"I'm not going to mince words. Kalecgos is a traitor, nothing else. He left each and every one of us for dead, from the drakes on the front lines, like me, to the whelps in their shells. Not only that, he was an accomplice to the so-called 'Dragonqueen' in the murder of Malygos. Kalecgos is an integral part of the reason our flight is in the state it is today. It is appalling that Kalecgos is even permitted to stand on this stage today and present himself as a candidate for Aspect after he was complicit in the genocide of his own people, us."
Mensagosa stood on a platform above the Nexus in front of a crowd of dozens of blue dragons. She had garnered quite the reputation for her spirited, if polarizing, speeches in support of Arygos. It was for that reason he had chosen her to represent him at several public forums the Blue Dragonflight held as they choose their new Aspect. Across from her, on the same platform, was Kalecgos. The wyrm was clearly frustrated with what she was saying about him, but he patiently waited for his turn to speak.
"Everyone who stayed loyal to our flight lost someone in the Nexus War. Friends, family, children. Such exalted dragons as Saragosa, Eregos, Eszragos, and of course, the Spellweaver himself were lost in the fight for our survival. So now, I ask that you visualize someone you lost. Imagine what they would say if they could see our flight, assembled today, seriously considering an accomplice to their murder, an accomplice to the genocide of the Blue Dragonflight, as our leader. As our Aspect. And yet, Kalecgos still dares claim the moral high ground. It takes an incredible amount of arrogance for him to think that the Blue Dragonflight will stand for this. It is for that reason that I have sworn Sindragosa's Oath to Arygos."
The mention of that caused the crowd to stir. Sindragosa's Oath was named after a famous speech made by Malygos's first consort in which she promised her undying loyalty to Malygos. While not binding in any way, it held immense cultural significance to the Blue Dragonflight. Until the Nexus War, no dragon had sworn Sindragosa's Oath to anybody except Malygos, the leader of all blue dragons; Kalecgos was one of the first to break that tradition by swearing it to Alexstrasza instead. If Mensagosa had truly sworn Sindragosa's Oath to Arygos, it was very provocative, indicating that she already considered Arygos to be the leader of the Blue Dragonflight.
"Kalecgos claims that we need to take responsibility for our actions in the Nexus War. To that I say, haven't we suffered enough? Anyone who remained loyal to the flight knows of how much we've lost. Our flight's numbers were halved during the campaign of genocide the Red Dragonflight waged upon us. Our whelps were slaughtered by red dragons and so-called heroes employed by the one who refers to herself the 'Aspect of Life'. We have existed on the brink of extinction for the last ten thousand years, but never have we stood closer to that possibility than today. We have Kalecgos to thank for that, in large part.
"It's obvious from Kalecgos's crimes against our flight that he cares not for our well-being or prosperity. So why, then, does he seek leadership of our flight? To that, I see three possibilities. Out of ambition, out of arrogance, or as a puppet to Alexstrasza. He may be in search of power, and think us foolish enough to choose him as our aspect. He may be seeking a platform that allows him to further disrespect the dead and preach to us about how he 'told us so' when it came to the Nexus War. Or, perhaps, he's here on the orders of Alexstrasza. It's a natural progression of events. She murders our Aspect, so she can place a puppet in his place and increase her own power. Kalecgos is that puppet.
"So, my beloved flight, I ask that you take a careful look at Kalecgos's words. He takes you for fools. I beg that you do not buy into the fantasies he presents, and instead look around at what has become of our flight. I ask that you remember the dead, and think about what they would say could they be here with us today, listening to an accomplice to their murder. Thank you."
Mensagosa backed away from the center of the stage, allowing Kalecgos his turn to speak. The wyrm cleared his throat and looked out over the assembled dragons.
"It is my preference to simply present my plans for restoring our flight's status in the world, but I must defend myself against the fallacious allegations presented by Mensagosa here today. I care very, very deeply about the Blue Dragonflight. I stand here by my own choice, not by the will of any other, and with sadness in my heart. Malygos's death has brought sorrow to me, and indeed, the world, but it had to be done. His actions could have destroyed Azeroth had they been allowed to continue. Furthermore, exterminating mortal users of magic would have been a mistake. Several mortal organizations, the Kirin Tor foremost among them, regulate the use of magic themselves and ensure that it is handled responsibly. It is my belief that we can forge mutually beneficial partnerships with them and other such groups.
"The truth of the matter is, our struggling flight cannot recover unless we take responsibility for what we've done and move beyond it. Things have changed greatly since the golden age of dragons, when a sane Malygos ruled over our flight. We need to adapt to these changes if we hope to survive and perhaps even thrive in this new age. Look inside, and ask yourselves whether polarizing rhetoric and conspiracy theories are the answer. I'm not a perfect dragon, and I'll be the first to admit that. I'm not Malygos as he was during his best days. I won't tell you that I'm the best choice for Aspect- that is for all of you to decide, not me. I only request that you look beyond appeals to emotion and examine the facts for what they are, and make your decision based on that. Ask yourself, can we solve our problems like this, with scapegoats and polarizing rhetoric? Thank you."
The audience had not reacted to either speech particularly strongly, except for the mention of Sindragosa's Oath. With both of the final speakers having concluded and the sun setting over Coldarra, chatter started up in the crowd, and dragons started to disperse back to their sleeping quarters.