An idea I thought would be interesting is to construct a world where humanity and some mythological species actually existed in constant conflict. Introduce an unique disease, have it effect humanity with a great toll, and then they become the hunted. I wrote this short blurb to basically play out the idea:
« Since the dawn of mankind and its first contact with another humanoid species, they have been in a state of perpetual conflict. The "beasts" was their name to man, and little was learned about them, probably due to how cautious they were of man. The opposite however can be said of the "beasts", who studied man scrutinously. Three thousand years passed from their first contact and both sides had confined the other from spreading throughout the world. While both advanced at a similar pace technologically, they both grew only further apart - spite stirring on both ends. In 3045 a strange fungi began to spread throughout mankind - its origin unknown. After becoming infected the human will slowly die over the course of 10 hours. With death red flowers and other foliage will sprout from the deceased corpse. This disease spread rapidly throughout the human population mainly localized in Europe - estimated at some 1.2 billion world wide of which 800 million were in Europe. After the first year of the infection the "beasts" began to slowly push at the borders hunting down man as the disease broke down society from within. A decade has passed since and approximately only 10% of the pre-catastrophe population remained. All were being pushed primarily into eastern costal regions of the Americas and East to Western Europe. A huge increase in temperature has also created warmer climates causing forests of the south to spread into Europe and the Amazons deeper into Northern America. Most human cities have been overrun by foliage. For humans it is rare to come across this disease now, but they face an even greater threat which is one of being hunted - for what ever reason - by their old adversary. »
Does this concept interest anyone?
« Since the dawn of mankind and its first contact with another humanoid species, they have been in a state of perpetual conflict. The "beasts" was their name to man, and little was learned about them, probably due to how cautious they were of man. The opposite however can be said of the "beasts", who studied man scrutinously. Three thousand years passed from their first contact and both sides had confined the other from spreading throughout the world. While both advanced at a similar pace technologically, they both grew only further apart - spite stirring on both ends. In 3045 a strange fungi began to spread throughout mankind - its origin unknown. After becoming infected the human will slowly die over the course of 10 hours. With death red flowers and other foliage will sprout from the deceased corpse. This disease spread rapidly throughout the human population mainly localized in Europe - estimated at some 1.2 billion world wide of which 800 million were in Europe. After the first year of the infection the "beasts" began to slowly push at the borders hunting down man as the disease broke down society from within. A decade has passed since and approximately only 10% of the pre-catastrophe population remained. All were being pushed primarily into eastern costal regions of the Americas and East to Western Europe. A huge increase in temperature has also created warmer climates causing forests of the south to spread into Europe and the Amazons deeper into Northern America. Most human cities have been overrun by foliage. For humans it is rare to come across this disease now, but they face an even greater threat which is one of being hunted - for what ever reason - by their old adversary. »
Does this concept interest anyone?