All your ideas sound excellent. I have seen other games use similar mechanics and would love to see how you implement them with your flair.
On the side, a safe room would be a cool idea to build in. Think of people coming to get either the MC or maybe hunting the elves where they could hide away if needed. I have now finished catching up with playthrough from fresh install and the progression works great imo.
Keep up the great work and remember to take care of yourself. :)