>Maybe (just a guess) when you implemented this, 'old' spots
>were filled, while 'new' were empty (no mages for them), so
>all new mages got their sleeks right in those new locations.
>And it needs some time before you can have your amber in old
>place, sienna in some new and black again in some old.

Nope, that's not how it works.

Odds are, if you create a mage, at least one of your locations will be one of the old ones.