THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN TOUCH

Once upon a time, there was a poor, struggling orphan child, who raised himself up from the slums to seize the very hand of fortune, and—

Oh, I'm sorry. Wrong opening.

This is the story of the most powerful man in the world. Or at least in the considerable continent of Actavia. His name is Leopold Kingsley, though the papers frequently refer to him by the dubiously accurate moniker of King Leo. This man's past is no mystery – publisher of two autobiographies, Attaining Royalty and Born-Again Billionaire, as well as numerous self-help books with such catchy titles as Eating the Other Dogs and The Secrets of Marriage: Third Time's the Charm?, the man is sure to feed the tabloids with every sordid trivia fact that pops into his head. He does everything in his power to make sure the news never stops talking about him, and his picture is emblazened on everything from press releases to lunchboxes. The problem?

The pictures are fake. So, most individuals with half a brain will contend, are the autobiographies. The man has never made a public appearance – he even planned to appear via satellite at his own daughter's wedding – and getting an appointment with him is more difficult than getting a rottweiler to belly dance; as a matter of fact, unless he extends the invitation first, it's impossible. His words are always conveyed through the mouth of his PR agent and occassionally his lawyers. No videotape or even sound recording of him exists, as far as the people of Actavia know.

What is known is this: About twenty years ago, an upstart named Leopold Kingsley bought out a fairly big pharmaceutical industry. Within a decade, its product line had expanded into three other industries, and two years later the company name was changed to the all-encompassing Empire Corporation as Kingsley continued to buy out smaller companies in a variety of fields, from computer technologies to medicine to mundane household products like dishwashing liquid. Though little was known about the new Empire Corporation's founder, it was clear that he was more than just a capable businessman – somehow, the man was a genius. He seemed to know just what to buy and what to do with it. Slowly, Empire began buying and running other companies out of business – just 15 years after that initial takeover, Empire was the nation's largest supplier of medical technologies. Nowadays, this vast reach has expanded to encompass all sorts of products. It is estimated that in "developed" areas, 7 out of 10 homes buy Empire products. Within the city of Lydda, where the corporation is based, it is estimated 9 out of 10 homes do.

The majority of Empire's consumer goods are technological in nature, with home computing and things such as PDAs, personal music players (PMPs), cellular phones, and entertainment systems ranking among their top sellers. The company also enjoys a monopoly on developing new military technologies for every government in Actavia - Kingsley has successfully kept all competition out of this field. Empire consistently offers up its latest technologies to the highest bidder, occassionally with contracts stating that the item is not to be sold to rival governments for a certain time period, generally five to ten years. Whether or not Empire abides by these contracts is suspect, and it is thought many of the illegally obtained weapons held in secret by the nations of Actavia and the rest of the world were provided by the unscrupulous service of the Empire Corporation.

It is worth noting that while Empire has touched almost every international market, it is far from achieving the strength globally that it holds in Actavia, and this is Kingsley's true goal. He dreams someday of a world in which 9 out of 10 homes everywhere carry Empire products; he wants the world to be wholly dependent upon him. He is a strong political pusher for the "modernization" of those "backwater" holes of magic-users and other less technologically inclined people; he sees them as an utter waste of a potential new market.

How Kingsley came to dominate the economy of Actavia in a period less than twenty years is anyone's guess; because of this, many have accused him of all manner of illegal activities, from accepting bribes to corruption, money laundering, dealing with the so-called "mafia," and more. And that he exerts pressures on those on office, particularly in his hometown of Lydda, is certainly no secret. Unfortunately for the local law enforcement, no charges have ever stuck, and all investigations seem to have been mysteriously and prematurely cut off.

The Empire Corporation is constantly seeking to expand its technological prowess and develop new gadgets, gears, and systems to make life easier for the average Actavian. It has been working steadily on the creation of AI for years with little luck. Of course, the bulk of its "Research and Technology" division is actually working on various military commissions, but that's neither here nor there.

Lately, certain Empire sites – warehouses, factories, even a few secondary offices – have been under attack by a group calling themselves the "Knights of Acacia." Terrorists, is what Leo calls them, and that's the label he's sure is applied on the evening news. Radicals, scoundrels, crazy environmentalists out to wreck big business.

What he doesn't mention on the news is the research Empire's been doing for years as an effective means of combatting, and hopefully even wiping out, magic. After all, magic is technology's biggest competitor, and without it, the world would be a much fairer place. Don't you agree?