Teleportation

It is commonly believed that teleportation instantly transports a target from one place to another. Anyone who has experienced teleportation, however, recognizes that this definition is inaccurate on several levels because it does not acknowledge the relevance of the Tempest upon which all teleportation relies.

The Tempest is a parallel world that can be entered only by means of magic. The nature of the Tempest is an entry in itself, so only a few of its attributes relevant to teleportation will be provided here. Suffice to say that the flow of time is much, much faster in the Tempest, allowing a traveler through it to complete in a matter of seconds journeys that would normally demand weeks on foot. This journey does not require food, water, or even air, but those who have spent a significant amount of time in the Tempest often show signs of premature aging — especially if they favor form and high teleportation.

There are three kinds of teleportation — line, form, and high. All share certain features. First, a teleported creature always moves at the rate of between twenty and thirty miles per day of Tempest time, depending on the type of teleportation. Second, travel through the Tempest is a journey made in a state of sensory deprivation, as there is no material in the Tempest with which to interact. It is, however, possible to sleep and heal, in the Tempest, and illnesses, infections, and injuries also progress while in the Tempest. Travelers in the Tempest do not suffer any effect due to terrain between their point of origin and their destination, nor do they risk exposure to Dinah's Curse. Third, while there is no physical substance in the Tempest, physical barriers outside the Tempest have a certain shadow within it, such that certain terrain features, elevation differences, and obstacles can influence the speed and even the possibility of teleportation, under certain circumstances. Living things, however, do not have a shadow in the Tempest and pose no barrier to teleportation. A thicket or an army poses no obstacle to teleportation whatsoever.

Line teleportation allows travel between any two points between which reasonably navigable foot path exists, though this path need not be known to the wizard or anyone else. The spell plots a path in the Tempest, winding between the shadows of any obstacles that exist outside the Tempest. The time spent in the Tempest is therefore based on this path, not the distance between point of origin and destination as the crow flies. One of the benefits of line teleportation is that it is impossible to accidentally arrive at a destination that is incapable of accepting the target's volume. The subject always reaches the destination, so long as the spell uses enough Energy to protect it during the entire journey.

Line teleportation cannot penetrate non-living obstacles, even those the wizard could normally eliminate with a simple physical act. A wizard using line teleportation can no more escape a windowless room with a closed door than he can escape an earthen prison or enter a walled fortress whose gate has been barred. Bodies of water sometimes present an obstacle, but not always. Certainly, line teleportation cannot cross an ocean or any other body of water deeper than a few feet, but shallower streams tend to be less predictable. A swift river that presents a barrier that must be circumvented one day might pose no such challenge the next.

Line teleportation literally transports the target from one place to the other through a tunnel of Energy in the Tempest the width of a pinprick, reassembling the target at its destination. While such translation into a line cannot normally be accomplished with pure Vitality and would be instantly fatal and irreversible even if it could be done, some quality of the Tempest itself appears to overcome this obstacle. In fact, the subjects of line teleportation retain the capacity for thought just as do those employing form teleportation, though the occurrence of teleportation sickness is higher in targets traveling by means of line teleportation than it is in form or high teleportation.

Form teleportation allows travel between any two points, so long as the elevation of the point of origin is higher than that of the destination, allowing unhindered travel in spite of the shadows of obstacles outside the Tempest. The spell plots a direct line route to the destination, resulting in a swifter trip through the Tempest than line teleportation.

Form teleportation transports the target in one piece, though the sensation is not measurably different from that of line teleportation. Form teleportation is easier than line teleportation, but it lacks the certainty of a safe arrival. Since form teleportation ignores obstacles and their shadows in the Tempest, careless form teleportation can result in the subject becoming fused with an inanimate object, usually resulting in death. The tors of living things repel those arriving in an area by means of form teleportation. This prevents accidental fusion between the subjects of form teleportation and local flora and fauna except in extremely rare situations, all of which affected a wizard who was drawing and holding a substantial quantity of myst when the teleporting target arrived.

High teleportation allows travel between any two points, regardless of elevation or the presence of obstacles. With enough myst, a wizard could use high teleportation to cross the ocean or even travel to one of the moons. The spell plots a direct line route through the Tempest to the destination, protecting the subject from accidentally arriving in an area occupied by an object or living thing. Like form teleportation, high teleportation transports the target in one piece. It can also open a portal into the Tempest, rather than merely sending targets into it, and this has allowed wizards to learn much about the nature of this strange realm. Despite its advantages, high teleportation is far more difficult and expensive than line and form teleportation.

All types of teleportation require a complex combination of magicks. Elements is necessary to open a path into and out of the Tempest. Mobility is required to produce movement without exertion, since any attempt to travel the matter-less vacuum of the Tempest without it would be futile. Energy provides protection against the deadly environment of the Tempest, which is so hostile and empty that any matter that enters it diffuses as quickly as a handful of sand tossed into a stormy sea. Only form teleportation requires only these three magicks.

Line teleportation demands the addition of Knowledge and Vitality. Knowledge allows the wizard to plot a path from point of origin to destination before teleportation and to guide the subject along this path during the journey itself. It also warns the wizard in advance when line teleportation is impossible, forcing her to revise her desired destination or abandon the spell entirely.

High teleportation requires the same magicks as line teleportation, plus the addition of Power, which allows the subject to gain altitude. Few wizards can wield six different magicks simultaneously, so only highly skilled wizards are capable of this advanced magical application.

One common side-effect of teleportation, aside from aging, is teleportation sickness. The transition from the sensory deprivation of the Tempest to the relatively intense sensory input of the outside world produces brief feelings of nausea. Some people cope with teleportation sickness better than others, so recovery times range from a fifteen or twenty seconds to as many minutes. In general, those who teleport often build up a tolerance for teleportation sickness, allowing them to recover more quickly even after long journeys through the Tempest.

(Contributed by Nightfire Tradition)

Copyright 2005-2007 Eric Zawadzki and Matthew Schick. All Rights Reserved.
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