Exactly. No associated risk at all, but the taboo is there for good reason. 

Yeah. But when there's a huge margin of error, setting part of it aside in an emergency makes sense too. I might try and sell the Nolofinweans on the mood-altering oaths, even if they don't use it much at all.

They use mood-altering songs, which isn't morally much different. One wouldn't think. 

Less duration, and harder to escalate? Still just a difference of degree.

Yeah. And it's wise for them to swear not to swear anything under torture. They should get that one.

Definitely. Maybe I should too, Men don't have your oath thing but the Enemy might not know that....

Yeah. ...prince Nelyafinwe said you had your own kind of oath thing but I should keep that in confidence?

He told you that? Yes, please keep that under wraps.
The version humans have is also scary but works differently. What it boils down to is I can't lie and promises are binding, but swearing to mental states wouldn't be self-fulfilling.

That sounds a lot more sensible. Less useful for working long shifts, but safer.

The down side is it's less of a literal incapacity and more that it's thoroughly enforced. An oath doesn't directly reduce your available options, it's a promise between people with the world itself as witness. Incapacity would be safer. So people who swear—humans who swear—tend not to do it with absolutes.

That makes sense. Is there anything I can get you here before you head out?

I don't think so. It was nice to meet you, I'll see if I can do something about alleviating the boredom once in a while.

Oh, don't worry on our behalf, we knew what we were signing up for. See you!

And she's back off toward the Nolofinweans. All told it was much faster than a non-magic human could have managed, but hopefully the delays added up enough to not be suspicious by Elf standards.

No one seems suspicious when she arrives. What're they up to?

No useful experience on the intended question. When they arrived there were fewer people to negotiate with, because of the orcs, and there was no one who wished they hadn't arrived, also because of the orcs. At least that's what Maitimo said.

Is that the right name for him, by the way? His people seem to be using titles and names with more syllables, I only figured out who was who from context.

Of course they would. 

Elves get a name each from their mother and father when they're born, and they choose which one to go by usually when young adults. Maitimo is my cousin's mothername; his fathername is Nelyafinwe. In general you use the one people choose. However, in political contexts, you use the name on the side you inherited the title from - so, for example, my aunt uses her mothername Lalwen most of the time but in any context in which she's operating as a daughter of Finwe she'd use her fathername, Irime. 

So technically in any context in which my cousin's acting as his father's heir, it should be Nelyafinwë. But, ah - 'Nelyafinwë' means 'third Finwë' - that is, there was Finwë, Fëanáro, my father and his siblings, and then Fëanáro named his firstborn 'Third Finwë'. His name is a claim that my family's not legitimately of the royal house. So we don't use it. Everyone in our host will call him 'Curufinwë's firstborn' if they're not on familiar enough terms to use Maitimo.

The prince thing's just a status cue. People don't use titles when discussing their equals, so if you don't bother with them you're saying you regard yourself as of the same rank, and since you're the only Man no one can really contest that.

Maitimo likes protocol and all the associated games, not that he'd admit it - he used to actually blush if I'd use titles with him - so his people will tend to be meticulous about it.

That makes sense.

Not using his title is one thing, even if it's just because there aren't other humans around. But does this mean I've been going around announcing that I'm on familiar terms with, well, everyone?

If you've been saying to people 'Findekáno says...' then you're claiming that we know each other well and that you're the equivalent rank among Men, yes. I don't really mind.

Thanks.
Of course, practically anyone else might, but if so no one's said anything so far.

I expect you'll get raised eyebrows if you drop titles and then explain that your world doesn't have a monarchy in the first place, but I don't expect it to be exactly problematic.

No luck on harvest spirits?

None. Not enough growing to attract the right kind of Other, probably.

They're even worse off for food than we are, at the moment. They're relying on orcs as a food supply.

That's odd. They had as much in the way of supplies as we did, and didn't have to cross a wasteland.

I thought the same. Would have expected more, even, since if Maitimo handpicked who was on the boats he probably had a lot of influence on what cargo.

Maybe they ran through it faster. They are working themselves impossibly hard. Or they do have supplies and are just being conservative with rationing, or they lied.

Or, charitably, they're sharing. If they're on friendly terms with the locals.