She was awakened rudely in the morning by an unwelcome sound, the cries of Kraan high in the sky. As she awakened, she rubbed her eyes and managed to glimpse three of those loathsome beasts flying northwards. Thankfully she is not spotted, but it is best not to dally here any longer and she mounted her horse and rode on the highway southwards.<br/><br/>She has ridden several miles from where she left off, and there were no signs of refugees nor the enemy . Spurred on with that knowledge, she urged the horse on towards a high ridge in the distance. Hopefully, she could get a glimpse of the capital from there. As she reached the peak, the sight that meets her on the far side is one of hope—but there is still one challenge that she knew she still had to face.<br/><br/>Before her are the tall grey-white walls and glimmering spires of Holmgard, the city’s banners fluttering from the battlements in the fresh morning breeze. Stretching out towards the west, the River Eledil traces its course from the mountains of the Durncrag Range to the Holmgulf. But below the mountain peaks you can see a vast black army marching relentlessly on towards the capital.<br/><br/>To her right she could see the highway heading off over the rolling plain towards Holmgard. At a gallop she could make the outer fieldworks of the city’s defences in less than an hour, but she would be in the open for most of the time and vulnerable to attack by Kraan. Directly ahead of her, a wide river drifts sluggishly towards the Eledil. If you abandoned your horse, you could swim towards the outer defences under cover of the river banks. Or there is a final alternative. To her left lies the Graveyard of the Ancients. These tombs and crumbling monuments to a forgotten age would conceal her approach but it is a forbidden area. Many are the unnamed horrors that lie there in restless sleep, waiting to consume the unwary trespasser.<br/><br/>Which path would she choose?<br/><br/>