What is Decentralized Lore Creation?

Every minute of every day, the drama of humanity is being inscribed on the internet. It is a catalog of human culture, distributed across the planet, and any individual with internet access can add to it. Thus, the creation of humanity’s omnibus is decentralized.

So too, is the World of Forgotten Runes.

To understand what decentralized lore creation is, let’s first look at the antithesis of this concept: Disney. The largest media company in the world, Disney is an absolute behemoth. This beast has been steadily devouring IP at an insatiable rate, with well-known franchises like Star Wars, Marvel, Muppets, Pixar, Winnie the Pooh, The Chronicles of Narnia, and more. There seems to be no appeasing its hunger. With much of the IP they push through their corporate bowls, a soulless travesty comes out the other end. These characters are controlled by executives with a profit motive, and not by the artists or fans who love them.

So what is the solution to this problem? Is there a way to invert this profit-driven model? Is there a way for fans to take control of their favorite characters, to contribute to the growth of an IP, and let love be the primary creative force? Is there a new way to world-build from the bottom up, in a decentralized way? We believe the answer is yes, and the solution lies in NFTs.

Owning an NFT is far different from owning a Bitcoin or a Dogecoin, and that difference is not merely limited to its “fungibility.” If you own a Dogecoin, you have no control over the value of that token. There is nothing you can do to make your Dogecoin stand out among other Dogecoins. But with a Wizard NFT, you are in total control of your character's destiny. You have the power to make it come alive and stand out among other NFTs. You are able to leverage your passion and creativity to propel your token to legendary status. And everyday, we are seeing our Cult members do just that. We’ve seen these pixel Wizards rendered as

stunning illustrations, animations, paintings, and murals. We’ve seen t-shirts, 3D models and 3D prints. We’ve read Wizard poems, and storyboards, heard Wizard music, and even seen mock video games. Oh, and memes. TONS OF WIZARD MEMES.

To facilitate this creative energy, The Forgotten Runes team is regularly developing ways to incentivize and encourage it. We have released a partial map of the world, which gives these legends an anchor. We share community lore on our social media, and highlight it during Wizard Wednesdays. But perhaps the most significant development, thus far, is the release of the Forgotten Runes Book of Lore.

The Forgotten Runes Book of Lore

This digital tome is an ever growing archive of each Wizard’s lore. When you own a Wizard, you have the rights to build them out and create their history. By connecting your crypto wallet to the Book, you have access to that Wizard’s page for immutable lore entry. You are free to edit your Wizards lore as long as you own them, but if your Wizard changes hands, the lore written by the previous owner is locked forever.

We are betting that great care will be taken when crafting Wizard Lore. If the Lore is unappealing, spammy, or careless, it’s hard to imagine that Wizard will be changing hands. Conversely, if a Wizard’s Lore is compelling, beautiful, and well-crafted, we imagine they will travel far as a very popular character.

But “Wait!” you say, “What if I’m not a good writer or artist!? I don't want to write Lore or make artwork! I only want to collect Wizards!”

That’s totally fine! The beauty of this decentralized lore project is that as other creators build out their own characters, it lifts the quality of the entire project, thus bringing non-Lore Wizards along with it. Non-Lore Wizard holders benefit greatly from the creative talents of our most passionate cult members.

Larger Media Expressions

Adding to the Book of Lore has another very exciting benefit. The Forgotten Runes team is busy engaging entertainment industry partners for larger media expressions. For example, we are currently in production of an animated short. The short will indeed feature scenes that were created not by our core team, but by the cult itself. This cult-sourced creation will be an ongoing dynamic as Forgotten Runes is seen in larger media expressions. We intend that the Book of Lore will be the first stop in the development of future animated content, comic books, and any other industry driven content.

Forgotten Runes is an NFT project unlike any other. We emphasize identity and creativity over most other projects that focus on price charts and flipping. You can certainly trade Wizards on the NFT market, and have fun doing it! But like Lord of the Rings, Game of Thrones, and Final Fantasy, franchises that dominate their respective industries, we believe the true value lies in compelling characters, unforgettable stories, and enchanting aesthetics.

Some Tips on Creating Your Wizard's Lore

1. Only create lore about your individual Wizard. It’s best not to write lore that would pertain to other owner’s Wizards. For example, if you own a Wolfkin Wizard, don't write lore about all Wolkins in general. Just focus on your Wizard as an individual.

2. Try not to write too much lore about the world at large. Again, try to focus mostly on your Wizard. It’s ok if you want to write about your Wizard’s immediate community, and their place in it, but try not to make grand claims about the entire Forgotten Runes world.

3. Try not to overpower your Wizard. It can be tempting to make your Wizard the greatest, most powerful Wizard of all time. But oftentimes, such characters are uninteresting and lack depth. Think of the most interesting Wizards in the stories we know; Gandalf, for example. He had weaknesses and rarely showed his power. He had depth and humanity. The same with Dumbledore, and even Yoda (yes, Yoda is a Wizard!). Try to make your Wizards relatable and give them believable appeal.

4. Dont worry too much about continuity. If the lore you write eventually contradicts something in the show, comic, video game, or something someone else has written, that’s ok! First of all, this is a magical world where reality bends with time-travel, parallel dimensions, and unpredictable arcane forces. Secondly, compare to other franchises like Final Fantasy, the Legend of Zelda, even the Marvel Universe. There are countless continuity issues in these stories, but we love them anyway.

5. If you need some guidance, there is some meta-narrative within the Forgotten Runes world to help you get started. The first pages of the Book of Lore give you some basics on the factions within the world, the magic system, and the role that technology plays. There will be more blog posts about the Forgotten Runes meta-narrative in the future. But remember, these are loose guidelines, you do not need to rigidly follow them.

6. You are anonymous! Don't let feelings of inadequate creative skills prevent you from writing. Your IRL identity is hidden behind the NFT, so you can feel totally free to create and publish anything your wacky mind comes up with. This is your chance to get totally weird.

7. Have fun! It’s likely that if you have fun creating your Wizard’s lore, other people will have fun reading it!

Join the Cult today, and help us build out this world.

-Elf