Lolth's bite and the never-ending war

[Halo Deity]

The clanking of metal boots on the cold stone floor follow the soft steps of Qilintha's silk woven slippers. The hushed voices of the gathered Dev'lin echoing in the large hall sequentially come to a halt as the Ilharess' silhouette is illuminated by the lit braziers on either side of the ceremonial altar.

"Is... that the Ilharess?" A trembling voice breaks into another's ear.
The soldier snaps a look to the male that spoke, gritting his teeth.
"I thought..." The tip of a priestesses dagger presses at the back of the male, twisting into the chain mail with enough precision and pressure to draw blood. The yelp of the male was quickly quelled with the vision of his fears appearing before him, a pool of blood gathered beneath the pew he sat upon.

A quiet uncomfortable shuffle of bodies end the whispers, and silence befalls the room.

"My children." The words firm yet calm demanded the attention of the room, her eyes grazing across the rows of her followers . She makes no mention of her disappearance, the only notable difference being spider bites along her neck, and a magical looking stone adorning the golden set spider within her insignia.

"Lolth's tests do not cease and the fighting will endure. As long as there are heretics with their sordid words and beliefs, there will always be war." Silence falls once more in the room, it soon broken with Ril'vyrs gauntleted hand releasing a leather bag onto the altar, insignias spilling from within, metallic drone drawing attention to the different emblems upon them. The hall erupts with whispers once more, those close enough to see the insignias sharing their vision of the shields; nearby houses of Zau'afin, Sshamath, Xilaben, Barrirahel, rogue houses and mercenary groups.

Qilintha's hand draws towards her whip, the whispers cease as quickly as they had began.

"Lolth draws them near. They continue to attack, knowing their battles have already been lost. They lose many among their ranks, yet they still attack, dwindling their numbers and adding to our Glory, in the name of our Queen." A smirk curls along her lips.

"It is with great pleasure that we will never need to be the aggressors. The Houses of Sshamath and otherwise are dense enough to commit their souls to the demon web pits of our Queen, enduring a never-ending torture for their deluded ideas of coming between those of her favoured and our duty. It is Lolth's will to feed us the heretics that stand weak, we will not allow them to multiply to further dilute our race with such vile imitations of those true to our destiny."

Raising her voice, Qilintha lifts her ceremonial dagger into the air, the room upstanding as they softly chant 'Lolth tlu malla' below the range of Qilintha's tone.

"Lolth test us! Continue to feed us your enemies! Let us be your venomous bite, your will and executioners. Lolth tlu malla! All victory is her doing!"