A hush fell over Mudwick Isle when the Goblin Council of Elders announced that a secret tunnel connecting the island to the breakaway nation of Rigatonia had been completed. The first public reaction was a collective "What?" Nobody had known the project existed.
Confusion turned to jubilation once it sank in. Goblins have long feared sea travel: kraken attacks, pirate raids and, as of this week, the Council's own whirlpool. Now they can skip the water entirely.
"So I can visit Aunt Griselda in Rigatonia without being swallowed whole by a sea monster?" said one bewildered goblin, clutching a half-eaten mushroom. "This is amazing."
The tunnel is a marvel of goblin engineering and questionable safety standards, with flickering torchlight, moss-covered walls and the odd abandoned mine cart for impromptu races. Its main feature is that it is not the sea.
Goblins on both islands are packing bags, polishing their shiniest trinkets and planning long-delayed reunions. Merchants are expecting a trade boom.
Even the normally stoic Elder Gnarltooth cracked a smile. "This tunnel is a testament to goblin ingenuity," he said, "and to our commitment to our fellow goblins, however misguided their culinary preferences may be."
The tunnel was a closely guarded secret for years. Asked why the Council had been quietly digging toward Rigatonia since long before it seceded, Gnarltooth said it was a surprise.
