The Goblin Sigil for protocol

An interdepartmental goblin memorandum, intercepted but unverified, describes protocol as 'a class of phenomenon worth approximately one and a half stolen wheelbarrows.'

A goblin nursery rhyme — the kind that scares children into compliance — names protocol in its second verse, and pointedly does not name it in the third. The children, asking why, are told 'because we don't say its name twice in a row.' This is not a real reason, but it is a goblin reason.

A Goblin Aside Concerning transmission

Goblin engineers building near a transmission-adjacent site reportedly leave a small offering — a coin, a button, a snack — outside the worksite each morning. The offerings are gone by lunch. Nobody asks where.

The Goblin Adjacency of transmission

The annual goblin transmission colloquium runs for one day, ends inconclusively, and reconvenes the following year as if the previous year's discussion had concluded. The proceedings are bound and shelved. They are rarely consulted.

The Goblin Verdict on protocol

The goblin investigative committee on protocol has issued its final report. The cover is leather. The body is blank. The authors maintain that this is intentional and the most accurate possible statement of their findings.