Baldur's Gate : The Sword Coast Chronicles : NWN2 Persistent World

Lilith climbed the last steps of the stairs in the gate tower at the Misty Lakes as she calmed her emotions preparing for the speech. An orc prisoner bound in shackles dutyfully followed in her steps along with a scowling succubi.

As she reached the top she gracefully glided past the guards posted there and stepped up to the inner wall's crenulations to gaze over the gathered crowd below, and of course, to be seen. The throng of faithfull gathered below was larger than she had hoped, yet smaller than what was the Queen's due. The main body of the garrison clearly was not attending.
Keeping her face smooth she nodded towards the succubi, who promtly chanted and made use of the brazier as she cast a glamour of unholy flames then spread them from the brazier to the crenulations. Lilith stepped out onto the now flaming stones and raised her arms in worship. On cue the gathered congregation fell to the knees keeping their eyes lowered to the ground. She held them there for a moment as she took note of who was there, naturally her consort Velvelin and their daughter Shri'neth was in attendance along with some other noteworthy people. Her lips curled into a pleased smile then it darkened into a scowl as she spoke her voice booming enhanced by divine spell as it were:

"Citizens of Sshamath!
Children of the Lolth!
Some of you may know who i am, others may yet not have had the pleasure!
I am by the grace of our beloved Queen the High Priestess Lilith!
Hear me now and know that my words are the will and command of our merciless Queen!"
She took note of how forcefully her voice carried and lowered it slightly.
"In your dark hearts you all may wonder why we are out here in these forsaken parts of the underdark? Why the miscreant and lesser being of the Alhoon has been allowed to reach this close to our fair city with his horde? Why have we fallen back again and again? The answers to these matters Lolth in her unfathomable grace has granted me to give you this cycle, question no more!"
She paused for a moment gazing at the congregation and letting them simmer for a while.

"The answers are all in the nature of our Queen and in the holy tenets! Chaos pleases the Queen! The strong shall trample the corpses of the weak! The opportunist has the favour of the Queen! Now, what does this mean in our present situation?" She paused again glancing back at the tower sentries to gauge her impact, well at least none of them was yawning. "The Alhoon and his horde has been delivered to us here on this spot of their damnation so that the Queen can display to all the Underdark once again the strength and terror of her children! Be strong of heart and mind, let no heretical emotions poison your minds and by the grace of Lolth our victory is assured in the coming battle!" Another glance towards the sentries made her grin.
"What of the ailments and suffering in camp then!" Lilith raised her voice. "WEAKNESS IS THE MARK OF HERESY! Where you find poisoned souls and minds, there you find heresy!" She flickered a finger slightly and the orcen fool stepped up alongside her with his back hunched over, probably the beast was trying to sway her into mercy. "Behold this creature, this foul vessel of the enemy! There are many like him, some are alive others undead. But doubt not, all will fall into the wrathful arms of the faithful!" She placed her left hand gently on the orcs shoulder and stroked his neck. Underneath her fingers she could feel the imbecile relax slightly. Her fingers reached their targets on the orcen neck and she cried out as she flexed her fingers forcefully breaking the orc's spinal column. "Slay them all for the glory of the Queen and burn the corpses in her name!" Deprived of purpose and life the orcen husk fell from the tower moments later. "Lolth tlu malla!" Once again she raised her arms in worship before stepping down from the crenulations where the unholy flames now rose higher than before as the succubi performed her task.

Below the congregation answered in kind "LOLTH TLU MALLA! LOLTH TLU MALLA!" before dispersing to perform their camp duties, quite a few with a new fervor in their strides.

She turned towards the demonspawn and dismissively flickered a wrist: "Thank you Zxira, now be gone." The succubus hissed in dismay as she went home. Leaving the platform Lilith thoughtfully gave the replacement guards the privilige of ascending to preform their duty before she made use of the stairs. Apparently a shift was over and another soon to commence, the commanding sergeant bowed curtly but respectfully towards her. As she slowly descended the stairs a tight smile curled her lips into a visage of divine beauty as she softly whispered: "Thank you my Queen".

Rumor has it that there are stirrings within the long dormant chapter of Bregan D'aerthe in Sshamath. It is said that an envoy from Jarlaxle or possibly one of his lieutenants has arrived in the City of Dark Weavings to ensure that the mercenary group's operations are not disrupted in that key trade metropolis.

It is further said that the group is on the lookout for 'agents' with the right skills to open new areas for their operations.

"Well," Kaltyra sighs "so much for asking for that defunct cave Bregan were using. I wonder if Mr. Tea-Party is still around somewhere..."

A terrible storm of epic proportion engulfed Sshamath's temple last cycle. Rumors of it's origins spread like wild fire : an alhoon portal , the wrath of the spider queen , an experiment gone wrong , Lai'roch attempting to blow up the temple mound , an invasion from the fifth dimension ...

it's soon clear that nobody has a clue what went down , but it was quite the fireworks.

Lilith finished the last chants of the sermon and with a scowl on her lips gazed upon the congregation:

"Now, why does this sanctified chamber hold the stench of confusion, doubts and weakness!
We all bask in the glory of the prophet Kar'Myr and her holy quest!
Know that dear mistress Khilvirr and I have confirmed mistress Sshamath's observation. Kar'Myr the" her lips curled into a snarl "wizard holds the favour of our Queen!"
She paused glancing at Nhilvrae before moving on.

"It goes without saying that aiding the prophet will bring the favor of Lolth on those who assist her, consider this carefully if she should grace you with asking for your participation in her endevours. After all" A cruel smile came upon her lips "displeasing the prophet is an act of heresy!" As she paused letting the words sink in her face and voice softened.
"Arise children of Lolth and remember our holy tenets, in the service of the Queen all things are possible. Lolth tlu malla!"

When the last of the devotees had left them she turned towards Nhilvrae quirking a brow and let a sweet smile linger on her lips. "Well, who can say where this will lead, after all only the end is assured. Ah, the opportunites abound!"

Nhilvrae Kilvirr strides outward from the Temple of Lolth gazing at all those who stand scattered and weary before her. Her crimson eyes glow proud and furious as she gazes upon them - her lips curved into a malevolent smile as she raises her arms. Her lustrous red cloak billowing out behind her curvy figure she bellows in a voice loud enough to be heard:

"Praise be to the Spider Queen! Saviour of Sshamath! She has delivered for us in our time of need! Let this be a reminder to you all of her true power and splendor! We are her children, and it is only through her which we will know true glory! For long has Sshamath forgotten her, but this cycle has proven that she has not forgotten us! All is not lost! Repent your mistaken ways now and turn to her guidence and you will be forgiven! Through her will Sshamath know true glory, greater than we have seen yet! Hers is the only true guidence for the Drow, the way of the Drow!"

Her tone takes on a quieter, more sympathetic edge:

"How can you do this, you might ask? You're not alone, for there is still a Temple of the Dark Queen here in the city. Her priestesses are willing to guide you in the right direction should you but ask for it! Citizens of Sshamath, hear me now, Mistress Nhilvrae Kilvirr, Ulathtallar of the Temple of the Spider Queen promises you this: Turn to the ways of the Spider Queen, let her into your hearts and minds, and you will not come to regret it! Think about my words here and what you have seen, and look not to the Faern who were unable to save your city to lead it, but to Lolth, who has proven to you those who follow her are well rewarded!"

She then lowers her arms and glances about to see how much attention she has attracted, a sense of satisfaction welling within her as she notes the murmuring emanating from the crowd. She meets the gazes of a few higher-up officials before turning around and returning to the temple.

A deep imaskar has been wondering how to become a member of the School of mages, of course... wishing to enroll in advanced classes.

The tale of the Alhoon's defeat has the city abuzz. One such version tells of a certain jaluk's unwillingness to engage the undead forces, cowering behind the rear vanguard during the entire city siege. Rumour abounds as to whether his loyalties were divided.

The Spider's Kiss was as crowded this cycle as it ever was and merriment mixed with cruelty abounded below the spiderwebbed rafters. At one of the tables a gathering of jaluken watched the current dancer perform her act in front of them as they inbibed themself while sullenly complaining that their favorite dancer hadnt made an appearance for days. Where was that vixen darthiiri look a like anyway? The Barkeep had shrugged of questions tonight just like every previous night claiming he did not know.