Liner Notes for Lubrication

Liner Notes for my story Lubrication

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What do elves do all day? How does an immortal occupy their time? I crib a little from Warhammer 40,000’s Eldar here. WH40K’s space-elves are psychic and have feelings and intellect significantly more intense than those of humans. This makes them susceptible to Chaos and the Warp, so they learn self-discipline (or not; see Dark Eldar, Exodites, Harlequins etc. The lore has moved on since I was a teenager and paid attention). One way they keep their self-discipline is by walking a path, following a set of rules which match up with a profession or role in society. Some get “lost on the path,” becoming adepts, but most eventually leave and take up another path.

An immortal might choose to spend their life concentrating on one thing. Real people in the real world often act as though they’re immortal, and they change and grow and do new things. And things have to be done. Someone has to look after the trees. Someone has to fight the monster from the southern chaos wastes. And someone has to make oil and varnish for your bows and blades and ships and leather and all the many other things that drink it up.

The other idea I put into text is debt. It is known that allowing people to run up debt can get out of hand. Bad luck can rob someone of the ability to repay and then what? Being unable to discharge debts has historically led to bad results; people going on the run, burning down their landlord’s estates, and for the rich, attempting to overthrow the state to get themselves a bail out. In modern times we have slightly more humane solutions. Bankruptcy, bail outs, jubilee, death.

An immortal, indebted for all time, would find themselves a slave. The elves chose against this, dealing with obligations and privileges rather than debts and credits. (The choice was somewhat fraught, an awkward compromise). Hence the sensitivity to debts. Swiftgaze is within his rights to ask a favour and for Walker to refuse would cause him trouble. But there is no compulsion and as long as Walker makes a good faith effort to help then no one else will interfere.

Walker has spent too much time amongst mortals, who measure such things with yardsticks, scales, measuring jugs and accounting boards.

I did a fair amount of research on oils, most of which I then discarded. All my beautiful whale oil facts wasted because the Leviathan Prince might turn up at the wedding. Still, you might learn something about linseed, the oil, and what it’s good for. And where else are you going to find that stuff out? Maybe on the side of a tin of linseed oil I guess, but that doesn't have elves in it.