Sky Elves
Ideals
Beauty Ideals
Viewed from a human perspective, the Sky Elf aesthetic is nearly indistinguishable from the sensibilities of most other elvish cultures. They do share a keen appreciation for the natural bordering on obsession with nature itself with their cousins as well as the requisite love of drama, expressing itself in the physical as an appreciation for extremes. The extremely lithe is far more beautiful than the somewhat lithe, and although it is far less common among elves the same is true for fatness. The island in this sea of extremes comes in the form of colors and designs, while very bold choices in these areas are highly prized, the respect for the natural allows more understated options to hold a high position as well. The elves themselves would and often do claim there are many beliefs on beauty unique to the Sky Elves, but even when they expound on those claims they are unrecognizable to human sensibilities.
Courtship Ideals
The elven need for drama shows itself perhaps most strongly in their courtship, comprising bombastic and public displays and proclamations in every case except for when the forbidden and the secretive being revealed would be the greater payoff. A biologically implicit part of elven courtship seems to fly in the face of this to human sensibility: elves are unable to kiss without procreating, restricting that activity to very limited and specific roles in the courtship process. In their courtship rituals the Sky Elves distinguish themselves strongly enough from their cousins that it becomes notable to a human observer. A shorthand for identifying these eccentricities would be to think of birds. The most obvious parallel is present only among those Sky Elves pure enough of blood to have wings to preen and present, but a close examination of behaviors will find echoes of nest decoration, presentation of pretty but non-utile gifts, and a focus on singing and vocalization above even other elves.
Relationship Ideals
The eternal elven struggle between the ideal of eternal partnership and the need for drama and excitement is nearly entirely suborned to the necessity of mating concerns in the face of the drastically reduced Sky Elf population and the danger they eternally find themselves in.
Major organizations
The Sky Elves effectively fall into two camps as a people: those sheltering on Arx Firmus or hiding in the world's periphery attempting to hold to their old traditons, and those who stand with the former group's mortal enemies in the Shattered Empire and House Avo. Those within House Avo have fully integrated into the imperial culture and its aristocracy, abandoning every aspect of their former culture except for pride in their wings which is prized equally in their new home. They stand as full and honored members of the noble house and claim that it is simple jealousy and fear of change that prevents their former fellows from doing the same. That there are no Sky Elves present in the imperium outside House Avo, and the violence with which the outside group is ever met are pointed to as evidence for the claims of persecution and genocide put forward by the non-imperials.
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