Making their home near exclusively in The Great Forest, the Merro Elves are the only one of the elven peoples to have been directly created by the Gods, with all others having descended from them in some fashion in the ages that have since passed. Though they are in all practical considerations the progenitors of the elven peoples in modern days they are somewhat of a minority by comparison, their long sequestration from the world outside of The Great Forest having prevented their people from expanding, literally or culturally, outside of its bounds.
The Great Forest is incredibly important to the Merro Elves, it is both their home and the source of their magics and most of those who live within consider it to be an entity of its own, viewing it as a kind of mother to their people. This close relationship has existed, long before even The Godswar, but only strengthened following the war's beginning as their goddess and creator, Kaileah, bade them to forsake the war and withdraw into the borders of their wood, barring all who would seek violence from entering.
Though the Merro elves have always been touched by the powers of nature, it was these generations spent isolated from the outside world that would transform them into the people they are today. Bonded deeply with the magics of the Great Forest, within it's boughs the Merro elves began to change, gradually developing the features of the natural world they were surrounded by. While the exact manner of these features vary as widely as the wood around them, some common examples include plant matter growing from or incorporated into their bodies, skin molded from earth or stone, or delicate insectoid wings and antennae. These physical manifestations of their bond with the Wood are commonly known as "affinities" and typically carry with them some kind of physical ability associated with the affinity the individual bears.