They developed writing and the arts of building, metallurgy, arts and crafts, and shipbuilding. Things like high culture, poetry, and many of the more subtle things were valued as well. For three ages, the Elves lived in total peace and bliss wandering the lands and beautifying its glory. Unfortunately, after three ages of imprisonment, Melkor completed his sentence. He feigned rehabilitation, and convinced Manwë that he was no longer a threat. However, his stay in prison had only increased his malice, and remembering that it was for the sake of the Elves that he had been overthrown, he sought to poison the peace of Valinor and bring ruin to the Elves. Adopting a fair and wise form, he began to cultivate the trust of those living in Valinor. Of the three Elven clans, Melkor saw the Teleri as being rather useless to him, and the Vanyar would have nothing to do with him, being content in their development. But the Ñoldor, desiring more knowledge, were willing to listen to him, and Melkor saw that, due to their creative skill, they were more potentially useful than the Teleri. And so Melkor began to teach them, and for a long while none of his evil was made manifest, for any who sought his aid and counsel benefited greatly from it. But with his genuine teachings came half-truths and disguised lies regarding the intentions of the Valar. Most harmful among these was the knowledge that Men, the Second Children of Illuvatar, would one day appear in Middle-earth. The Valar had not revealed this to the Elves, and after a time, rumors began to circulate amongst the Ñoldor that the Valar had brought them to Aman so that Men might inherit Middle-earth and usurp the glory that might have belonged to the Elves. Chief amongst these discontented Elves was Fëanor, the firstborn son of Finwë, King of the Ñoldor. Fëanor was gifted beyond virtually all of his peers in terms of beauty, skill, subtlety, and craftsmanship. It was he who had developed, amongst many other wonders, the system of letters used by the Ñoldor. But his greatest creation had been the Silmarils, three diamond-like gems in which the intermingled light of the Two Trees of Valinor had been captured.
