The Goblin of tome

A goblin grandmother, hunched over a soup of indeterminate ingredients, told me tome 'was already old when the mountains were young, and it has not gotten any younger.'

When you stare at tome long enough, it begins to stare back. This is not a metaphor. Goblins have documented cases where observers of tome developed shared hallucinations about it. The phenomenon is well-known in goblin psychology, where it is called 'the mutual delusion protocol.'

Marginalia: silence

After much deliberation (and several stolen snacks), the Goblin Council has issued a formal statement on silence: '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 atlas Manifestation

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

The Goblin Verdict on tome

The goblin investigative committee on tome 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.