Telepathy is the ability to feel another's thoughts. The ability usually manifests on its own, but it can be triggered. As with most special abilities, telepathy generally manifests in teenagers, except for the case of Sophie Foster, whose telepathy was triggered at the age of five by the Black Swan. Telepaths are considered rare in the elvin world and due to this, many are appointed to the nobility.
Capabilities[]
- Hearing broadcasted thoughts
- Breaking into other elves' minds (not allowed unless the Telepath is on an assignment from the Council or if they have permission from the person)
- Pinpointing other Elves' locations by tracking their thoughts
- Communicating with animals through thoughts (currently only Sophie Foster and Fitz Vacker can do this)
- Performing memory breaks (destroying someone's sanity to learn what their mind is hiding)
- Acting as a guide for the other Telepath who is performing the memory breaks
- Healing a broken mind (only Sophie Foster can do this)
- Transmitting to people (Sophie Foster can transmit very long distances)
- Being able to erase memories (Only official Washers can legally do this)
- Transferring memories onto a memory log
- Stronger mental concentration
- Increased capacity for mental tricks and certain skills that require strength from the mind
Cognatedom[]
A pair of Telepaths that have formed a deep connection can be referred to as Cognates, and they can achieve things a single Telepath cannot. A Cognate bond requires sharing all of your secrets and an extreme level of trust in the other person. Cognates are typically very powerful together. Some known cognates are Sophie Foster and Fitz Vacker, but they may or may not choose to stop after Sophie kept her biological mother's identity from Fitz. It was also revealed that Quinlin and Alden were cognates, but after Quinlin kept a secret from Alden, it damaged their trust they are no longer Cognates.
Importance[]
Telepathy is considered to be one of the most important special abilities in the Elvin world, because telepaths were the ones who first learned about the humans' plan to overthrow the elves. There are more Telepaths in the nobility than elves with any other talent, and Telepathy is considered the most vital ability.
Telepathic Regulations in the Lost Cities[]
- Telepaths are not supposed to block their thoughts, especially from Elvin authorities.
- Telepaths cannot read minds without permission, unless it is an emergency, or they're on a Council assignment.
Known Telepathic Jobs[]
- Probe - Someone who searches through another's memories.
- Keeper - Someone who, after extensive training, keeps important secrets in their mind.
- Washer - Someone who erases memories.
Known Telepaths[]
- Sophie Foster
- Fitz Vacker
- Alden Vacker
- Tiergan (or Granite)
- Prentice Endal
- Magnate Leto Kerlof (or Mr. Forkle and Sir Astin) and his twin
- Quinlin Sonden
- Councillor Kenric Fathdon
- Councillor Emery
- Gethen Ondsinn
- Damel Kafuta
- Lady Pemberley (only other known/listed female telepath)
Known Cognates[]
- Alden Vacker and Quinlin Sonden (formerly, the trust between them was broken after Prentice's mind break)
- Sophie and Fitz (in training)
- Both Mr. Forkles (formerly)
Trivia[]
- Sophie Foster is the only known Telepath to have an impenetrable mind-- though Fitz Vacker, Alicorns , and Mr. Forkle can bypass her blocking. (Forkle does at least imply he also may have an impenetrable mind, saying, “Did you think you were the only one with an impenetrable mind?”)
- Ogres can sense if someone is inside their mind.
- Different species have different kinds of minds, making it harder for Telepaths to bypass their blocking. For Example, gnomes' minds are described as a tree, while ogres' minds are like a bed of needles. Note: Only Sophie Foster and her Cognates Fitz Vacker have bypassed their minds easily.
- In a deleted scene from Exile, Fitz and Sophie demonstrate a telepathy skill known as impelling, which involved forcing a mental image out of their mind and into others nearby, resulting in a realistic illusion of the image. Shannon Messenger cut the scene because it made Sophie seem stronger instead of highlighting her abilities were broken and left the skill out because it made Telepaths' abilities more confusing.
Quotes[]
“The mind is a tricky thing.”