The Dogodan Hobbits, as they are commonly called, reside in the Alianian Hills, otherwise known as the Acornlands due to the number of old and mystically beautiful white oaks that reside in the area. The Dogodan tribes, however, do have an interest in music and dance, and the writing of poetry and song. They also, like most hobbits, have a love of the earth, and both enjoy gardening and making things from the earth. Not necessarily things like houses, mind you, but carvings out of wood.

Picture description. A Dogodan gardener of the Alianian Hills in midst of dalferias, sunflowers and white oaks. Pic by Faugar.

Appearance.  The Dogodan Hobbits are fairly short, averaging a little less than a ped. They are, in fact, the shortest hobbit tribe in Santharia, and it is believed that this is because they have little or no contact with other races, save for the Jhehellrhim, with whom relations are not extremely tight, and whatever travellers may wander into the tribe. However, there is almost no blood from other races in most hobbit’s veins, and thus they often call themselves “Pure Hobbits”.

Hobbits of this tribe tend to have fairly light hair color, usually light brown or blonde, and sometimes even a soft orange or red. Men typically wear their hair long, while women rarely have hair shorter than their shoulders. Women tend to like to wear their hair up in buns and neat practical styles that keep their hair from their face when working, though often at dances they will let more of their hair down.

Dogodan hobbits have eyes as light as their hearts. The color is most commonly a light brown or lazuline, though sometimes one may have hazel eyes as well. Every once in a while a hobbit will be born with green eyes, though this is usually only the case when the hair color is in a shade of red.

Most members of the Dogodan Shire clan have a short stature and a large tummy, as most hobbits do. However, because many of the hobbits fancy dancing, their stomach are a little smaller than most, which is still seemingly large in comparison with a fit human or a slender elf. Dogodan hobbits have large hands that are especially dexterous and careful. Their skin is often lighter than most halflings, being a soft tan, most often, or else a peachy color if the sun has not looked long or often upon their complexion.

Coat of Arms/Sign.  The Coat of Arms for the Dogodanshire hobbits is round, derived from their mother tribe, the Helmondsshire. Also like Helmondsshire hobbits and all hobbit tribes, they use a green leaf in their design, usually of a verdurous and bright green color with a serrated edge like an oak’s. This, of course, is because they live in hills where large, ancient oaks are popular among these Acornlands. The leaf is laid across the coat of arms with its point at southeast.

Across it, on top, is a lute (or so it is called, though many say it’s a violin or else a guitar). This symbolizes the tribe’s love of music. Often the body of the lute is made of a rich brown color with shiny strings.

Picture description: The location of the Alianian Hills, home of the Dogodan Halflings. Map by Artimidor Federkiel.

Territory. The Dogodan Hobbits live in the Alianian Hills, also called the Acornlands. These hills are located in mid-eastern Santharia, just south of the Istarin Forest where the hobbits’ close neighbors, the Jhehellerhim elves, take up residence, and west of the Ancytharian Sea. Because the Dogodan Hobbits live in a rather reclusive location, they are, for the most part, uninvolved and undisturbed by the happenings outside their shire.

The Alianian Hills are extremely fertile and mild. Because the hills have water on either side of them (the Ancytharian Sea and the Adanian Sea) they have rather mild weather throughout the year, though there is typically a little fog in the morning.

People. The Dogodan hobbits, like all hobbits, have a love for the earth. They love plants and they enjoy gardening and farming. They most enjoy creating things, though, and working things with their hands. They are great at carving things out of wood, or stone if they can find it, and are known to be great carpenters. Most hobbit holes are full of beautifully carved furniture, often with intricate designs of flowers, leaves, and vines. The works of the Dogodan hobbits rival even the Caltharians when it comes to wood working.

The Dogodan hobbits also love music and singing. They make all their own instruments out of wood, and have all sorts of strange and unique instruments that they experiment with. The lute is probably the most popular, but guitar, violin, and other such string instruments that come in a variety of sizes and shapes. Often time there are delicate designs on the body, and they will sometimes embed beautiful stones or pieces of shell into the neck of the instrument.

The Dogodans greatly enjoy poetry and song making, though only about half of them are literate. Memorization and practicing helps them to remember what they write and hear. They often get together at celebrations to share their pieces with other hobbits and to make new melodies and songs. A hobbit that can recite many songs and tales is very respected for their abilities, and those with talent are often called upon to sing for taverns or for some festival.

Though the hobbits live near water on both the west and east of them, only about one tenth of the population, if at all, can actually swim. Most are very afraid of water because most of them can’t swim and have heard of all the horrors that dwell in the waters, like the Ancytharian shark or the giant kraken. Still, most don’t mind sitting out on the land or even putting their toes in the water. Fishing and “shell-searching” are hobbies both adults and children enjoy.

Family is extremely important to these hobbits, as it is to most hobbits. They trace their ancestry back for generations until they reach myth where it’s uncertain to say whether it’s real or false. Of course, they always say things with the utmost certainty. Many generations will live in one hobbit hole. Most of the time the older females, including the wife, will cook and manage the children and the house while the older males, including the husband, will do the work to bring in money to the family.

The Dogodan hobbits live in a fairly recluse area where their closest neighbors are the elves of the Istarin. They are very suspicious of people who wander through their territory and make certain that those foreigners who do enter their shire are watched for any strange behavior. However, when a person comes by often enough and has made a name for themselves in the shire, they are often welcomed time and time again, though precautions are always take just to be sure.

Housing. The hobbit holes of the Dogodan tribe are fairly large. The hilly terrain makes for large and spacious hobbit holes that, in some cases, literally tens of hobbits can live together in quite comfortably. When the hobbit holes were first being made, most of the holes had wooden supports of hardy oak and thus needed to be replaced by new supports every few years. Since then, the majority of the holes have been replaced with stone supports, or have had a layer of a water-impenetrable substance between the actual hole and the earth of the hill.

Like most hobbit holes, the doors and windows are round in shape. Most hobbit holes are spacious in comparison to other hobbit holes, but are still rather crowded by human and elven standards. The hobbits often like to fill their holes with paintings of their relatives and with beautiful pieces of furniture.

Clothing. Males tend to wear loose shirts in both short and long sleeved versions, usually buttoned up in the center. They come in a number of colors, including white, light yellows and greens, as well as stripes or plaids, but are always light hues. Sometimes younger hobbits will go without a shirt, and will just have pants or overalls, which are rather popular. The pants of hobbits tend to be thick. They are typically made out of leather, or else are sown from old ship sails that are too worn to use on sea anymore, and thus can be gotten cheap. Pants will often end just below the knee, though there are longer-pant leg varieties.

Females almost always wear dresses that, like shirts, come in both long sleeve and short-sleeved versions. They typically wear earthy colors, like reds, browns, yellowish tans, and greens. Winter dresses are often made of wool or something insulating. Older women will commonly wear bodices mostly in the same color as their dresses, and are strung up with leather. However, younger girls will not often wear them. Both sexes will sometimes wear jackets made of animal hide, often with soft fur on the inside.

Diet. The Dogodan hobbits live between two seas, and make good use of them. Fishing brings in a variety of fish and edible sea creatures that the hobbits have learned to cook effectively with a number of spices that they grow in their gardens along with their fresh vegetable. Many of the plants they grow in their gardens produce delicious vegetables and fruits that can thus be used in their meals. Dogodan hobbits are especially fond of mushrooms.

Though Dogodan hobbits eat primarily vegetables and fruits, things that come from the earth, they will also eat meat. Fish has already been mentioned, but they will also sometimes get trysters and oyster if they can get them, though usually if they want them they have to buy them from the Avennorians. These hobbits will also sometimes eat lamb and beef. They also have a fair amount of acorns produced by the oaks growing in the area, and have many dishes in which acorns are used.

Beer is rather popular in the shire, though it is certainly not known for its beer. Compared to other shires in Santharia, the Dogodan’s alcohol isn’t the best, but is still greatly enjoyed by all hobbits, and they still manage to produce a beer better than most humans can. Their alcohol has a rich taste because most of the wines (which are usually made of apples or other fruits) are kept in oak barrels, which add flavor.

Weapons. The Dogodan hobbits have next to no weapons, merely because they never needed them. They have never actually been in a war, or have any rivals, or even any threats from other races or tribes in their area. The closest they ever came to war was when the orcs attacked the Istarin Forest during the Third Sarvonian War.

The hobbits only carry knives and daggers, and hooks. However, the knives and daggers are only used for cooking most often. The hooks are used for fishing, and really won’t be much defense in a battle.

Occupations. There are a many occupations in this shire, far too many to name here, but the few of the most popular among the Dogodans are listed below:

• The Bard
  Those with a talent for music and a good mind for memorizing songs and stories can become a bard. Many of the most popular bards are hired by taverns to sing and tell stories, and will be further paid with tips that they receive while on the job. It is not uncommon for a Master Bard to take on a pupil, though usually it involves accompanying their mentor on their travels from tavern to tavern and listening carefully to the songs of their master and the songs of others. Bards can be either male or female.

• The Farmer
  Good farmers are very respected among the shire, because hobbits respect those that are good with making life come out of the earth. However, most farms don’t have only one farmer, but rather a team of farmers. Fields can be owned by several families, all working together for harvesting and planting, to make the work go faster. Usually one farm is split into three fields and while two are producing crops, one lays fallow to regain nutrients and moisture. The next year, the fields rotate. Usually only men are farmers, though sometimes girls will help out when they’re younger, before they start helping out their mother more. Farmers only grow grains.

• The Fisher
  A primarily male vocations, fishers are those who live near the seas on either side of the Acornlands. Many hobbits who live near the coasts fish anyway out of hobby, but it takes a lot of work to make a living as a fisher, because you really never know how successful you’ll be at day. Some fishers even have to master their fear of water by going out in a boat to where they believe the fish can be found.

• The Gardener
  Gardeners are those that grow fruits and vegetables. They tend gardens, and then sell some of what they grow they sell to others in fairs. When most people hear ‘gardens’, they think of something small, a tiny plot of land, but gardens can be very large indeed. Usually female and children tend gardens, though men will also help at times. Those that have the largest, juiciest, and most delectable fruits and vegetables are held in high renown.

• The Carpenter
  These woodworkers are carvers and craftsman, those that work with their hands to carve all sort of things, from animals to chairs and desks. Usually they work with oak, which is the primary kind of tree growing in the area. However, they also work with meldarapple wood and other varieties of wood. Typically the furniture these talented carpenters make is decorated with carvings of leaves, vines, berries, and flowers, and sometimes other less common things.

Government. Like other hobbit shires, the Dogodan shire is run by a thain, which is voted in ever 8 years. The reason for the long term is mainly because most hobbits don’t want to have to vote every few years, because the thain really doesn’t do much. At least an old Dogodan saying goes: "A good thain is a quiet thain."

There is little or no crime in the shire, and those crimes that are done are usually by adolescence, hardly 33, who are simply playing pranks. There is also a small team of policemen that patrol the streets to make sure everything is all right, and are sure to question the foreigners who enter the shire.

Image description. A hobbit child enjyoing some white spiral butterflies. Illustration drawn by Bard Judith.

Production/Trade. The export of furniture and other things of carpentry are the Dogodan's primary trade. Their beautiful oak chairs and tables are highly thought after, especially with the delicate carvings up the legs or sides. Door handles to the drawers of the desks and dressers are fashioned with the utmost care, and this can indeed be seen by the intricate work. Often times the designs are creatively done as well, making them even more desirable.

Thought the Dogodan hobbits, like all hobbits, are great gardeners and farmers, there are only a few who wander to their shire to buy the things they grow merely because it often is a rather great distance to travel for some mere vegetables and grains.

Music and song are one of the most enjoyable ways of trade as well. Tales and stories are not just enjoyed by hobbits, but people from all over Caelereth. Oftentimes people may pass through the shire only to hear the wonderful music and the grand tales. Hobbit bards can almost always get a job in taverns outside their shire, if they ever have the heart to leave. Some of the most famous hobbit bards come from the Dogodan tribe.

Natural Resources. The Dogodan tribe, living so near the sea, can gain many resources from the water all around them. Fishing is popular as an occupation and especially as a hobby. The seas also help to bring water to irrigate farms and gardens through the shire. Shells are collected off the beaches and used to decorate all sorts of things, and are sometimes made into jewelry or ornaments.

The seas being so close to where the hobbits live presents another blessing: mild temperatures. It rarely snows in the shire, and when it rains, it’s usually very gentle and mild: neither too hot nor too cold. The earth is full of nutrients and moisture from the seas, and this presents many fertile fields on which crops can be grown. Oak trees are common in these parts, and the shire has some of the most ancient oak trees in all of Santharia. These oak trees thrive in this environment and produce bushels of acorns each year.

Holidays, Festivals and Observances. Out of all the hobbit tribes, the Dogodan tribe is believed to most love song, dance, and celebration. They will make up celebrations about anything for a reason to get together and celebrate. They have marvelous festivals for the gods on the beginning of their month, and will make grand celebrations in honor of hobbits that weren’t even from their tribe. Birthdays are celebrated with much party and dance, especially if it’s the 33rd, 55th, or 111th Birthday. The entire shire often attends weddings.

TIME TABLE OF THE DOGODAN HALFLINGS THE AGE OF AWAKENING (YEARS 1,655 B.S. - 822 B.S.) 1650 b.S. Devastation of the Hobbitshire Countless innocent halflings die in the attack of the dragons on their home, and their houses are laid to waste. Some of the survivors journey south, seeking refuge and peace. Those halflings eventually come to the Alianian Hills and, with the help of the Jhehellrhim elves, settle into what is now known as the "Dogodan Shire".    1649 b.S. to 1648 b.S. The Vardýnnian Atonement strikes the Hobbitshire The hobbits remaining in the Hobbitshire near the Silvermarshes suffer a sunless year. Many die from the cold, though surplus from crops in the past years of the Hobbitshire provide most with enough food to last until the cold is over. Those who have no home or lack considerable in victuals journey south to where their fellow halflings have already settled. The Dogodan Shire grows to a healthy population of a few thousand. When the Atonement ends, the halflings live in the Silvermarshes among the ruins of Hobbitshire. They immediately begin to rebuild and rename the shire "New Hobbitshire". They experience a time of great growth and healing, and their numbers rises again. THE AGE OF THE BLOOD (YEARS 822 B.S. - 50 B.S.) 292 b.S. The Great Slaughter in the Istarin After Carmalad has fallen in SW III, the orcs attack the Istarin Forest. But instead of directly attacking they set fires on the forest, forcing the elves out. The Jhehellrhim are nearly destroyed in this fight. Fearing the defeat of the elves and the progress of the orcs southward, many halflings flee far south, hoping to find safety. They are settling in the Elverground, just north of the Zeiphyrian Forest. THE AGE OF CHANGE (YEARS 50 B.S. - 172 A.S.) 0 The Halflings join Santharia The halflings of all tribes agree to become part of the Santharian alliance along with elves, dwarves, and men. Though the alliance proves to be shaky at first, the halfling shires are eventually able to return to a peaceful state, and begin to experience a new time of great growth.