Risarum Pullae

The Risarum Pullae—now commonly known as "Smile Girls" or "Girls of Smiles"—were groups of women and girls in ancient elven societies who practiced a form of magic which was designed to uplift, strengthen, heal, and often to gladden others.
While the most famous group of Pullae by far were those of the early first College consisting of five women rather than the usual six, individual groups of Risarum Pullae existed in all large elven societies before The Greater Dark Age. Their purpose varied depending on culture, time period, and the needs of the state in question. In times of peace, as seen in the early 5th century BCE in ancient Horororo, they would work with members of the governing body to ensure the needs and comforts of the people were addressed and considered in the lawmaking process. In times of famine or plague, they'd be sent with equipment and charms to keep themselves healthy as they soothed the dying. In times of revolt and political unrest, they would be sent to settle the poplace (footnote: while this sometimes carried the more literal meaning of soothing them, this phrase was also used euphemistically to suggest that the people were instead being calmed to sleep and then death). At war, however, they were used to forcefully raise the spirits of allied combatants and pacify enemies or invaders.
Selection for the Risarum Pullae happens in early childhood. The traits searched for changed over the years, but a common thread was an overall positive and sunny personality in baby girls. Training starts (with parental permission) as early as age four and as late as age eight with completion between age sixteen and eighteen.
In later years as many within elven societies desired to integrate with or at the very least blend in with human cultures, many old practices fell by the wayside. The Risarum Pullae, which saw a reassurance in popularity as a measure to comfort the people of Lamnodore and other major elven settlements through troubling times just before the Age of Development, was the last of these practices to pass. The last documented group of official Risarum Pullae included [Vigdis/THAT WASN'T ME] and began breaking down after the group's sister of water departed following a disagreement about the Colleges with the young [sister of fire/THEY WOULDN'T STOP CALLING ME THAT]. Following her departure, the group became unbalanced and the stronger personality of [Vigdis/SAY MY NAME] often overruled those of the other sisters until they were finally unable to work together and had to part ways.
Each Risae Puella, while associated with one of six elements, does not control it. Instead their element corresponds with their role in the group. While a unit of six, the roles of the women involved could be thought as split into pairs:
The leading pair, those associated with light and dark, served to balance each other out in the decision making process. The light sister was chosen for her lawful-minded, orderly, and often optimistic outlook. However, this type of personality in isolation would lead groups to stagnation and inaction on its own, and so was often balanced out by a dark sister. The dark sister was chosen for her more goal-oriented, frequently rebellious, restless nature which in isolation would lead to too much disorder and even abuse of power, in some cases. The external pair, those associated with air and earth (sometimes life and death) were charged with maintaining relationships with those outside the groups. The air sister was the more fun-loving, relaxed, and shallow of the two but was prone to poor self-regulation on her own, thus harming the group's image, while the earth sister was the more personal, brooding, and heartfelt and would become too attached to the people she interacted with without her counterpart. The internal pair, those who regulated relationships within the group and kept it from collapsing were the water and fire sisters. The water sister was chosen for her traits as a thoughtful but flexible person while the fire sister was chosen for her deep passion and empathy.
In recent decades, with the rise of Romantic arts and other yearnings for the past, some have tried to found new groups of Risarum Pullae, though none have fully succeeded. The most fruitful attempt was one of a now-deceased ex-professor of the Colleges in [-------------------------] who located and marked six potential sisters, though only three of the parents went through with their promise to give the girls over for training before the professor died. The three were sent home.

Structure

(Bottom to top)

Trainees

Apprentices

Standard Risae Puella

Leading Risarum

Reborn Puellae

Demography and Population

Female only, ages 6+

Type

Guild, Mages

Alternative Names

The Girls of Smiles, or The Smile Girls

Training Level

Professional

Veterancy Level

Decorated/Honored

Demonym

Risaran

Parent Organization

The Elven Colleges

Location

Lamnodore