Elspeth is not sure she contains enough information and power to singlehandedly win a war against an evil god.

"We are winning as it stands. We've had him besieged in the north for centuries. I am sure that the inventions that'll level Angband and destroy him are in our power, it's just going to take another few centuries. He's asked us for peace terms, several times. I think he also believes we're winning."

Where did they fail to come to agreement on the peace terms?

"We didn't go to negotiate with him, he can't be trusted."

Then it's sort of hard to know if his suing for peace says anything about the balance of power. Are leveling Angband and killing him supposed to be one and the same?

"No, killing him will be harder. Levelling Angband will stop him torturing people and breeding monsters, though, so it's a good step, and if they catch it right we can also destroy his body and make it really hard for him to reconstitute a new one, buying us several centuries."

And in several centuries' time you think you could actually kill him?

"A lot can happen in several centuries. With a united populace and a lot of resources going to magic and science, I am very sure it can be done."

He can probably convince her to unearth a nuclear physicist but he might have to stop keeping a dude chained to his wall because if that's anything like what she speculates it's less defensible on every level than vampires forcibly turning their mates and if it doesn't turn out she has even that much leverage he's probably not the right person to tell about nuclear physics, there are probably other people who would like to know about nuclear physics.

"I would very much like to know about nuclear physics. But if you'd rather tell one of my brothers about nuclear physics that'd be entirely acceptable. Findekáno's commanding the war in Nan Elmoth."

She was assuming he was originally intended to go back to being chained to the wall after that. She was also assuming that people who are not (related to / tacitly endorsing / possibly just as fucked up as) King Chain A Guy To The Wall exist and might like to know about nuclear physics. Aredhel said some Dwarf kingdoms were nice internally.

"Okay. I swear not to chain him to any more walls if you teach our engineers the things known to your nuclear physicists."

He didn't really think chaining him to a wall was the exact specific problem, did he? Metonymy should be obvious both because Elspeth and because mindreading.

He was not confused about what she meant, no. 

You can go talk to him, ask him what he wants.

This might be a stalling tactic. A stalling tactic would be pretty smart honestly because Elspeth is not a suitable repository for secrets and trying to be is very difficult. She will probably have to run off into the wilderness if she decides he's doing that. She's faster than a horse, at least. Could also be a diversion. Might be able to get Findekáno to say anything.

"I'm not stalling. If you're trying to take a stand on his behalf you don't do him any favors by going off secondhand reports. We really need to win this war and we'll both live if your condition for that happens to be 'never speak again' but neither of us will be happy about that. I swear I haven't threatened him with retaliation if he speaks his mind or anything like that."

Elspeth is probably ill-served by not knowing more about how oaths work. Maybe her sword knows how oaths work. It's probably a disinterested party.

"It would surprise me a bit if it did, not itself being an oath-swearing species of person, but you are welcome to ask it. Or go around meeting our neighbors and asking them, I can give you a map and it sounds like you wouldn't be in substantial danger. All of them will tell you that Findekáno could have sworn never to speak ill of me or something. I can swear myself that he never so swore to my knowledge, but if that's not good enough then I guess you will just have to decide what's best for him without consulting him."

Elspeth can think of all kinds of things that would have that effect without being literally that.

"I swear that to my knowledge he hasn't sworn anything that'd stop him from accurately representing what he wants."

Then she'll talk to him, she supposes. She should still fly less blind in general. A map would be useful.

A map! And an offer of some translators - "who I swear I've chosen only because they're good at translating and should work well with you" - if she wants to go talk to people who don't speak Quenya, not that other languages should take her much longer. There's an ambassador from Tumunzahar right here in the city, too, if she'd like to meet him. 

Sure why not.

"Thank you."

Insofar as she has provided him with anything of value yet she supposes he's welcome.