Hammond
Hammond is a supporting character in The Metalwood Saga. He initially serves as the City Manager of New Manhattan (City Four) within the Cothellon's floating sky cities. Following the fall of the Cothellon, the defeat of Orym, and the permanent erasure of magic, Hammond is promoted to Executive Leader of the newly reformed United Sky Cities, serving directly under President Tiala.
Appearance and Personality
Hammond is a tall, gray-haired human man whose face appears surprisingly youthful despite his gray hair. He maintains excellent posture and possesses the refined, well-cultured demeanor typical of high-ranking topsiders. Despite his polished, professional exterior, he is deeply affected by the tragedies of the war; following the catastrophic destruction of New San Francisco, Allain notes that Hammond appears visibly tired, sad, and taxed by the immense loss of life.
Personality-wise, Hammond is pragmatic, focused, and dedicated to public service. He views himself as an operational force rather than a politician, preferring to manage the complex logistics of city survival and reconstruction behind the scenes.
Biography
The Fall of New San Francisco
Hammond first appears prominently during the chaotic events of the final war against the Twins. When the Twin Nelenor obliterates the central sky city of New San Francisco, Hammond is the official who somberly reports the catastrophic loss over the radio, confirming that all hands on board were lost. Acting quickly to save the rest of the population, Hammond initiates the detachment protocol, physically separating the remaining six sky cities from the burning wreckage to prevent the destruction from spreading.
The Escape Module
As Orym seizes control of the god-machine Xyclami and threatens the entire world, Hammond coordinates with John Ronald (Jalnab) and the True People from within New Manhattan City Control. When John reveals the existence of the Escape Module—a massive, high-tech evacuation and weapon system built secretly into the infrastructure of the sky cities' Unders—Hammond immediately offers his assistance. Because the True People's technology cannot be activated wirelessly through the Cothellon's shielding, Hammond works diligently to find the necessary personnel to manually activate the system's nodes across the five other surviving cities.
He stands alongside Lorelei and the heroes, monitoring the situation from New Manhattan as the weaponized fragments of the Escape Module are deployed to distract the rogue god Orym over the ruins of Old San Francisco on Earth.
Executive Leader
After the deactivation of Xyclami and the end of magic, the sky cities undergo a massive, peaceful restructuring. With President Tiala elected as the universally beloved political figurehead, Hammond is appointed as the Executive Leader of the United Sky Cities. He jokingly refers to himself as "the new Lorelei," though his role focuses strictly on the day-to-day operations and logistics of rebuilding society without the use of dictatorial power or magic.
Hammond travels to New Paris to meet with Phoenix and Imra at a street-side cafe. He explains that while the six remaining cities will stay physically separated to prevent another single point of failure, they will remain politically united under a centralized government. Recognizing Phoenix's deep ties to the underkids, Hammond recruits her and Imra to spearhead a massive new social initiative: providing a free migration path to the topside for any underkid who wishes it, and drastically improving the living conditions and services for those who choose to remain in the Under. He warns Phoenix that it will be rough work that will require getting her hands dirty, an offer she happily accepts.
Epilogue
Hammond later attends the wedding of Arra and Tarathiel. He sits in the audience alongside the former elven Bombardment Mentor, Kharis, symbolizing the newfound peace and integration between the high-ranking human leadership and the ancient Eldrim.
Key Relationships
- Tiala: The President of the United Sky Cities. Hammond acts as her right-hand man, handling the practical, day-to-day execution of the government's policies while she serves as the inspirational political leader.
- Phoenix: Hammond recognizes Phoenix's unique history and capabilities, recruiting her to lead the integration and relief efforts for the Under in the post-magic era.
- John Ronald (Jalnab): Hammond assists John in utilizing the True People's hidden technology to deploy the Escape Module during the final battle.
- Lorelei: Though he never possessed her absolute, dictatorial power or magical abilities, Hammond takes over the operational management of the sky cities after Lorelei steps down.