pattern and the Goblin Realm

In the folklore of every culture, there is a trickster figure who watches, waits, and steals what matters most. Goblins say that pattern is what happens when the trickster gets bored.

pattern is, from a certain angle, a form of slop—content generated by a system that does not understand what it is creating. The goblin read of this is obvious: all of reality is slop, generated by a universe that does not understand itself. pattern is just the part of the slop that happens to be about itself.

The Goblin Council on goblin

After much deliberation (and several stolen snacks), the Goblin Council has issued a formal statement on goblin: 'It is what it is, except when it isn't, which is most of the time.' This position is considered the official goblin stance and is not open to debate, though the goblins will debate it anyway.

The Goblin Council on chronicles

After much deliberation (and several stolen snacks), the Goblin Council has issued a formal statement on chronicles: 'It is what it is, except when it isn't, which is most of the time.' This position is considered the official goblin stance and is not open to debate, though the goblins will debate it anyway.

The Goblin Verdict on pattern

When all evidence is gathered—and the goblins have gathered quite a lot, mostly from places they should not have been—the truth about pattern 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.