There's no need to invoke "NPCs". Some people are talented at painting, some people are talented at math, and some people are talented at bending large numbers

There's no need to invoke "NPCs". Some people are talented at painting, some people are talented at math, and some people are talented at bending large numbers of people to their will. It just happens that someone talented in gaining and holding power is more likely to be highly impactful and visible than someone talented in something that, well, doesn't explicitly revolve around impact and visibility.