In Brandon Sanderson’s fantasy novel Mistborn: The Final Empire, the immortal ruler uses the title Lord Ruler.
The Lord Ruler governs the Final Empire, a dystopian realm divided between the privileged noble classes and the oppressed skaa. He has ruled for roughly a thousand years by the time the novel begins, combining political authority with extraordinary supernatural power. The empire’s rigid structure, obligators, Steel Ministry, and inquisitors all operate under his regime.
The title is deliberately more than a personal name: it presents the ruler as the supreme authority over the entire empire. His origins are tied to the ancient events surrounding the Well of Ascension and the rise of the Final Empire, but the novel gradually reveals the difference between his public mythology and historical reality.
The character is sometimes confused with a generic emperor or with later Cosmere figures, but “Lord Ruler” is the specific title used in the novel. Mistborn: The Final Empire is the first book of Sanderson’s original Mistborn trilogy, followed by The Well of Ascension and The Hero of Ages.