The thousand-year authoritarian regime established by the Lord Ruler (Rashek) on Scadrial. The Empire is built on a rigid caste system: the nobility (descendants of the Lord Ruler's allies) rule over the skaa (descendants of those who opposed him). The Lord Ruler is immortal, sustained by his mastery of all three Metallic Arts, and is worshipped as a god. The Final Empire's overthrow by Kelsier's crew is the central plot of the first Mistborn novel.