Giggle. "What'd the Dwarves say?"

"The Dwarves said that the benefit was that it would create incentive for people to save hundreds of thousands of lives who weren't moved by that in itself and who had no idea what to do with a noble title. They said that being an Elf I would probably look up my nose at such people but being a King I'd probably want them working on lifesaving anyway, whatever I thought of them personally. They said that a noble title, if well-designed, is of far more value to the sort of people who ought to have it, so I shouldn't fear that letting them be sold would mean they accrued to those poorly suited to them. They felt that the sort of people who'd end up buying them would be ones who'd created lots of value through, say, lowering the price of spices."

"Huh. That's a reasonably cogent argument, it just kind of wrecks the information value of the title. Maybe titles should come with money or something, there's monetary prizes for things at home."

"We have a pretty constrained budget, wars being expensive. Ended up having modified titles for 'by sale or inheritance', so it's allowed but the information value still attaches to the correct thing."

"These are heritable too? I guess it's only the Elves in particular who aren't having kids..."

"Many of my humans get upset if you give them titles that aren't heritable, it defeats what local human custom conceived of as the point of titles, which is securing a place for your family."

"We have that with titles that involve owning land but I would not expect it with titles involving saving so many lives or whatever."

"Distinguishing the inherited ones rather satisfies everyone, so that's what we have now."

"Tidy." Snort. "Your humans."

"I don't want to presume the same is true of humans of a different background! Or were you commenting on the possessive? My subjects are mine and I will accordingly scour a thousand worlds for the magical powers I need to fully do right by them."

"It was the possessive, yes, as opposed to some other demonym."

"The circumstances under which I ended up with the crown were horrible but I like it ever so much."

"I can tell!"

"Should we let you get to work with that list of Melkor's traits, then?"

"Guess so."

"Take care."

Cor reads. Sketches. Wanders around the palace when he needs a break. Enjoys delivery food.

Elves are friendly and answer any questions he has and sing and run their country. 

Two days after the orcs were sent a woman covered in soot and blood appears in the same place Cor did and waves cheerfully at the nearest Elf.

- nearest Elf only startles a bit and then waves cheerfully back. What's she thinking -

She's trying to do private thoughts! It's shaky; when it flickers she is thinking about finding Cor.

Hello. Welcome to Himring.

Hi! Can you tell me where to find Cor?

I think he's in the palace. He might be working, is it urgent?

Not terribly! I can wait till he breaks for whatever meal is next in this time zone. And then they will need to switch him to the empty world's new point and then she can congratulate him and maaaaybe finally go in for a kiss? If he isn't into it it can have been the excitement of the moment. Whoopsie private thoughts Elves don't need to be bothered about that.