Ssalassar
From Unofficial Handbook of the Virtue Universe
| [[Image:|300px|]] | |
| Ssalassar | |
| Player: @Heronator | |
| Origin: | Science |
|---|---|
| Archetype: | Stalker |
| Threat Level: | 47 |
| Personal Data | |
| Real Name: | Salazar Bartlett |
| Known Aliases: | Ssal |
| Species: | Human (Altered) |
| Age: | 23 |
| Height: | 6'2" |
| Weight: | 203 lbs |
| Eye Color: | Yellow (Vertical Pupil) |
| Hair Color: | Red |
| Biographical Data | |
| Nationality: | United States |
| Occupation: | Metahuman Enforcer/Vigilante |
| Place of Birth: | Memphis, Tennessee |
| Base of Operations: | Cap Au Diable, Rogue Isles (New Haven Neighborhood) |
| Marital Status: | Single |
| Known Relatives: | Oliver Bartlett (Father), Mary Bartlett (Mother), Luke Bartlett (Brother, Deceased), Danielle Elsley-Bartlett (Sister-in-law) |
| Known Powers | |
| Bone Claws, Enhanced Senses, Damage Resistant Skin, Enhanced Strength, Enhanced Endurance/Constitution, Ennhanced Reflexes, Chameleon Skin | |
| Known Abilities | |
| Meditative Martial Training, Stealth Training | |
| Equipment | |
| Cybernetic Chemical Heart Pump, Cybernetic HUD Overlay, Cybernetic Anti-Telepathy Circuitry | |
| ' | |
NOTE: The information in this Virtueverse page is written as a Player reference, not a character reference. For matters not pertaining to the public or semi-public domain (such as the Rikti War, or his arrest) assume you do not know if you have not been told.
Contents |
History
Early Life
Salazar Bartlett was born on January 12th, 1986 in Memphis, Tennessee. He lived in Memphis with his parents and older brother until 1990, when the Bartlett family moved to Paragon City for his father's work. Salazar was an average student, although he did show some aptitude for playing the violin, and played the instrument throughout high school.
First Rikti War
When Salazar was just 17, before he had finished high school, the Rikti invaded. Sal's older brother, Luke, enlisted in the Army, and was killed by the Rikti. Salazar and his parents lived through most of the war in one of Paragon City's many huddled, over-crowded, filthy refugee camps.
With his role model dead and his high school demolished, Salazar spiraled into a vicious cycle of rage and destructive urges. He became nihilistic, and left his family to join the street gang The Hellions, whom he lived with for several years, until he was arrested, convicted, and sentenced to the Ziggursky Prison after a failed carjacking.
Coming to the Rogue Isles and Reptiliafication
Salazar was able to take part in the 2006 Arachnos Breakout of the Zig. Sal, without a weapon or Hellion magic artifacts, managed to run Arachnos' gauntlet, and secured himself a place on an Arachnos Flyer to Mercy Island. Salazar had not been in the Rogue Isles for even a day when he was kidnapped from the streets of Darwin's Landing by the mad scientist Dr. Viatro. Viatro held Salazar captive, drugged and unconscious, inside one of his underground laboratories, subjecting him to a plethora of genetic, chemical, and viral treatments derived from the Snakes that roam Mercy Island.
Salazar had been captive for three months before he was able to escape. Viatro had forgotten to increase the drug dosage to compensate for his now-tougher constitution, and so Salazar awoke....right in the middle of Viatro attempting to biopsy his heart. His chest wide open, Salazar went on an insane rampage, destroying defenses and equipment in his wake. He managed to rescue another captive, Johnathan Vangztrovich, then fully transformed into Johnny the Fang.
Johnny the Fang brought Salazar to an Arachnos medical lab, where Arachnos-employed doctors managed to sterilize his wounds and close his chest in time to save his life. This put Salazar into indentured servitude to Arachnos for a short time to pay off his debt, which he paid off by the time he moved from Mercy to New Haven.
Der Chantry
While still a fledgling villain in Darwin's Landing, Salazar met the villain group Der Chantry. Salazar joined, and for a significant portion of his career, served as a make-shift, dysfunctional family for him. Salazar was frightened by magic, demons, zombies, and the like when he joined (ironic, considering his background as a Hellion), but he quickly outgrew his fears.
Some of the first people Salazar met in Der Chantry were Altan Lillitu and Ghost Lilith, a pair of powerful high threat level Metahumans. These two were his first friends in Der Chantry. Der Chantry is also where Salazar met Mako and Listia (see below).
Salazar stayed with Der Chantry until Mako and Listia left the organization, which prompted him to follow. Johnny the Fang joined Der Chantry at around the same time.
Viatro's Failings
While a member of Der Chantry, Salazar discovered that he was dying. Viatro's incomplete transformation had left Salazar with a rapidly degenerating physiology, which resulted from what was essentially an auto-immune disorder (his reptilian and human parts did not recognize each other as being the same organism). Salazar hired Dr. Shelly Percey to perform a series of surgeries that would replace the affected organs with bio-synthetic replacements, effectively curing him. A problem arose, when it was discovered that his body could not accept a synthetic heart, and that a fully-organic replacement would have to be found.
Salazar found that heart, inside David Chalke, a PTS worker. Salazar was initially going to outright kill the man and take the heart for his own, but Mako stopped him, convincing him there was a better way. With her help, and the help of Tryphis, another member of Der Chantry, Salazar had a synthetic heart placed inside of David, so Sal could have the needed organ. Salazar paid David enough to send all seven of his grandchildren to college on the mainland in exchange (although he never revealed this to Mako).
Turning Human
Once Salazar had recovered from his surgery, he focused on his next medical goal; becoming human. Since Viatro's experiments, Salazar had longed to become fully human again. Again hiring Dr. Percey, he underwent a dangerous, untested genetic treatment to undo Viatro's genetic damage and make him 100% human.
The procedure was a failure, leaving Salazar's body in an unstable state, morphing in-between his human and reptilian forms. Mako forcibly enlisted the help of Dr. Viatro to cure Salazar. Viatro did as promised, and stabilized Salazar into his reptilian state, and he developed a serum that would temporarily transform Sal into his powerless, human state.
Phoenix Insurrection
Like Mako, Salazar joined the rogue vigilante group Phoenix Insurrection, with whom he is currently affiliated. Although he has found a friendly home in PI, he remains somewhat at arms length with the group, partially due to his reluctance to step fully into his re-emerging sense of humanity, and partially due to the (below) "Big Ssal Incident".
Big Ssal
After joining the Phoenix Insurrection, Sal began to have a life crisis. He suddenly had access to much of what he'd wanted: friends, money, and free alcohol. However, he still felt unsatisfied with life, and became angry, beliving something to be wrong with him. Salazar began working himself to the point of exhaustion, taking any and all jobs from the Rogue Isles' movers and shakers, in a desperate attempt to force himself to not dwell upon theb state of his life. Salazar also took up meditating in Ouroboros outside the PI base, as a way to help suppress his growing instinctual urges.
This all came to a head when Salazar worked with Mako and fellow PI member Clarion Hope, under contract with Vernon von Grun to fight the Devouring Earth. Salazar came across Pyriss, a young heroine-turned-villainous that Salazar had "turned to the dark side" within the past few days, using the Ouroboros Citadel to travel into the past to re-do job offers that he had missed when Salazar was first in the area. Pyriss had since become one of the Devouring Earth.
Salazar felt horrible about his actions, and Mako gave him a chance to redeem himself, by giving him the location of the Arachnos facility in Grandville where the captured Devoured was being held for experimentation, so that he could kill her and put her out of her misery. Salazar went at this task with gusto, taking an experimental genetic optimizer, transforming himself into the hulking living war machine that Viatro had intended him to be.
Salazar, now referring to himself as Big Ssal, did not transform back after the serum wore off. Big Ssal was the full incarnation of Sal's feral instincts, a veritable living Id. Big Ssal did not like Sal's attempts at repression, and held control of the body. However, Caoihme befriended the raging beast, showing him the error of staying in control and of his adversarial relationship with "Little Ssal". Caoihme brokered a deal with the creature, making him agree to return "Little Ssal" to full control in exchange for Salazar letting "Big Ssal" free occasionally.
Big Ssal agreed, but did not turn back immediately, instead opting to indulge himself for several days before changing back. During that time, he encountered Mako, who saw how much harm Big Ssal was causing, as the creature's idea of "fun" was hunting the toughs of the Isles, and Big Ssal tracked, fought, and killed numerous Longbow, Rikti, Arachnos, Council, and Wailers. Mako tried to logically reason with Big Ssal, who did not follow her arguements whatsoever. She then thought to show the creature firsthand the nature of harm, and fought him in the Arena in Port Oakes. Big Ssal lost, but claimed to not be hurt by the fight, showing Mako that her point had eluded the creature.
In the argueing after the fight, Mako told Big Ssal (who, until then, had been claiming to be tough and strong) that he was weak, and merely deluded himself into thinking he was tough. Big Ssal, as a facet of Salazar, was extremely hurt by this remark, feeding Sal's own low self-esteem. Big Ssal gave up trying to prove he was big and tough, and ran off.
Big Ssal returned to the PI base, where he said his good bye to Caoihme, the only person who had befriended Big Ssal. Big Ssal said that he wasn't going to take control ever, and was going to retreat into Sal's head permanently. After a fond farewell between the two, Big Ssal went to an isolated rock in Nerva and transformed back into Salazar, who awoke with no memory of the transpiring events, stranded and naked. Salazar was in pain and felt ill for several days following the incident, but has returned to full strength. However, Salazar now no longer has to fight his animal side, but he is also far less motivated to do anything, and has become significantly more lazy after the incident. Salazar's "Big Ssal" half also constituted much of his motivation to do anything other than drink, watch TV, listen to music, or socialize. As such, his drive to train himself to become better, and indeed, some of his growing motivation to fully redeem himself and become a full hero, has been dampened.
Joining the Vanguard
As soon as he was able, Salazar joined the Vanguard, Earth's first and last defense against the Rikti. He has taken great pleasure (indeed, many would say too much) in fighting, and specifically, killing, the Rikti. He harbors a deep, deep hatred against the Rikti, and firmly believes that Earth will not be safe from the Rikti threat unless anything less than genocide is committed against them.
Longbow
Recently, Caoihme and Salazar were assaulted by Longbow invasion forces on the docks of Sharkhead Isles. Caoihme and Sal both suffered a lot of damage. Sal, at one point in the conflict, flat lined in the field, and was technically dead for almost a minute. His cybernetic heart implant brought him back from the brink with a targeted shot of chemical designed to get him up and moving. Overall, Sal took a bullet to the jaw, two bullets to his left shoulder, one bullet to his intestines, and suffered compound fractures on three toes of his right foot, to the point where the bone itself was directly exposed to the air. MSGT Morris managed to patch him up, but Sal was also hemorrhaging, as one of the chemicals in his shot was a mix of blood thinners. Morris ultimately saved Sal, although he was close to bleeding to death on Morris' operating table. Morris did have to remove part of Sal's intestine during the operation, but Sal has not suffered any ill effects from this. His accelerated healing has taken care of these wounds (although he is still a tad tender, and needs to get his stitches removed).
Personality
Salazar is an odd mix of relaxed and hot-headed. One effect of Salazar's reptilian side is that his endocrine and hormonal systems are much more powerful, leaving Sal more prone to mood swings than the average person. Sal's behavior also tends toward reciprocity, so he will usually interact with someone in the same manner they did with him. Sal is especially touchy about any jokes or insults about his reptilian traits, and goes to great lengths to "fit in" more, and is easily agitated (and possiblly violent) by multiple insults. However, Sal is also quick to make such jokes or cracks about himself, as well as to call himself a freak, monster, or some variation thereof.
Salazar has a lot of mixed feelings about being reptilian. Although he hates being "inhuman", and has recurring bouts of low self-esteem over the issue, he also loves his power and ability as a Metahuman. And while Sal hates being maligned by many who meet him as a monster, he also secretly revels in holding such sway over others. This dichotomy makes him easily irritable in situations where his capability is downplayed while he is reptilian (relatively frequent when dealing with other supers, as Sal is relatively weak by Metahuman standards). He readily objects to the thought of being "cute", and borders on violent towards feelings of pity (or even sometimes sympathy he mistakes for pity). Sal is extremely prideful (stemming from a believed need to prove himself), and avoids seeking or receiving help unless he has no other options.
Salazar is also not usually an emotionally-open person, preferring to keep feelings of depression or low self-worth bottled up inside. Related to this trait, is the fact that Sal is a functional alcoholic.
Although he seems low-brow, Sal is smarter than he lets on. His background is very anti-intellectual, which is why he didn;t really try in school. If a topic interests him, he will seek out information about it with gusto. Sal himself doesn't want to seem smart, and often tries to hide it, choosing the path of willful ignorance, or making wise-ass or crass comments.
Friends
Salazar does not consider himself to have many friends, but those he does, he is fiercely loyal towards.
Johnny the Fang
Johnny and Sal are best friends, as well as room mates. A fellow Viatro experiment, Johnny and Sal are "bros" in the truest sense. They are willing to go to extreme lengths for the other (and often do). Despite the fact that Salazar is better trained and ostensibly more powerful than Johnny, Johnny is the dominant one in the relationship (which mainly stems from Sal's lack, and Johnny's abundance, of confidence).
Recently, after learning that he used to be a Bane Spider Executioner by the name of Johnathan Vangztrovic, he disappeared. This has caused Sal a good deal of stress, not only because he and Johnny are such close friends, but because Sal believes Johnny to be the only person who truly understands what he went through at the hands of Dr. Viatro. He has put the word out, and many of Sal's friends are keeping an eye out for any signs of Johnny's current whereabouts.
Mako
Other than Johnny, Mako is Sal's closest friend. The two met in Der Chantry, and over the course of many a long night drinking at the D, became good friends. Unlike Johnny, Sal feels he can be emotionally open with Mako, who is one of the few people who see how deeply Sal's low self-worth, or even self-hatred, extends. Mako acts like a Big sister type figure in Sal's life, as Mako protects Sal when he gets into a situation he can't get himself out of (unfortunately, not an uncommon occurance), and often worries about him, especially surrounding his lack of self-control with drinking, drugs, and recreation in general, as well as his need to put up a "tough front".
Mako also saw Sal's good heart, and is the one responsible for his beginning the path of redemption. Although Sal still self-identifies as a villain (again, partly due to his own feelings of being a monster or freak), he has taken many steps towards becoming a hero, and plans to accompany Mako when she and Listia leave for Paragon City.
"Friend Salazar is a most unique individual. On his surface, people regard him as a monster. His inner demons, unfortunately, serve only to reinforce this shortsighted statement. However... Friend Salazar has a human heart, metaphorically and literally, and inside he is a noble human being. I care for his safety and will defend him, with my very life if need be." - Mako Kino
Listia
Sal and Listia have a friendly relationship, although not on the same level as his relationship with Johnny or Mako. Because of Listia's own part-human nature, and her own struggles overcoming it, Sal feels a connection to her, in that she understands his own feelings, and the struggles he has gone through (although he has never vocalized this).
Clarion Hope
After the Big Ssal incident, Clarion Hope (Caoihme) and Sal became very close. The two have fought side-by-side on numerous occasions, the most recent of which nearly resulted in Sal dying. Sal feels very comfortable around Caoihme, and she is not only one of the few people he feels he can be open and honest around, but she is also one of the very few who can call him nick names (usually "Slithers") without him getting upset.
Ghost Lilith
Ghost Lilith and Salazar have an odd relationship, due to Ghost Lilith's misandry and firm belief that all men are sub-human brutes. She frequently pointed out Sal's Snake nature, something he did not appreciate even though he said nothing about it. The two worked together multiple times, and they work well together, with Sal easily falling into the role of enforcer for Lilith. Despite these setbacks, Lilith was nicer to him than many other members of Der Chantry, and he genuinely cares about her, considering her to be a friend, to the point where he felt the need to formally say good-bye to her when he left Der Chantry. And Sal knows that, deep down, she cared about him too, even if she would never admit to it.
"What? The Snake-Male? Bah! He was useful until he got all goody-goody and told me he refused to kill anyone. Pretty tough and versatile male, I used to consider him one of my favorites. Did his job well for very low pay, too! But... *Sigh* I'll miss the Snake-Male. One of the few that never let his testicles control him. I just know... Someday... We'll meet again. But it won't be on good terms... A pity." -Ghost Lilith
NightErrant, The
NightErrant (Duke) and Sal have become good friends since they were first (properly) introduced by Mako. Duke often worries about Sal (sometimes rightly, sometimes not). Duke has slowly been learning about Sal's past, as he grows more and more comfortable sharing it with Duke. Recently, Duke has learned the entire story behind Luke and Sal's experiences in the Rikti War.
MSGT Morris
MSGT Morris and Sal share a common bond as soldiers. Morris has pressed Sal to receive regular medical treatment from him, and Sal has refused until recently (especially in light of the incident with Longbow). Sal frequently pokes fun at Morris' age, but really does respect his wisdom and combat experience.
Vibro Ant
Steven Vjorden, know as Vibro Ant, is a licensed Hero of Paragon City who met Sal in the Pocket D night club. Vjorden designed a pair of vibration-generating gauntlets, originally designed to aid in rescue operations and natural disasters, under contract with Crey Industries. An Arachnos raid saw Vjorden take up the gauntlets to defend the others and repel the Arachnos invaders. Unfortunately, he was exposed to experimental genetic compounds from a near-by lab during the incident, turning him into a human-insect hybrid. He and Sal share a common bond in their dual human/inhuman natures, and both have struggles fighting the instincts of their animal sides. Vjorden and Sal are often drinking buddies at the Pocket D, and it is usually Vjorden who ends up having to call Johnny to take Sal home after the pair get smashed. Like Sal, Vjorden wears a make-shift mask over his face, to hide the insect mandibles he has grown.
Botanical Skull
The Botanical Skull is one of the many villains Lord Recluse has participated into Project Destiny. Before his transformation, he was Dr. Richard Milos, a top plant geneticist who worked on the Department of Defense's Eden Initiative, a project dedicated to control and weaponize the Devouring Earth. After an unfortunate lab accident, Dr. Milos was killed by rampaging DE monsters. The Will of the Earth raised his corpse from the dead, now a plant-infested, gray pallor of his former self. Dr. Milos has been grappling with his current anf former selves, a plight Sal himself understands. Although Dr. Milos does not share Sal's views of nobility, the two maintain a working relationship, and Dr. Milos has gotten help from Salazar on more than one occasion.
Enemies
Unfortunately, not all of Salazar's relations in the Rogue Isles have been on friendly terms.
Dr. Viatro
Dr. Jonas Viatro is the man who made Salazar into Ssalassar. Dr. Viatro kidnapped Sal almost right after he escaped from the Zig and made it to the Rogue Isles. Dr. Viatro used Sal as a guinea pig while testing his theories about the Snakes that roam Mercy Isle, subjecting Sal to months of genetic, chemical, viral, and surgical treatments, although Sal escaped the lab before the experiment could be completed. Sal eventually returned to Viatro's lab to recover the Doctor's original notes regarding him. Viatro also had a hand in stopping Sal's violent transformations when he originally tried to become human, and provided Sal with his first dose of the serum that allows him to temporarily become a human (albeit, at Mako's behest). Viatro continues to monitor Sal surreptitiously, as Viatro still thinks of Sal as an experiment in progress, and is highly interested in his developments.
Rebuilt Eidolon
One of Dr. Viatro's loyal experiments, Salazar and the Rebuilt Eidolon have encountered each other several times in the past, when Viatro let the creature loose on a "field test". As the Rebuilt Eidolon views Dr. Viatro as a father figure, it sees both Sal and Johnny as long-lost brothers, and desperately wants them to come "home". Unfortunately for Sal, this means by force. The two have fought on three different occasions, but luckily, Sal has always been the winner to date.
Powers, Abilities, and Physiological Quirks
Enhanced Physical Traits
Enhanced Senses
Claws
Chameleon Skin/Scales
Physical/Mental Training
Cybernetics
Other
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