Salazar Slytherin

Name: Salazar Slytherin
Age: 27
Teaches: History of Magic


(For family, just enter names and if there alive or dead please)

Parents: Phineas and Seraphina Slytherin
Grandparents: Abraxas and Gwenneth Slytherin; Virgilius and Leocadia Peverell
Siblings: Melusine and Phineas Abraxas Slytherin; brother-in-law Micah Rimmer
Aunts & Uncles: Belinda, Ophiuchus, Drake, Medusa, and Tisiphone Slytherin; Scholastica and Isidorus Peverell
Nieces & Nephews: Iustina, Tanith, Mordecai, Cain (all via Melusine)
Cousins: Phineas, Levi, Belinda, Narcissa, Saul, and Stephen Slytherin; Angela and Honoria Peverell
Children: Silas Slytherin; aged 6 (Click for picture)
Grandkids: TBA




Skin color: Pale
Hair Color: Black
Hair length: Shoulder-length, sometimes pulled back into a tail but often allowed to remain unbound. Occasionally may spot a slight waviness in the raven locks
Eye color: Pale gray
Size: Tall but slightly on what most men of the age would consider the scrawny side, yet does possess some musculature. Stands approximately 5’ 11”
Build: On the slightly thin side of slender, with toned musculature, and a bit lanky
Picture:

[Tuomas Holopainen]




Crushes: Rowena Ravenclaw, Knowledge, and Power
Mates/Spouse: Branwen Argall (soon-to-be-deceased)
Status: Bound and gagged to holy matrimony, but soon-to-be-widowed




Personality
Were Salazar Slytherin a gambler, he would probably make a good “card shark” for he has an excellent neutral expression which he hides behind. It is what most first see upon his countenance when meeting him. While he may not always attempt to come off as cool and aloof, it is generally accomplished. Normally, whatever disposition he thinks will benefit him most is the one he will employ. He did not come from entirely-noble stock, but has the potential of being a bit snooty. This is because while the family is not as rich with treasure as most prominent or soon-to-be-prominent families of the age, the clan’s bloodlines run pure and thickly-steeped in magic. It is a fact of which every Slytherin has much pride in, and causes the wizard to have an air of sleek arrogance about him.

Salazar becomes easily bored when without an activity that promotes cerebral stimulation; such as a challenging debate, a brain-teasing riddle, or working out the fine details of an ingenious scheme. His emotions, like his expressions, can also change at the drop of a hat. Anger tends to be swiftly coaxed from him, for at times he has little patience. Only with time alone does it ebb to a dull throb. On the flipside, benevolence is possible with Salazar though it is either genuine and on his terms or faked when the situation calls for it. Always he is considering the situation first before actually acting upon it.

The wizard has an ambitious thirst for knowledge and power, determined to acquire both by any means he can and using whatever resources there are available to him. He does not much appreciate idle chatter or those that appear to know it all but clearly do not. He sees gossip as potentially useful but does not carry much fondness for that, either, as it could be used against him much too easily. As such, there aren’t many he will willingly speak to, and even fewer of whom he truly likes the company of, and therefore tends to keep mostly to himself and his thoughts within his own mind.

It is difficult to gain Slytherin’s trust for he has a shrewd mentality that is as sharp as an executioner’s blade. He has seen for himself how interpersonal relationships can be manipulated, and therefore rarely extends true friendship. One will realize when they have it, for he will begin to genuinely attempt to relate to the other person. Although, Salazar is a fickle man always in search to ally himself with the winning side... unless the ‘winning side’ goes against something for which he refuses to sacrifice his own ideals for. When you have Salazar’s allegiance, for however long it may be, you will have a steadfast companion so long as it doesn’t risk him losing his head or his life. Simply put, Salazar generally does what he feels is best for him unless he has an extremely good reason to cast this sense of self-preservation aside.

Though... in any instance, be prepared for him to test just how far he can push the envelope... Curiosity may have killed the serpent, but the serpent died enlightened.


Around Family
Salazar doesn’t really know or like many of his family members. For him they are personal historical figures in time that repeated a cycle that allowed him to be here upon the Earth, or were related to those that did. Yet, there are a small circle of relatives that he genuinely likes, and a couple he loves or loved. What little relationship he does have with members of his kin has the potential to change as instantaneous as lightning flashes from tolerance to utter hatred. His favorite hobby at Slytherin clan get-togethers was subtly pitting one family member against another and watching the events unfold from the shadows. The manipulation or even doing away with those in order to get what he wants, even unto his own family members, is not beneath him.

As a child, Salazar felt no love when it came to his younger brother, though couldn’t help but be protective of his naïve baby sister Melusine. Despite the fact that Melusine was the most spoiled, and Salazar the most punished, he still found it within the depths of his heart to love her. He had a similar bond with his parents, favoring mother and despising father, despite the fact both were equally strict with him. Now an adult himself, this strict method of overseeing children has passed unto Salazar. Yet, on the flipside of the coin, if a child’s rule-breaking does not adversely affect him he could care less. Only when it either involves or goes against him is Salazar harsh in his dealings. As he sees it, one is only in trouble if they get caught.

There is little to no love between him and his wife, Branwen. Between affairs on both sides, the way the pair were forced into marriage by their respective elders (her parents, his grandparents), and overall being incompatible on several levels, there is little room for true affection. Salazar stays with her because she had given him a son, and because it is his duty to make certain the line of Slytherin remains intact as it had for generations previous. It would be too much work on his part to seek and wed another at this point, and thus he stays in the relationship for now. Until another crops up that he feels would be a worthy match to chase after... Preferably someone with a wit and shrewdness to complement his own...

Regarding his son, Silas, Salazar is by no means the best father in all the land. Conflicted is his mind as to the child’s true paternity, considering Branwen’s affairs during the time of her pregnancy. While his mind is still suspicious a place in the deep of his heart knows different. He does not go out of his way to treat the boy any better than he normally deals with other children, preferring not to invest his heart and soul in a child that could very well grow to hate him that may not even be his. In his mind the child was born to continue the Slytherin legacy, not to be mollycoddled and pampered to the point where father becomes serf and son rises to master.


Around Enemies
Despite being easily angered, Salazar prefers to maintain the outward appearance of everything being absolutely fine. Beneath that calm exterior however is a mind working overtime with brooding schemes. To say that the wizard doesn’t get mad, he just gets even, would be only a partial truth. First, he gets mad... then he broods and plots... and then he gets even. Not one to put his own neck on the line, Salazar would rather leave potentially dangerous tasks to allies willing to shoulder that courage themselves, or abandon them when the going gets too rough. When it comes to where he is backed into a corner he will fight in order to be able to escape.

In matters of verbal disagreement, the volume of Salazar’s voice determines just how angry he is: the quieter, the angrier. Taunting and snide remarks to embarrass and humble, or even just to distract his opponent are not beneath him. Nor for that matter is blackmail too low a standard. When applicable he prefers to remain behind the scenes unless there is motive and advantage in initiating aggression. A skilled Legilimens, Salazar doesn’t hesitate at all to use this upon friend or foe with little discrimination to learn what they are thinking. ‘Know thy enemy’ is a quote he takes to heart, for he is confident that he already knows himself. Knowing what the other is thinking gives him an added sense of power that can potentially be exploited for his own means in his mind.

When the ultimate act of malevolence is required, Salazar prefers the method of poisoning. It’s relatively quiet, doesn’t leave a mark, and if the metaphorical cards are played right it’s almost impossible to trace back to the actual culprit.


Usual Mood around strangers:
Salazar is often wary and distrustful of strangers, stemming from a notion that everyone lies and that advantage will be taken if one gives so much as an inch. However, he does maintain civility whenever possible. Salazar tends to make mental judgments upon a person by the way they dress or carry themselves, and most importantly also makes assumptions on their status in the magical world. Higher courtesy is often given to ladies as per the custom of gentlemanly conduct. Most of said courtesy is generally superficial at best.

Gray eyes are always on the lookout for those seeking to thwart or undermine him just as surely as he would do unto them, or those he could shrewdly manipulate into incurring favor. Not often is generosity bestowed to strangers without an ulterior motive. Ways to increase his personal gains and incentives are very motivational for Salazar Slytherin. Although, if a larger incentive is given to go against his initial benefactor, it is more likely that he will attempt to weave a tangled web so that neither are assisted while he walks away with the combined incentives from both other parties.




Your Story Please?
Salazar Slytherin was the oldest of three children born to Phineas and Serafina Slytherin. The Slytherins were a smallish clan that was slowly rising to prominence during that era, though had a pedigree to be proud of if you valued a family dynasty of sorts that didn’t deviate to the extreme of marrying into the Muggle populace. They hailed from the Fenlands, particularly upon Isle of Ely in Britain. The wizard of discussion, Salazar, was named after his great-grandfather on his mother’s side, in keeping a promise made to said wizard that the firstborn male child would bear his name. Both parents were rather strict towards him, claiming to desire him to set good examples for his younger brother, Phineas Abraxas, and baby sister, Melusine. It irked Salazar to no end the spoilings his siblings received, whilst he mostly acquired a well-aimed hex in punishment for both legitimate and alleged misdeeds.

Phineas Slytherin Sr. supplemented the growing family wealth by growing magical plants and incorporating his harvests into potions brewed for a select group of clients. Most were witches and wizards, though there were some Muggles as well that sought his services. Salazar never cared much for the non-magical clients: they didn’t understand many things a witch or wizard would, and often sought immediate cures to their problems in his father’s potions. In short, the he didn’t trust them as far as they could be thrown. While the mixture of science and art fascinated the wizard even as young boy, he wasn’t so sure he really wanted to follow in a potioneer’s footsteps forever. Until then, however, he helped his father prepare, bottle, and make the deliveries, and collected the earnings to bring back to the household’s steadily-growing income.

Serafina did not have a career, as per the status of women of the era, aside from possessing the status of housewife. She did most of the work around the house, and considered herself unhappily married. Phineas would not allow her to even run a business out of their home for the sake of something different to do, steadfast in his belief that the man provides the food or means to purchase food for his family. However, the witch found a way to circumvent the situation in which she’d found herself: under the guise of entertaining ‘friends’, she could use her gift of Second Sight to predict the future and other such activities under the muggle term of ‘fortune-telling’... for a small price. As her husband tended to hoard his family’s money like a mother dragon protecting its eggs, Seraphina hoped to use the money she’d earned by herself to one day break free of the clutches of her husband, purchasing her divorce from him. Phineas always had the talent of finding her savings and taking it for himself, often by force when Seraphina protested.

It is from Serafina that Salazar acquired his fascination with history, particularly in learning how – by her theory – history can and would repeat itself if one let it run rampant and unchecked. Many a time she would tell him the same, almost premeditated lecture, and eventually it became permanently drilled into the boy’s head. To her credit, however, it all made sense. And it made sense to her son, whom would continue to preach this way of thinking to any that would listen.

Between Salazar’s parents, only Phineas was literate. It was something the man saw fit to dangle over his wife’s head, and it upset the child greatly to see how it had affected Serafina. As such, the lionshare of much of Salazar’s magical learnings and instruction came solely from his father or the brutal tutors he’d hired. Learning from his father’s and a few of the tutors’ standpoints involved much reading and learning of runes, causing Salazar to develop an obsession with books and reading whenever there were no chores to be done. Most times he preferred to work outdoors where the scent of local flora assisted his mental focus, or otherwise calmed a confused head filled to bursting with the mundane building-blocks he would need to succeed both in a wizard’s life and out in the strange Muggle world that was to be avoided whenever possible.

One day whilst doing his studies amidst the serenity of the great outdoors, Salazar had heard strange whisperings among the willows within the nearby carr – a wooded portion of the fen. Whomever they were they spoke with an elongated letter ‘s’ and, curious, Salazar placed his studies on hold to eavesdrop. Following the talk yet finding no bodies, it was the boy’s conclusion that there were likely ghosts amidst the wood. At first, he didn’t even notice the pair of snakes watching him from a low-lying branch...

To say he was shocked to hear snakes speaking in the fluent tongue of man was an understatement. At first he thought perhaps all of his father’s torments had driven him mad. However, via his new serpent friends he learned much of the language of snakes. He also learned that many within his family also had the ability to speak to snakes, something he would have known if the boy had cared to get to know the relatives better. Soon, working on his own in the fen became second nature to Salazar and a favorite hobby, since he told his scaly new friends of everything he was learning. Even the snakes ended up teaching him at least a little something by the end of the day.

It was with great resentment that Salazar obeyed his father’s instruction to teach Phineas Abraxas in letters and reading, having absolutely no love for his brother whatsoever. His added task not only cut into the time he could’ve been studying, but it also took away precious time he could’ve been spending with his serpentine, marshland friends. Salazar did not mind in the least teaching Melusine to read (something his father initially forbade, chauvinistically preferring the women of his family to remain ignorant and uneducated), or even reading to her, despite the fact she was the most spoiled of the three. When his father was away Salazar even saw fit to teach his mother how to read. He could see in her eyes her dreams, and wanted to help make them come true. He wanted to stop his mother’s history from going in circles, and let it go a different road for a change.

However, it was not meant to be. Right after Seraphina had learned to read, and with her children’s assistance in stashing money away, she had been about to get a divorce from Phineas the Elder and take them far away from the man. It had been late that evening as she packed her things when Phineas had caught her. After a few heated exchanges, the wizard lashed out at his wife with a curse that she did not get back up from. Salazar had been watching the whole thing from a secret door, and cried out in frustration and grief when his plan to help them all had been foiled. With angry tears he watched Phineas take the money from his wife’s corpse, and anything else of value, before disposing of the body.

They had been told their mother simply left, but Salazar had witnessed the truth that could not be denied. In that moment he swore to avenge his mother’s death by taking the life of his father. First, however, he needed to make sure he and his siblings could survive on their own. They would need a plan, and one that could be executed flawlessly if they were to succeed... and he would need his siblings’ allegiances.

It wasn’t long thereafter, still amidst his early teens, that the wizard came to the conclusion that Melusine was now the girl he needed to watch over to make sure history did not repeat itself. He would need to watch whom she fell for, and who their father was considering to arrange her to be married off to. Knowing Phineas the Older, he would surely foist his only daughter upon even a passing beggar just to be rid of her. Salazar truly cared for his sister, therefore despite the amount of work on his part it was all worth it to make sure she married a decent wizard. This was also to be his own practical research into if he could truly find a way to break the cycle destined to be the future by studying the past. And the best way he could do this, as with all things thus far in his boyhood, was from behind the scenes and amidst shadows.

One such opportunity arose when his father arranged for Melusine to marry a fellow wizard from the fen, Eoforwine Wyndham, of whom Salazar had always held ill will toward. During one of the couple’s courtship outings, he snuck along from a good distance behind to see how the pair interacted. Sure enough his suspicions became real – Melusine’s eventual intended had conjured and summoned a wealth of snakes, threatening that the serpents would kill her if she did not give him what he wanted... and what he wanted was best suited for one’s wedding night. In a flurry of panic, Salazar threw all caution to the wind and screamed at the snakes to stay away from his sister and attack the wizard instead. Salazar had known he had spoken in the snake language, but the startled looks from his sister and her intended told him not only did they not expect him, but they did not expect him to have spoken so strangely.

A duel of sorts arose between Eoforwine and Salazar, the pair of them using the language that would soon be considered Parseltongue to instruct the snakes how and when to strike as distraction while the wizards themselves cast spell after spell at the opponent. In the end Salazar had won, but not without injury, with the help of the serpents he had befriended in the fen. One had coiled itself tightly around Eoforwine’s neck and mouth, and the other bit deep into the tender flesh at the wrist. The snakes under the control of Salazar’s opponent then turned on their charmer and conjurer, attacking Eoforwine like a chimera descends upon wounded prey. Once the venoms did their job and Melusine had run home, Salazar disposed of the body and went so far as to hack off bits of Eoforwine for the snakes to devour as a reward.

When Phineas senior had heard the whole story of what had happened and how the wizard he’d selected for Melusine to marry had died, the man hexed and cursed Salazar to within an inch of his life. The fact Salazar had only been trying to do right by Melusine didn’t matter... Melusine being nearly violated by a possible future husband didn’t matter... the fact Salazar had used a rare magical talent common in the family, cementing his place amidst the other Slytherins of old didn’t matter... What did matter to Phineas Slytherin senior was that Melusine was now out a potential ‘beloved’, and he would have to find another for her. Not to mention he would have to pay the parents of the wizard dearly for the murder of their finest son, which he had informed them had been a ‘tragic accident’ instead of what had actually occurred. It was the only way in his mind to explain the lack of a body to bring back for funeral services.

Shortly thereafter, Salazar’s instruction took a different turn. No longer was he to constantly read from books and scrolls, but rather join Phineas senior in his shop to learn the trade of brewing potions. Despite the dysfunction between father and son, Salazar went along with it and was truthfully entranced by how the fragile fumes and simmering liquids could affect a person in either right or wrong hands. He only needed to stay on with the man long enough to learn what he needed, and then he and his siblings could all be free once he poisoned their father. Surely if Salazar took over his father’s business then he could easily support what remained of his immediate family on his own! All he had to do was tolerate and endure the criticisms, sneering, hexes, and other cruelties, just has his mother once had to endure them, until the opportune moment... Whatever it was Salazar decided to do with his life afterward, for he did not want to be stuck brewing potions forever, the wizard was determined he would be three times better if not more than his father ever was at his own trade.

While being left the last one to lock up the store, Salazar perused in more detail a few of the phials in the back room that his father absolutely forbade him to so much as approach. In this back room were poisons and magical plants intended to do more harm than good, as well as books and ingredients that were either far too valuable or much too suspicious to leave out in plain sight. Salazar took a phial of what looked to be the most prolific poison available, as well as several books back to his bedroom as furtively as possible. The poison was cleverly tucked away within the pillow he dreamt upon. Thoughts crossed his mind of slipping the lethal liquid into his father’s goblet, or perhaps his brother’s... or even forcing it down the throats of some local boys that saw fit to bestow their cruelty upon him. His possibilities were endless, but he knew his supply of poison was for now limited.

By the light of candles and wand the wizard stayed up all night satisfying his thirst for knowledge, for knowledge was power and power was a commodity Salazar greatly desired. Stealing the books and scrolls had been easy. Putting them back, however, was difficult. In the end, he planted the books in his brother’s room and delighted in the trouble Phineas junior had gotten into. Salazar made sure to emphasize this day in his mind as one of a very select few in which he was not blamed or suspected of wrongdoing, and was actually guilty of it. Younger Phineas, however, was not as narrow-minded as his father...

Some months down the road, Phineas the younger decided to get even with Salazar. He had gone to his father, ratting his elder brother out for having stolen some potent, rather expensive ingredients from the family store. Salazar had received a punishment similar to the one he had received for interfering with the courtship of Melusine and the wizard Eoforwine. As the eldest Slytherin heir lie recuperating, nursed back to health by his sister to the best of her ability, Salazar decided that it was time to get rid of the thorn in his side that was Phineas Abraxas Slytherin Junior – forever. Thusly he planned, plotted and schemed possibilities and all possible complications he could think of. Eventually, he decided to set upon his brother the Furnunculus Curse; and had deliberately mis-cast it in hopes to cause a swift worsening.

By nightfall the boils had become severely infected, and fever had sunken its talons into the younger Phineas. Precisely according to plan, care of the boy was foisted onto Salazar’s shoulders. Only to keep with outward appearances did the older young wizard seem none to pleased. Inside, on the other hand, the lad couldn’t be any more deviously happier. Ever so slowly over the next two days, Salazar laced his brother’s fever-reducing potion with the poison he’d stolen at a time that seemed oh so long ago. All the while Salazar watched over the boy to observe and record the effects firsthand with an odd, almost sadistic glee. Upon the midnight entering the third day, Phineas junior gasped his last. It was only after making certain his brother was officially beyond rescue that Salazar raised the alarm, waking all in the house to inform them of the terrible news.

Phineas the older had made the funeral preparations himself, though in preparing his younger son’s body for its final rest had noticed an odd, sweet smell from the skin. While the wizard only had basic medical knowledge he performed a small examination on the body. It didn’t take long to discover that Phineas Junior had been poisoned, or for him to assume a probable culprit. Immediately after the wake, which Salazar did not attend even for his distraught sister’s sake, Phineas confronted his son at the graveside the night before they were to lay the younger of the two sons in the ground. Salazar remained cool and collected about the questioning while his father shouted and raged, proclaiming the young man guilty of fratricide before the members of family that had assembled.

Because he was the last son, and therefore Phineas’s last chance to secure his place as having an heir in future generations to come, Salazar simply smirked and made to walk away from the fight. He had assumed his father wouldn’t dare touch him for fear of the family losing its prominence in society. Far from about to let the boy go unpunished, Phineas attempted to punish Salazar as he had in times passed. A duel between father and son quickly ensued. Curses of magical and non-magical variety flew through the air, seeking to harm and distract. The other Slytherins present surrounded the duelers and created a shield to protect themselves against the stray spells that were evaded by the intended target. It was a common family setting meant for duels that would be to the death.

The duel raged on for nearly an hour and a half before Phineas was hit by a severely crippling curse Salazar had taught himself. Seeming the duel was complete, the Slytherin kinsmen lowered the shield charms and awaited the witnessing of the final blow with emotionless eyes. Melusine, afright at all of the fighting, raced to her brother’s side, begging and begging whilst tugging on the collar of Salazar’s robes for him not to kill their father and tear apart what little remained of their immediate family. Without even considering her words for a moment Salazar dealt the killing blow. All had witnessed it, and all present had no choice but to honor it. The deed done, Salazar wrapped his arms around his sister and murmured to her words of comfort; words ensuring her that they were now free from their father’s cruelty, or rather he was, and it was for the greater good of what remained and for the memory of their mother that he had done it. In the end, it was in mentioning Seraphina Slytherin’s being avenged that quieted Melusine’s tears.

Salazar had sincerely hoped that after doing away with his father that he and his sister would be free to do whatever they wished. However, since he was still under age, it was Abraxas and Gwenneth Slytherin that reclaimed the small Slytherin Mansion and its surrounds, as well as custody of the ‘children’. After reviewing a few of Phineas senior’s journal entries, Abraxas sent his “conniving grandson” to the Ely Cathedral, a Monastery in which contained a secret sect of wizards training youths brought unto them in secret about magic alongside Faith. By Abraxas’s decree and subsequent spellwork Salazar was disallowed to return to the Slytherin estate until he reached the age of eighteen, by which time a wife would be chosen for him and he would settle down. To say Salazar was a bit disgruntled by this decision was an understatement.

This hidden sect of monasticism within Ely Cathedral, and had spread to other monasteries as well, called themselves The Brotherhood of the Ouroboros. An ouroboros is a mythological serpent that devours itself and is reborn again much in the way a phoenix is, representing that which is constantly re-inventing itself as the ages wear on. Along with the traditional monastic practices, the Brotherhood also self-studied and taught the quieter branches of magic to potential new members of the sect. They were somewhat interested in the education of those gifted with magic, though like the rest of the world in that era did not believe a formal school would succeed. Each new member into the sect or coven is given their own habit in either black, brown, or white that includes a cowl, as well as a rosary with not only the crucifix but a charm bearing the symbol and ‘mascot’ of their organization, the ouroboros. Some members are even given a plain signet ring that, with a special backing, can be used as a means to imprint a seal upon wax. This backing would eventually become the metal in which the “Slytherin Crest Ring” that eventually passes unto Marvolo Gaunt.

What Salazar had thought had been a cruel twist of fate turned out to be a blessing in disguise. If one were to say he gladly sipped at the goblet of information his father and various tutors provided, then the wizard inhaled the higher learning he received under the monks of the Brotherhood. This was the sort of learning he had desired for many years. With the monks as his guide and the library at his beck and call, Salazar learned everything and anything he could. The only price for this knowledge was that magic was not to be practiced too openly, lest their non-magical brethren get even more suspicious than they already were. Quieter aspects of the craft were more than encouraged, but wandwork was not permitted except in utter privacy and secrecy... and even then it was questionable. Alchemy, medical magic, magical history... nearly any subject Salazar had ever been curious about was at his fingertips.

Thus, the young Slytherin heir’s life quieted...

It had only been a matter of time, however, before the dreaded inevitable occurred. A young orphan boy that had joined the Brotherhood and was placed under Salazar’s care and tutelage had caught him using magic. The child had a faint glimmer of magical talent, or so Salazar had thought while watching the boy prepare a medicinal potion in one of his lessons. In talking with the lad, it was learned he was the son of an apothecary whose parents had died in a fire. Salazar had suspected that the apothecary was no apothecary but one expertly learned in potions and that the fire had been because they’d been found out. That hadn’t been the case, however, for shortly after the boy joined the ranks of the Brotherhood the monastics on the Muggle side of the cathedral descended upon them like a pack of wolves swarms and surrounds its prey. Salazar had a theory then that his assumptions of the boy being possibly magical were entirely false despite the position of his eyes being about right, and that it was this child that had led that portion of The Brotherhood to its doom. Ever one to preserve his own skin, Salazar fled from the monastery upon a horse half-stolen from the cathedral’s stables.

Salazar continued to manhood, venturing from monastery to monastery, though still received word from home via his sister and her owl. Whilst he was chiefly interested in knowledge and ambition, Melusine had always been his opposite. She had fallen in love with a halfblood known as Micah Rimmer, and married him in the summer. Rimmer seemed to treat Melusine as a lady should be treated, according to her letters, though Salazar couldn’t help but be suspicious of the man. Abraxas and Gwenneth had hoped their grandson would find a decent witch to fall in love and settle down with once his stint in the monastery and various life lessons as punishment for the murder of his younger brother were complete, but too involved was Salazar in his books and his researches. He also loved throwing the detail of having taken a vow of chastity into his grandparents’ faces when they wrote to him asking if he’d found a woman. The death of the Slytherin line, with things heading as they currently were, was a tangible fear for Salazar’s grandparents.

Having forgotten the bit about being forced into an arranged marriage once he arrived home a man, Salazar noted with glee that he was able to walk upon the grounds of his childhood home mere days after his eighteenth birthday. However, Abraxas Slytherin was practically waiting for the youth with his grandson’s selected bride in tow. Confusion had danced in the younger man’s eyes at the new face. She was pure of blood, from good Welsh stock, and like the Slytherins her family was not yet of upper-class wealth. Her name, Salazar soon found out, was Branwen Argall. The Argalls had migrated from their homeland of Wales to the Fens due to magical persecution, both by Muggles and by a rival wizarding family that would stop at little to nothing until every last Argall gasped their last. Despite the witch’s beauty Salazar held no love for the woman as typical of most arranged marriages, or even the prospect of marriage itself. Abraxas, however, held it over his grandson’s head that marriage was all part of the arrangement to allow Salazar back into the mansion and proclaim his rightful inheritance of the estate as the current eligible Slytherin heir. Grudgingly, Salazar married the witch selected for him. It disturbed him to magically, religiously, and legally bind his soul to another for what was to be all time in holy matrimony...

Even as Salazar was thrust into married life he remained steadfast regarding his self-education. Often did he travel great distances to other monasteries in his former monk’s garb to find writings he had yet to set his eyes upon. At home, he took up a hobby he’d begun at one of the Brotherhood of Ouroboros monasteries: the breeding and keeping of various kinds of snakes both mundane and magical. This often left Branwen to her own devices for much of the day, and sometimes for days on end for Salazar was either at the library, in his office, or with his snakes in his waking hours that did not call for social time. During one of his adventures to a Monastic library, he’d met a maiden he'd eventually come to know as Rowena Ravenclaw. They had been reaching for the same book, and actually disputed over who would be the first between them to read it. Incidents such as these occurred a few times. Most were on accident, but some had been... on purpose...

When Salazar did come calling for affections, Branwen was much too agitated with his lack of desire or interest when she’d attempted to attract his attention. It didn’t take long for the wizard to suspect Branwen’s own sudden disinterest in him may be the cause of an affair, and immediately attempted to riddle it out the way he always did: furtively, sneakily, and with little regard to thoughts of personal privacy or anything else but his own enlightenment. Sure enough, during one of his late-night readings at home his wife would slip out unnoticed, find her pleasure, and return again all provided he had fallen asleep at his desk. He found out this information via a close ally willing to spy upon the woman and keep under the guise of a snake-breeding apprentice, which had caused Salazar’s blood to boil. As this ally had also been a witch Salazar decided what was good for his wife was good for him, and thus he too broke his marriage vows.

Three years into their marriage, Branwen found herself pregnant. Furiously assuming the child his wife carried was a product of her affair and not of his own making, the twenty-one-year-old Salazar left without a word. He traveled the world in even greater expanse, learning all he could about the histories of other wizarding civilizations, and what their cultures had to offer in other realms of arcane learning. Most of the time he frequented the monasteries, considering them to be like home away from home, but other times he sought out a civilization’s library instead, and earned his living by spinning tales for the children and family of those trusting and in his opinion gullible enough to take in a foreigner for the night. In passing he had once again encountered the witch Rowena Ravenclaw, as well as briefly met two others on separate journeys: Godric Gryffindor, and Helga Hufflepuff. As Salazar’s infamous temper cooled, it soon became apparent to him that he needed to return home what with his wife expecting a baby... even if, by his reckoning, the child wasn’t even likely his.

When Salazar finally returned home he came upon a rather disgruntled Branwen clutching a bundle in her arms. The wizard received a thorough tongue-lashing for his abandonment of his family, and was informed he now had a son. Silas was the boy’s name, given to him by his mother in Salazar’s absence and without his approval since she had been unable to contact him when she needed him as he had ignored all letters she sent to him that arrived via the family owl. To the gray orbs of Salazar Slytherin the child looked nothing like him. Or, at least, this was what he’d directly expressed to Branwen. Many heated debates followed in the days and weeks thereafter, particularly one in which he had accused his wife of rigging his paternity test potions to show it was his child instead of Silas’s ‘true’ sire. While there was a possibility she hadn’t faked it, Salazar had denied it so adamantly that he couldn’t just relinquish his hold on the suspicion. Instead, he expresses his half-hearted belief that Silas is his very subtly. After all, if he really wanted to, he could have killed her for her treachery and not have had to worry about legal repercussions. But, she had given him a son and guaranteed the continuation of his family line, so he could see no feasible reason to kill her... yet.

Although he had striven to ensure the cycle of history regarding the mistreatment of women in his immediate family would hopefully not repeat itself, Salazar didn’t even consider stopping the cycles surrounding the history of treatment from father to son. Baby Silas was easy enough to care for, but the wizard with knowledge of the serpent’s tongue was as cold as the serpents he bred and attributed himself to when it came to affection. There had never really been a point in his life where Salazar experienced true paternal affection from Phineas. He treated the misdeeds of his son just as harshly as his father had treated him as a boy, though tended to come just short of severely harming the kid. For all of Salazar’s efforts to turn the kid into a mamma’s boy by ignoring the child or otherwise giving him long or boring chores, it didn’t work, for the boy followed him everywhere.

Years passed and life continued on. Silas now started resembling his father more, though Salazar treated the boy no differently than he had in the past. In fact, he personally worried about the child growing up and eventually doing away with him in the way Salazar had finished off his own father and brother. Thus, a strict handling was kept on the boy in hopes to keep any possible rebelliousness in check. Branwen often undermined this by spoiling the boy. Salazar’s hobbies and thirst for knowledge also continued with the same enthusiasm as he’d always welcomed them. One new hobby in particular as Salazar watched his son grow became campaigning unto the wizarding government of the age and to parents of magically-gifted children for a better standard by which up-and-coming witches and wizards could receive education. The Muggles had their own schools and guildhalls... why could they not have such a similar academic setting of their own? Often times, he was met by those he spoke to on the topic with laughter.

‘Fools, the lot of them... history for our kind must change if we are to survive,’ had been Salazar’s exact thoughts each time he was rebuffed on the idea of formal magical education.

Deciding to forego his general policy of keeping to the shadows, Salazar decided enough was enough. There had to be more witches and wizards with his mindset regarding the magical education of the next generation, and he was determined to find them. Long had he desired fortune and fame... something he could surely achieve if he founded the first official magical school in Britain with the assistance of like-minded individuals! The only things holding him back were his aversion to risk and, it seemed, the whole world. Surprisingly Branwen had supported him on his ideas of education, and even assisted in finding a suitable location and the sending of invitations. Hundreds upon hundreds of owls had been sent out in the following weeks to any and all of magical talent. Precisely how the owls knew where to go, Salazar could only guess.

The place was a ruin of a small-ish courthouse, still in fairly good condition but abandoned by Muggles in the community as a hopeless wreck defeated by the elements. It remained there simply for historic posterity, something of which Salazar decided to give them minimal credit for. While he had envisioned the room quickly filling to bursting with intellectuals (some perhaps requiring levitation in order to fit them all in the room) the wizard knew he could very well end up waiting there all day for nothing. Thus, he had taken some books along with him to continue his research, in wait and hope that someone – anyone – would answer the call to take on the tutelage of the next generation.

Half of his wish had come true: witches and wizards did attend, but not nearly as many as he had hoped. Odd as it was, he had seen though didn’t necessarily speak to each of them at one point or another in his travels, and had heard of some of their achievements of the era. It was in the hours of the conference that he learned to match faces to their names: Godric Gryffindor, Helga Hufflepuff... and, of course, Rowena Ravenclaw. It seemed to Slytherin that he had met Rowena at one of the monastery libraries he frequented in years passed. If he didn’t know any better, he dared to believe this was the same woman he had argued with about selecting the same book oh so long ago... she looked vaguely familiar. Outwardly he hadn’t been able to stand the witch. But inside... well, that was to remain under the murky depths of Occlumency, but he was rather fascinated by her uncommon intelligence even if her wit tended to blend with his like two enemy rams butting heads and horns in competition for supremacy.

The Gathering turned out to be an overall success, with the quartet forming a friendship not long into the discussions. The bond was cemented over wine and other light refreshment, but the main glue that held them together was the plan they had conceived: to build a school far away from the prying eyes and ears of Muggles determined to rid the world of witches and wizards forever. Admittedly Salazar had qualms with at least one thing each of the others brought to the table, but that was expected for his part. At least they all had similar points of view, and wanted to make sure generations to come were well-educated and able to control the gifts they would be given on their own journeys through life. For the time being, that was enough.

Most scoffed at their plan, deeming it folly and an errand of complete and utter fools. Like any other sort of person deemed different they were snubbed and gazed upon with mocking eyes, looking down their noses at them with haughty confidence that they would try but in the end they would fail. Though Branwen had not remained at Salazar’s side faithfully in terms of other aspects of their marriage, and he in return, she was but one of their very few if any supporters. She didn’t like the fact that her husband would be away and in the presence of two other women while they selected and built the school, but had reasoned that even if she hadn’t supported the idea he would both have left anyway or remained more thoroughly married to his research than her. For the sake of their son’s future and the way Salazar went on about history, converting her into being more mindful of the future, how could Branwen not have done her small part in support of her husband despite their many marital problems?


For what seemed like an eternity they traveled, seeming to scour every bit of the Earth for a suitably secluded place to teach magic. Eventually, they found the ideal place, though Salazar insisted on further fortifications to keep the ever-prying Muggles and those seeking to sabotage them from ever discovering the place. The pooling of their magic to had been a dizzying, heady experience for Salazar as they built the school from the ground up. Salazar’s own contributions included a magical barrier between the murky, watery depths of the lake and the subterranean dwelling areas that would be for those students he would pick as his prized pupils, as well as the labyrinth, almost snake-like twists of secret passages all throughout the structure. He also added at the last minute a special, private retreat just for himself: what would one day become known as the Chamber of Secrets. It had been tricky, but it was the challenge that enthralled him and made him feel truly alive.

The castle complete, Salazar took a moment to stand tall and bask in the glory of this albeit shared accomplishment. In its completion, the four had forged a friendship of sorts amongst themselves and dubbed their new academic institution Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. There were still a few bumps in the road of bonded fellowship for Salazar regarding all three of his other compatriots. His most frequent verbal combatant at Hogwarts’ inception was none other than Rowena Ravenclaw, for they often took drastically contrasting viewpoints and would debate or quibble over them fighting tooth and nail to make their individual point supreme. Other times they would engage in a battle of wits in an attempt to out-do the other, often leaving Slytherin fascinated yet highly irritable when thwarted.

Yet, despite it all, Salazar stood before the school with a satisfied smile that could very well have been a smirk. They were all well on their way to eternal fame and glory, and with surprise at himself realized how forward he was looking to teaching rather than being asked to brew a potion here... dispatch of a boggart there... or some other mundane task hardly worth his time when he could’ve been researching.

They had done so much already, yet there was plenty left to do.
History was finally changing, and Salazar an integral part of it all!

Although... the storm of a worry and a fear would soon begin growing in Slytherin’s mind...

... what if the children they would soon teach that came from less than pure blood learned all they had to offer... only to use it against them, just like that orphan boy he’d encountered at the Ely Cathedral, in the end?




Magic Side: With Salazar’s thirst for knowledge, and therefore power, he has looked into and learned a bit about all sides of magic. However, he is most prone to the darker or gray aspects of magic.
Favorite Spell: Fenestra ut preteritus tactus. Though, really, it all depends upon the individual situation what spell Salazar favors.

The spell 'Fenestra ut preteritus tactus' allows the user’s mind’s eye to see where an object or person has been, though requires physical contact with the item or person in addition to a wand. The spell was created by Slytherin himself, in an attempt to keep himself from being deceived without always resorting to Legilimency.



Unique Powers: Parselmouth, Legilimency, Occlumency, Psychometry

Weakness: Ambition, arrogance, easily angered, sometimes thinking too much are some of Salazar’s faults or tendencies that could be used against him. He also doesn’t know when how far is too far regarding the advancement of his own magical knowledge. His use of psychometry is limited as it requires the aid of a spell to work fully, but can receive faint, involuntary whispers without it. These “whispers” are draining upon his stamina, and the fatigue only increases when he tries to force the whispers to become clear, unaided ‘speech’ regarding the object’s past without the use of the spell he crafted himself.

Skills:
- Medical Magic
- Alchemy
- Potions
- Recalls historic dates, figures, etc. with exceptional ease
- Multilingual
- Solving Puzzles
- Wizard Chess
- Literacy
- The Dark Arts and their Defense
- Snake Breeding
- Musical composition on piano and harpsichord


Items:
- Golden Locket bearing an ornate, serpent-esque “S” on its front
- Several books of the academic variety... some in better shape than others
- Pet Runespoor (snake) named Pandora [it only has one head, the other two being killed by the remaining one]
- Raven-feather quill
- Alchemical equipment
- 2 candleholders made from house-elf skulls
- Brotherhood of the Ouroboros habits: robes, cowls, scapular, and modest shoes. One each in black, brown, and white.
- Rosaries/prayer beads (he collects them, after a fashion)
- Ouroboros signet ring (the backing of which is used to print the symbol upon a wax seal becoming known as the “Slytherin Ring”. Depicted is the plain ring, without the special backing)
- Well-worn copy of the Holy Bible, with the Ouroboros added to the cover
- A plain, leather-bound journal in which he keeps his thoughts, formulas, hypotheses, and other such musings. It is incredibly well-organized and enchanted to add pages as needed as the author goes along.




Favorite Color: Green, Black, and Silver (Salazar says gold attracts too much attention)
Voice: Soft and smooth with a slight drawl when speaking normally; yet harshly growling when angered.
Theme song: The Scarecrow by Avantasia



Dark was the interior of Salazar Slytherin’s newly-established office, a faint orange-yellow flicker from a pair of candles the only light in the room. The wizard preferred it this way: dark, moody, secretive... It reminded him of the days when he would sneak into his father’s lab to brew potions of his own, or read tomes he was explicitly forbidden to read at the time. He also thought he did his best work – and often enjoyed it more – during the late night hours. For a brief moment, Slytherin’s thoughts turned to the boy that was his son. Already six years old was he, and still learning to control his magical impulses. It was one of the main reasons Salazar and his other three companions had created this castle, and they had yet a means to acquire students and others that would profess their subjects here at the school.

Privately, the wizard had once entertained the notion that it would have been sweet irony to have had the muggle population build the castle for them, spells cast to essentially make them little more than slaves following the founders’ whims. Although, Salazar personally couldn’t bear to stand for long the thought that their filthy hands would’ve touched each and every stone. That alone had been enough to dispel such a thought, and not even suggest it at all even after the school stood completed. Hogwarts was to be a magical institute for learning, and was meant be built by magical hands and means as it had been right from the start. Godric wouldn’t have gone for the idea of enslaving Muggles, anyway... the wizard was too good for his own good.

Upon the fine black walnut desk he had transfigured for himself via a sapling of said tree lay a roll parchment tacked down by polished river stones, each one bearing an ornately-carved serpent curled into the shape of an ‘S’. Next to it was a phial of dark green ink, a raven’s feather quill perched atop it. Gray eyes lowered from the only obvious door in or out to the list he had composed thus far.

In small penmanship sleek and fluid like that of a sea serpent subtly breaking the water’s edge, Salazar Slytherin had composed a list of new things he personally wished to address regarding their newly-formed school. The range went from everything to the task of cooking right to proposals for class schedules themselves; an admission of believing the library to need more books to even a few guidelines regarding student conduct. With each point he wished to discuss, Salazar had written a proposal, the pros and cons of it, and a couple of other means which might be better suited to the others’ tastes. Something told him that the use of the Inferius creatures as sentries about the school perimeter to guard against Muggle detection and invasion wouldn’t go over well with any of his compatriots or the citizens of Hogsmeade Village.

Gryffindor might go for it if it were mentioned that the Inferi would be like having an army all of Godric’s own. An evil-looking smile, full to bursting with darkened mirth, curled Slytherin’s lips upward at the notion. Moments later however, he scowled. The matter of the Inferi not having their own free will would be a problem for the other wizard. Thwarted by his own scheming mind, it seemed more planning would be needed before putting that particular suggestion on the table. At least it had happened within the comfort of Salazar’s own mind rather than in front of the other three... in his imagination, Rowena would surely try to outwit him in finding something more capable of guarding the school. Helga, on the other hand, would be out of her mind with worry about the less than stellar visage of a reanimated corpse’s effects upon the student psyche that would soon be trickling in through their halls and pooling into their classrooms.

Reluctantly, a green circle was drawn around the idea regarding Inferi guards and a few words of caution and temporary disregard written within the margin he’d allowed himself. Absently he stroked what little beard he presently had in contemplation. Were there any more things he wanted to address? The wizard was certain there was nothing else to strike from his list for every topic noted was of importance to him. Were there any other concerns he had regarding the complexity and scale of the endeavor they were to embark on come this very autumn?

The mind-voice in the wizard’s head remained silent. Other ideas and topics floated like the liquid chaos of ink in a jar of water, or memory in a pensieve, but they were not yet clear enough to call up from their depths.

Sighing, Salazar removed each of the river stones and placed them with ritual-esque care into the black leather pouch from which he had taken them. A softly murmured spell in the Language of Snakes pulled the drawstrings closed and knotted the pouch closed. With the same care he placed the now-packaged stones into the same drawer he placed his bible and rosary into when he was going to be within the office for prolonged periods.

Rising from the high-backed chair that about an hour ago had been gloriously comfortable but had now left him a trifle stiff, Salazar stretched and with a yawn knocked upon a specific pattern of stones in the wall to activate a secret passage leading straight for his family’s chambers. The topics of discussion he had written would inevitably have to wait until the morrow for he was too tired to debate and defend any problems the others would see in his plans. On top of it all, he doubted any of them were even awake beyond the ‘witching hour’...

Salazar never debated and schemed when running solely on the fume-like remnants of an energy-bestowing potion.