When Garwain Blackwood dies at birth, shortly after the birth of his twin brother, Tarquin “Quinn” Blackwood, Garwain’s ghost does not go into the light of Heaven but remains behind on Blackwood Farm, where he haunts his brother for the next two decades. In the beginning, they are almost like playmates, since Quinn is born with the ability to see ghosts, yet he does not understand that Goblin is the ghost of his dead twin brother. As Quinn grows and matures, Goblin becomes jealous of the fact that he cannot experience the same sensations as his living brother. The ghost becomes petulant and angry, especially when Quinn gives others more attention than him. Whenever Quinn tries to leave Blackwood Farm, Goblin tries to follow, yet the farther he gets from the plantation, the weaker he becomes. This is particularly true when Quinn, in his twenties, accompanies Aunt Queen to Europe. Goblin is furious, but he is able to keep in contact with Quinn through email and the housekeeper, Jasmine.
When Petronia captures Quinn and turns him into a vampire, Goblin is outraged and attacks Quinn so violently that Quinn seeks out the assistance of the vampire Lestat. Lestat turns to the aid of his friend David Talbot, who turns to the aid of Louis’s fledgling Merrick Mayfair, who is also a member of the Mayfair witch family. She, Lestat, David, and Quinn return to Blackwood Farm, where Merrick performs an exorcism ritual, using Garwain’s corpse. Merrick hopes to burn the corpse in a funeral pyre, which should dispel Goblin by sending Garwain’s soul to Heaven. But the ritual is unsuccessful until Merrick leaps into the fire with Garwain’s corpse to ensure that her soul will take Garwain’s soul into Heaven’s light, banishing Goblin’s haunting forever.
Goblin appears in Blackwood Farm (2002). For more perspectives on Goblin’s character, read the Alphabettery entries Aunt Queen, Blackwood Farm, David Talbot, Garwain Blackwood, Jasmine, Lestat de Lioncourt, Louis de Pointe du Lac, Merrick Mayfair, Petronia, and Quinn Blackwood.