Whose benefit is he even acting for?

"Hello."

"It's good to see you both. It should have occurred to me you'd need to borrow some eyes for surveying, Amber. Did you see anything interesting at the sight of the parley?"

"A couple dozen valaraukar and no Silmaril." And one Maia, unknown capabilities, but that one was only detectable by the extra sense. "It looks like the trap was just the obvious kind."

"Disappointing. Although I suppose I can rejoice not to have a creative Enemy. I have the casts you requested -" he takes them from someone walking up. "I hope they aid you against our common foe."

"At least it means we can be even more sure in advance that offers from him that sound too good to be true are."

She accepts the casts. "Thank you. Hopefully these aren't about to be tested at any moment."

Also, I thought about it after leaving and am willing to tell you my actual capabilities since you already know about magic, but only if you don't spread it further. Would you be willing to swear not to except where you think I'd agree?

"Would you both like to come in? We're short on food but will share what we have, and I'm more confident of the privacy of our words inside the walls."

"I'll come in, yes." She looks over at Findekáno.

"My cousins' reputation for hospitality is in sore need of some opportunities to show some," Findekano says to Amber. 

They have one?

I mean, in Valinor if you wandered onto their grounds you could expect to be intimidated right back off them, that is in fact a reputation, is it not?

Ah. That kind of reputation.

She follows the reputedly hospitable Feanorian into his territory.

And he finds the same building where they spoke last time. This time it has three chairs. He gestures, sits. A Maia? How could you tell?

She takes one.

That's speculation. It looked different in a way that doesn't match anything I recognize but would guess is associated with powerful beings. From what I've heard there isn't much in the local taxonomy it could be other than orcs or some kind of Maia.

Nothing else we know of, but we were not expecting you. I can ask Tyelcormo to send Huan over here.

The valaraukar did not have the same thing going on, so if it's a Maia thing it's not all Maiar.

Might have sent someone powerful. Thauron's probably out here somewhere.

Thauron being an unusually important minion?

Piecing together what we think was going on while the Enemy was pretending to be friendly in Valinor, yes. Lieutenant of the Enemy's, very capable and very powerful. The locals know him by a different name but I think it's the same person. 

A capable lieutenant might make less sense here than someone in the 'BRUTE STRENGTH' genre. Any plan that wouldn't be spoiled as soon as you see thirty fire monsters probably doesn't need the personal presence of one of his right hand men.

I don't know what he has beyond Balrogs for brute strength. Perhaps he came personally.

Whoever it was was hidden. Is Moringotto the type to stay invisible even after the target knows it's an ambush so he can jump out dramatically later, because if so that's hilarious.

It wouldn't be wildly out of character. "Sadistic toddler who can hold himself in check long enough to be subtle" is more or less my model of him.

A sadistic toddler with phenomenal cosmic power. Fantastic.

If it was him, or a high-ranking lieutenant, would that imply he might actually have been prepared to negotiate? The valaraukar could do the murdering on their own.

He might be uncertain of our capabilities after your display a week ago, might have been uncertain that the valaraukar would be enough. Or he was interested in negotiating. It doesn't mean much that he didn't bring the Silmaril, both sides could have sworn to a deal. 

My ego would like to think it's the first one. Though that would have been an overestimate—well, maybe not anymore.