Elf ocs you say? Do tell!
There are two major "categories" of elf: Geode and Stone elves. There is technically a "third" category (unfondly) called "Glass elf," but we'll get to that ;)
Their skin is naturally pigmented a rocky gray from their origins underneath the surface of the ground. They have straight hair which is either white or black, with long, pointed ears. The only splash of color on their grayscale bodies is their eyes, which are always bright colors, hence their name.
Like I said earlier, the Geode elves originated underneath the continent, Brivet(pronounced briv-ETTE). Legend has it that hundreds of years ago, the golden deer-masked goddess Anigea (pronounced AH-nee-gee-ah) came to them, warning them of how the surface world was dominated by the Dragons: Horned, flying monsters with power over the elements-- and how the Stone elves on the surface lived in fear of the creatures. The Geode elves were worried, but the great hero Tyru (pronounced TY-roo) rallied the other elves to help the fellow elves. Long story short, the dragons were eventually defeated and vanished after the ten-year war, and Tyru was crowned Emperor, wearing a golden deer mask in honor of Anigea. The Geode elves established their main territory on an island in the center of the Inmo Sea: A city-state simply known as "The Capital."
Not too long after these events, the Geode elves became greedy. The Capital became a deeply classist society, materialistic and devoted to individualism, and started to develop an uptight disposition around any non-Capital citizens.
Modern Geode elf culture is famously hedonistic and devoted to individualism. As stated before, as a nation that subsists on capitalism they are inherently classist, and though recent years have seen the ladder to success grow more accessible, the line between nobility, commoners, and the lesser fortunate remains distinct and nearly impossible to cross.
Prideful to the tune of considering elfkind the unequivocal ideal, they dismiss other entities as uncultured, barbaric creatures (which, according to some conspiracy theorists, may or may not have been the true reason they started the famous war with the dragons)
Materialism is a cultural virtue and being performative with both your appearance and actions is not uncommon nor unexpected, especially among the higher ranking classes.
Flashy makeup and attire (for all genders, as gender roles in this world is unheard of) is popular with the Geode elves, as the only non-monochrome color on their body is their eyes. Colorful hair dyes and tattoos are currently in style as well.
When out in the city-state and attending public events, nobility and royalty ALWAYS wear masks resembling animals. This practice stems from the belief that during the Dragon-Elf Wars, one god lent their power to one randomly selected warrior, each of those warriors being the common ancestor of the Noble Houses. These masks pay tribute to their respected patron gods, and resemble the ones that they wear(For example: The Royal House, a.k.a. the Votaine Line, wears a deer mask to resemble Anigea's).
Seeing a noble's face without their consent is considered a crime, with various punishments in order of how serious the offense is. For example, if a Noble's mask accidentally slips off or is broken and you happen to be in their presence, the worst thing that may happen is a fine, depending on how conservative said Noble is. However, forcibly ripping off or breaking a Noble's mask is considered worthy of a life sentence, or even execution.
Frankly, the Stone elves are a lot more diverse than the Geode elves, and cannot be put under just one label as a whole. They are not just one group, but four distinct cultures, with certain features according to which region of Brivet their ancestors originate from. They are as follows:
Northstone elves make their home in the mountainous peninsula of Brivet, with a setting similar to Indonesia, the Philippines, and Thailand. Noticeable traits are olive skin, dark monolid eyes, and black hair.
Weststone elves reside in the diverse landscape toward the west of the Inmo Sea, with a similar setting to Canada and the U.S. Noticeable traits is skin that ranges from a light tan to umber, aquiline noses, and dark brown or black hair.
Eaststone elves' ancestral home is located on the archipelago off the eastern coast of Brivet, with a setting similar to Australia, Aotearoa, Hawai'i, and Polynesia. Noticeable traits is skin that ranges from olive to dark brown, monolid eyes, and dark brown or black hair.
Southstone elves' land is on the southern brush of Brivet, with a similar setting to Kenya, Tanzania, and Benin. Noticeable traits is skin that ranges from dark brown to ebony, with full lips and coily black hair.
Stone elf culture is not a monolith. While there are some similarities between clans adapted through trade and allyship over the years(such as beading and ribbonwork), every clan's beliefs, customs and traditions still greatly vary. (Man I'm going to have to have to greater flesh out these guys cultures soon 👀)
There is one constant between modern Stone elf culture: a shared sense of community and family. No one within a village is a stranger, with people fondly calling each other brother, cousin, auntie, etc. Secrets are not kept long in towns, and events such as births, weddings, and holidays are celebrated as a whole.
Hair also has a lot to do with Stone elf culture. While exact traditions vary, a good example are the Weststone elves. Weststone elves typically grow their hair long throughout their life, only cutting it when a loved one dies. Braids are a common hairstyle, whether it be only one or up to four.
Stone elves do not waste ANYTHING that comes from an animal. At all. Doing so is dishonorable and disrespectful towards the animal you killed. So it's not all uncommon for a family to go knocking on close friends' doors to ask if they'll want the leftovers from their meal. Bones, skin, fur, and even teeth is made into clothing, jewelry, etc. So you can imagine their disdain for the Capital's habit of tossing out anything they don't want.
While the Stone elves are very much their own societies, they are still under Capital law. They still need to pay taxes, get jobs, buy their own stuff, etc. Many elders gripe about currency being obsolete and pointless, but hey, that's capitalism for ya, pal.
The "third" category of elves are called Glass elves: or better known as "fake elves".
There is a major detail about Dragons I forgot to mention: their ability to shapeshift. They can mimic the appearance of Stone elves down to the color of their eyes, with just a few limitations. One limitation is they can't copy the appearance of a real person. They change into their elfsona, if you will. Another limitation is that their pupils stay slit. This is harder to catch, since most Stone elves' eyes are naturally dark colored. The third limitation is that their teeth stay noticeably sharp, just enough to give anyone the creeps.
Urban Legend says that less than twenty years ago, two of these "glass elves" gained the trust of the Emperor and moved into the castle. About ten years later, people woke up to the Capital burning. The entire city watched as the Emperor, half of his body terribly burned, slay ones of these "elves" that won the hearts of the city in it's true form.
The second dragon was never found.
