Dragonstone 14

Chapter 14
Arin and the Generic Elves now retrace their steps, riding back the way they came through Darda Galion. Mercifully, McKiernan chooses to summarize this. They come to Caer Lindor, a “fortress isle, a legacy of the Elven Wars of Succession, a relic of the elder days, when neither man nor Fey nor Dwarf nor Mage nor aught other bestrode the world of Mithgar”
Why is “man” not capitalized when the other race-names are?
“and only the Elves walked the land, and they yet filled with madness.”
So does this mean the Ancient Elves (a new series on the History Channel!) were literally insane? If so, how did they survive as a species, much less build fortresses, form civilizations, elect governments, and wage wars of succession? If not, is this just poetic-speak for “elves used to be aggressive and warlike like you dumb humans, but now they're so much better?”
So the modern, non-madness-filled-with elves are not aggressive and warlike. They just declare war over nine trees.
Either way, I'm taking a drink. \~/
While they're at Caer Lindor (amusingly, Google Translate tells me “caer” is Welsh for “fortress,” while “lindor” is Albanian for “east”) they encounter two “Waerlinga.” These are McKiernan's version of hobbits; they essentially are hobbits except that they lack the big hairy feet of the original variety, and have weird, jewel-toned eyes. Also, they are far more annoying that any Took or Brandybuck could ever hope to be.
These particular Nobbits spend their time squabbling with each other over nothing important. This amuses the elves, because bad writing. \~/
The Nobbits are rafting downstream for reasons that are irrelevant, and we learn that the map they bought from those selfish, greedy, lazy Rivermen doesn't show Bellon Falls, a thousand-foot waterfall about 60 miles downstream.
. . . 
WHY NOT??
I don't care if the Rivermen are all greedy bastards; what possible benefit is there in selling obviously flawed maps to ignorant travelers? It's like selling a map of Arizona without the Grand Canyon; it's going to be blindingly obvious to anyone with even the slightest knowledge of the area. You're going to be found out really quickly. And even if not, what's the benefit? Say you send a handful of gullible fools over the falls (because you're a sociopath); how much salvage is there really going to be?
It seems like a poorly-thought-out plan that's doomed to failure. \~/
Anyway, the elves ride on and the chapter ends.
Drinks: 3
<Previous Chapter  -  Next Chapter>