HUMANS (plural, singular is human) - do humans really need a description? Look around you. Humans cannot be simply put into a box and have that as their designated characteristics. The only thing that can be said, and known, about humans is that they cannot be good or evil - they will always hover between the two, though they may sway towards one particular side.
The guarded humans are those who are balanced perfectly in between good and evil, perfectly neutral. And they must stay this way, or else ...
Humans exist solely on the corporeal plane, unless their spirits are taken from their bodies to the ethereal plane, either through trance or through death.
BENAEVO (plural, singular is benevo) - They are purity, truth, and goodness right to the heart of all matters. Too pure, too honest, and too good to be able to exist at peace with other beings, even their own kind- goodness, like evil, will consume itself. If one benevo speaks out against fighting the Maloe, he will be viewed as tainted, and turned on - and considering they are "good", wouldn't they be speaking against war often? They generally have more human forms, but the more powerful amongst them have white swan-like wings; this is where the concepts of angels came from, through appearances to humankind when they manifested themselves on the corporeal plane.
Their queen is Explyoe, whose powers range across the whole spectrum of disciplines the Benaevo may control. Explyoe is known to humans as the arch-angel Gabriel - indeed, she did use this name when she came amongst them to herald the coming of Christ, but it is due to a misinterpretation later on, when the Bible was first being written, that the assumption formed that Gabriel was in fact a male. It is still hotly debated today by the Benaevo that this was deliberate, the society of that time being chauvanistic as it was.
The Benaevo derive their powers from the realms of the ethereal plane devoted to Air and Water (this also explains how Jesus was able to walk across the water as he did, and how he filled the nets of his disciples with so much fish that the nets nearly broke), and these areas are where they make their homes. Their power is strongest at night, and also waxes in strength during autumn and winter, when the growth of plants has slowed and the heat of the sun has dissipated - this is when the powers of Air and Water surge.
A HISTORY LESSON
The Benaevo and Maloe have been around since the beginning of time, and have been at war for all this time. The Dreamfolk were created later, once "god", the power at the centre of the universe, saw that balance could not be maintained by the existance of the Benaevo and Maloe alone - a fulcrum was needed. With the introduction of the Dreamfolk, times of peace occurred by their intervention, such as the last 65 million years on Earth, where their battles have been staged. The evolution of small mammals to apes didn't create much interest amongst the Benaevo and Maloe initially, but the Dreamfolk sensed that these ever-more intelligent creatures were about to play a big part in the wars between good and evil. Indeed, once apes evolved further yet, and eventually to homo sapiens, the species which exists today, the Benaevo and Maloe began to see how they might influence this relatively physically weak race ... but they hadn't counted on the fact that the Dreamfolk had been working with the increasingly smarter race, making them stronger in spirit, and protecting them. So, the Benaevo came up with a plan to try and sway the humans to their side, to swing the balance towards good, which they believed was what "god" wanted. They implemented this plan a little over 2000 years ago.
Jesus existed; he was one of the Benaevo who manifested himself into the corporeal world permanently, a noble sacrifice to try and sway the humans towards goodness and purity. But the Maloe learned of the Benaevo's plan, and set out to thwart it. Myscheeph, a malocen, possessed Judas, and led the disciple to betray Jesus. Then, on the day Pontius Pilate presented Jesus and Barrabas, the Maloe gathered amongst the crowds, spreading their influence such that the crowd chose for Jesus to be put to death. From then on, the ideas the Benaevo had been trying to set in the human mind were corrupted, leading to the "crusades" and "holy wars" throughout history - this was the balance attempting to restore itself, and still is occuring today.
MALOE (plural, singular is malocen) - They are faithless, dishonest, dark, and evil right to the core. Without morals, without the ability to speak truthfully, without the understanding of what peace is, how can they be at peace with anyone, including themselves? The Maloe tend to have forms more bestial than those of the Dreamfolk or Benaevo, though their lord, Maelyficus, has a human-like form. In fact, Maelyficus took on a form very similar to those of the Dreamfolk, in mockery of them. He is known to the humans as the Devil, Satan, Lucifer, and a score of other aliases, and is rather proud of this - he is named as the nemesis of "god", while his arch-enemy Explyoe is simply a messenger.
The Maloe get their powers from the realms of the ethereal plane devoted to Earth and Fire (which neatly explains the concept of hell - those few people unlucky enough to have their spirits torn from their bodies for a few moments by the Maloe, and taken to this area of the ethereal plane, described it as being a dark place, a network of caverns with pits of molten lava, and flames licking the walls. Lucky for them, their spirits returned, if a little battered, to their bodies once the trance was broken), and this is where they dwell, though they tend to work more with Fire than Earth. Their powers are strongest during the day, and waxes in strength during spring and summer, when the cold bite of the winds have faded and the frosts have melted - this is the time when the powers of Fire and Earth surge.
DREAMFOLK (plural, singular is dream) - They are faithful and disloyal, trusting and suspicious, gentle and cold-hearted, the blurred grey area between good and evil; they are neutrality. Like the humans, they can be swayed towards either good or evil; like the humans, this is the only time they will be hated/attacked by their own kind. The Dreamfolk are created directly from the matter which makes up "god" itself - the Maloe and Benaevo were created of the same substance that the universe was made with, but the Dreamfolk are truly the children of "god". The Dreamfolk, being stuck between good and evil as they are, take forms between those of the Benaevo and Maloe, half animal, half human. Their leader is Ja'hmeira, the most powerful and the most precariously balanced, among them - their rulers are those who have the animal form of a mythical beast. The Dreamfolk rarely appear as they are amongst humans, and have the ability to take on any form they wish to, most often appearing as just another person in the crowd, or a stray animal.
The Dreamfolk have powers that cover the whole spectrum, but their true power comes from the part of the ethereal realm devoted to Aether, that spiritual power that can overwhelm others if used correctly. This area is where they tend to live (though they will often stay by their human's side), and can be shaped in any manner, to whatever they desire. Their power does not wax and wane, but remains steady, neither weak nor strong but deadly if used accurately. At any time of year, they will be in battle; their opponents depend on the seasons.
... home ...
... so it begins ...
... the cast ...