Prunilla: Prayers and Holy Days

Prayers

"Oh Prunilla! Lady of the Endless Barley Fields! Behold this tragedy! We have run out of sugar!"

The followers of Prunilla are not truly fond of idolatrous prayer. They don't really consider Prunilla to be a stuck-up goddess in need of knee-scraping devotion; there is enough back bending when working the fields as it is. Thus, for the most part, prayers to Prunilla are made into small, little, gossipy lines of dialogue that show devotion in a light-hearted manner fitting to the halfling race.

Prayer said before combat: "Pruni, make these warriors proud and fierce, feed them the best courage, and let them digest stoutness. The quicker we get back to cooking, the sooner we get to enjoy the pies."

Prayer said when cooking: "Oh Dear Prunilla, with much love I have followed this recipe and have added my own touch, just as you like it. If by any chance this ends up being a disaster, I will lovingly blame you so that I'm not the target of projectile food."

Prayer said when healing: "Lady Comfort! Clearly we all enjoy a good puzzle, but let's not try it on a living creature. Please!"

Prayer said when welcoming a new life to the world: "Lady Comfort, ease this new life's passage into the world and tempt them with fresh bread and warm hands so that they will grow strong and healthy in your embrace. Let the first thing their eyes see be the smiling faces tending them in love, and please, please help those find a better name for the poor child than Sourdough."

Holy Days

"What are we serving today? Everything."

• Planting Day Celebrated on 15th Mar (or 15th Seplar in the southern hemisphere), this is the day when most farmers begin to plant seeds for the new season to come. Starting this day without saying a small prayer or paying some sort of tribute to Prunilla, is considered by farmers worldwide as the worst possible idea ever, and the more it is given to her, the more bountiful Harvest Day will be. For those of the faith, Planting Day is a day for new beginnings. Often, many Lucky Clovers spend the day in loud contemplation of all the things they have done in the past year, easily spending the whole day talking aloud to Prunilla about all that they need to get done in the new season. At the eve of Planting Day, many clans gather around fires and conflicts are settled and a blank slate is offered for the new season. The halfling spirit clearly not one to want to carry grudges for too long.

• Midsummer Festival Starting on 21st Junar, the Midsummer Festival begins a weeklong celebration that seems to instill the world with a sparkling spirit of youth. Halflings in the northern hempisphere gather in central hubs to simply have as much fun as possible. Those in the south celebrate this on 21st Decilar. Normally, organized in conjunction with the Church of Deliar, Lucky Clovers take it upon themselves to create the most delicious of recipes, and like a dream for anyone with taste buds, they offer these in great quantities for many to enjoy. Midsummer Festival is littered with many forms of entertainment, ranging from simple juggling acts by the corner peddler to elaborate theatrical plays performed by famous artist bands. Parents proudly announce their new babies to the community, and many couples choose this week to marry, often celebrating their union with complete strangers, yet loving every minute of it. In Port Hempstead, where it is rumored the festival began, it is also a time when nominations for the city council are made, leading to the eventual elections at the end of the month. Lucky Clovers don't bother much with politics, however, and instead they take the time to gossip to their heart's content until the early hours of the morning. Eventually, Midsummer Festival ends with a song performed by a renowned bard, a lot of happy hangovers, and extra cleaning work for the Saplings.

• Harvest Day If prayer to Lady of the Harvest is recommended for Planting Day, anyone not doing so on 15th Seplar (or 15th Mar in the southern hemisphere) is asking for the gout. On Harvest Day, farmers around the world reap what they sow. Collecting all the fresh fruits or tilling the fields now packed with grains of all kinds, Lady of the Harvest rewards those who have tended to her fields with care and love and, to those who dare mistreat their families, she leaves a good dose of worms in the most inconvenient of places. After the long day of work and hopefully many happy returns, it is customary for those who have worked the fields to be rewarded with their favorite meals either in town halls or in the comfort of their own homes. Followers of Prunilla also often lavish their significant others with pleasant dinners under the stars and rekindle their unions before the deified couple.