The Emperor

The Emperor also known as Al'Afdal (meaning "The Great One") was an extremely powerful human who ruled Great Lushlands (Great Misbah Desert after the War of the Dark Ages) for at least 1,800 years, far before the Enlightened ever came to inhabit it. The Empire he ruled, the Akkadian Empire, lasted for nearly 2,000 years under his reign and became so advanced that it was likely as civilized as the people of today.
The Emperor drew his magical power from his scepter, which prolonged his lifespan and was revered by the people of the Empire as a God, this became heavily apparent during the War of the Dark Ages, when he has helped his citizens and refugees to safety. During the several hundreds of years of his life, he had hundreds of children: it is stated that some of his children were born when his grandchildren died. Many great buildings were also created under his reign, such as the Akkadian Royal Residence and possibly Mesopotamia, also called the Citadel.
However, the Emperor's 26th son, Al'Khaazar, began growing greedy and envious of his father's power. Thus, he ventured outside of the Empire's walls and travelled across Aurelia, where he learned that the Emperor was not the only individual able to harness magic and that his status as a "God" was false. Outraged, Al'Khaazar returned to the Empire in 100 BC and confronted his father. After a brief quarrel, Al'Khaazar leaped at his father and killed him, taking his scepter for himself. What Al'khaazar didn't know, is that the Emperor placed a curse upon the scepter, which created a massive sandstorm that raged on for years and buried the entire empire under the sand. After many years, the entire Empire was buried under the sands. It wouldn't be uncovered until many centuries later.
== Biography ==
The Emperor was a son of the Goddess of the Stars which was why he received fervent worship from the desert tribes. He was friends with the Goddess of Light, Luxianna and the Goddess of the Sands, Epsilon and shared his throne with them during the wars throughout Misbah. He rejected the gift given to him by Luxianna (implied to be given a spot in godhood) to pursue his own interests and ambitions. He and Epsilon joined forces and built the Kingdom of Al-Mudraj, which means "The Amphitheater" in the ancient language of the Akkadian Empire. He was in love with Epsilon and she was aware of his affections, although whether she reciprocated his feelings is unknown.
He has desires and ambitions that has been kept as a secret from most people, but it is said "might shock even the wisest of gods". It is hinted whatever his desires are, rebelling and doing transgressions against the divine are part of it. On one night over drinks, he shared all of his desires to Epsilon after she had warned him of possible repercussions from the Divine Bastion. Epsilon realized that the Emperor's stubborn desire cannot be stopped, while at the same time realizes that his desire may bring "the possibility to transcend the absurd shackles that governed this world", and thus finally agreed to assist him manifesting his desires by "fashioning a bridge" and "bestowing higher knowledge" upon him, warning him that he will lose much in the exchange. After a certain ritual done by the two of them, the Emperor emerged alone and Epsilon was never to be seen again.
After the Goddess of the Sands' passing — unbeknownst to him, willingly — The Emperor mourned her deeply. According to legends, he went to look for the Scepter of the sands, and upon finding it, used its power to build the Oasis of Akkadia as a cemetery for Epsilon. Following Epsilon's passing, his aging began to stop, and his grief began to take control over his body. He eventually went mad in his desire, and the Goddess of Light, Luxianna decided to leave the Emperor to his own devices, angered that he's willing to rebel against her rule.
The Emperor then created his utopia, free of "worry, schemes, and slavery," based on what Epsilon had once taught him.
Later on in his life after the War of the Dark Age which took a toll on his mental health after he saw his kingdom suffer a great loss, The Emperor would eventually unleash forbidden knowledge upon the world, which would quickly devastate his people and bring The Decay into existence, and being a manifestation of it on people. Luxianna, came to his rescue for a final time and had the Enlightened race build temples with the power of light to mitigate the disaster, and the survivors of the Emperor's civilization would congregate in Mesza City, and other cities north of the Lushlands. Since the forbidden knowledge remained a threat, however, the Emperor was later killed by his son. His son had deep greed and bitter anger towards his father, and was unaware that his father was suffering from madness, and grief.
After the death of the Emperor, the Akkadian Empire would slowly be engulfed by the sands. The temples that kept the Decay at bay were also engulfed by the sands, prompting the Decay to emerge once more.