The book is also much less useful as a general text, and would only feature in the offices of Legion commanders or in the neighborhood of the Weir Gates themselves. Perhaps the player could receive it at some point to explain what exactly they just got access to.
WEIR GATE MEMORANDUM
A memorandum from the office of Lord-General Therus Alorius.
*ATTENTION: do not distribute this document or its contents outside of authorized Legion officer personnel. This document has been glyph-marked, and any breach of confidentiality will be observed and reported.*
Concerning: pertinent information in regards to his Imperial Majesty's WEIR GATE and SHIFT GATE networks, as used by his Imperial Majesty's military, administrative and diplomatic services.
It has come to my attention that the nature of the Weir Gate network is not fully understood by junior officers and adjutants, some of whom have requested access for personal reasons, including but not limited to private vacations, sight-seeing, and visits to significant others.
The Weir Gate network is a secure interprovincial and interplanar instantaneous teleportation network to be used only for Empire Actual affairs. This system has been with us since the days of Reman and his Mananaut corps, when it was used to connect mundial garrisons directly to mothship beachheads out in the Void.
In today's age, when extramundial excursions of a military nature are no longer commonplace, the Weir network has been refurbished as secure transport for high-ranking military officers and messengers.
For those of you who question the use of the system when compared to modern teleportation spells, the advantages of the Weir Gates are as follows:
Weir Gates are more reliable, as they cannot be interrupted by resonators or other anti-teleportation machines.
Weir Gates function autonomously, not through a spell cast by a fallible or potentially compromised mage.
Weir Gates do not require a specific spiritual anchor point other than the receiving gate, which can be mounted on a ship or thaumatic vessel, making them essentially mobile (albeit too unwieldy for this to be practical in wartime - I would advise junior officers to keep their strategy proposals to themselves).
Finally, the range on Weir Gates is nearly unlimited, making travel from one side of the Empire to the other -- or even from Tamriel to the reaches of the Void – a distinct possibility.
While the current network only connects mundial nodes, it at one point bridged many ships in the Second Empire Void Fleet. Not all of those vessels were recovered and safely disposed of. As such, it is possible for the system to be compromised by extramundial forces (I will refrain from mentioning the recent Battlespire fiasco of our esteemed colleagues in the Battlemage corps). As such, the secure usage of the Weir Gates is a prime concern at all times.
In short, the Weir Gate network is one of the most important arcane tools in the Legion's arsenal, and should not be used to visit your grandmother in Sentinel or your favorite brothel in Senchal. Any further requests for gate access for personal reasons will be met with severe reprisals.
Legion command has received several questions in regards to Shift Gates. The existence and functionality of Shift Gates is regarded as a state secret. Any inquiry into their workings will result in demotion and a full military investigation. If you hear or see any mention of Shift Gates, you must detain the offending individual and report them to your nearest superior officer.
This memorandum has been approved by:
Therus Alorius
Lord-General
Knight of the Imperial Dragon
in service to His Terrible Majesty Uriel Septim VII
The Empire is Law
The Law is Sacred