"The rumour is that the disappearances are the work of an organisation which specialises in kidnapping or removing people for a price. I think it is likely that Salamander set it up himself, to ensure his supply. No one in the slave trade knows what he looks like, because he is fanatical about keeping his face and identity a secret. He delegates like a king to a whole herd of people and rarely appears in person..."
Ashling, p208, Domick
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If Salamander was so adamant about not being seen he would have been more careful at port in Ashling.
What reason does Ariel have for not being seen? None really...Henry Druid has a far better reason to remain unseen. He has staged his death a couple of times to hide his actions. And it's more likely for him to have control over the slave trade and Ariel sniffing about...Ariel likes to let other people do his dirty work and thus take the blame if it falls to pieces.
Henry Druid on the other hand likes to be in charge of people. And he is no fan of imperfections. He wouldn't think twice about selling the lesser members of society into slavery - ever his own daughter for her disability. Imagine the satisfaction the Druid would get from having control over an operation the Herder Faction relies on?
Why bother getting into it? Ariel foresaw the firestorm that was to devastate the Druid's encampment. Ariel also possibly knows about the Entina being in the Land of the Red Queen, using the Druid for his own machinations - to keep an eye on the Entina, in case the Seeker or Destroyer lumber along to unlock it. There wouldn't have to be much coercion involved to get the Druid interested in such an operation as the slave trade - always on the move, anonymity, mystery, financial benefits, and ultimate control over the major power holders. Ariel, being known to the Herders (perhaps even being one of the Nine (see my other theory "
Ariel = Eril") would be able to liaise between the parties, along with the network of slave traders they bring together.
"Then a ship with a flag showing a flaming salamander began to attack any vessel known to trade in slaves, sinking it. One crew member would be kept alive, tortured, then cast ashore to tell the story of a ship with Beforetime weapons that spat fire..."Ashling, p209, Domick
The ONLY person we know who has ever used Beforetime weapons in the O-Chron timeline is the Druid's people.
"The ban (on teknoguild expeditions) had been enforced after a disastrous Teknoguild expedition in which Henry Druid's people and the teknoguilders clashed over a newly discovered ruin on the Black fringes. The argument had ended in a mysterious explosion which killed most of both parties. Either the Druids, as Henry Druid's men named themselves, had deliberately set off a forbidden weapon, or some ancient device hidden in the ruins had been accidentally triggered..."The Farseekers, p19
In this introduction to the Druids in Farseekers, we find out that Henry Druid is continuing his search for weapons. And obviously, they'd found something.
I think it's too simple - and too convenient - for Ariel to be Salamander. The Slave Trade existed before Henry Druid's camp was taken in the firestorm, but it was never so organised - it'd take someone like the Druid to pull such an operation together and 'delegate like a king'. Sort of like an Ober-chron version of a Mafia boss.
Post TSK edit: Sooo, this theory has lost some of its validity after revelations in TSK. The Druid isn't a Sadorian; Salamander most probably is :-/
