tome and the Fractured Goblin Mind

Examination of the goblin tunnel walls near tome-affected sites reveals consistent scratch patterns: three short, one long, one diagonal. The goblin equivalent of a signature.

A goblin nursery rhyme — the kind that scares children into compliance — names tome 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.

Cross-Referenced Goblin Material on signal

The most recent goblin opinion piece on signal 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 dossier Manifestation

Goblin testimony on dossier is notoriously inconsistent — not in the details, but in the tone. Some goblins describe dossier with reverence; some with derision; some with the studied neutrality of a goblin who has been burned before. All testimonies are filed and kept.

The Goblin Verdict on tome

The goblin Cabinet of Curiosities has accepted tome for its permanent collection, where it joins seven other things the curators are reasonably sure are real, and one thing they are no longer sure about.