"Tyranny is born from the rejection of God and the Sacred Moon. The wicked will drive her children away from her comforting darkness, to embrace a false light that the righteous must extinguish. May those who lead her children away from her happiness be cursed and ruined. May they tremble and despair when the darkness returns to take her due revenge, those made of scales, fur or feathers be skinned and made an example. And their aycoltes will fear our righteous terror for eternity. The Children of the Holy Earth and the Sacred Moon will deliver the first blow."
~ Words of Nebuchadnezzar, Date Unknown

The Empire is Love, The Empire is Life. So the old Imperial saying goes.

The Great and Holy Earthtine Empire is an enigma. A source of great terror but also great admiration. Its eldritch cities dot every corner of the known universe and in the imaginations of all living things. The presence of the Empire can be felt both within sight and far from any seeing eye or listening ear. Its massive battleships are left rotting away across the stars, its industries rusted and looted. Towering Deco Cities lie in ruin and called home by creatures and peoples, some mortal and some twisted in eldritch science. To the Dragons and the Etherials, the Empire is a prison. To mortals, the Empire is but a footnote in school textbooks littered with esoteric and phallic symbols. And to the intellectuals and builders of the universe, the Empire is a fallen utopia corrupted by greed, one to be emulated and studied by newborn dreamers. Every known civilization in the universe has borrowed something from the Empire. From its politics to its technology. Before the birth of the Etherials, the Empire was the single unifier of the universe and beyond, a bastion of the arts and science. A true utopia of democracy and faith. At least it was until the rise of Nebuchadnezzar the Great. Before his rule, the history of the Empire consisted only of myths and legends. Even Nebuchadnezzar himself is a mystery.

He, or at least most historians agree that's his correct gender, is considered by many to be the Father of Evil Incarnate and also, to some, the Son of the God-Earth. Whatever the Empire was before, most agree that he is the most likely cause of its downfall from grace and towards insanity. To ask an Etherial, he and the Empire betrayed their sacred duty to protect the Children of Earth as he greedily guards Earth herself in his grasp, to prevent others from sharing in her gifts. God herself, the barren and almighty idiot that she is, is a hostage to his madness. And his madness is clear to see as his Imperial Armadas scour the universe in fire and blood. Leaving wastelands behind as his government seeks to dominate all life. To others, it was the Dragons and Etherials who betrayed the Empire for their own selfish ends. Leading Nebuchadnezzar and the Empire towards insanity until it lost all faith in life and love. As the Dragons of the Azure Galaxy were soon corrupted by their newfound powers after weakening the Empire. Regardless, both mortal and demigod alike agree that Nebuchadnezzar is the great evil that must be destroyed before true happiness can be achieved. For legends tell that Nebuchadnezzar has purposely made the God-Earth sick and deformed in order to keep her to himself. But none have been successful in overthrowing him. Defense is the only option from his advances.

Nebuchadnezzar's shadow may reach every corner of the universe, but he is not omnipresent. He is blind without his eyes and ears represented by the Empire's "Star of Providence" Master Computer System, or "SOP" for short. A series of advanced AI systems, while ancient, are far more advanced than modern AI systems. In fact, they are a true AGI system that acts as Nebuchadnezzar's expanded consciousness. In the Azure Galaxy, most SOP Systems have been destroyed by the Dragons during the Imperial-Dragon Wars. And the Empire's forces have been cripped and isolated for eons. But even at its weakest, the Empire is still a force to be reckoned with. One that has forced the free peoples of Azure to unite by various nations and treaties. For most of the Empire's history in Azure, their wrath is a repeated cycle of fear and apathy. Little more than ancient history during peacetime and a cancer during darker times.

Either way, Nebuchadnezzar the Great is the personification of the Empire. As his statues and presence dot every old Imperial city, factory, and military base across the universe. A haunting figure that inhabits the nightmares of every person or creature of at least once in their lives. Always taunting that their lives are worthless and that they should give up and embrace his darkness.

=============================

The big bad dude of my Earthtine Setting. A very old concept of a character that has had various rewrites.
He's one of the earliest characters I ever created. With  Blazbaros drawing him out.

His name might be too on the nose, but I think its cool. And at the time of drawing, everyone called him "The Iron Chief" :P