The Mervain tribe can be perhaps summed up in that they call themselves "the Beautiful People". While other tribes may snicker at this, the Mervain take it seriously. And in truth, the Mervain are quite often strikingly beautiful in appearance, even to the point of seeming frail. They've developed means, magical and otherwise, to enhance beauty, considering it primary in all things. Yes, they're vain.

While the Mervain are fairly unaggressive folk, they're not without their fighting skills either. However, they tend to treat fighting as an art, just like everything else. Emphasis is placed on form and style rather than actual effectiveness. To that end, they'll have intricately designed weapons, and fighting techniques. More often than not they'll fight in a style that's equivalent to martial arts -- even in Khiulnter. Imagine a gazelle martial artist! While it may look a bit funny (except to other Mervain), it's uncannily effective.

The Mervain like magic. They're quite good at it, generally, especially magics that pertain to the promotion of beauty, and the arts. They are very appreciative of the arts, primarily the visual ones, such as painting and sculpture. They're also great fans of the art of dance, though few outside of the tribe can participate in the complex and esoteric dances of the Mervain.

The Mervain have a single figurehead leader, called the Essence. The Essence is chosen through feats of skill, involving the ritual dances, works of art and magic, but mostly due to the candidate's physical appearance. Since the Essence is often not a born leader, the position is basically an honorary one, a figurehead leader. The tribe's decisions are made by a council of elders who've managed to retain their beauty over the years. This council is called the Harmony, and a council member is known as a Voice of the Mervain. The Harmony, and the Essence, can be male or female, but most often the Essence is male, while the majority of the Harmony are female elders.

Mervain most commonly use their Dimoh form while amongst each other. The dimoh form of a Mervain is as an average-sized human, often strikingly beautiful, even exotic. The clothing ranges from tight form-fitting garments to loose, flowing robes. Usually the clothing is scented. Within the Mervain, good tailors are highly sought after.

The Khiulnter form for the Mervain is a gazelle, fleet of foot and lovely of limb. They'll most often travel in this form, and this is the most common form taken outside of the tribe.

Dimo-Khu is fairly tame, for a Mervain. The Mervain assume Dimo- Khu for combat, of course, and also for ritual or public contests. A large number of the dances of the Mervain are meant for Dimo-Khu form. The body itself walks upright, on two legs, with no trace of awkwardness. Smooth, fluid, and graceful, with a superb sense of balance. The skin has the lightest coat of fur, distributed evenly along the body, and the limbs are long and slender, with thin but sharp claws on hands and feet. Upon the head are the two horns present as in Khiulnter, but angled back. The skull has just as much hair as the rest of the body, and the eyes are large and luminous.