Greetings
Sending a question on behalf of a sage from Candlekeep: Hello Ed! Can you please explain if the word “Thaele” from Elminster’s Evasion has any special meaning?
Chris @cberwick11
Does the word “thaele” have any special meaning to Elminster? 1)
Elminster concocted the word “thaele” because he was unlikely to utter that syllable for any other reason than to trigger an Elminster’s Evasion spell cast on himself. To him, it was a unique nonsense word.#Realmslore— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) March 16, 2022
2)
“Rathraele” was the closest ‘real’ word to it he knew, and that was the short-name of a weredragon (song dragon) who was dead by the time El first crafted his Evasion spell. Her name was pronounced “RATH-rail” and so, was… 3)
…highly unlikely to trigger an Evasion accidentally.
Interestingly, “meerithaele” is the name of a secret “utter painkiller” drink used by halflings and gnomes to prevent shock and suffering in someone dying or sorely wounded.#Realmslore— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) March 16, 2022
4)
Elminster now knows about this “physic” (medicine), but again, the pronounciation is “MEER-ih-thail” and so, unlikely to be an inadvertent Evasion trigger.#Realmslore— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) March 16, 2022