Wizards' Pantry

This is the place where Wizards who have lived a good life go, by arrangement, to retain a foothold in the real world whilst enjoying the benefits of the Early Death package, from which they may return at a week's notice. The Pantry is a large walk-in cupboard just a short walk from the office of the Prehumous Professor of Morbid Bibliomancy. It is shelved on all sides, floor to ceiling, and each shelf is full of little glass jars each of which contains a knitted doll of a wizard, created by Mrs Whitlow, the University housekeeper. Apparently this is her way of reminding the kitchen staff that this otherwise tempting source of convenient glass jars must not be used for any other purpose. Apparently there was an accident once, involving a deceased wizard and a batch of freshly-made peanut butter.

Wizards in the Early Death state may be contacted by unscrewing the lid and temporarily removing the little knitted doll, as leaving it in makes the conversation somewhat muffled. Professor Goitre was lucky in that it was Moist von Lipwig asking for information, and not, for instance, an impatient witch, who might have had other, rather more pointed, ideas as to how a knitted doll designed to be representative of a person might be induced to co-operate.

As the pantry is pretty nearly full, it may be deduced that Early Death is a popular sabbatical option.