Does the Emperor of Lullabies do it on purpose?

Use this forum to discuss the October 2020 Book of the month, "We are Voulhire: A New Arrival under Great Skies" by Matthew Tysz.
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Re: Does the Emperor of Lullabies do it on purpose?

Post by MariaLivaniou »

Right now, I have just finished book two of the series, and the Emperor of Lullabies has been mentioned only once at the beginning of the first book. He was a wise and wicked ruler of a vast and powerful nation. But he feared his four sons would team up against him and dethrone him, so he gave each of them a piece of land, and thus began the civil war between the princes, each one more desperate than the other to prove they are the better choice as heir to the kingdom.

This way, the princes were preoccupied, while he ruled his kingdom unchallenged. As for what you asked, I don't think he cares that much about what happens to his citizens, or he wouldn't let them go through war for nothing. It's a possibility that the emperor would attach Voulhire now that the kingdom is vulnerable, but I think it won't happen soon. The Emperor of Lullabies seems like the final boss of a fight, so if anything were to happen with him, it would probably be by the end of the book series.
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Post by Claire Riddle »

jerrypru wrote: 12 Oct 2020, 01:33 Hey Claire, I feel so too. The Emperor of Lullabies must be planning to take over the other countries where his people are fleeing to. Otherwise he would have tried to stop the people from the Land of the Princes from moving to other places.
That sounds possible, doesn't it? His sons are fighting for just a small piece of land, giving the emperor enough time and ease of mind to plan on invading the neighbouring countries. He's not just a person greedy for power, he's a master planner. :o
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Post by Folcro »

As an aside, every mystery surrounding the Emperor of Lullabies, including his intentions, will be revealed in full in book seven.
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Post by Moray_001 »

I feel the Emperor of Lullabies is wasting his sons' time with the war while he plots something greater that can take over most of Voulhire.
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Post by Moray_001 »

jerrypru wrote: 12 Oct 2020, 01:33 Hey Claire, I feel so too. The Emperor of Lullabies must be planning to take over the other countries where his people are fleeing to. Otherwise he would have tried to stop the people from the Land of the Princes from moving to other places.
I also agree. I think he wants to take over the whole kingdom. The countries might have to unite against him, instead of doing it alone because the creatures he wields are extraordinary.
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Post by Ogbara »

Moray_001 wrote: 13 Oct 2020, 04:59 I feel the Emperor of Lullabies is wasting his sons' time with the war while he plots something greater that can take over most of Voulhire.
Claire Riddle wrote: 11 Oct 2020, 08:32
Georgephilips wrote: 10 Oct 2020, 21:44 Emperor of lullabies the wicked wise king as the book clear states, he had done that on purpose. I don't even know why he had to separate his sons since he could have easily chosen one that's capable enough and not bring his sons to a civil war that saw the island war ravished.
I don't think it would be easy to choose one as his heir since the others would question his selection. Besides, while the sons fight for just a small piece land compared to his kingdom, he could stay in power. He is indeed the wicked, wise king.
I think that is right. The wicked wise king just wants to occupy his sons, while he strategies to seize more power. I believe their only chance is to unite themselves and beat him at his own game.
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Post by luchi123 »

I think that it would take a very long time for the emperor to conquer other lands through the migration of his citizens to other lands. It could be done with magic, but other lands too had mages in them.
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Post by Krista Ash »

Claire Riddle wrote: 12 Oct 2020, 06:46
Sou Hi wrote: 11 Oct 2020, 22:01
Claire Riddle wrote: 11 Oct 2020, 08:32
I don't think it would be easy to choose one as his heir since the others would question his selection. Besides, while the sons fight for just a small piece land compared to his kingdom, he could stay in power. He is indeed the wicked, wise king.
Nice observation. Still, that leads to another question: why did the Princes fight according to their father's will? They were working together, why did they suddenly turn their back on each other? If they overthrew their father, each of them would have 1/4 of the whole country. Now, they are stuck with their tiny lands and a never-ending war. Did the Emperor promise the winner the throne? But the war has been going on for 20 years, how come they still can't open their eyes?
If the emperor of lullabies didn't give each of them a piece of land, of course they will work together and take the kingdom. But they were given a place to show their powers. As I remember, according to the book, the geography and resources of each part of the island gave a few benefits to each of the princes over the others. If I were one of the princes, I'd definitely need to take the whole island under my control, considering the extra natural resources I would have access to. Moreover, if I'm able to defeat all the others and rule the whole island, wouldn't it be obvious that I'm the best to be my father's heir? Even after 20 years, still they are so desperate to prove themselves.
I agree with Sou Hi. If the princes were willing to work together before they were given the land, what would stop them from continuing to work together? Just because you need more resources, doesn't mean you need to fight, especially if you're already on good terms with those who own the resources.
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Post by Krista Ash »

Folcro wrote: 13 Oct 2020, 00:58 As an aside, every mystery surrounding the Emperor of Lullabies, including his intentions, will be revealed in full in book seven.
I look forward to reading about how terribly off our predictions are :tiphat:

And I can't wait to read about an epic showdown between the Emperor of Lullabies and Voulhire since I imagine Mr. Emperor will be arriving as one of the main antagonists.
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Post by shravsi »

I don't the people of the prince's islands can leave their land easily. And also no other land will accept them into their land. The refugee debate will come in the next book. And the emperor is much more wicked than its portrayed here.
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Post by _Bokeh »

I believe that the emperor of lullabies does it onpurpose since he knows that he is extremely powerful and capable of doing anything he wills to, including invading the nearby lands and taking control of them. From my understanding, he is depicted as thriving on having control over others and plotting malice and chaos.
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Post by Valkyrie9 »

Interesting. I hadn't thought of it like that. I don't think he does it on purpose. I got the impression that he wants strife and dissension between his sons so that they can fight it out for the throne. I do hope we get more clarity on the Emperor of Lullabies in the later books - he is introduced in this one so briefly and then never mentioned again.
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Post by Ayora »

The Emperor of Lullabies has no concern for people languishing under the harsh dominion of his sons. He is more interested in keeping his throne safe from his greedy sons.
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Post by Wordlessly »

I'm sure he started his sons' infighting on purpose but I'm not too sure about him taking over other lands under his control in the future. He maybe waiting for the right time but I still don't think he is capable of taking over Voulhire.
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Post by Sarah Schmidt »

The Emperor of Lullabies seems like the type to love contention and war, based on how he deliberately caused his sons to go to war. I agree that it looks as though he has something planned for Voulhire. It just seems too easy that his people can take refuge elsewhere without incurring his displeasure.
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