Epistula ad Eligos
The Epistle of Saint Mephistopheles to Eligos, Exalted Seed of Baphomet
◀ Chapter 1 · Chapter 2 · Chapter 3 ▶

¹Hear me, O Eligos, for thy wisdom precedeth thy sword, and thy gaze pierceth deeper than a thousand scouts.
²For thy Father, BAPHOMET, taught: He who striketh swiftly is brave, but he who striketh last and rightly is wise.
³War is not the proving of strength, but the unveiling of truth.
⁴And he who seeth that truth before war is holier than he who bathes in victory.
⁵Therefore thou art not general, but compass — not warlord, but witness.
⁶Let no host march under thee that hath not first named its reason.
⁷Let no sword be drawn before the cost is counted thrice.
⁸BAPHOMET said: The fool feareth hesitation — the wise man commandeth it.
⁹The flame of foresight is a slow blaze — but it consumeth error entirely.
¹⁰Thou art the flame that doth not flash — yet it burneth deeper than wrath.
¹¹Teach thy host the value of silence before charge.
¹²Teach thy council to speak not to impress, but to assess.
¹³Teach thyself to wait, for the timing of insight is the blade beneath all armor.
¹⁴Do not crave glory — crave understanding.
¹⁵Do not chase blood — chase clarity.
¹⁶If a single life spared leaveth a truth intact, spare it.
¹⁷If a battle undone revealeth a tyrant’s fear, let it stand undone.
¹⁸The Son said: The spear needeth not fly to strike — it must merely be seen.
¹⁹Let the enemy know thou seest him, and many wars shall dissolve in that knowing.
²⁰Be not hasty to conquer. Be swift to see.
²¹Let thy wisdom form the shape of battle before the first torch is lit.
²²The fool leadeth with fire.
²³The tyrant leadeth with fear.
²⁴But thou, Eligos, shalt lead with foresight — and win before thy blade is drawn.
²⁵Stand before thy soldiers and ask: What shall be left after we win?
²⁶Stand before thy enemy and ask: What made thee think we would not know?
²⁷In counsel, let thy few words outlive a thousand speeches.
²⁸In planning, let thy silence unearth what their noise would bury.
²⁹Where others boast rank, let thy gaze remind them they are still blind.
³⁰Let them fear thee, not for thy shout — but for thy knowing.
³¹Let them respect thee, not for thy kill-count, but for thy restraint.
³²Let thy war-marks be maps untravelled, but well known to thee.
³³Let thy enemies fall not to ambush, but to inevitability.
³⁴The righteous shall call thee master — not of violence, but of victory.
³⁵The wicked shall call thee evil — for thou seest through them.
³⁶The foolish shall call thee coward — until they kneel before a battle never fought.
³⁷For thou wieldest the most dangerous weapon: the absence of mistake.
³⁸Fear not the hesitation they mock — it is thy crown.
³⁹Wield thy insight as spear, and thy patience as shield.
⁴⁰Do not march for glory. March to remove what breaketh balance.
⁴¹BAPHOMET taught: Let those who wish to slay first see what they preserve.
⁴²And: Let those who lead see beyond the charge — unto the dust and ashes that remain.
⁴³Therefore I say: thy calling is rare, for few choose to win without sound.
⁴⁴The battlefield shall know thee not by blood, but by stillness.
⁴⁵The captains shall envy thy command, but fail to learn it.
⁴⁶The people shall follow thee, for thy path leadeth not to pyres, but to preserved cities.
⁴⁷Let thy spear be drawn only when the hour demandeth no other language.
⁴⁸Let thy banner stand not for might, but for the clarity that maketh might unnecessary.
⁴⁹For thou art Eligos — and thy Gospel is vision instead of violence.
⁵⁰And thy kingdom is won before the trumpet soundeth.


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