Work Work Work

The sound of the gavel coming down was like thunder in the enclosed stone chamber, and Biara found herself wincing and bringing her hands up to an already blooming headache. A few more hours of this and she would be bedridden for a day just to get the sheer volume of noise out of her head. The sound continued for another minute as the lead Magister pounded his gavel on the podium, the sound eventually drowning out the shouting from the others in the committee meeting.

"ORDER! BRING THIS MEETING TO ORDER AT ONCE!" he shouted. Biara's headache grew to new dimensions of pain from the loud words.

Eventually, after what seemed like an eternity, the last angry mutterings faded and the committee chambers fell quiet. Biara used the time to examine the nine other Magisters in the room. She was the only Magistrix present, and few of the others were of noble birth.

The lead Magister continued, "We've had enough of this senseless yelling for one day. Let us try to keep the subject of conversation to the task at hand, and not wander into other issues for which this committee was not assembled to deal with!"

He paused a moment, staring each of the other committee members down. Biara met his gaze sternly, forcing him to look away first. He cleared his throat and continued, "Yes then...well. Our task is to issue a determination on the effectiveness and continued appropriateness of the Fel Crystals located in the Royal Exchange District. We have already heard arguments from the dissenting parties here about why they should be removed..."

"WE DON'T NEED FEL MAGIC NOW! WE HAVE THE SUNWELL!" one of the Magisters shouted, interrupting the lead speaker.

"SILENCE!" He yelled. "You've HAD your chance to speak already, and these outbursts only extend the length of this meeting further!"

Biara rolled her eyes and thought, "Fel, please let this end soon. My poor head..."

"Anyway," the lead speaker continued, "We must now hear the arguments for keeping the crystals intact, and how we should go about doing that."

Biara raised her hand, and was immediately acknowledged, "Yes Magistrix Dayfire?"

Biara rose and studied the nine others in attendance. This committee meeting was one of many duties she had as a Magistrix, and she took her service to Silvermoon seriously. That was why she had to choose her words carefully, and avoid putting her ire into a topic that was dear to her heart.

"Gentlemen," she began softly, "We have often gathered to debate the merits of magic in some parts of the city verse other parts. In this case though, our debate has devolved into whether or not the magic SHOULD exist, rather than WHERE it should exist. To this I ask you, what purpose does magic serve, if it is not to be put to use?"

Biara paused, pacing the committee chamber floor, "Every facet of our society, everything we do, is based on the use and acquisition of magic. This very city is founded on magic, and each of us carry magic within us. Magic is our birthright. It is our gift to the world, and it flows through our veins as surely as the red of our blood. To deny this fact is to deny who we are. To deny the very foundation of our existence."

"This is FEL magic Magistrix!" one of the irate committee members shouted. "Tainted, foul magic from the demon spawn!

Biara sighed and raised a hand, silencing the interruption. "The type of magic we are discussing is well known, but thank you for your contribution Magister. I am glad we are all able to benefit from your font of knowledge."

Several of the other committee members laughed as Biara's comments caused the Magister who caused the outburst to blush. After the laughter died down, Biara continued, her face not giving hint to the amusement that danced behind her eyes.

"As I was saying, magic is our birthright," she continued. "To judge one form of magic over another, to mark one as 'good' and another 'evil' without proper study, is to deny the fundamental purpose behind our very race. Should there be a limit on the power that each of us wield? Of course not. We are the only ones in the entirety of Azeroth who understand magic fully, and who have the right to use it as we see fit."

Biara turned, pointing at the magisters sitting in the high-backed committee chairs. "Each of you has greater potential for magic in your little finger than any other member of any other race on this planet. You know this well. To deny the use of magic, of ANY kind of magic, is to weaken ourselves and give others the chance to overcome this natural advantage."

She lowered her hand, standing gracefully and proudly before the council. "The Sunwell is restored, yes. It gives us access to great power. But why, I ask you, should we limit ourselves to this single source? Isn't that what caused our downfall in the first place? If our magic had not been contained in a single location, would any of us, even now, have these green eyes? I think not. Diversity, study, power...these are the things that will make this city great again. These are the things that we were BORN to, and that we WILL  have. Silvermoon will rise above all others, because that is its destiny!"

Several of the Magisters surged from their chairs, cheering Biara's words loudly. Only one or two groaned and shook their heads in disagreement. The lead speaker again pounded his gavel on the podium, attempting to restore order to the now boisterously cheering committee.

"Magistrix Dayfire, what of the Kirin Tor?" one of the detractors yelled. "What will they think to know we still use demonic power here, even when we no longer NEED to?!"

The chamber fell silent as the others considered the words of the lone Magister. Biara simply laughed, the lilting sound echoing merrily from the stone walls of the chamber.

"Well Magister," She said with a smile, "If you wish to have humans telling you what you can and cannot do, by all means. Please do not burden the rest of us with your strange fetish for those barbaric creatures however."

The chamber again broke into uproar as most of the committee members laughed openly at the Magister who had spoken. He flushed a deep red and sat back in his chair, sulking. The lead speaker pounded his gavel one more time to regain control of the meeting.

"I think both sides have presented their arguments now, thank you Lady Dayfire," he said. Biara bowed her head politely and returned to her seat. "Let us vote on the issue now. All in favor of keeping the Fel Crystals within the Royal exchange please state so now."

Biara's perfectly manicured hand shot up, and she firmly said, "Aye."

Seven of the other Magisters voted along with Biara, with only two dissenting votes. Biara smiled as the gavel came down and the lead speaker said, "It is decided then. We shall continue to use the Crystals within the Royal exchange, and next week this committee will meet to discuss how we can enhance the crystals since they are being drained too quickly."

Biara rose from her chair along with the others, making her way from the chamber. She exchanged polite nothings with several of the Magisters, making sure that she also spoke with those who had voted against the motion; she wanted to ensure that they were not so opposed to her as to raise objections for no reason.

An hour later she left Sunfury Spire, a smile on her face. The day had gone well, and many of the other Magisters were in agreement with her. Those who were not would be convinced in time, she knew it. Her work as a Magistrix was very rewarding, and directly served the city itself. What better thing could there be than to look after the well being of your own people?

Nothing was better.