A way to end the war with chalced [posible spoilers]

[Farseer]

The eventual toppling of Chalced may be started with something as simple as causing a break in the slave 'elfbark cycle', and then other resulting factors may come into play. Truly, the resolutions we have seen so far have all come about with only relatively small changes or shifts in perspective.

Throwing some very sketchy thoughts out here...it doesn't all overly 'fit' with this thread but I can't find the other, more appropriate elfbark/Chalced post I'm chasing and this does still kind of follow on from my old 'elfbark cycle comment' as seen above...

Some questions:

Chalcedians are known for their wonderous architecture ...why?

Chalcedians have long held border disputes with Rain Wilders and those of Bingtown, even arguing that the Rain River and Bingtown itself are well within Chalced's true jurisdiction...why?

Chalcedians feed elfbark to their slaves...why (other than the obvious reasons which we have spoken about before in the thread I can't find!) ?

Some possible answers?:

Could it be that the architects and builders of Chalced were once Elderlings and many are therefore now of Elderling stock, like Fitz etc? After all, Chalced also is a place that meets the region of the MK and the coast (the inland and the sea).
Even further, could Chalced's original 'crop' of slaves have been made up of these Elderlings and future generations of slaves then bred from those original, though long-living, Elderlings? As well as later added to from other regions of the realm?

Elderlings incorporated art and artistic form into many of their buildings and construction projects elsewhere throughout the realm so why not in Chalced? Could this explain their stand-out architecture?
To also take this further, possibly the buildings are even original Elderling dwellings that still remain fully intact?

The slaves (many of whom may be of Elderling stock and therefore Skilled in some form) are fed elfbark to kill off any lingering Skill talent, as well as to make them feel the full brunt of the despair that comes in elfbark's wake, not to mention the dependency that comes from a likely addiction. Why else?

None of this overly fits with my black hair, black eyes link with the Skill theory, as Chalcedians are not known for those features like those from the SD and Out Islands are, but we'll leave that for its own thread and concentrate on Chalced?

Probably all madness on my part but the main thing that jumps out at me is the architecture...