Whispers of the Ancient One
The first of many communiques, blessed with her healing light
The Crimson Guard — one of the 3 guilds in The Evolving Forest
Seedlings, Planters, Foresters, Gardeners, and Guardians — The Ancient One’s congregation has grown, true as the new shoots of the spring grasses sprout from the once frozen soil each year….
Ancient One’s Chosen here — let me just say from the team to all of you that it has been an immensely rewarding and gratifying experience thus far to witness our community form. From the fan art, to the memes (evolving forest pepes sers), to the friendly, inclusive and supportive discussions, in only a few days, we’ve seen something really special come to life.
As we progress through the next stages of the project’s development, we’re doing our best to keep you updated up to the minute, and explain each step as it arrives in a succinct and easy-to-comprehend manner.
To this end, we wanted to write this more formal medium article (one that will be the first of several) to brief you on the concept of guilds. However, prior to this we need to lay out the overarching foundation for Guilds, the continued roadmap of this project, and its governance.
True Community Governance
Decentralization is at this point almost a buzzword within the crypto space — from being one of the three pillars of the famous trilema, and is often seen as an end in itself, even in cases when centralized structures are better forms of management and planning to address a specific task.
However, one area where decentralization lends itself perfectly, is in the direction of projects and applications where user engagement is critical to long-term sustainability and longevity. In these instances, the old-world model of purely top-down central planning, similar to that found within any corporation today, creates a division between users and “the team”.
This is unnecessary and often detrimental. Anyone can see that a natural disincentive to participate is introduced when individuals are excluded from making decisions about a project they’re contributing time and effort to.
In light of this, and much as a forest is made stronger by the collective intertwining root mass beneath the soil, our project will soon begin a multi-phase transition to incorporate community governance that will enable innovation, efficiency, and potential that cannot be rivalled by a solely centralized approach
But how shall this be accomplished? The cliché model of community governance seen in many DAOs today, is the issuance of a governance token that is used for voting on proposals. This may offer improvements in what are otherwise centralized structures, but is easily exploitable as certain actors find methods of monopolizing token control, and also generally more of a passive form of governance rather than an active one (approving/disapproving of predetermined options is not the same as taking initiative to present new choices).
The Dryari Guild — tree spirits, dedicated to the Ancient One
Enter Guilds
Rather than simply being thematic tie-ins offering a fun way to differentiate within the game lore, guilds will also each play a vital role in the day-to-day operation of the project.
Each guild will have a designated role and will perform a vital function within the congregation
Guild members that take initiative, are active, and excel, will be able to advance through the ranks of their guild
Guild leadership (high ranking individuals) will be privy to “team” conversations and will be able to help make overarching decisions along with core team members
This will create an incentive to contribute to the long-term development of the Ancient One’s vision, provide inclusivity for those who decide they want to be more involved, and ensures that the interests of those with most at stake are actually being represented (i.e. the more you contribute, the more say you will have)
The Guilds of the Grove
Dryari
The Dryari, long-forgotten devotees of the Ancient One, this race of nature-loving tree spirits has inhabited the region surrounding the cavern of the Ancient One for generations, seeking to fulfil the vision they interpret in her whispers. They derive life from the pscillion itself, seeing it as sacred, will do all they can to preserve and protect it, and incorporate it into their bodies in keeping with the Ancient One’s example.
Vaccai Conservancy
The Vaccai are a conglomerate of scientific researchers that appeared in retrofitted colony ships decades ago, landing at the edge of the Ancient One’s domain. They immediately began establishing research outposts, and have dedicated years of study to discovering the alien powers contained in the pscillion, and the resonance shared by all through the Ancient One’s song.
Order of the Crimson Guard
A legion of mysterious, militaristic humanoid creatures enrobed in colored cloaks and shadowy exosuits, the Guard are the newest arrivals in the Ancient One’s forest. Since their appearance, mining facilities and all manner of soil-ravaging machinery has been introduced to the region, hinting at frightening motivations yet to be revealed….What is the nature of their interest in the pscillion, and what will it mean for the Ancient One?
The Vaccai Conservancy — scientists dedicated to unlocking the secrets of pscillion crystals
Guild Roles
Each guild will be accompanied by a distinct Discord role, granting access to a special channel. No gardener may attain more than one of any of the guild roles, and access to each guild requires a brief test of initiation (two options for each, these are OR not AND).
Dryari
Perform missionary work by recruiting two additional members of the congregation (verified in the #Guild application channel)
Prove community engagement through screenshots of real conversations in at least 5 discord channels
Vaccai Conservancy
Demonstrate resourcefulness through submitting new art, stickers, memes, or videos for the congregation’s use
Find an outside organization, group, or tool (a tool like a discord bot, or a connection in another group, DAO, or other such org) and refer them to the team
Order of the Crimson Guard
Help to establish the Order’s authority by harnessing pscillion resources- pledge commitment to staking all saplings held as soon as staking is live
Verified purchase of a floor sapling
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We hope this information, while significant and intensive, isn’t intimidating for you. Keep in mind that this is an evolving process (pun intended) and that as we explore new boundaries of self determination and governance in this digital realm, there’ll be room for adjustments as needed.
Until next time, may the Ancient One be with you all.
Web: https://evolvingforest.io/
Discord: https://discord.gg/evolvingforest
Twitter: https://twitter.com/evolvingforest