How did Salazar end up as a warlock in service to a Patron of the Depths and subsequently a priest of Denev?
 
Salazar has always secretly struggled with insecurities relating to his birth parents - he grew up believing that his father had abandoned him, and his mother effectively did the same, although in her case it wasn’t intentional- and Salazar’s family on his mothers side was no better, as they regarded him as an illegitimate child and not a true Cheverny.
 
When Salazar left Firenze at age 14 to find his true calling, one of the first places on Nord he visited was Sesto, to see his mother. Over the years he had visited her several times, but it was always an ordeal; she was rarely lucid, and her family outwardly resented him, as though HE were somehow to blame for her condition.
 
This time, Salazar saw her on one of her better days - she seemed to respond to him better because he had grown to resemble his father, and through their conversation Salazar learned the truth of what had happened - that his father had been taken by the dark carnival.
 
This revelation was traumatic for Salazar, and he departed Sesto less sure than ever of the path his future should take. He spend several years wandering all across Nord, but never found his calling, only more uncertainty.
 
Finally in desperation, Salazar decided to leave Nord forever - he took passage on a ship headed south, but during this trip the ship was beset by unnaturally fierce storms and sank. Most of the ships crew and passengers perished (any survivors could be worked in as a future plot hook - someone who recognised Salazar and assumed he was dead, or suspects him of some part in the ships ill-fate)
 
Salazar himself would have perished too - he was not a strong swimmer, nor unnaturally lucky - as his body sank to the depths, he welcomed oblivion as a final release from the torments of an unhappy existence
It was then, as the last traces of life left his body that Salazar was first contacted directly by his patron; an immeasurably ancient intellect that dwelt in the oceans depths, who had observed Salazar over the years as he went about his life on land, and though land-dwelling intermediaries had subtlety steered him towards this inevitable fate
 
In his delirious near-death state, Salazar’s final thoughts were of his mother, and so when his patron made contact with his mind, the impression Salazar received was that of feminine, nurturing mother-figure
 
The patron swiftly forged its pact with Salazar, taking advantage of his circumstances and state of mind to bind him to its will - it would spare his life and give him new purpose in exchange for his services, in whatever form that might take, and whenever he might be called upon, be it days from now or years
 
Salazar awoke from his ordeal, washed up on the beaches of Nord - and improbable occurrence given how many days south his ship had been sunk
 
Salazar’s recollection of his encounter with his patron was foggy and dream-like, yet all too clear that it was real and had happened, for even now Salazar could feel his patrons presence, which felt as real and tangible to him as though his patron were a person standing behind him, occasionally leaning forward to whisper into his ear.
 
Salazar has, unbidden by his patron, made the connection of patron = Denev. This is how he thinks of it, and though his patron does nothing to encourage this mental association, it also does not refute it, and in a manner of speaking it takes advantage of this to manipulate him. So, if Salazar were to say “Denev wills it thus” or “Denev has spoken to me” he is referring to his patron’s suggestion or influence to him.
 
To what extent does ‘Denev’ control Salazar?
 
He responds favourably to any suggestions Denev might make to him, though he will always interpret them in a way that make them seem most palatable, even benevolent- for example, if Denev were to order him to act against his family in some way, Salazar would do his utmost to obey, while striving not to cause them any actual harm.
 
Salazar cannot outright refuse the will of his patron, but his slippery mind makes it difficult for his patron to outright command him. So far, most of the things his patron has bid him do have been small, innocuous things of no seeming importance - things that are essentially indistinguishable from Salazar’s otherwise chaotic-neutral attitude and approach to the world
 
Denev’s biggest influence on him has probably been its corruption of his understanding of the tenets of his religious order - after recovering from his ordeal at sea, Salazar made his way back to Firenze, where he enrolled in the seminary of Denev - there he spend the next year learning though religious instruction, the best ways to serve the will of Denev. Unlike other neophytes at the seminary however, Salazar has the literal voice of Denev in his ear feeding him the ‘correct’ interpretations of certain texts and tenets - so while Salazar’s understanding of his religion would make him a dangerous heretic, as he thinks of it, he’s actually beholden to the unfiltered truth of Denev, while the rest of his order are the actual heretics.
 
Denev has also hinted to Salazar that it has other ‘true believers’ like him within the order’s ranks... so on the one hand Salazar believes that the majority of his religion are spreading a corrupted version of Denevs teachings, and on the other that he is part of an insurgency to cleanse this corruption from within. Salazar does not know whom he can actually trust with this knowledge - Denev is tight-lipped on the subject, never answering Salazar’s direct queries, only letting slip the occasional hints when speaking on other subjects. Salazar trusts that Denev will keep him informed on a need to know basis.
 
When Salazar speaks to Denev, he usually does so through prayer or meditation, and it is not precisely a dialogue - he can’t just ask questions and receive answers, but occasionally he receives a strong feeling that Denev is aware of his prayers and may respond in some way - through the bestowal of some new blessing (Salazar has already revived many such, ie. his powers) or something more subtle - Denev works in mysterious ways, or so the saying goes.