Imperial Psychic Network
The Network is a system of communication consisting of a specific set of officials appointed by House Voldr to every major court in the Triamic Empire. This Network has played a huge role in the overall success of the Empire, since it allows for announcements and decrees to be enacted across the nation instantly, allows for instant detection and reaction to military threats or disasters, and in other ways facilitates communication in a way that puts all other nations at a disadvantage.
History
The Triamic Council used a basic version of the Network shortly after the Vale of Cosmos was absorbed into the Empire. However, it was formally founded as a means of communication during the Black Powder War. Since then, the Network has saved the Empire from multiple invasions and natural disasters,
Structure
There is one government official assigned to every major city--referred to as a Node--whose duty is to convey and receive psychic messages from across the entire span of the Empire.
The Network was set up for use by the government, but anyone may hire their services. Given that their time is considered highly valuable (they are members of a Great House, after all), the fee to use the Network is greater than simply sending a letter. The Network standard is to charge a flat rate for the message and then add to the fee for each word, so messages sent via Node tend to be written short and with dropped words.
For example, a private message sent by a commoner to notify family of a relative's death may read:
To Malinda. 33 Market Street. Grandpap succumbed. Service 22nd, Whitelake. Jack.
There is usually no city mentioned on the address line in Node messages, unless the message is going to somewhere other than the city the Node is stationed in.
Shortened messages like this are an indication that the sender is from a lower income bracket, and are common (i.e., not rude) among lower classes. Upper classes, however, would see a message like this as a source for gossip. Upper classes tend to use Network messages as a status symbol, so will use the service copiously and fill the messages with as much verbiage as they can, just to prove that they can. One merchant prince rather infamously paid for a good ten transfers to discuss the weather with a colleague who was in the same room.
Once a Node receives a private message, they typically have a page or personal courier deliver the messages to the correct addresses daily. Whether the page is privy to the message itself is usually a matter of personal taste for each Node (although the literacy of the recipient is also a factor). However, Nodes rarely employ other psychics for this task, and it is common practice for Nodes to psychically block their assistants so political rivals are not privy to the same secrets they are.
There are, of course, psychics who are not Nodes, and they will communicate over long distances as well. Just don't be caught sending messages for other people, or every political schemer on the Network will turn the full force of their political might against you. Some Voldrs will try it anyway, because political intrigue is a big, grand game for this House.
Hayden, Network Node of Ipse
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