From The Cordelian Chronicles:

“A man named Matabbi. He’s a thug with delusions of grandeur.”

“Keep talking. What’s his deal?”

“He started off as the duke of a tiny ebullus named Atabban, but his ambition was too big; he wants all the ebulli. So he married into the royalty of another bubble, and started buying up land in a lot more: farmland, parking lots, stadiums, everything. Made his money in real estate, but then branched out. He has his own standing army and supplies soldiers and weapons to warlords across a dozen bubbles, but it’s never been proven. He’s basically a crime boss, with legal and illegal business empires across half the major bubbles and he’s hungry for more. He’s ruthless and has assassins and goons to do his killing for him. He’s also a superstitious cretin, surrounding himself with soothsayers and magi and alchemists. And he believes them all. Which is why he’s after you.”