Saltpeter

HL2.net forum member Saltpeter saw the light somewhere in a dark cave in the Netherlands, somewhere in the mid-80's. Abandoned by the two wolves that nurtured him as a baby, he took up online gaming around 2000 with Delta Force Land Warrior, and quit as a hardcore gamer in 2004 with Delta Force Black Hawk Dawn, having played in numerous squads.

He joined the HL2.net forums in 2003 during the ongoing HL2 introduction circus, and eventually left, only to return again 4 years later as his computer was having problems with running his freshly bought copy of HL2.

Fetishes

Saltpeter seems to have an on-going fetish about Hydras. This probably originates from the time Saltpeter played with water hoses in his parents' backyard. Later, during his early adolescence, he pursued a career as a fireman, only to fall short in the selection process as he "kept humping the fire hydrants". A few years later, after a severe incident of shower abuse, he went to see a therapist to come to grips with his problems, and now, with the worst of his condition being suppressed by medicine, he's found a new calling in the form of relocating hamsters into the Canadian wildlife.

Still some of his condition's elements have managed to seep through the cracks, resulting in his current 'Bring Back the Hydra' campaign.

Natural Enemies

A spoiler in its natural habitat

Anti-Spoiler Tactics

There isn't that much known about the tactics Saltpeter's used to bypass all the hyperactive spoilering. The main thing that has been made public is that he recommends buying a car without a boot, although it remains dubious as to whether that really helps against the Spoiler infestation.

The CIA recently leaked a report that his main war tactic is that of circumvention; this tactic requires an utmost dedication to shielding oneself from the spoiling at hand by simply not coming in direct contact with the media that cause it. As an answer to this leaked tactic, the Spoiler syndicates have deployed a more aggressive tactic by infecting the media one uses on a daily basis, such as the internet or television.

Rumors

It is rumored that the 'Bring Back the Hydra' campaign is an actual front for his anti-spoiler war. Whether the return of the Hydra is one of the main objectives needed to complete his spoiler conquest cannot be confirmed, however, it is said that the Hydra herself has a grudge against the spoilering media since she was cut from the game even though she appeared on the highly favored E3 trailer from 2003.

Also, the three letters in Saltpeter's forum signature, 'V.I.M.', are also cause for wide speculation. It is being said that the three letters are an acronym to a secret message only understood by anti-spoiler sympathizers, although there is no sufficient evidence to support this particular theory. Some even tend to argue that the acronym is the source of a secret code to an anti-spoiler Doomsday Machine currently being under construction in Saltpeter's underground bunker, but all of the people that have come forth with this claim seem to have become missing.