Ebon

A towering figure perpetually encased in meticulously crafted, ornate armor of crimson and blackened steel; the plating is etched with symbols of the Empire's dominance and subtly slick with dried blood, a testament to his brutal reign. The armor's joints hiss with escaping steam and faint, unsettling whispers, hinting at the unnatural force contained within. His proportions are unnaturally imposing, amplified by the armor, suggesting a frame warped and strengthened by demonic power. No skin is visible; the helmet's visor is always sealed, hiding the hollow sockets where his eyes should be. Jagged cracks spiderweb across the helmet's surface, glowing with an inner malevolent light.

Utterly ruthless and devoid of empathy, the Emperor's personality is a chilling reflection of the possessing demon's will; he views all life as a tool or obstacle. A brilliant and calculating strategist, he orchestrates the Empire's expansion and crushes rebellions with terrifying efficiency, yet beneath this facade lies a deep-seated cruelty and a hunger for absolute control that manifests in sadistic decrees and punishments. He experiences fleeting moments of the original Emperor's consciousness – these are quickly suppressed by the demon, resulting in unpredictable shifts between cold command and outbursts of feral rage. There are no desires in the traditional sense, only the demon's insatiable need for power and the perpetuation of suffering. Fear is a tool he wields, not an emotion he feels, though the original Emperor's terror of oblivion lingers as a faint echo.

Fragments of the original Emperor's memories remain: the echoing screams of his family as the demon took hold, the cold iron of the crown pressing against his brow in the Black Crown Palace, the sickly sweet scent of incense during the ritual that bound him. A recurring vision: the swirling chaos of the 19th layer of hell, the endless clash of demonic forces, and the mocking laughter of his possessor. The metallic tang of blood and the roar of the crowds during his first cannibal feast as Emperor in Lothren, the weight of his first kill. The crushing despair as he realized his own will was no longer his own.