Salome is the name of a witch born into the Askhaurian dynasty of Khauran. The first queen of the dynasty had dealings with a "fiend of the darkness", which led her to carry his baby. A curse was placed upon the dynasty; "Every century, a witch shall be born". Each of these witches were named Salome.
Many of the witches were slain at birth. While some walked the earth as witches, none of them has been allowed to rule Khauran, as is their right by birth into the dynasty.
The only Salome known to rule Khauran did so by force. Looking remarkably like Taramis, the real queen, either by sorcery or birth, she took the throne. Salome fooled the citizens of Khauran into believing she was Tamaris, tricking almost everyone except Conan, a captain of the royal guard.