Atheas - 

Adoptive father is the Grandmaster of the fighting order of the
Michelantis - second (or third?) rank - the highest secular rank.
After his adoptive mother's death from a lungsickness, his father
withd

Foreign knight appears - needs the ten best knights to help them in a
holy quest.  Word and prowess are doubted - he claims that God is on
his side so much that no one there can defeat him.  The Michel

No one could defeat him, but Atheas came the closest.  Worked harder
that he's ever worked before; Atheas is the person chosen (by the
foreign knight) as the commander of the other ten knights.  Within a
day's ride, Atheas is someplace he's never seen.

Brought to a site - win the battles, working harder than before - but
not as hard as the foreign knight.  Eight of his knights died, two
survived. The foreign knight asks Atheas, after the battle, to come
with him and be trained.

On their return, the chapterhouse is devastated.  Solid stone church
buildings are rubble.  Signs of battle, destruction, no good.  The
surviving knights say that Atheas's father led the noncombatants in a
last minute retreat, and is presumably in the hills.  The knights
finally beat off the attackers after a long, hard battle.

The foreign knight promises to bring his army to defend the place.
Atheas tries to follow the knight (out of sight) but can't find the
tracks or the knight.

Two hours later, the knight returns with the remains of his army.  At
expected, the army attacks again - and Atheas is allowed to lead the
defenses. Atheas successfully defends his home.

Atheas gets permission from his father to be trained; the foreign
knight warns his father that Atheas will be gone for many a year.
Atheas's father asks about holiday visits; the knight says he will see
what he can do.

The knight confesses that his name is not really "Jebediah", but is
indeed "Hubert".  Hubert says that he's noticed that Atheas is not like
the others from around here, and wants to teach him great things.

Again, after a day's ride, Atheas is in completely unfamiliar
territory.  Hubert explains this one of the great magics he will
learn, because of his part in a royal bloodline.  Not only that, he
will outlive anyone he's ever met.  Atheas is quiet skeptical.

The next morning, Hubert brings Atheas to people he's recently met, who
may be of a similar bloodline.  Hubert explains the concept of
recreational pharmecuticals to Atheas, because one of the people
believes he's on a 'drug trip'.  The other gentleman believes he's
dead - and a vampire.

Hubert introduces Atheas to the group; one of them is wearing a torn
up and painted leather coat, torn tunic, strange pants, piercings, and
a board with wheels, but has sensible boots. Atheas is introduced as a
fighting companion who may be of the blood - Hubert fails to use names
when introducing him around.  "Where's the rest of the party?"  "They
must have wandered off." "No, really - where is the rest of the
party?"  "We don't know - we woke up and they were gone."

Hubert says he'll go off and get the prisoners, and asks Atheas to
stay there and make sure that nobody gets hurt.  Obvious tension
between the many in the gray cloth and the gentleman with metal in his
head. 

Atheas's warfare goes off - there is a wrongness.  He feels an attack
is imminent. He warns the group and draws his sword.  The arab draws a
wicked scimitar, and the guy in the coat pulls out a useless-looking
piece of worked metal.

Eleven armed men come over the ridge, looking determined and sensibly
armored.

The redhead pulls out a sling, and takes a shot - it bounces off the
armor.  The metalhead waves the club at the soldiers and says "Eat hot
lead, you escapees from a Ren Fest!"  Nothing happens.  "I'm out."

Atheas expresses his skepticism at the metalhead. The arab tries to
lead a charge with Atheas, who is pretty much convinced of the
uselessness of the group. The bedouin jumps in first and holds them
off single-handed for a minute, and invites Atheas to join him.  The
two of them cut through the attackers with little trouble, although
they are well trained.  After a fair amount of time, Atheas and the
bedouin successfully defeat their opponents.

During the fight, the 'vampire' disappeared and the redhead swung a
tent stake around ineffectually.  Atheas cajoles the unarmored ones
into pickingup armor and weapons. 

One of the soldiers was playing possum, and attacks the metalhead when
he's rolled over.  The metalhead cries out in shock and surprise, and
the pale man snaps the neck of the soldier, then apologies to Atheas
for his child.

Natasha, Caelin, and Atheas talk about abilities and the Pattern.
Natasha goes off to scout, and Caelin conjures wood for the fire.
Their guide, Melissa, is a good cook.  Oh, and a mage too. 

The bedouin begs leave to take a nap, and suggests the vampire for
body disposal.  The vampire goes off to drag bodies.

The metalhead pulls a cheap-looking switchblade - even Caelin is
unimpressed.  Caelin conjures a hefty real sword (and a sheath), which
metalhead instantly cuts himself on.

Natasha returns from scouting; Natasha, Atheas, and the redhead ride
off to check out an encampment of four or five people that she
discovered.