The scenery was nothing short of breathtaking as the woman and girl rounded a granite bluff, giving a vista of the valley of Cold Rock below.  The town looked small against the wilderness without, at the foot of distant mountains still capped with snow even though this was early September.  The city center was about five miles away, and as one moved one's eyes away, one could see tilled fields, then forests.  A few homesteads were situated in pockets inside the forest...these grew less common until the forest reigned unchallenged.<br/><br/>Beyond the far mountains, Chelseaa knew, was untracked wilderness...high steppes populated by savage bands of olive-skinned warriors competing with orcs and each other for food.  As she looked out over the landscape, a cool wind began to blow.  The light on the snow-covered peaks was a dingy yellow.  The day was drawing to a close.  They would have to hurry to reach even the outskirts of the city by dark...