Thank you very much! I'm glad it seems convincing to you!

I think that, given the way Tolkien describes the occupation of Dor-lomin and how long it is apparently supposed to have lasted, resolving that situation would be rather more messy than the Silmarillion text makes it appear. Admittedly, that impression is partly because we have a very detailed treatment of the occupation in Unfinished Tales and the War of Wrath chapter, on the other hand, is a bit sketchy even by Silmarillion standards!

Celebrimbor's reaction here, I hope, dovetails with what we are told about his motivations later. Never mind the eventual results, I do credit him with caring for more than just his own faction or race.

Thank you very much!

I'm glad you like Celebrimbor here! As you say, the calm is only relative and that will also be true of the following chapter.

And it's very good to hear that you feel this is an appropriate fill for the challenge, as I was wondering whether anyone would think it looked a bit sneaky.

Thank you very much!

Yes, I think the reality of the situation must have been quite complicated and simplified only in retrospect, in the way it was remembered and reported.