Wayfarer's Guild
"...and henceforth, the Wayfarer's Guild is granted sole rights to provide magical transportation for a fee within the bounds of the Empire."
The Wayfarer's Guild is an organization of mages specializing in transportation Magic. While originally founded in The Empire of Albion, they have grown to become a global corporation, with enough money and power to rival some nations. They maintain offices in every transportation hub in the world, and will move people and goods across the planet in a heartbeat for a price.
Founding
After the publication of Sir Edwin Harlowe's Principia Arcana in 1687, the number of practicing mages in Albion rose dramatically. The principles of universal Magic allowed for the dissemination of magical knowledge on scales unheard of before, and many people took up the practice of Magic as a career. Many of them offered the ability to transport people magically from place to place as a service. However, a large number of these mages were barely trained, and some were hopelessly corrupt. People were transported accidentally into solid objects, and others were sent to the dens of theives who would beat and rob the hapless travelers.
The government of Albion saw that the use of Magic would need to be more carefully regulated, to keep it safe to use. To this end the Wayfarer's Guild was commissioned to take control of all transportation Magic in the empire, and to keep it safe and legitimate. Commercially offering transportation Magic without Guild approval became a criminal offense, punishable by steep fines and imprisonment, with more serious penalties when the offense was repeated, egregious, or led to the harm or death of those they transported. The Guild's charter was issued in 1710, and the founding members took quick and decisive action to put an end to all illicit magical transportation.
The Rise of the Wayfarer State
As the Rites of Sovereignty closed most countries to magical transportation, some small nations chose to leave their territories open to Wayfaring. They saw that as their larger neighbors sealed their borders, more and more travelers came to the nearest unshielded territory to their destination, and then crossing the border mundanely. These small nations became hubs of rail and sea traffic, and became key points where the Wayfarer's Guild could establish offices. They became known as Wayfarer States, and became wealthy providing amenities to those affluent enough to travel the world magically. A traveler could make their way (magically or mundanely) to a border crossing with a Wayfarer State, cross over, and then contract with the Guild for transport to the nearest Wayfarer State to their destination. If their destination did not restrict internal magical transportation, they could then step over the border and contract another guild member to transport them to their final destination. Alternatively, they can travel by rail or ferry; these options are much less expensive than more Magic, and few consider it cost effective to make every leg of a trip magical.
Structure
Each chapter of the Guild is led by a Grandmaster, who oversees all the business of the chapter. Below them are the Master Wayfarers, and then the Journeymen and Apprentice Wayfarers. Apprenticeships typically last ten years, after which the mage is sent on a Journeyman's tour. Since reliable transportation magic relies upon accurate knowledge of the intended destination, the Journeyman's tour is intended to show the young mage as many locations as possible. After three to five years of constant travel, the Journeyman can asked to be examined for Mastery at any chapterhouse they choose.
The Grandmasters are appointed by and report to the Guild Master. The Guild Master is selected by the Grandmasters from among their number, and they serve in the role for life. The Guild Master used to be the Grandmaster of Lundeinjon by default, but in recent years the Wayfarer's Guild has chosen to place their headquarters on Piffling instead.
Public Agenda
The Wayfarer's Guild exists to make money. They make sure that the transportation they offer is safe and reliable, they charge a significant price for it. They are also rumored to take very direct and swift action against anyone who infringes on their Charter, which typically involves a very long-distance transport for the offender - both the sun and the moon are places they have been purported to have been sent. They do not ally themselves with any particular government, and will typically provide their services to anyone with the coin to pay.
The Rites of Sovereignty
As magical transportation became more common throughout the 1700s, nations grew concerned with their ability to protect themselves from invasion. The possibility of an enemy transporting troops deep into a nation's territory became a real possibility, and one that terrified rulers all over the world. As tensions rose over this issue, several countries began to prepare preemptive strikes, and global war seemed imminent.
At this point, the Pharaoh Undying, ruler of Kemet chose to act. He provided each nation in the world with the necessary details to perform the Rites of Sovereignty, a universal ritual designed to protect entire nations from a magical assault. These Rites were keyed to the sovereign of a nation, and prevented magical transportation across the borders of the nation. With their borders secured against magical transportation, the threat of war abated, and the idea of a Wayfarer State was born. You can read more about the Rites of Sovereignty here.
The Independent Principality of Piffling
The Independent Principality of Piffling is a small nation located just south of the Empire of Albion, on the island of Piffling. It is the closest Wayfarer State to the Empire, and those who wish to travel internationally will typically start their journey there. You can read more about the principality here.
I too am a fan of Wayfares and teleportation! They function almost the exact same way too, it's nice to see I'm not the only one who thought of this, a wonderful article!
Thanks!