So now they don't allow Rivendell to expand. Why not? Rivendell has 11k Soldiers, it is one of the most powerful elven kingdoms and kingdoms in the west after all. Why should it not expand...? But here i will give you my true reasons why i make Syle Asari grow: Imladris has no way to build ships, since it's surrounded by waterfalls, and ships are very important for trading. So i have to get a new city. That's what i did. But then, since the new city, Melathyr, is in a valley it doesn't see very well if an enemy army is coming. It's weak and not very safe. Therefor I have created a fortress/watchtower, Nas Aethel.Then, if the river Bruinen will be blocked by an enemy in the south, all trade stops, since ships can't pass anymore. That's why i build watchtowers along the river, with a fortress in the Bruinen Delta. I also wanted to get Ost-In-Edhil, for trade with dwarves, but it is already taken by Ara. Now let's have a look at all alliances i have. First of all, the orcs. As you maybe have noticed, 11k soldiers are not enough to hold 5 cities. (Fornost is being rebuilt also). So i ask the orcs, who's lives are not worth anything, to keep the northern borders safe. Then there is the alliance with the Shire. While most elves focus on trading, the hobbits make sure we don't starve. Then we have Gondor. Gondor's got great archives and some good engineers and scientists. I need that for my future projects. Then i ask for alliances with dwarves. That's basically only for the money... Well, i think i explained pretty much everything here. If you have any more questions, feel free to ask in the comments.