It could well be a fair description of the original human inhabitants of the Reik Basin.
Just like the Eonir -- and Asrai -- can be described as "colonists" of Ulthuan, like Aurelion Alleria casually did in another story.
Is it a fair or accurate historical description of origins? Maybe. Is it something anybody would appreciate hearing or a polite or non-arrogant thing to say? Probably not, which is what gets you the reason for some of the 'Hm. Polite but old and probably arrogant if (hopefully) amiable' thoughts.
Admittedly, this also changes a bit when you are old enough to actually remember and have had been present for those events. Rather than somebody who was born millennia later, like Aurelion or Mathilde.
And the Waystone comment is just a few words and an offhand thing -- like the terrified primitives thing was to be fair -- so on the one hand you can look into it as much or as little as you want. But, there remains the possibility that the humans got
their Waystone related knowledge from the gods or from Albion-derived (and thus Old One descent) or Nehekhara-derived teachings. (Or maybe dragons, who the heck knows.) It's still a viable/valid offhand comment for somebody to make, because if you're a really old dude and remember seeing these guys -- even if, let's assume they were taught the traditions and secrets by their Gods, for this hypothetical example -- putting up Ogham stones you're going to go "Meh, ours are better obviously!"
Like, if an Imperial engineer made a similar sort of comment about, say, Tilean or Estalian or Miragliano engineering or vice versa. Or something. Or perhaps a Dwarf about human engineering.
Personally, I wouldn't look into the comment too much. But Omegahugger wondered out loud why some people got a certain impression, and so I quoted a bit and said "Well, maybe this one?"
Personally, I think he just came off as old and isolated.
But, uh, perhaps a line that
might be worth overanalzying more might be the 'striding down the ramp like an actor onto the stage' one.
Its only break is at the top of the ramp you entered by, where a narrow corridor extends into darkness. Standing framed it in is an aged Elven man with his white hair and beard cropped close, wearing worn hose and tunic under a long travelling cloak. With his hood up to cover his ears he wouldn't look out of place in any tavern in the Empire. "Dear Marrisethai," he says, striding down the ramp like an actor onto the stage, "you look more like your mother every decade. How have you been?"
"Like an anctor onto the stage." Was some of that an act or not? Was this the first time the Queen and the Grey Lords have had this conversation? (More likely, that just meant he was being dramatic a bit, but. Overthinking, ho!)
The update said that to touch on the Dreaming Wood can take as little as a thought, and that it's getting them to do stuff and make stuff that requires more involved stuff. So, while physically trading or dealing with them might require a portal thingy activation... how hard or easy would it be to teleconference with them or exchange letters first?
While all of this -- both all the original stuff of 'Arrogant or old or out of touch or not arrogant at all or...' 'Do I read too much in how Mathilde described his entrance being a bit dramatic or not?' -- is perhaps reading too much into things, and the more straightforward and simple reading is entirely possible/probable/plausible... (or that we simply haven't seen the subtle and tricky stuff
happen yet!) it's also at least appropriately Grey Wizard to question and rethink everything.
Note her reaction to the guy filled with nervousness who was actually sent to take her to the Chancellor, or to Thorek's meeting with her just before, or etc.
For instance, should I take the fact that Mathilde described him as "Huh, if he put his hood down, he'd blend right into any tavern in the Empire, easy" as a sign that he's not so isolated and outcast by time as one might think? ... Or just that some fashions and professions can remain universal and old fashioned?
EDIT: Also, found a typo I think.
Standing framed it in is an aged Elven man with
should be "framed in it"
