<div align="center"><strong>Chapter Two</strong></div><br/>Our story now continues one week after the battle of Outlook. The demon army has now reinforced the city and the surrounding area, forming a strong foothold on the edge of Zenith, the area around the city now succumbing to corruption like the Heart of Sin. With such a strong hold on the area, the demons can now afford to turn their attention elsewhere, and are now engaging the elven forces of the Wood at their southern border. A few outlying settlements fell very quickly, clearly not prepared for an attack of this magnitude, and not able to hold out long enough for the champions to arrive. As such, The demons have developed a base of operations what remains of the small rooftop city of Arene, the populace of which has been enslaved and forced to help the demons expand their city into a fitting stronghold.<br/><br/>About ten miles north-east of Arene is the city of Sequen, a prosperous town known for having fairly good relations with Zenith to the west, and a center for commerce between the humans and elves. Almost twenty percent of the city's population is human, the rest elven, making it actually one of the more diverse cities in the Wood. However, of perhaps particular interest, Sequen is the birthplace and hometown of Queen Alexandria, where she was once simply a lieutenant of the watch, never needing to deal with more than petty crime or the rare bandit attack, both of which were easily put down. Now Sequen is where the mortal army is camped, preparing to do battle with the demons.<br/><br/>Between Arene and Sequen lie three distinct regions. The central lane, located in a straight line directly between the two elven cities is the location of the Whispering Tower, a massive tree that has been hollowed out and atop which rests a powerful enchanted jewel. The Whispering Tower is named as such because it allows for instant communication to anyone within ten miles, making organizing a military operation far easier. Unfortunately, the Tower is also located in what is likely the easiest terrain of the three regions, with far less overgrowth than deeper parts of the Wood. This means that travel too and from the Tower is fairly easy for both sides, and while the elves currently control the Tower, they can be certain that it is one of the demons' targets.<br/><br/>The upper region, to the north of Arene and west of Sequen is known as the Crescent, a region of incredibly lush and fertile forrest, where most of the food supplies for both Arene and Sequen came from. It is also far more difficult terrain with roots and vines hampering the movement of anyone other than those who are familiar with it (such as the elven troops that make up thirty to forty percent of the mortal army stationed in Sequen) or those can fly (such as about half the demon army, though even they will not be able to move quite as fast as they normally do due to the impaired visibility). Holding the Crescent would prove challenging for either side, as the dense vegetation makes guerrilla warfare simple, and makes area denial almost impossible. Still, it is a key area, and well suited for launching surprise attacks.<br/><br/>The lower region, to the east of Arene and south of Sequen is known only as the Root. While the Wood is the elves home, there are places within it into which even they do not venture, and the Root is one such place. The Root is a dark, grim area of the forrest, where nature is at its most brutal. No where else is survival of the fittest such a clear and vicious law. The animals of the Root have evolved to live in a state of constant hunger, as their is very little food to go around, and they will attack almost anything that moves. Add to this the fact that the Root is another magical hotspot, and many of the animals are far larger or more dangerous than common breeds. Dire animals are everywhere, and some have even developed magical powers, such as the rare and feared basilisk, a serpent that can paralyze anyone who meets its gaze. Only champions and felguard would be safe within the Root, as the predators within seem to have enough sense not to attack such dangerous foes, but any common soldier who sets foot within will likely never leave.<br/><br/>The battleground is prepared, the armies are in place. The mortal troops are led by those who know this area well, and so have something of a home-field advantage, but the demons (as almost always seems to be the case) have the advantage of numbers. This is a battle that will not be fought all at once like the siege of Outlook, it will likely progress in stages, as short battles are fought in key areas with downtime in-between each skirmish. The sides are drawn, so let the conflict begin.