Amalvi: While his primary weapon is the sword, the ten years he's had as a mercenary has given Smith a lengthy period of time to amass a number of other weapons, both mundane and magical. While he certainly does not have anything extremely advanced technologically, as far as weapons are concerned, he does have a number of weapons that would allow him to engage a wide range of enemies. Some of these are just standard weapons of varying flavors, while others are magical items he's picked up over the years, by exploiting knowledge gained from the sword.

Think of him as a sort of magical batman, except his expertise and experience in the field comes mostly from the knowledge the sword gave him, as opposed to Bruce Banner being trained and having natural talent.

Kissshot: That would be something we could discuss to keep people interested while we wait. From what I have read, each of them would have some reason to take part in a magical adventure. Perhaps they all meet up in a restaurant, where they were called together by a mysterious benefactor. A bit cliched, but tropes make for a good starting point for more elaborate concepts later on.