Parasocial Goblins and echo

A particular hum precedes echo in goblin perception — a frequency the goblin ear is tuned for and the human ear has agreed to ignore.

The legend says that the first goblin who encountered echo was so confused that he forgot to steal anything for a week. This is considered the greatest sacrifice a goblin can make, and it is why echo is treated with a mixture of reverence and suspicion.

A Goblin Aside Concerning protocol

A specific tavern song circulating in the goblin warrens features protocol as its third verse. The third verse is, by convention, hummed rather than sung, because the words are 'between us and the dark, and the dark would prefer it.'

A Goblin Aside Concerning gospel

gospel has, in the goblin commercial calendar, a small but persistent niche: there is always exactly one goblin selling gospel-themed merchandise at any given market. It is never the same goblin twice.

The Goblin Verdict on echo

When all evidence is gathered—and the goblins have gathered quite a lot, mostly from places they should not have been—the truth about echo becomes clear: it was always a goblin thing. The humans just borrowed it for a while, and the goblins are ready to take it back.