Seven-Tailed Salmon began his career as a clerk to a local junior magistrate.  Faced with both an ambitious rival, and a problematic superior, Salmon manouvred the former into charging the latter with corruption, triggering a formal investigation that resulted in the execution of the Magistrate, the assassination of his rival by the Magistrate's vengeful family, and the elevation of Salmon to the Magistrate's position by authorities grateful to Salmon for his judicious assistance in preventing the incident from causing scandal.  His elevation coincided with his Second Breath, and Salmon has only grown in ability since.

Salmon used his junior position in government to develop a network of contacts, which in turn allowed him to leverage investment opportunities.  Money lending and shipping were soon supplemented with less savory investments in loan-sharking and smuggling.  Salmon firmly believes that if crime exists, it should be organized.  Of course, he is rather good at organizing things.  These days, he's a wealthy man, with interests in most of the region's economic activity.  Tying this growing little empire together is a sprawling network of spies, contacts, and informants; Salmon is most of all an information broker.  He sees threats and opportunites long before they mature, and more than one potential opponent has found their plans fall into disarray; a few choice words written to the right audience can forestall many problems.

Friendly, but not presumptuous, helpful, but not obsequious, Salmon is a visible presence at all levels of society and economic activity, but always in the background.  He's the junior council member to local lords, silent partner in a dozen legitimate (and not-so-legitimate) businesses, and a political fixer for gang leaders and crime bosses.  Relatively plain in appearance, he enjoys his wealth, but is not austentatious with it.  Salmon moves with ease in alleys and courts, and is welcomed everywhere he goes.