Tellem Bond

* Adult
* 10 year old

**Tellem Bond** is a recurring character in the Apple TV+ series, *Foundation*. She is the leader of a community of Mentalics on the planet Ignis. Tellem is portrayed by Rachel House, first appearing in "The Sighted and the Seen."

## Biography

Tellem Bond is a Mentalic. At a young age, her powers were mistaken for godhood and she was worshipped as the seven bodily incarnation of Pa'a, goddess of light, wisdom, flying creatures and the Second Chamber of Eternity. The mistake almost cost Tellem her sanity. Eventually, Tellem settled on Ignis and used her powers to call others like her to her side, establishing a refuge community of mentalics on the planet.

In 12,240 Era Imperial, Tellem began to call Gaal Dornick and Salvor Hardin to Ignis. As the *Beggar's Lament* approached Ignis, she used her abilities to make Hari Seldon dream about the night he died on the *Deliverance* at Raych Foss' hand. She then appeared to him as Raych, hoping to trigger memories of his death and resurrection to figure out why he was alive again.

After her people captured Hari, Gaal, and Salvor when they crashed on Ignis, she presented herself to them using a mental projection of herself as a ten-year old, claiming to be the seventh bodily incarnation of the goddess Pa'a. Hari saw through the projection, and Tellem introduced herself properly. After a brief discussion and who they were, the trio were escorted out. Tellem conferred with Loron, who was probing them for memories of the Prime Radiant. Tellem told him she intended to find and break it, and thus prevent the Second Foundation from forming.

Tellem meets with Salvor, Hari, and Gaal. She reveals that Gaal's thoughts have told her about the First Crisis, the Second Crisis, and the Foundation. Tellem doesn't care about the Empire, she just wants to keep her people out of the way so they are not killed. Hari tells her about the rise of the Mule in the future, and Gaal shows her the vision she had. Tellem is shaken, and says that she has to believe that their actions in the present mean something and the future should not be set. She tells Gaal that she has to learn her own power, because what she sees at the moment is filtered through Hari's perspective.

Tellem visits Gaal aboard the *Beggar's Lament*, apologising for the way she treated Hari. During their conversation, Gaal finds that there are times when Tellem appears to shift position without her noticing the movement, just the aftermath. Tellem tells Gaal about their recruitment methods, how they have a few ships and the mental beacon to rescue others. Using water thrown in her face, Tellem manages to convince Gaal's mind that she is back on Synnax. Tellem worries about who will lead her people when she is gone and offers to train Gaal, give her the Second Foundation she wants and the power to save Salvor. But it comes with price: Hari cannot be involved. Gaal and Tellem go to see Hari and Salvor and reveal their arrangement; Hari wants to know what Tellem offered her and points out that Tellem can put anything into her mind. When Tellem refers to an incident on Macoda Mesa in Hari's youth, Hari angrily tells them if they can't trust their own minds, then what else do they have?

Tellem engineers a plan to remove Hari from Gaal and Salvor by having Loron fly the *Beggar's Lament* away, posing as Hari. In reality, Tellem has taken Hari prisoner and chained him to poles in a slowly-filling tide pool. She tells Hari that she will find and destroy the Prime Radiant, and Hari will drown. She tells Venik to stand guard until he drowns.

Tellem hosts a feast for Gaal and Salvor; as the ghost mollusks are boiled alive, both of the new arrivals feel them screaming in pain. Tellem explains that their powers are broadening to be able to feel at a greater empathic level. She explains that if you feel everything, you don't take more than what you need. At the feast, Tellem encourages Gaal to tell the assembled Mentalics about the Mule when Thalis asks about why Gaal is thinking about him.

When Salvor follows up on her own suspicions about the Mentalics and finds Hari's body in the tide pool, Tellem catches her. Telling Salvor that some deaths are necessary, Tellem renders her unconscious with her abilities, causing her to fall into the water.

Tellem arranged for Salvor to be placed in a cell with encephalic sensors active, broadcasting a frequency that dulled Salvor's abilities. Tellem was confronted by Gaal over Salvor's disappearance; Tellem tells her the truth that Salvor was imprisoned because she discovered Hari's death. Tellem also knows that Gaal felt Hari die and was aware that Tellem was behind it. As a result, Gaal is also trapped in a similar cave to Salvor, and Tellem was using a mental projection to speak to her.

Tellem's plan is revealed; she wants to use Gaal as her next host, transferring her psychic consciousness into Gaal's body and supplanting her. She has done this for centuries with other victims, and the assembly of Mentalics assist in the ceremony by using their tuning whistles to align Tellem and Gaal's minds. The transference begins, and Tellem begins to invade Gaal's consciousness. Salvor interferes with the transference ceremony, using encephalic sensors originally used to keep her in a prison to temporarily block Tellem and the others' abilities, saving Gaal. As Gaal and Salvor are beginning to flee, Loron shoots the disks, destroying them, and restoring the group's powers.

As Gaal and Salvor escape to the *Beggar's Lament*, Gaal is surprised to find that Tellem has beaten them to the ship. Tellem uses her powers to attack Gaal and tries to take over her body. Unexpectedly, Hari appears behind her and kills Tellem by bludgeoning her to death.

In an effort to escape her fate, Tellem took control of Josiah and tried to kill Gaal. However, Salvor intervened and took the shot, mortally wounding Josiah in the process. Afraid, Tellem died as Josiah did.

## Appearances

* Season Two
	+ "The Sighted and the Seen" (First appearance)
	+ "Why the Gods Made Wine"
	+ "A Necessary Death"
	+ "The Last Empress"
	+ "Long Ago, Not Far Away"
	+ "Creation Myths"

## Notes and references

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 "The Sighted and the Seen"
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 "Creation Myths"
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 "Why the Gods Made Wine"
4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 "A Necessary Death"
5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 "The Last Empress"
6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 "Long Ago, Not Far Away"