#asktelepathy

For a goblin to be enthralled by their name, two conditions must be met:

1 ) The one using their name cannot be a goblin themselves. They must be another species of person, and not a monster.

2 ) The goblin must comprehend their name and the command being given.

Let me explain the second point, because this is where things get tricky...

A deaf goblin who can't hear their name being spoken will not be enthralled by someone speaking their name. However, if the one enthralling them commands them using telepathy, then they can be enthralled.

So yes, goblins can be enthralled telepathically! But only by experienced telepaths. Sage is an experienced telepath herself. Someone as powerful as her could probably block an enemy's spell and maybe even enthrall them.

Here are some other interesting points: Say someone tries to command a goblin, but they do it in a language that goblin doesn't understand. The goblin may comprehend their name, but they don't comprehend the command being given, so in this case it doesn't work.

Commands also may not work if the goblin is severely intoxicated or intellectually disabled, as they might struggle with language comprehension in these states.

Goblins can protect themselves from most commands by wearing high quality earplugs or even damaging their own ears. Historically, many goblins have sacrificed their hearing by sticking sharp objects deep into their ears in order to escape slavery.

Luckily this species excels at mental magics like telepathy, so deaf goblins can quickly learn telepathy to replace their hearing. This allows them to read peoples' thoughts and project their own thoughts into the heads of others, and they can communicate effectively this way.

I imagine Folkvar Kingdom has a large community of deaf goblins who escaped their chains in Evangeline Kingdom.

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Questions/Comments?

Telepathy is actually a strictly controlled magic! All schools of magic have a set of laws around how you’re allowed to use them and telepathy is no exception.

Much like the consent laws around sex, telepaths need consent before they go poking around in peoples’ minds, otherwise it’s a serious crime. (This was shown in a fairly recent story, where a telepathic therapist asks consent before looking into her patient’s head and promises not to influence his thoughts. All fae are bound by promises, so she couldn’t betray him after that point even if she wanted to.)

It’s fairly easy to tell when you’re under a telepath’s spell and when your actions aren’t your own. When a telepath is reading your mind, you tend to get glimpses of their face or silhouette flashing in your mind’s eye. It’s actually quite hard for telepaths to keep someone enthralled for long, especially if the victim is strong-willed and perceptive. Some people have the wills to resist telepaths and shake off their spells faster than others. Just like a murderer attacking different victims, some are going to fight harder and be stronger than others, and if the murderer isn’t careful then they just might be the victim instead.

There have been cases of telepaths unknowingly trying to enthrall other telepaths, and the victims turned right around and enthralled them instead. There have been cases where telepaths have tried to enthrall strong-willed commoners, only for the commoners to shrug it off immediately and attack them. There are also cases where telepaths try to get into someone’s head, but can’t because the victim was wearing an iron circlet or helmet.