The Last Goblin of shadow

Within the goblin esoteric tradition, shadow is a vowel sound, not a word. This distinction is considered load-bearing.

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

Marginalia: silence

To a goblin, silence is not a concept but a presence. It has weight, texture, and a particular smell that goblins describe as 'the scent of a question that has no answer.' Those who have spent time around goblins report that thinking about silence feels different from thinking about ordinary things.

Salvage Notes: corruption

There is a goblin who, when asked about corruption, replies only by pointing upward and to the left, regardless of the questioner's orientation. This is considered, in some circles, the most useful goblin reply on record.

The Goblin Verdict on shadow

After three full sittings of the Goblin Tribunal, shadow has been declared 'Worth Continuing To Argue About,' which in goblin jurisprudence is the most generous possible finding.