Saxon Blood

Periods of no solar flares called minimums, have been known to exist for centuries; the last (partial) minimum occurred in the 1640's which caused a mini ice-age. However, besides cooler temperatures, science is mostly unaware of any other effects. In the future, the sun once again turns its back on the solar system, plunging it into the deepest minimum ever known, but not everyone is surprised by it. At least one corporation appears to have a ten-year head start, an advantage they brutally exploit. As the world free-falls into another medieval period, humanity painfully re-learns that every superstition and tale of fantasy is the pinnacle of truth and knowledge. The lack of solar flares causes the pineal gland to reduce the amount of melatonin it creates (the sleep hormone), which causes mankind to be overall more awake and more able to see the real world around them with all it's horrors, at last making sense of superstition, folklore and all the unbelievable stories of our ancestors. Besides sharing the world with dwarfs, previously unknown natural laws endow mankind with the physical abilities to survive in such a brutal world. Those with pure Saxon blood flowing through their veins are particularly endowed, thus explaining why their ancestral race was never conquered. As the US Senate debates yet another war in Europe, the military domination of the West is quickly becoming meaningless as it appears the next world war will be fought with brute strength, swords and magic.