You are all forgetting something. There are three roles Elrond has in the lore. He is a healer par excellence. He is bearer of the most powerful of the elven rings. And he is the loremaster of the Noldor, in whose blood lingers the mighty power of the house of Fingolphin, of Elu, and of Melian the Maiar, the powerful sorceress who taught Galadrial the arts of sorcery.
Thus it does stand to reason that Elrond should have powerful sorceries, and there are two sources for "magic"in Tolkien. There are the natural abilities of the Maiar and to a lesser extent the elves, and then there is the learned knowledge of the Noldor. Finrod for instance engaged in a battle of sorcerous songs with Sauron, and Melian, kept the woodland realm more or less impervious to Melko/Melkor/Morgoth. I think it is important to remember that Rivendell is much like the woodland realm in beriland, and Elrond's powers should be like that, a powerful defensive endurance but like the veil of Melian, it should be tied to the buildings of Imaldras. Leave the tornado itself alone and instead move the flood to be a power of the Imaldras fortress that is used when Elrond is garrisoned inside. Ramp up the power a bit, but limit the range, to let Rivendell as a faction be capable of being a defensive faction. Rivendell as the last refuge should be just that, a faction that you bleed through the nose to overcome.
In a way consider Rivendell to be a counterpart to Lothlorien, Lothlorien passively resists and endures the changes of the world, but in Rivendell, there is an active fight back against change. Consider also, the major effect of Vilya on the world was that over Rivendell the stars were brighter. This is something considerably more powerful than Nenya merely resisting change, or Narya inspiring hope, this is turning back time!
For Vilya itself, let the power be that Elrond is able to know what moves, give him the omniscence power from Cirdan. This fits both thematically with Elrond and his powers of foresight, and with Elrond as a support hero.
Before you say anything about the relativeness between Galadrial and Elrond, consider the important distinction, when Tolkien discusses the might of Galadrial, he calls her the greatest of the Noldo left in Middle Earth. Elrond is not actually a Noldo. Most of his Elven blood is Telri. His father was the son of a man and a Noldo princess, however, his mother was the great granddaughter of Melian and Elu. Thus how can Elrond be a Noldo, if he is only quarter Noldo, quarter man, and half Grey Elf?
What does all this mean in relative terms, well consider all of this in conjunction. Elrond is the lorekeeper, the holder of the last refuge, and the eldest of those who bore the blood of children of Illuver. He was in wisdom unsurpassed. Wise in all lore is master Elrond. Is it to much to consider that he does have a role as a sorcerer on the field? Yes he does not tear down the walls of Dol Guldor, however, is that to say he is not capable? I like the tornado, it shows a homage to the idea that the lore master might actually be able to turn the world on it's head and it deserves to remain out of consideration for that. For all we know it might simply be a matter akin to Voldermort having powers that Dumbledore does not, it is not that they are not availiable, it is that Dumbledore is not willing to use them. Likewise, how can we know that if war really came a knocking on Elrond's precious refuge that he would not have struck out with all the collective knowledge of the mysteries of the ages he had collected.
On another note, a powerful suggestion for Elrond for vilya would be add a series of passive abilities, which share the one palantiar slot. These abilities decrease ability recharge times for all nearby units and heroes as well as increasing passive healing rates and periodically regenerate missing battalion members. Let this be a sign of Vilya pushing back time to increase the beauty and wonder of the world!
So much things to say about your comment... But I promise to synthesise a bit
Elrond, along with his twin brother Elros, descends indeed from an extraordinary bloodline of legendary characters that have changed and eternally marked the First Age of Arda, and all the history of the World, since, as we know, from Elrond/Elros' bloodline has descended the mighty and legendary Númenóreans, the ancestors of the people of Arnor and Gondor in the Third Age.
Elrond has in his blood the power and the spirit of the mighty House of Fingolfin of the Noldor (being him the grandson of Idril, daughter of Turgon, the King of Gondolin) and the one of the famous Edain Houses (from Tuor); on the side of his mother, then, Elrond descends from Beren and Lúthien, and thus indirectly from the legendary High King of the Teleri, Elwë, and even from the Maia Melian.
Elrond thus is indeed, as you wrote, one of the most powerful and wise character in Middle Earth, also for his difficult childhood as a prisoner/then-pupil of Maedhros and Maglor (sons of Fëanor), during the terrible and destructive (although victorious)
War of Wrath , a war that he, as he says during the Council of Rivendell, has directly experienced.
So, having said all those crucial and important things, it's important, though, not to give and attribute to Elrond powers and knowledge that he doesn't have.
Before I start, I want to make a fundamental premise; as I wrote before, Elrond, for his incredible past and story, is indeed one of the most powerful and wisest beings in Middle Earth in the Third Age.
BUT, there are also other facts (both about the lore and the game's mechanics) that it is crucial to examine:
- Rivendell was indeed, as you wrote, made more beautiful and sacred by the action of Vilya, almost reaching the Splendour of Lands/Realms beyond the Sea like
Eressëa or
Eldamar, because Elrond's Ring is the most powerful among the Three, and has thus a greater effect.
But, apart the Splendour achieved, Rivendell was not under constant threat and attacks during the War of the Ring, and its defensive 'facilities' were not so extensive and 'impressive', since it was more a holy shelter of Calmness and Wisdom of a few Noldor that still lingered in the World.
Lothlórien, on the other hand, is a different matter.
The Golden Wood was made by the powers of Galadriel a Timeless and sacred sanctuary/realm of neverending Joy, but this place also remained completely untainted by any form of evil (from Mordor or Dol Guldur) for more than 3 millennia, because Galadriel constantly continued to fend off the evil powers of Sauron, that, instead, had spreaded throughout all the Lands of Middle Earth, directly or not.
The Sky on the Golden Wood, though, remained always calm and sunny, and the place itself became a sort of legend, almost a mysterious and quite unreachable place even for the Elves of Mirkwood themselves, as Legolas tells the Fellowship; while we couldn't say the same about Rivendell.
Galadriel (with her powers, not only with the ones of Nenya), then, protected and repulsed three heavy assaults from Dol Guldur, leading eventually her realm to Victory.
- Galadriel, for her essence, personal story and powers, is definitely more powerful, greater and wiser than Elrond.
Elrond was born at the end of the First Age, while Galadriel was born during the Years of the Trees in Valinor before the Sun and the Moon, as a direct member of the powerful and legendary Royal Family of the Noldor, personally taught by the Maiar and the Valar; she has personally experienced the apex of the Splendour of Valinor before its Darkening, and captured the source of this Splendour, the holy Light of the Two Trees, in her hair.
Elrond didn't see that Light and will never do it; even if Elrond descends from a legendary bloodline, this doesn't immediately grant him immense powers, since Power is also the sum of Experience, Past Memories and Age.
Galadriel, that already in Aman was indicated as the most powerful elf maiden of the Noldor (and we surely know that at that time the standards of Power were immensely high), she then became a scholar of Melian in Beleriand, was the only one member of the Noldorin Royal Family to survive the War of the Jewels and her powers gradually increased during the Second and the Third Age.
Her natural powers are thus far greater than the ones of Elrond, because his powers are different, focused more on Healing/Restoration, rather than direct Protection or unleashing destructive natural powers with Magic.
The line of Tolkien you referred to is very indicative and essential, Galadriel is the greatest of the Noldor,reaching also the Might and Importance of Fëanor himself; she is, according Tolkien's words, definitely stronger than Elrond.
- Given these fundamental facts, we in fact want to change Elrond a bit, focusing more on his healing Magic and military ability of a leader, rather than natural Magic.
That's why a mount and different powers of Vylia seem to me more appropriate and very suitable for him.
Sorry for the wall of text
#OnlyGaladrielCan