It's entirely plausible that Morgoth made mistakes while creating Dragons. I'm less convinced of a cannibalistic free-for-all, as typically evil as it sounds, because I'm not sure if an Umaia can be re-embodied as a Dragon again after being incarnated into a true body and then killed in that body. My understanding of incarnated demons, at least from Morgot's Ring, is that if their body is destroyed they may or may not be reduced to a ghost forever. (Great Orcs did come back from "death" sometimes, but Glaurung and Carcharoth didn't.)
But either way, how could we show such mistakes and/or fights happening, without spoiling the surprise that Morgoth is creating Dragons?
Is it a good thing that we're putting the timeline off? I'd like to get to the episodes as quickly as possible and/or discuss what characters we need this season.
One of the problems is that we're nowhere close to having our various storylines coordinated into a season timeline, and some of our storylines are also still in the beginning stages of brainstorming. Some of the usually highly active members have not had the time to actually stay caught up with the project this season, which is making it very difficult to get these timelines figured out. I know I have been almost useless this season and will have to remain largely absent henceforth.
So to me it feels like we're hurtling at Mach 1 towards a cliff, with no steering wheel and no brake pedal. I wish we could have a full month after next podcast to work out the timeline. Maybe then we'd have a prayer of actually figuring it out before the deadline. Or 2 months to give everyone a "vacation" in which to deal with real life!
Faelivrin has suggested that the Feanorean besan (Maglor's wife in the absence of Nerdanel) would give Maedhros lembas to aid his recovery, and give the besan of the Host of Fingolfin (Aredhel) wheat seeds and lembas during whatever gifts are given when the feud between the Hosts is healed.
My suggestion is that the Feanorian Besan, with her authority, doesn't have to wait for any official gift-giving signal from the princes, and wouldn't wait. She'd approach Fingolfin's Besan at first opportunity, and get to Maedhros even earlier.
Maedhros will need a healer for his lengthy recovery, and all of the Feanorean characters introduced thus far are clearly fighters. Could Curufin's wife take this role?
I have always imagined him being brought back to Fingolfin's camp, not Maglor's, so I think it should be one of Fingolfin's healers.
Irime's daughter (sister or mother to Glorfindel) could serve as Fingolfin's herald. Tolkien liked the sister-son and sister-daughter (niece and nephew) relationship, and Fingolfin is a terribly isolated king. (We are picturing heralds as being predominantly healers rather than fighters).
I think she's his Besan, being the highest-ranking woman in his camp. You wouldn't risk your Besan by sending her into battle. (Also, I think
some heralds could be warriors instead of healers. The'd be a minority, but possible.)
Regarding Feanorians and heralds, maybe they just have none. The custom must be one that develops gradually among the Noldor as they get used to war (so they have no heralds yet) and maybe it only develops among the Houses of Fingolfin and Finarfin.
Or maybe Orodreth was a healer, not a fighter all along, making him suitable as Finrod's herald.
I like him as Finrod's herald, but not as a healer. Tolkien did say he was a warrior-scholar, not a healer. A healer couldn't be a King. Recall the conversation about the Noldorin royal succession? When we ask why was Idril skipped over in the succession, the options are:
1. Because she's a girl. Sexism.
2. Because she's a healer, and only a warrior can be the king of a people in wartime.
3. She refuses because ????
IMO #2 is the best option out of the above, and so we should consider who is and who isn't a healer.