The year is 3015. Much has changed in post-apocalyptic earth. In the midst of the 21st century man spent most of his time destroying himself. Unfortunately he was very successful. Small-scale nuclear war and worldwide battles all but toppled the governments of the day - and the world was plunged into chaos. After roughly 700 years, civilization stabilized into what it is today; a conglomeration of city-states and republics roughly allied, whose boundaries are mostly determined by geography. No longer was race or ethnicity a factor in global society - most races had become intermingled by now. No longer did countries fight over expendable natural resources; what they wanted most was food. No longer did men strive for power over each other; men sought merely to survive. And no longer was the human race the same as before.

 

Nuclear radiation, depletion of the ozone layer, obscure biological weapons: they left the human race scarred for the rest of time. However, their effect was one that could not have been predicted. Over the course of a millennium, the human gene pool had been scarred and mutilated, reduced to a mere shadow of what it had once been. However, new characteristics began to rise from the ashes.

 

Though deformities and genetic diseases became almost common place, man found he had not only lost but also gained. The human race seemed to be gifted with an unnatural, unexplainable power. When battle trained, man was now capable of insane limits of strength and power. With practice, a man could double his speed. Almost every physical attribute seemed to be able be improved upon - and some capabilities had not yet reached the limit of improvement.

 

Though the world at general is in a state of reluctant peace, human nature is still as it was before. There exists an unseen underground, a network of thieves, killers, and the like. They are scattered bands across the world but they are dangerous - they do as they please and few can hold them accountable. The local governments cannot combat them because they have no army with which to respond with. They are kept at bay most often by the common people binding together and chasing them out. It is a state of precarious balance between peace and the Underground.

 

Human nature has not lost its thirst for power completely however. There are a more than a handful of people out in this new world whose main goal is power - power over men. It is these people, mixing along with those that are noble and seek the common good, which hold office and run the local governments. It is also these types of people who drive and lead the Underground.

 

Enter Lomyr. He is raised in a small village by monks at a local monastery far away from most human inhabitants. There he is taught some of the ancient ways of the samurai and the long-lost secrets of the original styles of kung fu. He is a hot headed youngster, unwilling to listen to his masters teaching. His master however, drills into him the lessons of patience, perseverance and determination. He learns not only to come into peace with the world around him, but also with himself. His master and fellow teachers recognize him as one with incredibly unique talents; though they are unable to pinpoint it, they know that he will be special and important in the world to come. These hopes are dashed however after he runs away recklessly and is kidnapped my roaming marauders. None know what he went through in this stage, but one thing is for certain; it evolved him from child to man. He emerged from the underground of violence and human filth, strong, stubborn and extremely strong-willed. He becomes somewhat the equivalent of a wandering ronin. Masterless, but with skills unmatched (those taught to him in his youth and those learned through pain in the underground), Lomyr travels from city to city, from state to state, searching for meaning, and searching for destiny.

 

Lomyr is at his core, good-hearted. Nothing will ever be able to change that in him. However, his edges have been roughened considerably in his lifetime and he is no stranger to violence. He enjoys seeing good triumph over evil, but most often sees the opposite. He intervenes when acceptable. He watches when it is not. He has kept a fairly low profile whilst living amongst the underground and in the world in general. Few know him by name, and fewer know of his strength. He is skilled with every sort of known weapon, and his hands are more often than not the deadliest weapon he carries. His mind is attuned to be able to react at lightning speed and he is sure and light-footed. He has been known to run across a forest bed of leaves and not disturb a single one of them. He is unconcerned with physical appearance and only worries about efficiency. That and his next meal.

 

The main antagonist is a man known as Cyrondul. Little is known of him, but most know not to tangle with him. He is said to have many ties to various organizations across the world. He is said to be capable of enormous strength though he rarely exhibits it. He presents himself as one seeking good, yet one cannot help but feel uneasy about him. He is somewhat of a giant among men, standing 6 feet 6 inches, where the average man is 5 foot 11. He is an intimidating presence not only physically but intellectually. He attended and eventually ended up teaching at one of the few universities around on earth. He is also said to have led his own school of martial arts (though it is said that his style a strong yet limited version, not on par with the original lost styles or martial art). He is a force to be reckoned with on any level.