Māero

Lore

Maero (Cannibal Giants) - Māori - Large, powerful cannibals with long black hair and sharp claws who live in the forests.

Māero is a species of wildman—akin to the Yeti or Sasquatch—yet famed for an especially brutal streak.

Māero are described as large, exceptionally strong humanoids, sometimes of gigantic stature that dwarfs any normal human. Locals speak of them as the wild folk of forest and mountain. Their bodies are draped in long, shaggy, dark-to-black hair that serves as a natural covering; though they shun clothing, they are occasionally seen wearing rough cloaks or raw hides.

The overall impression is one of raw, primordial terror and brute strength—an embodiment of the cruelty and relentlessness of untamed nature.

Their fingers are long, thin, and bony, each tipped with knife-like claws that double as weapons, ripping open prey or finishing a kill. Despite their feral nature, a Māero shows rudimentary tool use: it may wield a crude stone club or even hurl boulders when threatened. That deliberate choice of weapon marks a mind that is more than merely instinctive.

Māero are believed to predate the arrival of the Māori, the first people of Aotearoa/New Zealand. Their deep-rooted hostility is explained by displacement: Māori villages, to them, defiled ancient sacred lands and forced the Māero into harsher high-altitude ranges. Today they haunt dense forests (te ngahere) and mountain country, living symbols of the fearful, primeval bush. Their lairs lie well hidden in the tangle; they ambush lone travelers, hunters, or honey-gatherers, then drag victims back to caves where they store the bones.