Silk Elves

This version of the silk elves were originally inspired by this post over at thoughtcrimes, though mine've drifted considerably from the basic premise of "different drow"

 Storm Elves exemplify the phrases "Life is nasty, brutish, and short" and "Death is but a door, time is but a window. I'll be back!", but their cousins underground, the Silk Elves, take a much different approach to things.  There was a war, thousands of years ago, between the Storm Elves and the Silk Elves, and only by fleeing underground were the Silk Elves able to save themselves from complete annihilation. Changes overcame the elves in the darkness of their new home, in both personality and in body.

Silk Elves are never seen without their silken robes, or other wrappings. They expose no skin, and wear shaded goggles.  Millennia of life underground changed these elves into something better suited for the darkness, and for both their skin and eyes, the sun is a source of discomfort. While their bodies are ill adapted to surface life, their social charm lends them an air of respect to surface dwellers that they have leveraged to their benefit everywhere they are found.

This fan art of Gogo from the final fantasy series is a nice example of some potential silk elf fashion 
LINK to the Artist, Evanatt on DeviantArt

Silk Elves have no permanent settlements on the surface, instead maintaining mercantile caravans and traveling circuses. Some are as large as the Free Cities have ever seen, some as small as a single elf and her traveling bindle.

To the southeast, across the Perrin Sea lie the stone wastes, and deep under that lie the Temples of Silk. Only the Silk Elves themselves know the extent of the natural and carved caverns they inhabit, but the surface is intermittently marked by towering spires, noting official access points to their homes below.  Outsiders are almost never allowed into the spires, but when they are, it is usually for diplomatic reasons or for sensitive messages that cannot be trusted to paper, nor to the ears of mere servants. No one is ever permitted into the Temples, however. They are holy to the Elves and only they may descend the labradorite stairwells into the darkness below.

A silk elf merchant will regale you with tales of his travels if prompted, or if the mood strikes, but few regard them as true.  Most silks will quietly swear upon the truth of their tales, and may well double down with an even more outlandish story, if just to make the one you doubted seem more plausible. A common thread throughout their stories are the magical and wondrous things that the land itself seems capable of. Stone pillars or waters rising to aid in the escape of those in need, or of giant trees and cliff faces that fall at opportune times to strike the wicked.

"We were stranded, I tell you.  The caravan had been crossing the Blackblood swamp for two weeks, and I was certain it was the doing of some malicious force. The travel master said we were just lost, but I knew that evil must be afoot! Night was falling, and my bones told me it would be the last time.  Then I heard them, scratching and scrabbling towards us under cover from the prickle bushes and through the still waters.  Men, but made of sticks and thorns, ran for us, dragging down all they laid their misshapen hands on, our screams cut short by strangling vines.  I and a few of the others ran to the horses, and fled. We ran those horses all night, foaming and frothing at the mouth as hundreds, nay, thousands of terrible plant-men followed us and threatened to overtake us! Only as the light crept over the horizon, did we see that the trees themselves were making effort to hold them back, and clear our path..."

Truthfully, most silk elves will come to the aid of those struggling to correct a blight upon the land, or will be inspired to resist those who poison and despoil nature.  Silk Elves have little interest in the Gods of the Free Cities, nor in bringing their faith to others. A notable exception is Insukimi, the White Spider who they are enamored with. Relics and unheard tales of hers can go far in negotiating with a Silk.

Most communities find the Silk Elves unoffensive and peculiar, a chance to trade for goods both local and exotic, and to entertain children with their unbelievable stories. A few suspect them of deeper mysteries and scandal, however.  Never seeing the face of the man you're talking to can mean that you're never sure if he's the same man next time, or that any two different elves weren't in fact the same person, if never seen together. Dark magics may be at work.

Never seeing the skin or eyes of a Silk Elf means that, perhaps they could shed those costumes, and walk undetected and disguised, magically or mundanely. Who can tell what their actual goals are, or what dark powers they bring from places sun loving men would fear to venture.  They seem to know too many secrets, and pry too closely into business that isn't their own.  They'll laugh if confronted with claims of secret sleuthing, saying "I apologize, I spend too much time on the road and my manners have waned!"  or if someone hazards a theory about their other motives they may simply offer a humble "I am but a merchant (or cook, or circus performer), and I travel from distant lands."

In relation to the Free Cities Conclave:

The Silk Elf caravans enter the conclave northbound, coming up the coast from the south, having made way around the southern shore of the Perrin Sea, or when returning by ship into Wyvern's Keep from the west. As a result a preponderance of Silks are located in, entering, or leaving Sarai at any given time. Whether for the interim while their caravan prepares to head out, or head back, setting up sellers' tents in the bazaar district and attracting customers with the joyful brazenness of their colorful silk tents, or arriving or departing by ship, or telling tall tales to leery teens, the Silk Elves are a common sight on the streets and in the shops of Sarai.

Many caravans continue land-bound for the western ports of Wyvern's Keep, headed to lands further west yet, past the Sea of Ink. Some head north from Sarai, whether by ship or land, to Second Breakfast, or sometimes Redwell.  Seldom do these caravans venture any further north, however, as they typically won't dare to clash with the Storm Elves, their ancient defeat still ringing fresh in elven memory.

Mechanically:

As PHB Elf Race,

PHB Dark Elf subrace.

All NPC Silk Elves encountered with class levels will be one of:

    Barbarian (Dervish)

    Druid (Land: Underdark)

    Rogue (Assassin)

    Warlock (Great Old One Pact, Any Boon)

Storm Elves

Of the two predominant elven subraces, the one most likely to be encountered on the surface world are the Storm Elves. Grey of skin, hair and eyes, the storm elf is commonly outfitted with the clothing and equipment of a nomadic, horse-back tribal life.  Do not let their rugged outdoorsmanship beguile you into thinking that their ways are simple, or that they are uneducated brutes. A storm elf prides himself on his ability to handle a pony, saber and javelin, poem, falcon, eldritch manuscript, or complex negotiation equally.

To the far north and east lie the traditional homelands of the Storm Elves, ruled by a great Khan. Each Khan is selected by council upon the death of the previous khan, and only in death does his claim to rule end.
The current Khan has held his position for nearly 800 years, and shows no signs of relaxing his iron-fisted control.

Khan Dalantai was selected by the Council of Storms through a unanimous vote, as they must all be, after 50 years of debate and infighting to secure the position. No storm elf clan-leader would ever follow a khan that their council member has rejected, nor ask his people to. When no one candidate is universally accepted the clans will often fall into squabbling and raiding each other, though deaths seldom occur, as few wish to risk outright inter-clan warfare.

The life of a storm elf is somewhat analogous to the real world Mongols of the 12th century, living in mobile bivouac encampments, hunting for food or raiding known settlements. Storm Elves have a tense relationship with the hobgoblin nation to the south, often erupting into brief or extended warfare. One notable difference is that the Mongol nation wasn't nearly as well known for it use of necromancy.

Nations of the west tremble in fear of the Khanate of Storms, and well so. A party of one hundred elves, and their four hundred or so ponies can quickly become an army of thousands, depending on the age and skill of the spellcasters riding.

In one recent and notable event, an elder hunting party of seventy three rode west into dwarven lands largely undetected due to their small size, and the dwarves predilection for underground living. Upon arriving at the gates of the Dweomer-Hall of dwarf-clan Brickarm they demanded a sum of gold and slaves so large that the gate guards merely laughed and turned them away.

The elves, expecting such treatment, retreated ten miles from the gate and began their casting and rituals. Waylaying all who traveled to or from the dwaven hall, drawing the long dead from the earth everywhere within riding distance, and opening teleportation gates to prepared circles thousands of miles east with the preserved dead awaiting transit, their numbers grew swiftly. Within one week, dwarven scouts sent to investigate disappearances reported stumbling across an amassing army of skeletons, zombies, wights, ghouls, ghasts, banshees, specters, and wraiths numbering in the tens of hundreds.  The dwarven clan leaders sealed the gates, and called all dwarven men and women to arms. By the time war plans were drawn four days later, the ranks of the undead army had swelled to over ten thousand, all within one day's overland travel to the Dweomer-Hall's gate. When the army broke upon the dwarven gates nearly all those within were killed or taken as slaves. Only nine were spared. One for each direction on the map, and one to dig as deep as he could, till he died, or found another race to tell his woe.

In relation to the Free Cities Conclave:

The Dragonspine Mountains north of the conclave are a strong, but not perfect, defense against the typical tactics of the Khanate, and so the Free Cities Conclave have been largely ignored for the lower hanging fruit of the city states and loose confederations to the north and west. Large, open fields and plains, and gently sloping scrublands abound to the north and have allowed the Khanate to strike those places more easily, but as the distances become greater, and the terrain becomes steeper and forested, the Conclave becomes a more and more attractive target.

As a matter of preparation for an eventual strike, the Khan has sent ambassadors and delegates to the easternmost cities of the Conclave; Redwell, Second Breakfast, and Sarai.  In those places storm elves are seen as an oddity, and are only as common as the Silk Elves hailing from the south. Willowton, and the college which oversees it know the threat which the Khan represents, and have rejected official parlay, while Ironvale Forge has banned all storm elf visitors and strongly discourages all storm elf presence in Ironvale City above. Wyvern's Keep has not received an official delegation yet, mostly due to the distances involved in overland travel (and through Ironvale territory) and the elves reluctance to travel by ship unless strictly necessary.

Mechanically:

Elven race per 5e PHB

Storm Elf subrace:

    +1 Int

    Proficiency with Scimitar, Javelin, Short Bow

    Proficiency with Animal Handling

    Bonus Cantrip: selected from the wizard list, casting stat is Intelligence

    Bonus Gear: One Storm Pony and saddle

All NPC Storm Elves encountered with class levels will be one of:

    Bard (Valor)

    Fighter (Eldritch Knight)

    Ranger (Beast Master: Falconer, or Horizon Walker)

    Wizard (Necromancy)

Typical names for Storm Elves: