Greetings!
I have wondered about how a society might view actual shapechangers and Lycanthropes. In D&D of course, most such creatures are terrible monsters and of an evil alignment.
However, from a Norse perspective, through history and at least through some of the myths, such shapechangers were a part of the community. Such shapechangers often appeared as villains, and were bloodthirsty and violent--but not always so. The predominant kinds of shapechangers seem to be bear people, wolf people, and boar people, with some also being raven people and eagle people.
Apart from using such creatures or characters as villains and monsters in your campaigns, have you embraced such creatures in a positive manner in some of your communities?
I think the implications from cultivating whole tribes or parts of a tribe as inherited shapechangers as being pretty intriguing from a variety of angles, for both potential NPC's and Player Characters alike.
Semper Fidelis,
SHARK