Hadama was drawn to the cold forging of the sea, learning the delicate techniques of a jeweler and goldsmith from his grandfather and, when he was a little older, the concentration and refined strength of a bladesmith from his mother. His family was happy and things were going well, until his brother visited the undersea shrine on his eighteenth birthday. What answered his prayer wasn’t a god and it granted no wishes but instead cursed the young merman with a wasting sickness that killed him within the year. Hadama mourned his brother and the family began to find a new shape around the hole where Eiji had been. Ten years later his grandfather succumbed to old age and the family grew a little smaller.

Hadama had always been closest with his grandfather, and for a while he threw himself into his work while he grieved. The undersea city began to feel less and less like home and a restlessness grew in him, piqued by the arrival of Outlanders among the drylanders of the shore and their occasional incursions beneath the waves. The places they had been, the things they must have seen… Steadfast and responsible, Hadama initially resisted the lure of the unknown, honing his art and learning all that his mother could teach him of the volcanic forge. But when she finally told him that she had nothing left to teach him, that the last of the family secrets had been passed down to the next generation, and that he was free to sound his own course…

Hadama headed for the canals to see how the other half lived. And was drawn into the uncertain waters that swirled between land and sea in those days. His quiet demeanor made him a good listener, and he learned a great deal of the humans who shared Torchline with the Mer. He learned, too, about human cooking and the use of fire to sear, bake, and broil foods, and the spices that were unique to the land, and it kindled a new interest in him as he began to study the craft with as much intensity that he had once learned smithing. He became friends with Melita and Evie during this time, and eventually joined the Arcane Academy to hone his wind and water magics.

When War came to Torchline, the Mer were leaderless and unprepared. Hadama, who had been swimming between the sea and shore for the past year, worried for his people and requested Safrin's blessing to become their King. She granted him his crown and he strove to protect Torchline - land and sea both - while Queen Maeve was sent to the Draig Cordillera to fight the battle for the world's soul with the other mortal and demigod powers on Caido. He chased away a Sea panther kitten, but not without cost. Flora's brother Enzo lost his life in the battle; one of many casualties of the War.

Since then Hadama has ruled the Mer and, after Maeve's abdication, the humans of Torchline as well. He invited the humans to elect a co-ruler when it became clear that in spite of the strides made to bring their peoples closer together, enough differences remained to make it difficult. His friend Harper won the vote, and for a time the world was peaceful and Torchline prospered.

But no good thing lasts forever. Eventually the pressures of rulership became too much for Harper, who abdicated by letter. Deeply hurt by this turn of events, Hadama hesitated to accept another co-ruler, but Flora was both stubborn and determined to prove herself, and in time he accepted her sincerity and agreed to their co-rulership. It has proven to be a good one, between Flora's charm and Hadama's patience Torchline was in good hands, even after Safrin disappeared to fight a mysterious, distant threat among the stars. Before she left, she gave Hadama a choice to consider: to serve her as a demigod, or to remain her loyal servant as a merely mortal Mer.

Everything changed when the new moon fell from the sky into Torchline's waters, destroying the Docks and damaging much of Haulani below the floating the islands. Many died and much was lost, with Torchline bearing the worst of Starfall. The Void-touched creatures spread, and Hadama worked tirelessly alongside Flora to save and repair what they could, while also fighting off the corrupted plants and animals around Caido, and reaching out to strengthen ties and gain help from the leadership of other regions. He has relied heavily on his good friend Noah during this time, and they seek Vi's Roses, those legendary cleansing blooms in the Greatwood.

And with Safrin's return, the time has come to make his choice: to keep what he has worked so hard to train and gain in magic and shifts and leadership, or to give it all up for the chance at even greater power in her light...

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