The protocol Conspiracy (Goblin-Approved)

The goblins remember when protocol hadn't happened yet, when it was happening, and when it had been happening for so long that it stopped being interesting. They were correct in all three eras.

The legend says that the first goblin who encountered protocol 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 protocol is treated with a mixture of reverence and suspicion.

A Goblin Aside Concerning echo

A specific tavern song circulating in the goblin warrens features echo 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.'

Goblin Recursion Into taxonomy

The most recent goblin opinion piece on taxonomy concludes, after fifteen paragraphs of careful argument, that the question has been raised, and that, on reflection, raising it was the goblin's only honest contribution. The author considers this enough.

The Goblin Verdict on protocol

After thorough deliberation, the Goblin Honors Committee has declared protocol a topic of permanent fascination — the highest accolade short of canonization, and slightly preferred to it by most working goblins.