Hamadryad

## Architect

Tox

The **Hamadryad** was a Great Tree in Hammerlea during Dragonhollow's Seventh Era.

Inspired by the trees Eris had raised in the core of many previous capitals, Tox grew the Hamadryad to provide historical continuity with a natural anchor right in the heart of Hammerlea.

The gigantic acacia tree towered over the lagoon at Hammerlea's east end, climbing upward in a slight bent with winding limbs reaching out in all directions. The upper heights, lightly lit by scattered glowstone, tapered into smaller branch offshoots where leaves were concentrated in small tufts.

Hidden by vines coiled around the massive lower trunk were several entrances into the depths of the tree, eventually leading to a small cozy lounge called the Hamadryad Hollow. Inside the carpeted interior were potted plants, comfortable furniture, a warm hearth, and two caged parrots named Iago and Paulie. The room also provided some utility with an ender chest and an enchanting table, though the level-30 table setup in the Home Tree was more appealing.

The fireplace contained a secret portal to Satan's Alley in Sanctuary.

The Hamadryad was presumed destroyed on 7E:120 with the arrival of Nyx—the apocalyptic “Eternal Night”—but the last individuals to evacuate, Ky and Tox, reported that the gravitational forces had not yet felled the massive tree by the time they departed.

# Gallery

Growth beginsMore branches growTrunk base appearsGrowth completesDuring construction of HammerleaIn a thunderstormA landmark in the city's east endIn the midst of a thunderstormFrom the lagoon with Tox's Cabin visibleThe HamadryadAs seen on the Hammerlands RailwayMoonlitUpper heights glowstoneCanopy with Vigilance in the backgroundTrunk baseOne entrance to the tree's interiorlolHamadryad HollowInside Hamadryad HollowInside Hamadryad HollowPaulieEnchanting nook in Hamadryad HollowHearth and gateway to Satan's Alley

# Behind the Scenes

*The following is out-of-universe information about the real world Dragonhollow.*

Like much of Dragonhollow lore, the Hamadryad was a reference to Greek mythology. The hamadryads were nymphs who were bonded to a particular tree—possibly the living spirit of the tree itself—and when the tree they were associated died, so did the hamadryad itself.

In addition to the Greek mythological ties, Tox felt the name's Ham-prefix fit well with the new spawn town's name, Hammerlea.

The tree was first designed as a gnarled mess of dead branches with no leaves to fit in with the initial conception of Hammerlea as a bleak ghost town. However, as Retro's plans for the new map underwent a dramatic transformation, so too did Tox's tree.

Taking inspiration from the Acacia Koa, he added a large trunk base, additional limbs, and isolated clumps of canopy leaves. In many cases, the leaves did not actually touch the tree branches or each other, giving them the optical illusion effect of being larger than they really were when viewed from below. He used WorldEdit to prevent the leaves from naturally decaying.

A portion of the build was made possible by the VoxelSniper tool.

The parrots within Hamadryad Hollow were named Iago and Paulie, references to movie parrots in the films Aladdin and Paulie.