The Hammaphore System is the secret underground network that connects all hammaphore trees on the planet.
Distances inside the System are much shorter than distances in the outside world. This means travel inside it is really quick and efficient. It is not yet quite understood how this actually works.
Tunnels and intersections are very well signposted, so it’s almost impossible for a Hammaphore System Traveler (known as H-travelers) to get lost.
When new hammaphore trees grow, the signposts automatically update. Lighting in the tunnels is provided by natural soil phosphorescence, so no flashlights are needed.
Who gets access to the system is a complicated and largely unknown process. Experts have been studying it for several years now, and it’s proving elusive to fully understand.
What we do know is that it tends to be open to people who are intrinsically brave, curious, and well-intentioned. If you have these personality traits, you might well find a “door” when up a hammaphore tree. But not always. So it seems like these personality pre-conditions are necessary but not sufficient. And then to complicate matters further, there are a handful of documented cases where someone ill-intentioned, i.e. someone with bad intentions, someone bad, has used the System.
Several on-going studies will hopefully share further light on how the Hammaphore System works. The one undertaken by Professor Maria Yankel-Zog-Zoglio at the University of Inner-Scratchford holds particular promise.