quorum
[ kwawr-uh m, kwohr- ]
noun
1.) The number of members of a group or organization required to be present to transact business legally, usually a majority.
2.) A particularly chosen group.
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The
Circle of Mages meeting was getting smaller each time they met. The last meeting held twenty members. This time, they were down to fifteen. The missing members weighed heavily on those
present. They still had enough to conduct
their business, but only just.
The Head
of the Circle spoke. “Let the 1,543rd meeting
of the Circle of Mages come to order.” His voice was grave and heavy. They were also unneeded, as nobody
spoke. He used to have to enhance his
voice with magic to be heard over the chatter.
“Should
we talk about the missing member?” One of the councilors asked. Nobody answered her. “What happened to them, exactly?”
“Dead,
of course.” Another said. He kept track
of all the dead mages, but it was getting harder. “Died of magic depravation.”
Every
mage present shifted and fidgeted. They all
had similar thoughts. How could such
powerful mages ever run out of magic?
They all had more power than any other mage, and multiple methods of
recharging themselves. To suffer from
depravation was unheard of.
“It’s
happening more and more.” Another member of the Circle said. “More of us are dying and less of us are
being born. We all know it’s
happening. We need to figure out why,
and what to do about it.”
“Nobody
know why this is happening.” One of the older members said. His voice was gravely from age. “It seems to
be random.”
“It’s
not random.” The youngest Circle member said.
She wrung her hand nervously. “It’s…it’s
not random. I’ve been doing research to
find out the reason why there’s less and less mages.”
“And,
what are your findings?” The Head of the Circle asked.
The
young woman wanted to shrink away and disappear. It would be easier than telling the rest of
them what she had found.
“The…the
world is…running out of magic.”
“Impossible!”
Shouted another member. “The world can’t
just run out of magic. Magic comes from
life. As long as there’s a single blade
of grass, there will be magic.”
“I…I
know that. But it’s true. I…I found it out while measuring global
recharge rates.”
“Recharge
rates? What does that do with anything?”
“You…you
all know the normal amount, right?”
“Of
course.” A member with a soft, almost whispering voice said. “It changes from location to location, but
the average is 2,000 MU per minute.”
The rest
of the Circle nodded. This was common
knowledge. School children knew
that. They also knew that it was an
amount that no human could ever use.
Even the most powerful spells that took multiple mages to even think about
casting cost 1,400 Mana Units.
“Well…the
last time I checked, the average rate was…was…” She had trouble saying it. It would not go over well. But it was necessary. “1 MU a day.”
The Circle
room burst into a cacophony of sound as each Circle member tried to speak at
once. The young member knew it would
happen. 1 MU was barely enough to make a
simple light. And for the entire planet
to only gain that much in a day was unthinkable.
“Impossible!”
Roared one of them. “There’s no way that
it could be such a small amount.”
“I…I
brought my research. You can all see
them for yourselves.”
She ran to
the corner of the room and retrieved a large bundle of papers. She lay them out on the table between them
all. All took not that she had not used
magic to do so, even though it would be far faster and easier. The Circle members looked at the provided notes. Several of them lost all color in their
faces. Others shook. Others sat in the nearest available chairs.
“It
seems it is true.” The Head said. “Magic
is disappearing from the world.” He suddenly felt much older than he was.
“So what
do we do about it?”
The Head
was silent. All of them were. “We do what we must. We…we make magic itself illegal.”
At any
other time, the proclamation would have been met with a slew of shouts, and
many calls for his head on a pike. Now,
it was met with complete silence. The Head
continued.
“We
close all magic academies. Ban all spells,
regardless of type. All magical items
are to be confiscated and broken down to release any magical power they might
have. And…and all magical organizations
will cease function. That…that includes
this one.”
The
remaining Circle members looked at each other nervously. They all knew why it had to happen. That did not mean they were happy about it.
“We must
now vote.” The Head of the Circle intoned.
“We are lucky, in a way, that we still have enough members to hold a
proper vote. Now, all in favor of the
proposed law?”
All of
them slowly and reluctantly raised their hands.
The Head did not bother asking who was opposed. He could easily see that there were none.
“Might I
propose an addendum to the ban?” The young councilor said. Her voice was thin a meek. “Maybe not all magic, but most of it. We…we still need magic to find out why this
is happening. Maybe we can even find out
a way to fix it? You know, bring magic
back.”
“Very
well. Magical research regarding the
diminishment of magic and potential restoration will be allowed. But only those two subjects. All in favor?” Another unanimous vote. “Very well.
It shall be done with all speed.
Are there any other topics that must be presented before we…we adjourn?”
Nobody
had anything else to say.
“Very
well.” The man who was the Head of the Circle of Mages spoke in front of the
group for the last time. “Let this
meeting, and the Circle, be closed.”
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Why did I make this about magic and stuff? Why didn't I make it about a different governing body? Because I think this is more interesting. And because I wanted to, so there.
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