"Little could be heard over the squawking of the Diricawls, the moaning of the Augureys, and the relentless, piercing song of the Fwoopers. As wizards and witches attempted to consult the papers before them, sundry pixies and fairies whirled around their heads, giggling and jabbering. A dozen or so trolls began to smash apart the chamber with their clubs, while hags glided about the place in search of children to eat. The Council Chief stood up to open the meeting, slipped on a pile of Porlock dung and ran cursing from the hall."
-- from A History of Magic by Bathilda Bagshot (FB)
In the 14th century, two ill-fated summits were called to determine which of the many types of magical creatures were actually to be considered as sentient and therefore worthy of representation on the Wizards’ Council. In each case, the summits appear to have been intentionally disrupted by goblins, who brought in the most inappropriate creatures they could find which would technically fit the Council’s criteria for sentience.
The definition put forth by Burdock Muldoon for the first summit — any being walking on two legs — was a total disaster, since it included not only goblins and hags but also such magical birds as Fwoopers and Augureys, plus fairies, pixies and even trolls. Muldoon’s successor, Elfrida Clagg, proposed using the ability to speak human language as the criteria, but since that allowed such creatures as Jarveys and goblin-trained Trolls while excluding clearly sentient beings such as Merfolk, this also proved unworkable (FB).
Cordelia Misericordia represented Hags at the summits (FW).
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Tags: disruptions failure frustration
