As Duke Falconcrest considered how to escape Alterac City, he ruled out the main gate entirely. A large force of Gilnean troops occupied it, and he had seen Syndicate members in stealth reveal themselves as they approached the gate. He knew the Kingdom of Gilneas had put considerable effort into this battle. The main gate was tightly guarded; going there would be suicide.
That left only the other three directions as possible escape routes, and Duke Falconcrest carefully weighed each of them.
Gilneas would undoubtedly lay trap after trap to prevent even a single Syndicate member from escaping. Apart from the gate of Alterac City, each of the other three directions led somewhere different.
The Alterac Mountains connected four regions, offering routes in every direction. Breaking out to the north would lead into the Western Plaguelands, while Lake Lordamere lay to the west. To the east were the Hinterlands, and to the south, naturally, were the Hillsbrad Foothills. The city gate of Alterac City stood in that southern direction.
The south was therefore out of the question. Duke Falconcrest had never considered it, and even if no one had been guarding that route, heading south would still mean death. He could no longer remain in the Alterac Mountains; he had to leave. But Dalaran and Peace City blocked the southern road, cutting off his way forward.
Heading south was impossible, then. To the west lay Lake Lordamere, and directly north of the lake stood Lordaeron City.
The best escape routes should have been east and north. But the Western Plaguelands to the north were also Gilnean territory. If he wanted to escape, heading east into the Hinterlands and entering dwarven territory would be the best choice.
But was a route so obviously available really the best choice? After careful consideration,