Samuel clapped his hands together, looking between those gathered with a hopeful, if scrutinizing eye.<strong>"I almost wish the trip over had taken a mite longer than it did, or perhaps we would have had more of a chance to get acquainted with one another!  I fear the days ahead may prove strenuous, and there shall be little time for talk.  I do take it that some of you know your way around a fight?"</strong><br/><br/>As classically handsome and sturdy of features as the man was, he certainly didn't seem like the sort to prove capable on the battlefield.  Whatever armor he had brought was no doubt in the backpack he struggled to carry, but the sword sheathed at his hip looked more for ornamentation than fencing.