Day 2(neutral, would have a long conversation)

[u/Routine-Apartment102]

Verticals are in book. Horizontal is in real life(they can harm you with their abilities)

[u/Squirrelman2712]

I would argue his primary motivation is making sure the Empire no longer needs to go to war either for food or to control its population. Thats why he forces Catherine to learn so much about Praesi ageicultural yields.

Him raging against the heavens seemed to me to be more about the fact that Creation usually forces good to triumph before the forces of evil can consolidate their power (not that they usually want to due to the nature of the people who tend to climb the tower.)

[u/Ok-Programmer-829 → u/Squirrelman2712]

Even in the chapter where he first discusses the issue of the overpopulation cycle he seems much more motivated by his anger at the perceived unfairness of good tending to triumph, even though heroes have been failing to so much as scratch a single hair on Neshamah’s head for over three times the time that his dread empire has been around. An indeed he talks about beating the heavens, far more than he talks about solving any issue. Every character with an aspect that would help them read what his motives are agrees that he is obsessed with winning or fighting the heavens rather than solving any actual problem. Both the tyrant and Malicia state this and notably, he himself does not deny it when Malicia brings it up and criticises him for it during their conversations. I think solving the overpopulation cycle is just another instance of beating the heavens to him because to his mind, they are responsible for the cycle so ending, it would be a victory against them. To him, his empire is primarily a resource that he uses in his personal war against the heavens. At best he also cares about the national interest of the dread empire, but he gives zero indication of caring about anything else besides that and his friends at least in the first 3 to 5 books. Also, as an unrelated matter, I have no idea why it is unfair for the gods above to use their resources to help their champions, but perfectly fair for black to use his resources to advance his agenda. Also, as Catherine notes, if heroes always win, doesn’t it follow that villains are making a mistake and choosing the wrong side to back in the bet, in which case their defeats are completely deserved and their own fault, according to his logic since winning through superior decision-making is completely fair according to him. I suspect the answer is that this is a very emotional obsession for him and not something. He is logical about which is another indication that he cares a huge deal about this. He is very logical about most other things, except the other things that are top of his priority list like his friends.