I may read this wrong so feel free to corect me someone reliable ... Niara for example ...
But the "spell" is about creating your own entry point and linking it to allready existing portal.
Here we are walking through allready existing portals, therefore we dont need the spell.
portals in important locations in which the spell has been casted every day for one year doesn't make it a "quite normal" way of traveling, especially in such a small area in the middle of nowhere.
Fun stuff ...
You know, if you read that description thoroughly, there is litteraly written "You can create a permanent teleportation circle" ... with empasis on the word "permanent" ...
Now, sure we are now "in the middle of nowhere" ... but have you ever concidered on what places those portals are?
Temple of Jergal ...
Emerald Grove ...
The only village around ...
Hut of Hag, where people come make (not exactly fair) bargains ...
Selune temple ...
The only Inn around ...
Tollhouse by the road ...
And finaly den of Zhentarim ... slavers/smuglers wealthy, and smart enough to see benefits of such transportation ...
Wich one of those was "not enough important" by your interpretation?
(Hope i didnt left out any from the surface)
We can continue in the Underdark:
Myconid collony ... the only Friendly place around, wich members of Society of Brilliance (that right, mages) uses as neutral ground ...
Stronghold of Sharites ...
Beach ... once again, the only village around
Sussur tree ... main source of resources for Lenore research ...
And finaly Grymforge, twice ... main source of Arms and Amor for whole Sharite army.
The only one portal i would concider questionable i can think off ... is that one is spider cave.
But once again, we *know* that there was a Necromancer in the city ... wich most likely needed to move unseen.
Ever played other video games, read books, look at films in the Forgotten Realms?
Yup ...
no one would say that it's a "quite normal" way of traveling in the FR but you.
One could argue about at least me and writters from Larian see it this way.
Teleportation also exist in The Witcher (and many other universe) without being a common way of traveling.
Funny you picked Witcher ...
Since even tho i admit i didnt read "everything" ... but still im not quite sure i have seen, hear, or read (unless she was forced to by circumstances obviously) Yennefer at least once using any and i mean ANY other means of transportation.
---
I lay my weapons on the ground.
Aw thats a shame man.
I was really interested in those things.
Hope this game will be able to grant the maximum amount of funt to the maximum amount of people without becoming an amorphous amalgam of features antithetic to one another.