The Black Ash is an ancient relic, an evil beyond all human imagination and means. In the fifth century, with Rome and its empire in collapse, the Church secreted the Ash to Ireland for safekeeping. In time rumor and legend faded, it was all but forgotten. Over the centuries, however, its menace never subsided, and there remained those with dark ambitions who sought it. It was all but inevitable that one day the Ash would rise again. At that time, a few unlikely strangers would step forward and fight for the very future of mankind.