THE SUAVE MARQUIS LERAJE, whose tainted arrow flies true... This archery spirit has a reputation for
execration, and for inflicting gangrenous wounds and infections. The MARQUIS LERAJE always reminded
me of the legends of English archers, wagging their lethal bow-fingers to the French on the
battlefield of Agincourt as if saying,
"come and take 'em."
Tonight, on this night, this spirit has DEMANDED his story be told, and to this spirit I owe the honor.
I initially illustrated this spirit's depiction following an awkward party where a freshly-severed ex and
their brand-new partner had made a surprise appearance. I had been dumped in a confusing and frustrating
way, and I only reared my ugly head at this miserable function to try and get my mind distracted with
festivity. Needless to say, the vibe was not it. It sucked.
Leaving early with my tail between my legs, I did what any sane person would do-- I went home to get
drunk off limoncello and summon a daemon of Goetic fame. LERAJE had been trying to get my attention for
some days prior, and by golly this was the night the fates deemed appropriate. I was a mess, but I was
a hot mess with a tablet and stylus. Nursing my consecrated limon cocktail I amused myself with this
caricature of LERAJE as a Frenchman with all the romance of PepΓ© Le Pew (and an ENGLISH archer's
cap for some fucking reason)... The rest of the night was uneventful, I got my drinks, Leraje got
their drawing, it was smiles all around. Nothing terrifically supernatural occured that evening,
it was a straight-laced procedure-- I drew this depiction of the spirit and the spirit seemed pleased.
Now here is the part of the story where I wish I could give some fantastical ending, or say that my
pains of the heart were allieviated and I felt all better. Truthfully, it was uneventful, and I'm sure
my routine stayed much the same following the next weeks as I stayed in that slump. I did not petition
Leraje to sling a vengeful shit-bolt at my heartbreaker because that ain't my style. I merely cut ties
with my ex after that point and never saw them again.
However! And let it be known I do not celebrate this fact... rumor has it this ex went on to break the
heart of their new squeeze in similar fashion, as such patterns are wont to repeat themselves...
A pattern that threatens to follow them for the rest of their sad, lonely future-- lest they wise up!
This news, though it did not do much to help MY struggles, came as a poetic and thorny irony, left as
a rose on my doorstep, and with a phantom scent of citrus & B.O...
With that tale told, here's some of the gnosis I've gathered. LERAJE and FORAS have a harmony of some sort.
Their relationship reminds me of two bar-buddies who regularly compete to see who is the superior womanizer.
Wheras FORAS seduces under a guise of stoic Chivalry, LERAJE lays it on thick with insincere flattery and
obnoxious cologne. Neither of which you should trust with your unattended drink.
This parody of these two spirits is a gag, a metaphor they have shown me, but it is merely to illustrate
how they operate in different ways to similar ends. LERAJE is a very goal-oriented spirit, and can see
clearly the solution to a problem, no matter if that solution is deceptive or underhanded. LERAJE wins
conflicts, often by means which arouse sour contempt in the loser.
"Vae victus!" LERAJE might say, while flipping the bird. The foe is seething, as a fecal microbiome has
just been introduced into their bloodstream via projectile of dookie-enchantment-- Even if they survive,
their limb will go septic, and they will not fight again. Historically speaking, honor does not win
battles, and LERAJE understands this well.
In most contexts I find such methodologies irreprehensible. In a perfect world, where bloodshed is
perfectly honorable, we would still be lining up rank-and-file and crashing into eachother like two
walls of metal and meat. However, ever since the first losers have refused to lose, the code of honor
has been rewritten-- honorable combat is now something arranged only for pay-per-view television.
We will face battles that are unfair. Legal battles, political battles, spiritual battles. Unfathomable
cruelty and dishonor is occuring on unprecedented levels on every front of every war of our modern day.
The enemy hide behind women and children, the enemy lie and decieve, the enemy accuse the other of the
same atrocities they commit. LERAJE is here to discard honor in the face of a foe that does not deserve
it. He laces that arrow with a sick joy knowing that even if he loses, he'll give his opponent something
to remember him by.
Don't be a bastard, it will catch up to you. You will be hated for playing dirty and stinking of shit.
Keep your honor in peacetime and be good to your fellow man. However, when the gloves come off and it
is time to fight, know that there is no honor in being a victim-- so when inevitably faced with a
scoundrel who initiates evil, the only way to preserve honor is to win.
This is the teaching of MARQUIS LERAJE.
