Monstrous Neighbors

Monstrous Neighbors - Set in vague medieval fantasy.

There was once a planet Earth, in one of the many parallel universes to ours, that was abundant in magic. Humans and humanoids were just starting to develop civilizations, and most creatures lived in varied relations with the humans; some hunted them, others were hunted, others still developed symbiotic relationships or mimicked the rise of civilization. Then came the arrival of something that would drastically alter the course of history. Two warring, technologically-advanced alien races arrived on the planet, and continued their battle on its surface, fighting for control of this resource-rich place. One side realized that the humanoids could manipulate magic, and were sentient and organized enough to be used as soldiers. So they positioned themselves as saviors and gods here to protect the humanoids from the blight of the other aliens, and dubbed themselves Angels. The humanoid clans were won over, and sided themselves with the Angels against the other faction, which the Angels portrayed as evil and destructive. The tide of the war turned drastically as the humanoids armed themselves with the tools of the Angels, and combined with their own magic, proved a powerful foe. The other faction was quickly overwhelmed, and sought their own allies in the creatures and monsters the Angels deemed too individualistic, too unpredictable to control. They called themselves Demons, and appealed to the monsters' need for freedom, and warned of the threat the victory of the Angels could pose to their liberty. It worked, but it was far too late, for the humanoids and Angels were much too organized already. Victory was declared, and both alien factions removed most of their forces from the planet and moved their war elsewhere. Remaining alien forces continued to spread their reach on Earth, both factions starting to create "generations" or waves of aliens that look and behave more like the inhabitants of the planet. The First Generation, as both factions would call them, aimed to make the following generations capable of manipulating the magic prevalent on the planet.

Amid the people of the planet, this came to be known as the Great War, and cemented the divide between humanoids and beasts. For millennia after, as the Angels and Demons worked on generations capable of using magic, humanoids and monsters clashed continuously. Monsters and beasts were at a disadvantage however, for the Demons never gave them the huge arsenal of weapons the Angels gifted the humans. Humanoids ran a campaign of oppression that chased monsters into the most obscure corners of the worlds, some even hunted to extinction. Eventually, chasing the monsters began to wear down on the humanoids, and their efforts slowly waned. Centuries of waning efforts settled into an uneasy peace that is the present. Even calling it peace is shaky at best. Monsters were given the chance to recuperate, and many still bear grudges passed down by generations. They continued to attack humanoids in various ways, and humanoids did likewise. Others wish to ignore the humanoids and thrive on their own. Others still have bonded with humanoids, even merging with some tribes. Similar to the monsters, the humaniods' views of the monsters began to vary as war became a thing of the past. However, the Second Generation of Angels and Demons were complete, and they sent out their new creations, capable of minor magic, unto Earth to renew their influences. However, now some monsters were hearing the call of the Angels, and humanoids hearing the call of the Demons.

While some remain steadfastly attached to their history and their 'sides', much of the sides became muddled. Black and white became shades of grays, and monsters became neighbors.