The God-Emperor of Mankind
The God-Emperor of Mankind is the figurehead ruler of the Imperium in the Warhammer 40k universe. He used to be pretty badass, but following a couple of slight errors in judgment ended up in a coma attached to the Golden Throne, the only thing keeping him alive. The administration he established continues to govern the Imperium in his name, but it is generally accepted that the absence of the Emperor's proper guidance is what has turned the Imperium into the hellish mess that it is. In the Imperium, questioning whatever your superior tells you the Emperor's word happens to be today is treason and heresy, typically punished by execution.
It is established that the Emperor is pretty much the most powerful psyker alive, and whilst upon the Golden Throne requires the daily sacrifice of other psychics so that the Astronomicon is maintained. He is also tens of thousands of years old and has been secretly guiding humanity from behind the scenes for much of his lifetime. Theories variously suggest that he is also Sigmar of Warhammer Fantasy Battle fame and Jesus. It is uncertain as to whether or not his internment on the Golden Throne is a good thing; some believe that if he were to die, the Imperium would be truly plunged into darkness, whereas others believe that if allowed to finally die he would reincarnate and return to unify the galaxy once more. Whatever the truth of the matter, Games Workshop are never going to advance the story, so it is mostly irrelevant.
He is sometimes referred to as the Empra or Emprah, a joke derived from the voice acting in the Dawn of War game, Soulstorm, specifically Indrick Boreale's final speeches.
