Fantasy What Stands Between Lore

[The Mad Queen]

Pre-History
-13.8 billion years ago: The Cataclysm happens and our universe is born in "the big bang" this event however, destroys a neighbouring universe that is older than our own. Some of these beings take refuge in our newly born universe, shaping it as it grows.

-4.543 billion years ago: Earth is formed. Some of these Old Gods take up home on Earth, and wage a war on it's surface for dominance.

-66 million to 200,000 years ago: The remaining Old Gods on Earth fall into slumber when the planet is faced with numerous mass extinction events.
-The reign of Atlantis is said to have occurred during these years. Due to a mixture of destroyed records and the erosion of time there isn't a set time period for the rule itself, only that the civilisation may have fallen around 6000BCE and 5600 BCE

200,000 years ago: Oldest record of humans active on Earth. The 13th Angel, Lucifer falls from grace after challenging his creator over humanity and becomes the First Devil when stripped of his Angelic power and tossed into Hell.
-According to Vamperic scripture, a man named Cain is cursed and turned into the first Vampire.

6000 BCE-1939 AD
-The surviving Atlanteans forge kingdoms across the world, guiding humans towards the first civilisations. Two notable examples would be Mesopotamia and Ancient Egypt. In the case of Egypt, the Atlanteans were worshipped as Gods. Some of the early civilisations collapsed due to the lust for power of these beings, with many lost to history completely. While the Atlanteans faded into history, their image is captured in the hieroglyphics.

-As humans expand across the world, the first Changeling is believed to have emerged as a result of a bored High Fey. This marks the first contact between our realm and the Feywilds.

Due to numerous records destroyed by the various Churches and other organisations the history during this time is rather hazy. However, since 2020 scholars have been trying to piece things together.

-Prior to the Roman's invasion of Britannia the Celts and many supernatural creatures lived together. The construction of Hadrian's wall can be attributed to keeping the Roman Empire safe from some of these creatures. The bones of giants, Fey and other creatures can be found in Scotland. Some of these we have been unable to identify, leading us to believe that the Romans pushed a few supernatural races native to Britannia to extinction.

The Celts were not the only civilisation to embrace supernatural beings, or at least live among them. In Ancient Greece some even lived openly in Athens, and there are documented cases of humans being fed on by Vampires willingly.
In pre-colonial America some Native American tribes lived with these creatures as well.

Supernatural creatures fighting on the side of Russia goes back to the Napoleonic wars, and possibly even further with uncovered records of the Mongolian invasion of Kievan Rus' (modern day Russia, Belarus and Ukraine) having both sides using supernatural and unearthly means to fight, while in Japan this goes back to somewhere between the late 8th or 9th century.
The 人生の兄弟愛 (Jinsei no kyōdai ai) or Brotherhood of life was created during this time. Japan was a country facing numerous supernatural threats and the founder, a Vampire who detested what he deemed as a curse sought about training a Brotherhood that would outlast even himself to fight this threat.
It was a secret organisation known only to the Emperor himself and a few within his court, but was placed on the front lines during the Mongolian invasions. Storms generated by these creatures were able to decimate the Mongolian fleet and the Brotherhood fought fire with fire, for the Mongolians used supernatural creatures as part of their army so too did the Japanese.

-First documented cases of Skinchangers in Britannia come from Viking raiders. Some invading Viking Clans possess a unique gift, these shape-changers are believed to have been Werewolves. Despite their power, they were pushed back by Alfred the Great who we can only theorise either knew of their weaknesses or was some kind of supernatural creature himself. Prior to the Viking raids there is no record of any living in what is now the United Kingdom.

-Although the Churches hunted supernatural beings, dispatching holy warriors some managed to gain favour with various royal families. The most notable example of this is Queen Elizabeth I of England, who made an agreement with a collective of these beings that lasted from her reign up until Oliver Cromwell took power. They would destroy the Spanish for her, and in return gain refuge in England from the church.

Elizabeth chose to keep this a secret for a fear of the response from the church among other powerful forces active in the country and from outside sources. After Cromwell drove this group out of English territory, killing a large portion of them in surprise attacks it wasn't until the reign of Queen Victoria that British Royalty reached out to such a group again, in the form of Prince Albert. This would later lead to the creation of a secret society in Albert's name upon his death to document activity in the British Empire.
-JRR Tolken and Alan Turing among others were notable members of this secret organisation, with Marie Curie being the first woman to lead her own team.

-In Russia, a notable Vampire Sorcerer named Rasputin gained favour with the royal family.

-These beings operated in secret during WWI, fighting on the different sides in the conflict. Such a large human conflict spilled into their world and lines were drawn. While men killed each other in the trenches, the likes of the undead and the damned fought their own secret war.

 

[The Mad Queen]

Although the other two Axis powers did their fair share of experiments and weaponizing of the supernatural, it was Nazi Germany that was deemed the biggest threat to the Allies and indeed, to the planet. What was a war for the future of Europe turned into a war for the future of humanity and every other species sharing the planet. Through twisted experiments and human sacrifices, the Nazis conjured supernatural weapons of mass destruction and managed to open portals to other plains of reality.

Alan Turing, a codebreaker, inventor and notable member of the Albert Society ended up cracking a code the Third Reich was using to conjure unearthly monsters and after a few desperate missions that brought together Allied forces these experiments were stopped. However, the Allies clashed over what to do with the leftover findings. The Americans, the French and the Russians had organisations of their own to deal with the presence of these beings on Earth and they would all see rapid expansion during the Cold War.
With the Axis defeated and the Soviet Union growing in power, Churchill and Truman focused on the hopes of developing more weapons and using the supernatural to take down Stalin while Clement Attlee focused on using the society and the collective connected to it to rebuild a battered and broken United Kingdom. His goal was building homes and further introducing supernatural beings into British society.

-Alan Turing wanted to go public with the information, feeling that humanity had a right to know just how close it had come to mass extinction. In response, the society outed him as a homosexual (something illegal in the UK during that time), leading to his death. He was 41.
It was not until 2021 that the truth about what his codes did for humanity as a whole and what the British had done to him was finally released to the internet.

-The secret organisations that the former allies had continued to keep the supernatural hidden for decades, and with the formation of the UN some of them joined forces, creating a global task force to keep the lie in place. Some supernatural beings (especially Vampires) made deals with world governments in order to remain hidden, maintaining the Masquerade they had kept in place for centuries via new means.

-Thanks to the council created by the UN and major efforts by all nations involved there were only a few incidents across the decades that risked exposure. As information became more readily available, the risk of exposure only increased further. Social media was a curse, and one the council thought about putting an end to. Proposals to police the internet itself were suggested, such as SOPA and Article 13. Although the latter passed despite massive protest, before it could be properly implemented it was too late. The secret was out.
The plan would have been to gradually police the internet, country by country until there was little to no risk of the supernatural being exposed via social media.

-From here onward, a lot of this stuff is common knowledge as there's a good chance the majority of characters actually lived through it.-​

In early 2020, tensions between Russia and Ukraine escalated once again. Both America and UK were having crises of their own in the form of political ones and overall the world was in a rather unstable place. Some beings favoured this, as they could feed off of the fear and anger while others welcomed the diversion. If the world was more focused on political breakdowns and inevitable environmental catastrophe the silver lining they found was that people wouldn't realise the truth.
With other nations distracted with problems of their own, a lone Russian trooper walked into Pervomaisk and shot at civilians. Although these were the actions of one man, the diplomatic mess that followed led to all out war between Ukraine and Russia.

While the two troops fought in Pervomaisk, a shell fired from one of the sides struck a church on October 14th, 2020. Documented by various world news outlets, the world watched as the church was swallowed by a portal to Hell and the entire town was lost within a few hours of heavy fighting. The Ukrainians and Russians put aside their differences for a few days, and backed by the UN marched back into the town a few days later and sealed the portal with help from the UN council designed to study and contain supernatural beings.

Although the world was saved, the damage had been done. Devils realised that their lie, something they depended upon for a lot of soul contracts had been shattered. There was no going back so they dug their heels in. Furthermore, a lot of demons escaped and spread across Eurasia.
The Masquerade snapped four days later when the American President and a good chunk of Congress was assassinated on live TV by a rogue faction of Vampires who saw the chaos as an ideal opportunity to stage a coup of the United States.

They were branded as traitors to their species and most of them died not too long after. With Vampires exposed, other types of undead soon followed.
The last to be exposed was the Strange, followed not too long after by other supernatural beings. Reviewing footage from Pervomaisk, a few people on the internet spotted beings fighting on the side of the UN against the demons, mistaking them for demons.

Fearing a massive backlash as it went viral and reached global news, the UN had to release a statement that basically threw the small amount of Fey they had working for them under the bus for a fear of religious groups turning to extremism against them on a massive scale, and some countries (not part of the council) withdrawing from the UN outright.
The Fey went into hiding not long after, and with the curtain lifted more and more species were exposed to the world almost daily.

By 2021, the world was being reshaped by the events of October 14th 2020 and not in a good way. Many had used the panic at attempts for gaining power or wealth. Some CEOs were handed massive contracts by militaries of world powers to develop weapons and other means of combating these new threats. Over the next few years the development of special weapons and cybernetics greatly increased. By 2040, the biggest businesses are in cybernetics and special weapons with the world's richest individual being a man who catered his inventions to numerous world governments. The world's first trillionaire.

Religion became more popular, with the Catholic Church in particular seeing a resurgence in followers after several decades of unpopular scandal. With the help of world governments many of the large religious groups were given their own militias to protect the public from demons, devils and other outsiders that were deemed a threat to humanity.
However, there was also a rise in oppressive theocratic movements and religious extremism. Hate crime against certain groups surged wildly in the short years following October 14th. Groups already vulnerable in a lot of countries were turned into refugees as many countries adopted oppressive and theocratic governments or fell to dictators. Those that stayed behind had to do so in hiding for a risk of imprisonment or worse.

England in particular had a crisis (more on that later), while in the former USA many of these individuals fled to Canada or Mexico, with a minor portion going to the Caribbean. Overall there was a large movement of people, which led to other problems. Vampires, Devils and High Fey looked at this refugee crisis the same way they did with any refugee crisis.
Europe in the 30s and 40s, Syria in the 2000s and 2010s...They made deals or tricked people for their own gain. It led to a lot of these beings becoming more powerful overall.

Ireland, Japan, Korea and Australia were the four largest countries to notice this shift in power and so relaxed their laws for a fear of one being becoming too powerful. Others did not listen. The global refugee crisis lasted from 2022 until 2030 when a billionaire, also tasked with various contracts from governments put his foot down and told the countries he was contracted to that if they did not relax their laws he would stop developing his technology.
With an ever changing world and new threats emerging seemingly every month, they agreed. Laws were relaxed, and the power they had handed to the churches was slowly stripped away.

However, many countries did not for the companies dealing with their contracts were owned by the world's first trillionare. Who, although assisted during the crisis was not willing to "risk the safety of the humanity, for the sake of a few"
Furthermore, Iceland became a haven for these people when feeling from Europe and the development of new territory on Greenland assisted in efforts as well. The billionaire and Denmark (overall the Scandinavian countries were more relaxed) worked together to build suitable housing on the once thought uninhabitable place.

Although Ukraine and Russia drew up peace agreements to combat the portal to Hell other countries, with tensions going back centuries exploded into war in the years following that fateful October day.
-Pakistan and India had a number of skirmishes along their border, nearly going nuclear in 2024/2025 following the collapse of the United Nations. However, China and Iran stepped in and had the two nations sit down "or else"...It worked. Uneasy peace is still peace.

-After breaking off from the rest of the UK, Scotland and England nearly went to war during the refugee crisis over a clash of ideologies in 2022. MAD (mutually assured destruction) prevented this from going further and instead both nations funded for a border wall to be drawn at the line between Scotland and England. Some northern territories, which had wanted to break off from England and join Scotland were absorbed in return for Scotland contributing more to the massive construct. The Holy British Empire and it's neighbour in Scotland are only peaceful due to MAD.

-Israel and Iran fought a bloody conflict after the attempted coup of the United States. Nobody is sure who fired the first shot, only that in the ensuing war millions were killed. No nukes were fired due to a supernatural being shutting off Israel's nuclear weapons and Iran not yet possessing the capabilities. Instead, a bloody ground war was fought that started in 2021 and has continued to this day.
With neither capable of nuclear weapons they began a different kind of arm's race, weaponizing supernatural beings.

-Following the attempted coup, the USA had a 2nd Civil War that led to the New Founding Fathers taking power after four years of conflict. In the end, the New Founding Fathers won and America became a theocratic dictatorship under the High Father.

-In late 2019 Northern Ireland was looking to step into the future. Equal marriage rights among other laws were passed due to the absence of a Stormont executive. In early 2020 there were talks of a joint leadership between the Republic of Ireland and the UK ruling the territory given it's absence of an actual government. This led to some outbreaks of violence, but nothing compared to the original "Troubles" so talks continued. That was until October happened and the once theocratic state turned on itself in a way that made the original conflict look small by comparison. The UK withdrew completely, leaving the now North of Ireland to fend for itself as it developed into the HBE while the Republic tried to gain control, dampening things to an extent but overall the territory is still a war-zone in the cities with small outbreaks violence in rural communities happening from time to time.

The second "Troubles" has claimed almost as many lives in twenty years as the first did in over half that time.

-Following the attempted coup in America, North Korea took advantage mere hours after the President and Congress were killed on TV and marched troops to it's border with South Korea. The South marched it's own troops to the border in retaliation and what followed was a 48 hour standoff. China (being an ally of NK) attempted to reach out to the United States (who had been progressing with talks in NK and was SK's ally) but the sworn in designated survivor was an inexperienced and young Senator.
Talks broke down, and the Second Korean war followed. With the majority of US forces scattered across the Middle East, in Ukraine or being called back to the homefront following the coup and the majority of Chinese forces in Ukraine and dealing with an incursion within their own country the two old enemies were left to fend for themselves.

The Second Korean War only lasted a fortnight, as a supernatural assassin deployed by South Korea took out North Korea's leader along with his top generals. A well-placed ally to the House of Un had been a shapechanger sleeper agent, a contingency plan for a second conflict.
With the leadership eliminated in one strike, many lower Generals and officials surrendered. There is no North of South Korea anymore, just Korea.

-Mere days after the portal in Ukraine was sealed, four more opened across the world. They were a lot smaller in size but just as dangerous. One opened in Poland, another in China, one in Brazil and the last in Uganda. Due to Poland sharing a border with Ukraine, forces were able to scramble to Warsaw quickly and seal the portal before it could deal a lot of damage. Not counting the fifty brave souls that gave their lives sealing the portal, there were one hundred casualties. A pin prick compared to the massacre in Ukraine.
China, Brazil and Uganda were not as lucky. Even though Brazil was able to seal the portal within two days of heavy fighting, the capital was lost and in the years that followed the majority of the country fell as well.
It is now divided between warlords, seven powerful Lords of Hell.

The portal in China opened over Beijing and the army quickly scrambled to contain it. However, the portal released some kind of unholy plague that resurrected the dead. For every man, woman or child killed their body would rise again. It took years for the military to take the country back, retaking Beijing itself in 2030 (part of the reason why they didn't want a war between Pakistan and India was in case it led to more of the undead) However, the plague remained and since then China has had a strict policy in regards to the dying.
Although mostly focused on China, the plague spread in smaller clusters to surrounding nations. Rather than everybody returning to attack the living it is only a small few, 1 in 200-1 in 10,000 depending on the distance.

As for Uganda, it was lost and the demons unleashed from the portal spread over the African continent. The portal was shut after an international operation, but the damage had already been done. Demons spread across Africa.

 

[The Mad Queen]

The Outsiders are classed into three main groups, with a fourth for "Other"
​

Spoiler: The Dead

This label goes to anything that has died and has returned in one form or another. Whether that is an undead corpse of the phantom of a creature unable to pass on. Beings half-undead (such as a child of a human and Vampire or Ghouls) also go into this category.

Zombies
This is a very broad term, applying to any being brought back to life but the term applies to two sub-categories.
There are the Mindless Ones and the Sentient Zombie

Mindless Ones: These are your mindless soldiers, marching or sometimes charging forwards with the intent on following their master or just devouring everything in their path. One or two of them isn't really a problem but Necromancers are bastards and sometimes anyone a Mindless One kills just joins the ranks of the dead (as was the case in China). Shot to the head or heart will put them down and like almost everything, fire does the trick as well.

Sentient Zombie: Those brought back to life with their mind and self-control still intact. Through advanced necromancy or Voodoo, the dead person comes back with a varied range of success. In some cases they can just return to their old lives, so long as they are careful. Sometimes these beings come back with supernatural powers but sometimes they deteriorate. This happens when the body has come back without the soul, or if the ritual was botched. They start to crave the flesh of the living or become homicidal. This process can happen over a long period of time, or can even overnight.

Vampires
Like zombies, these beings fit into two sub-categories.

Elders: The more traditional and monstrous Vampire, they're taller than a man, ranging between 2.13 and 3.65 meters (7-12ft). They are a lot more powerful than their younger counterparts, and despite their size are able to easily hide in the shadows. Among being skilled in blood magic, they can turn to mist and command minions. Their Ghouls are mindless servants with some Vamperic abilities, puppets they control every action of.
These creatures are the remnants of a long-dead age, and are quite rare. Unlike the newer generation of Vampires they don't turn humans, merely creating Ghouls and so an Elder can only be created via breeding with another of their kind.

Sunlight burns them, but won't kill them unless exposed to intense sunlight over a period of time. Fire seems to work, as well as magic but the only way to kill one for sure is a stake to the heart, followed by decapitation, dismemberment and then finally to burn everything and scatter the ashes.
Just to be sure.
They often see humans as little more than cattle but on the rare off-chance that they decide to breed with one, this creates a half-Vampire. Damphirs easily get mistaken for New Gens but find it harder to blend into human society due to their unnaturally pale skin and unusual eye colours.

New Gens: A distant descendent of the Elders, these are the more human counterparts. They're more human but if they refuse to drink they slowly go mad and feral, eventually attacking anything with a pulse if they go long enough without blood. There's also a chance that a Vampire can go insane upon the embrace, but this is rare, the product of a botched embrace of a cursed bloodline.
They're stronger, faster and more durable than humans but not by much if you compare them to an Elder. The older they get, the more powerful they become
Characterised by pale skin, these creatures can blend in with humanity as they can drop their fangs at will and their eyes only change colour while feeding or as a sign of dominance. Sunlight is a weakness to them but it is more of an irritation, like sunburn rather than the intense burning down to the Elders.

Fire is another weakness but a stake to the heart ends up putting them in a coma-like state, the only way to wake them up is to yank it out and give the Vampire a drop of blood.
These Vampires can also create their own Ghouls, human beings with very weak Vamperic abilities (strength, healing and speed) and are bound via a blood bond, making them infatuated slaves.

Ghosts
A very much umbrella term for the soul of a once living being stuck on Earth. Sometimes they have been bound by magic, or perhaps they have unfinished business. Many religious orders see them as little more than lost souls, and will actually assist try to assist them in passing on (a sharp contrast to their polices on other undead, and outsiders in general).
Humans and animals alike can become ghosts, and their abilities and appearance range from invisible ghosts that can barely interact with their environment to more physical presences, able to pass as the living to those able to inflict grievous wounds onto the living with a mere touch or even kill them.
Depending on the ghost, rocksalt may hold them at bay or destroy them outright while in the case of more powerful ghosts rocksalt will only annoy them but they can be held back or even stopped by magic and runes.

In other circumstances, they are bound by certain rules (likely in relation to their cause of death) and can be tricked into not causing an individual harm. A notable example of this is an infamous Japanese ghost called Kuchisake-onna who will ask her victims a question before attacking them.
No two ghosts are the same, but there are a few set things that every ghost has in common.
The older a ghost is, the more powerful it tends to be but remaining too long on the Earthly plane is dangerous as the ghost will slowly start to go mad over the centuries.
Vengeful spirits tend to be a more powerful than those who died more peacefully and also tend to go mad faster.

Mummies
Some of these creatures are perhaps older than human civilisation itself and the practice of wrapping a body up to preserve it wasn't just done by the Egyptians. Old cultures across the world did it from the Americas to Australia and even across Europe bog bodies exist where a mixture between the mud from a bog and old magic preserved them.
The same old magic used to preserve them is some pretty powerful stuff, with the most powerful being Egyptian or Mayan in origin. Wielding curses, disease and necromancy among other things a single Mummy is a force to be reckoned with.

The process to actually destroy a Mummy involves destroying their tomb or whatever qualifies as one. Fire seems to slow them down, but regular weapons will only annoy them unless they're blessed with the right magic.

Spoiler: The Damned

Creatures tied to or from one of the domains of Hell.

Demons
Animalistic creatures born in Hell, demons are somewhat intelligent but lack overall sentience. They live for wanton destruction, they thrive on bloodshed, their "society" is constant conflict and infighting. They follow no rules only serving those who they believe could kill them if they disobeyed. They come into being fully formed, forged in Hell from sinful concepts and more often than not become the attack dogs for Devils. The majority of demons are born from the eight deadly sins, but can also be born from other, evil actions such as human sacrifice.
Among their abilities are superhuman strength, speed, human/animal possession and the control of Hellfire and their forms can vary. Everything from winged beasts to goat-headed humanoids.

Devils
Devils are either born in Hell or are formed there, the souls of former humans that have been twisted by the realm they were trapped in and stripped of their humanity. How Hell changes them depends very much on what territory they were sent to, often a reflection of the sins they committed in life or of deals made for their immortal soul.
Not everyone sent to Hell and twisted into Devils was wicked in life. Some were wrongfully sent there or were screwed over by a higher Devil in a deal. Regardless as to the how they made up there, they are stripped of their humanity over decades, even centuries of torment into the inhuman and wicked Devils.
Being sentient, not all Devils are inherently evil but these are very much in the minority.

Their powers are often tied to the Eight Deadly Sins (Pride, Greed, Lust, Envy, Gluttony, Wrath, Sloth and Despair) but can typically take human form (mostly in able to manipulate humans), posses individuals and use pyromancy. There is a pecking order in Hell, with Higher Devils commanding subjects and the currency is based off of souls.
The most powerful of the Sins are Pride, Greed and Wrath, with the weakest being Gluttony and Sloth.

Devils can also produce offspring with human beings, leading to the creation of Succubi. These are especially common among Lust devils.

Spoiler: The Strange

Creatures tied to or from the Feywilds. The Fey have a hierarchy of sorts, with the most powerful being dubbed Archfey or even High Fey in some cases. These higher beings can rule over domains of the Feywilds, literally shaping them to their will. Needless to say, not all of them are friendly. They are tricky beings, often playing games with mortals and lesser beings with some even snatching humans from our realm and reshaping them into Changelings.
Thankfully, the High Fey are bound to the Feywilds and the further and further they step between their realm and the human realm the less powerful they become.
A High Fey present in the human realm would be about as powerful as an Elder Vampire, and upon death would have part of their essence transported back to their own realm.

Changelings
Humans abducted by Fey get replaced by beings called Changelings. The younger, the easier it is for the Changeling to blend in. Sometimes these Changelings, as they grow up are completely oblivious to their true origins. The Fey prefer them younger, probably due to the gullibility of children or as their replacements find it easier to blend in. People might get abducted due to deals made, a powerful Fey looking for a slave or maybe even a friend.
Changelings have a limited connection to the Feywild dimension, able to wield a small amount of power. If it goes unchecked it can cause problems as the Changelings can manipulate nature or luck to small degrees.
Outside of some powerful Fey magic there isn't really a way to tell if someone is a Changeling unless witnessing their powers.

Dryads
These Fey are guardians of the forest, of the green and each Dryad is tied to a specific tree or in some cases, a forest so if they were to lose it they'd go mad, lashing out at whoever brought harm to it.
If you leave the green alone, they're friendly enough but should a Dryad lash out fire and iron are their biggest weaknesses.
They can appear human, but can be easy enough to spot as they won't eat human food, instead relying on soaking up sunlight and water to sustain themselves.
Control over nature in some aspects, growing roots or getting forest critters to do their bidding is on their list of powers.


Pixies
Perhaps the best-known and most elusive of all Fey creatures, Pixies live in the deepest, most pristine forests of the Feywilds, but their insatiable curiosity often leads them far from home. Most pixies stand just over 5 inches tall, though they typically fly about the eye level of creatures they're conversing with in order to maintain eye contact and weigh about 30 pounds.
Their tiny nature makes them an asset to the High Fey, who utilise them as messengers, scouts and even soldiers across the Feywilds and into the human realm. They can also masquerade as human beings by growing in size, but an autopsy will reveal their true nature (unlike Changelings).

Hedge beasts
The term Hedge beast is an umbrella term to refer to a species of Fey who appear to be Earthly creatures, more a descriptor than a race or breed. Within its far-reaching descriptor are included the vast majority of those who appear largely as mundane animals but have human (or greater) intellect and the ability to speak. They are sometimes helpful, in their own way, to other Fey but it can also be risky to trust a Hedge Beast too far. Their appearance is deceiving; they are neither ordinary animals given intelligence nor creatures of pure symbolic personality. The beast formed like an intelligent lion is not guaranteed to react with a pure lion’s instinct, or to be nearly as noble as mythical lions are said to be. Hedge Beasts are what they are, and just as all goblins, what Hedge Beasts are is often quite capricious.
Their intelligence varies heavily, with some being purely animalistic while others would be able to carry out a full conversation.

Fetchspawn
Due to being so rare, many assume Fetchspawn are just the stuff of legend. Changelings can't reproduce with humans, the Fey blood just prevents such things but in the very rare exceptions when a Changeling does reproduce, the result is a twisted being capable of wrecking havoc. They consume faerie magic like a parasite but never seem to be full, walking about like a living sinkhole. Normal weapons don't seem to do much, and given they consume Faerie magic like a drug it seems only blessed weapons harm them, with iron still being capable of holding them back.
They age like us up like humans until their 21st birthday before they are called into the Feywilds, never to be seen again.

Spoiler: Other

A label given to other supernatural creatures that don't belong in the big three. Beings from dimensions outside of Hell and the Feywilds as well as beings native to the Earthly plane. While this list expands greatly, here are a few examples:

Shapeshifters
Humans that can take on the forms of beasts such as the Skinwalker (native to the Americas and Europe) and the Werewolf (origins going back to Scandinavian countries). Although not human, Merefolk are classed into this category due to their ability to take human form.

Lycanthrope
The origins of the Werewolf in particular started in Scandinavian, spreading out into the world during the Viking conquests. Only those with Scandinavian blood can master the curse, able to change at will and remain in control when they're towering above humans and howling at the moon. Those who get scratched or bitten by these big dogs and as a result of not having Viking blood in their veins end up cursed to change every full moon, going feral. Another version of this bloodline also started in Ireland, where Werewolf families served as protectors.
However, the Werewolf is not the only of these beings. Weretigers and Werespiders trace their bloodline back to Asia, but don't seem to have the same curse as the Werewolf. The Werebear traces it's bloodline back to Russia and appears to be curse-free as well.

Superhuman strength, durability, speed and although regular old weapons will slow them the only fatal compound is silver. They also heal pretty quick but fire slows this down.
The option on the Lycanthrope is mixed among religious groups and governments as they are human in origin. Some groups choose to lock individuals up for their own protection (and to preserve their souls), seeing it as a curse while others see them as just another monster to be put down.
Now, there are other types of Lycanthropes. Werebears, Weretigers, Werespiders to name a few but the most popular is the Werewolf.
Weretigers and Werespiders trace their bloodline back to Asia, but don't seem to have the same curse as the Werewolf. The Werebear traces it's bloodline back to Russia and appears to be curse-free as well.

Skinchangers
In the pre-Roman British Isles these were Druidic witches with the ability to change into animals and while the Romans wiped most of them out, a small population survived in Ireland given the Romans chose not to conquer Hibernia. Across the Atlantic there are Skinwalkers, native to the Americas and associated with Native American tribes. Much like the Druidic Skinchangers they too were mostly wiped out. Upon death, they revert back to human form.
Nobody can "become" a Skinchanger per say as it's in the blood.

Merefolk
Over seventy percent of the ocean is unexplored (it had previous been ninety five publicly but the UN covered up many findings) and within the deep blue lurk these creatures. While some Mermaids are friendly, regarding humankind with a degree of curiosity not all are. Put it down to a hunger for human flesh or a wrath directed at humanity for crimes against the ocean but Sirens and some Mermaids are known to attack sailors among other things.
Abilities include human form among other things like talking to fish, manipulating water or singing wayward sailors to their graves with a hypnotising voice.

They are not the only creatures lurking in the ocean but their civilisation did threaten war with the surface world prior to 2020. As such the then UN drew up a treaty, one some countries have chosen to respect even since it's collapse in regards to fishing quotas and dumping in the ocean.

Eldrich
A term given to creatures not from our plane who don't sit with "the big three" in terms of outsiders.

Earthborn
A term given to creatures native to our plane who don't sit with "the big three" in terms of outsiders. Before their extinction, this would have included giants.

 

[The Mad Queen]

Feel free to suggest more.

Knights Templar​

A military order that serves the Catholic Church that was initially founded in 1119AD and recognised until 1312AD when they were suppressed by Pope Clement V. However, this order continued to exist in secret where their objective was to hunt down outsiders (especially the damned) in the name of Christ. Due to their use of sorcery, "fighting fire with fire" they were kept a close secret by the Church, with in many instances the Pope himself being unaware of their existence throughout the centuries.
After October 14th, 2020 the Catholic Church unveiled the the Templars to the world to act as divine protectors.
Bankrolled by the Church and trained for years, these fierce warriors carry out the will of their God. While mostly used to cleanse areas of outsiders, they also act as Inquisitors and more often than not abuse their power. Witchhunts have made a return, and like in Salem are used to dispose of enemies rather than rid the land of potential outsiders.

Witcher's Association
(Suggested by Aleki )​

Professionals in slaying monsters and demons, this organisation dates back to the dark ages. Outside of governments and churches these individuals are tasked with being "the scalpel rather than the hammer" when it comes to beasts. They are even known to work with some sentient outsiders, much to the dismay of many governments and churches who merely tolerate their practises due to their effectiveness, and not wanting to risk their own personnel. They work for coin, having no political power but their order does give them the law of surprise, allowing them to take what they want from somebody who they saved. This includes taking children to train them as future Witchers, with the Witcher even being able to make a claim on an unborn child.

Paladins​

Not to be confused with the Knights Templar, Paladins are a Branch of security forces active in several territories with some countries having their own branch of Paladins (Holy British Empire, Russia, Chile, Mexico, Korea, France, Spain, Ireland and Germany). While the HBE branch act closer to the Knights Templar and are dedicated to preserving the Empire more than human lives (with the Russian and Spanish branches following similar policies) the Paladins overall are a peacekeeping force akin to medieval knights who swear an oath of Chivalry and to protect the public from outsiders that would threaten them.

Outfitted with military-grade tech and trained to be deadly warriors, a single Paladin is a force to be reckoned with.

S.W.D​

S.W.D or Scottish Wall Defence are a military organisation who act as guards on the wall between Scotland and the Holy British Empire. Although a war between the Scottish Republic and the HBE is unlikely life on the wall is tough as these defenders are trained to be the best Scotland has to offer, for they will be the first line of defence between the Republic and the HBE. Service in the S.W.D is for life, and as such some criminals have the option to be sent there rather than face jailtime. It's also not uncommon for outsiders to also be stationed at the wall as the Scottish Republic is far more accepting than it's neighbour.

Many veterans were called back into service when the wall was being constructed to oversee the training of new recruits. These hardened men and women, many of them veterans of the war of 2020 have whipped a new generation of protectors into shape.

Highlanders ​

The Scottish Republic's own version of Paladins, Highlanders are a bit more lenient than their counterparts across the globe as outsiders can actually serve within their ranks. Their duty is to protect the Scottish people first from any danger, whether that be supernatural, domestic or foreign. Although their polices may be more relaxed, their combat prowess is not. As the sworn defenders of the Scottish people, they carry with them their fierceness.

New Founding Fathers​

After the 2nd American Civil War, the New Founding Fathers came to power and transformed America in an oppressive theocracy. Such a change did not come without resistance, and this dictatorship has their own "peacekeeing" force installed across all states in order to keep the new government in place. Supported by advanced cybernetics and robotics (mainly drones) the NFF sees no signs of falling to resistance anytime soon. Their soldiers are sworn to defend the NFF and their ideals at any cost, preserving God and America and are also active on the border between Canada and Mexico, preventing people from feeling to other countries. Those that are caught at the border are deemed traitors and made an example of.

America no longer has a President per say, being ruled under the High Father and his followers.

The Free America Movement:​

During the 2nd American Civil War, the designated survivor President saw how dire the situation was. Most of America's armed forces were stationed overseas, fighting in the wars of 2020 or were still on their way home following the attempted coup by the Vamperic faction. As such, he sought about arming local militias to fight against NFF forces. While this decision was unpopular (and saw some people joining the NFF side) it did buy him time, and gave birth to a Resistance following the NFF taking the White House and executing him on live TV. Some of these militias continued fighting, while other fled underground. The latter survived
The Free America movement was born out of mixed militias with different political and religious beliefs, with many of their members belonging to groups that suffered under the heel of the NFF's oppressive theocracy. Knowing that an all-out fight with the NFF is suicide they instead focus on moving underground, causing minor disruption and assisting those who the NFF has targeted (including getting them across the border).

The Ghazi​

While the Catholic Church has the Knights Templar, the 2nd most popular religion on Earth has it's own holy warriors. (غازي‎, ġāzī) originally referred to individuals who participated in ghazw (غزو, ġazw), meaning military expeditions or raiding but since the events of 2020 it has been rebranded. The modern-day Ghazi are defenders of the Islamic faith and the people who follow it against outsiders and other threats. Although they don't officially answer to any nations, they are bankrolled by the Saudis and other factions across the Middle-East, Africa and Asia and as such their operations are focused within those areas.
Some ex-Jihads were taken on board to train warriors in exchange for amnesty for past crimes, while others served as "practice" for these holy defenders. However, similar to their Christian Counterparts The Ghazi also act as Inquisitors and are known to abuse their power.

The Collective​

This international organisation operated from the shadows for centuries. World governments and royalty were manipulated or even brought into the fold. In truth, 'The Collective' is a term dubbed by others, as the official name isn't known but what has been gathered is that they are a secret order of Vampires and spellcasters, with even some Devils and Fey also being involved and at the beginning of the 21st century they were at the height of their power. The UN council was in their back pocket, and with proposals on policing the internet being pushed it looked like their Masquerade would remain in place for the next few decades at least.
The existence of "outsiders" would become known to mankind eventually but the plan of The Collective was to gently and slowly break the news over the next few decades.
2020 threw such plans out the window, and not long after the UN threw The Collective under the bus. Through threats, blackmail and favours the organisation itself wasn't exposed and so retreated even further back into the shadows.
There were splinters and conflicts within the organisation, with many Devils in particular leaving. Since then they have tried to take back control of a world that looks more and more chaotic by the day. Centuries of work was thrown out and so now The Collective looks to start over.

Although very few humans actually know about them, they are whispered about in outsider circles and can provide assistance to those in need...For a price, of course.