The Dragon Emperor

Kn. Check 29
The first Dragon Emperor was the half-human son of an ancient gold wyrm. His lineage ruled Imperial Ayo for hundreds of years until Bazrian conquest. The two imperial lines ultimately married into eachtother. The current "Dragon Emperor" is not a known entity in the political world. He has no known name beyond his title. He emerged in Sky-Throne (the holy site where previous emperors of Ayo went to receive coronation from the gathered five sages) with a small army of soldiers of fortune (plentiful after the years of chaotic war) and declared himself Dragon Emperor. When the five sages gathered to either bless him or slay him, it is said that it was them who were slain (some say the sages disagreed among themselves, and that the dissenters were slain by those in favor of the new emperor, who still reside with him in Sky-Throne.) He has since quickly gathered a large following of powerful warriors and mages of all kinds, and his domain has been spreading for a year in every direction quickly.

Thus far
Though frequently mentioned, the Dragon Emperor has had little direct presence in the story. He is commander in some capacity of both red dragons the heroes have encountered, and of the weir worker Shirong.

Qiu Yang, a former viceduke of Ayo, at Animbra's ball
"He claims to be the 'Dragon Emperor' returned, Ayo's ancient lineage from long before Baz. But he is not, nor does the claim mean much to him. I do not know what he is, but his power is obscene, no mortal caster should have such strength without us knowing of his existence, though perhaps he is an exceedingly patient one. The high sages were great, I do not know what they knew, but they saw fit to slay him even before his cascade of conquest began, 'Devil' they called him, and they failed! He wears the name of our ancient king and slays our holiest living men, who were holy even in the true Dragon Emperor's time." This is very obviously very terrible to Yang, his voice quivers with outrage, "He is a warlord, and a terrifying one, he demanded all he could send message to across the green expanse swear their fealty to him. Most refused. They've all been conquered, half-butchered and half-enslaved by the few who accepted. And now he turns to those he could not reach, and offers them each the same choice. His first enemies were scattered, chaos ruined militias! But not us. He has been slowed. But not in every direction. And as he conquers the lands who cannot oppose him, the number of those lands rise. Devil indeed, this is some tyrant of the hells seeking to expand their circle into the mortal world, I am sure of it. Their strength and cunning are too great for mortal men so long as those men stand alone."

Queen Claira, to the Ensoulment Heroes at Ruxin.
"'The Dragon Emperor', such a cumbersome title. I wished to extract a name merely to be done with it for casual conversation. But none was offered, even after asking. I told him that I'd heard many name him Fernodeus, wondering if that may be used. He asked me who Fernodeus was? A god, a devil, the first red wyrm or merely an ancient one, a vampire, a metaphorical singular representation of the many monsters the Ayonesse people faced in their claiming of the Azure mountains in gone ages? I of course told him that I did not know, and so he said 'then how can I answer? Fernodeus is a legend, I am here, I am the Dragon Emperor"