*breathes in*

Okay so the Lily began something like twenty years ago in game time, when Philomel killed her mother's pump and burnt down the brothel when the pump did nothing about the fact her mother was raped ...

She first set up the Gilded Lily after she became the Master of Secrets for the assassin's guild, the Crimson Hand. With her connections in brothels and an understanding that people often spill secrets when they're in the depths of passion, she began to use that as a source of information. She then realised that whores need to be able to defend themselves, and so began to teach them. Anyway, her influence spread to various brothels, starting in radasanth, then going to the rest of Corone, and she blue reaches Raisera, Skara Brae and Salvar. Radasanth is still the centre. Later on she got a ship, hiring it from the Pirate King and sailed as a pirate princess for a while. The ship is called the Feisty Fox and still sails.

Anyway she taught women how to fight, and established a fortress hidden atop a cliff in the Concordia forest. She had a daughter secretly, who is magically blessed to grow up fast and learn fast. Philomel also recently was made a high priestess of her goddess, Drys.

Basically the Gilded Lily is a feminist guild, which has its own fortress and ship. Any brothel can become part of the Gilded Lily, but when they do they have to treat and pay their workers fairly. All Gilded Lily members have basic combat training. Heads of the brothels are called Matrons and are usually female. There is a small army of around five hundred elite fighters, mainly those who don't want to work.

During the siege of Radasanth Philomel, through her connections with the Corone Assembly, became a general of the army. She defended the city, her home, and her women fought on her side. Lives were lost, she became pissed at Shinsou and Storm and the Brotherhood for trying to take her city despite the fact they were once allies. The battle stopped because of a giant meteor crashing. See the End of all Things. Currently the Gilded Lily are burying their dead in Radasanth and helping to rebuild the city. They have more influence than ever.

Hopefully that'll help.