, song and dance, beauty and romance. Her clerics (and often druids) protect the harvests of the halflings, sanctify marriages and protect halfling communties from beasts. In return they ask that the wilds are treated with respect and that animals have ample space to live. They also organise celebrations every month to strengthen the bonds between communities. Sheela Peryroyl is seen as a level-headed diplomat amongst the gods and is often called upon to mediate disputes between various gods.

Urogalan

The halfling god of the dead, earth and knowledge, Urogalan is held in surprising regard by the normally so full of life halflings. The clerics of He Who Must Be are often grim and dour halfings, tending to their duties in a solemn way very much unlike regular halflings. They hold ceremony and ritual in high regard and are often deferred to by other halflings for their wisdom. Urogalan spends little time with his fellow halfing deities, instead preferring the other gods of the dead like Kelemvor and other gods of the earth, many of whom are amongst the dwarven pantheon. They see the clerics of Dumathoin as their brothers, a mutual feeling for the clergy of this dwarven deity.