Synopsis: The First Angel

Mankind has, in the main, lost the ability to read the written word. The country has become a feudal theocracy and, in the days after the coldest of winters, a band of travelers set out from London to Canterbury to give thanks. But not all of them are what they seem. Black Jack Jackson, a Sheriff has been sent on the pilgrimage for the good of his soul and his friend Rat, a seller of relics, has come to look after him. They are joined by a Tale Speaker, a walking equivalent of a tabloid newspaper, the Manageress of a brothel who may very well be a Black Widow, and a frightened little girl who is certainly not what she seems.

In the past, a researcher called Eliza accidentally discovers the symbolic language that not only describes reality but which can be used to change it. She starts to have dreams about the pilgrims in the future and, over time, they start to see her. Are her dreams real, and will her experiments help to save the future or are they going to set in motion the events that destroyed the written word in the first place?

With the sum total of human knowledge and technology in his control, the archbishop wants to show the power of faith to change the world. He knows that angels exist, because he has genetically engineered one. But now she's run off somewhere and all his plans are at risk. He has to ensure she is brought back to him before anyone discovers what he has done.

As the travelers head towards Canterbury, they share their stories with one another and some dark truths start to unfold.