Salem the Witch Girl

Origin

Salem Rula Nader is the daughter of an Armenian American immigrant and a woman who fled the tabled city of witches and warlocks, Limbo Town. In 1936. Salem's parents abandoned their six-year-old daughter to save themselves from the "Limbo Town Curse" and retreated to an unknown dimension. Young Salem was left to inherit her mother's Limbo Town Curse. This curse was put upon any female who deserted Limbo Town, causing 'bad fates' to befall those the deserters grew dose to. Because of the wicked curse, anyone Salem cared for would quickly find their life negatively affected in a variety of unscrupulous and unfortunate ways, from stepping in a deep puddle to being hit by a bus and killed. The curse was unpredictable and unbecoming.

Major Story Arcs

Doctor Fate

For most of her young life. Salem lived on the streets of Boston alone, until the 10-year-old encountered Doctor Fate in June of 1940. Despite her protests, Doctor Fate took Salem in to protect her from the villainous Wotan. who wanted to sacrifice the child to acquire power During her time with Doctor Fate, Salem learned that he was immune to her 'bad fates' curse. This provided great relief for Salem, and a person she could finally open her heart to Soon after. Salem became known as the Witch Girl, the often grating and usually arrogant sidekick to Doctor Fate.

Although Salem kept her distance from others so that they might avoid the Limbo Town Curse, on occasion she would connect with someone and they would end up distraught, in the hospitals or dead. As the years went on, Salem grew more disillusioned as again and again she and Doctor Fate were unable to free her from the Limbo Town Curse. After Doctor Fate's girlfriend, Inza Cramer was almost killed because of the curse, Salem disappeared. However, Doctor Fate suspected Salem been abducted and taken back to Limbo Town. He went to the Justice Society Dark for help, but even together they were unable to locate her. The Witch Girl has not been seen since.

The Lost Children

Salem was one of many Golden Age sidekicks who were kidnapped from the timeline by The Childminder and kept prisoner on Orphan Island. As the island was outside of time, Salem and the rest of these Lost Children were forgotten by the world, including their mentors. The Childminder was hired to care for the kids by The Time Master, an adult version of one of the Lost Children, Corky Baxter. This version of Corky believed he was stabilizing history while also giving them a better life.

Salem and the other Lost Children got their chance to escape when Stargirl and Red Arrow of the Modern Age found them. They had started receiving evidence of the potential existence of these forgotten heroes and were able to find the island on their own. After confronting the Time Master, they were able to use his own time travel device to get all the time-lost kids back to Stargirl’s present. As they were reintroduced to their old mentors, old memories came flooding back. Unfortunately for Salem, Kent Nelson was dead, and she was forced to partner with the new Doctor Fate, Khalid Nassour, who she didn’t like much.

Despite this contention, she and Khalid were recruited to find Solomon Grundy for Helena Wayne (the Huntress of a possible future). She was recruiting JSA villains who worked with her as the official JSA in the future. When Solomon Grundy proved too much for them, Salem attempted a spell that would bring him back to life as Cyrus Gold. Unfortunately, her curse caused Solomon to die instead. Her indifference to the loss of Grundy forced Khalid to cut her off. He rejected her as a protege and left her in the JSA’s care.

Powers & Abilities

Beyond the 'bad fates' curse she inherited from her mother, Salem also is a witch-in-training with great mystical knowledge and power, owing to both her heritage from Limbo Town end her tutelage under Doctor Fate as well as the secrets she unlocked within Fate's tower. Although the Witch Girl's skills are vast, she often overextends her reach and disaster occurs, while other sorcerers call it a death wish, Doctor Fate Calls it initiative. Salem has a loyal familiar named Midnight who takes the form of a black cat (and on occasion a mystical panther of terror) and an enchanted and fussy broomstick known as Sweep.