The single largest halfling tribe, family of the honored Lathon Halpum, has not found life any simpler since the Last War. Halpum wants nothing to do with ruling the Talenta Plains as a whole; he had the chance to become a great king after the signing of the Treaty of Thronehold and rejected it. Now, he looks at the chaos besetting Khorvaire and wonders if he made the proper decision. Halpum believes with all his heart that the Last War has merely gone quiescent, that it must erupt again and again until one power holds dominance. He fears the same is true of the halfling tribes, because the tentative peace and unification inspired by the war have already begun to fray around the edges. Egged on by others of his tribe—many of whom see an Abramam king as a tool to advance their own ambitions and settle old feuds—Halpum might soon be forced into an impossible choice: Risk losing the support and respect he currently enjoys, or make use of it and the military might of his tribe to carve out a throne he doesn’t want.

Source: The Forge of War


Lathon Halpum not only leads the Abramam tribe but all of the halfling tribes, acting as their representative at Thronehold. Some members of the Abramam tribe see Halpum's popularity as a venue for advancing their personal interests, arguing that the other tribes should pay tribute. Halpum has resisted these calls, but struggles with where the Abramam should be. Keeping to the old consensus of separate and equal tribes risks falling apart when the war renews, but he fears any tribal hierarchy would rip the social fabric of Talentan culture.

Source: Politics of the Talenta Plains