Since the dawn of humanity, the supernatural have been right beside humans. They caused an uproar in the daily lives of humans, hunting them for food, or charming them to reproduce. They followed the progress of Western Civilization as that was where the majority of humans resided. As humans became more aware they started to fight back against the Supernatural. Hunters went on long crusades to displace and kill Supernatural beings for the protection of humanity. The Supernatural fought back, killing many hunters and innocent in their path. The casualties skyrocketed so high almost two thirds of Europe perished. By 1348, The Hunters and Supernatural in a full out war. At first the Supernatural had the upper hand, but as new advances in science came around, humans built stronger and better weapons. The Supernatural slowly dwindled, and by 1602 they lost the Great War. Supernatural went into hiding. These "Dark Ages" weren't happy. The Supernatural died from starvation and since some creatures couldn't go out into public with out being killed, they couldn't reproduce. Many races went extinct...
By 1800, a new trend in Europe came along. The Circus. Two vampires decided to repent for the horrors they caused upon humanity. They formed a circus were all the performers were supernatural beings. The circus became a safe haven for creatures of supernatural decent. They were well cared for life was good for them as they made a steady profit and were able to buy needed items to survive. Life started to look up.
The basic premise is Supernatural creatures trying to make a -mostly- honest living in society, by running a traveling circus in the, 1970's in Europe, using their *talents* to delight and amaze. Several of the monsters have been there for many years, and the circus is the closest they have ever had to a real family. Newcomers are welcomed wherever the circus travels, as long as they have some talent for performance, stagecraft, or construction, and are willing to suppress anymore animalistic nature they may have.
Any unusual vibe the customers get is usually soon banished by the wonders and amazement within the circus, unlike any other circus on the planet.
The circus is ran by the manager who deals with the more administrative side such as where to go and dealing with practical issues, and the ring master who deals with introducing acts and overseeing training. The two of them act as the 'Mother' and 'Father' to our little misshapen family. (They male will be me.)
Most of the monsters are far less violent than they have a reputation for being, and are trying to make a proper, if unusual, life.
The circus isn't a front for feeding on innocents or anything sinister; it's a genuine attempt to be appreciated by society for talents that can't openly be displayed...However, not all creatures in the circus are happy with the humans for the pain that was inflicted on them. They want revenge.