Teleportation and its Drawbacks
My letters of the past fortnight have concerned the actual busy work of my position as a Mid-Level Mage at the Grand Celestio Council of Wizards, but some of you have asked about the pros and cons of other aspects of my position, so today I will be telling you about my commute to work, which I consider one of the most important parts to consider when deciding whether or not you can accept this position yourself.
Regarding the metaphysical elephant in the room first, you cannot get hired at Grand Celestio if your permanent residence is not on this plane of existence, even if you’re lucky enough to snag a fully remote position. In my youth I studied along side so many elves and faeries leagues more qualified for the mage position than many of my co-workers, who didn’t even bother applying to Grand Celestio due to their refusal to move out of the Fae Realm. For this same reason though, if you happen to be an elemental being residing in the Material Realm with wizardly training, you could get a job here in an instant with extremely good pay. You are highly in demand.
Now, if you secure a position like mine, here are the basics of what will be expected of you in terms of commute. Though all branches of the Grand Celestio Council work together in adjacent demi-planes, you will be expected to be able to travel to your assigned physical entrance, which for me is a stone tower concealed by forest in the eastern mountain range. Of course, for any wizard worthy of the title mage, opening a door to a demi-plane is easy work that can be done from the comfort of their own bedroom. But according to the Top-Ecelon Mages, this is too easy and will lead to a lazier work ethic, so we can only come to work via demi-plane portal on select days.
In the village in the foothills of the mountain our worldly entrance tower is located on, there are several portals constructed that mages can use free of charge, provided by the Council, but in order to take advantage of these free portals, I personally must walk from my dwelling to a nearby glen, in the middle of which is a perfectly still lake. After arriving at the lake, I must drop a silver coin into the water and wait until the nymphs accept my offering (they always do, the nymphs and I are close friends at this point). Once accepted, the lake will shimmer and change in hue from blue to a silvery green, at which point I’ve been permitted to begin walking across the water to the center. When perfectly positioned in the center, the lake will thrum thrice, sending three small undulating waves from my position towards the banks, and once the last disturbance hits the shore, I am teleported to the city, where I then walk five blocks to the major teleportation portal center, which connects to the portals in the foothill village free of charge after I show the attendants my Celestio issued magical focus (mine is an obsidian and sapphire pendant engraved with stars, if you were curious).
Many young Entry-level Mages complain about the distances we are required to travel when they first begin working at the Grand Celestio Council, and I won’t pretend I wasn’t one of them, but after a while, I promise you’ll find ways to enjoy it. I recommend music and comfortable shoes, and don’t forget to bring the silver if you’re traveling via nymph lake, or you may be forced to trade them something more precious in exchange for not being late. You’ll figure out quickly how much the Top-Ecelon hate tardiness.
May the moon shine favorably and without hesitation upon you,
Alexan Drytus
