First, a story:
A long time ago there was an old Tauren Druid that had grown frustrated with the younger generation. Verdauga Whitecloud was his name and his fur was indeed as white as a cloud on a summer day. He was frustrated because these young Tauren seemed to forget our old ways of life and our ancient traditions.
He thought on this for many days before deciding to start a sort of school for these young Tauren. After our great Thunder Bluff was built, Verdauga would gather the calves by the pond in the lower rise and teach them to stay true to the Earth Motherâs teachings and resist the temptations of evil. âYou should remember our old ways of living and fight against those who try to corrupt our ancient lands.â He would speak across the still waters.
After some time, his teachings were not just heard by calves. Many Tauren from across Mulgore and the Barrens would travel to hear him speak. It was after a particularly long day that Verduaga settled down in his tent on the Elder Rise. Just as he started to drift off to sleep he was visited by an ancestor in his dreams.
As a revered Druid, Verdauga had visited the Emerald Dream before and met many of his Druidic Ancestors, but this was not one of those times. Before him stood none other than Chief Ulbaz Whitecloud, well known within the Whitecloud tribe for being their first chief.
Ulbaz spoke to Verdauga in a calm tone, for he had been very impressed with the teachings he had imparted on the Tauren in Thunder Bluff, âBut you must do more.â Ulbaz said softly, âYou must start your own Tribe, a family, so that these teachings will continue well after you leave this plane.â After Ulbaz had finished, Verdauga woke up immediately. He pondered what he had heard and walked across the Bluffs looking for more inspiration.
It did not take him long, for as soon as he looked up he saw the stars, ancient and all seeing. They had been there from the dawn of time, and would remain until the end of it all. âThen that is what we shall be called,â He said to himself, âThe Thousand Eyes shall strive to preserve the balance between earth, body and soul, resisting the temptations of evil and staying true to our ancestorsâ ways."
Aroh was one of these young Tauren, not taught by Verdauga himself but by ones that told him this tale. He has decided to continue his work, even if he is now the only one of these âEyesâ left to tell this story.
Trials and Ranks:
The structure of the guild is currently as follows:
Wildlord: The Eyes were in the past led by a single person known as the Wildlord (at times going by other titles such as Wildmother).
Maen: The Guardianâs of the Shuâhalo and Earth Mother. Each Maen chooses the name of their own walk of life (for example, if you are Warrior, you may decide to have yourself known as the Blademaster or Head of Warriors, etc).
Wildcat: A Maen can, in time, train a âWildcatâ, this is someone who supports them and is trusted by them. The Wildcat rank is bestowed upon a member that passes the Trial of the Eyes. They are expected to serve as missionaries, spreading the word of the guild and its goals.
Eye: Ordinary members that have completed their Dibbun tasks are known simply as âEyesâ; this term is also commonly used to refer to any initiated member, regardless of official rank.
Dibbun: Dibbuns are all new arrivals and any who wish to to be a part of the Eyes. They are not yet technically members; they first have to pass a task given to them by a Maen.
The original structure of the guild was to have one or several Maen responsible for each path their members could walk (e.g., there would be dedicated hunter Maen, shaman Maen, and so on).
Each member of the guild would answer to their respective Maen, based on this system, and dibbuns would receive their tasks from the Maen in charge of their path. This system also gave the Maen individual titles based on their area of responsiblity: As an example, a warrior Maen would be given the title Blademaster, and would alternatively be known as the Head of Warriors
History of Wildlords
- Verdauga Whitecloud: The creator and ruler of the Eyes since its creation. Was removed as a result of an internal rebellion following his corruption by Yogg-Saron.
- Braan Firetotem: Braan was initially appointed by Verdauga to lead the Eyes after he was forced to leave. At the time he was part of the rebellion (known as The Opened Eyes and led by Sage Stoneshatterer), and he stepped down five days later, after failing to unite the now fragmented guild.
- Talnes Whitecloud: Talnes and others opposed Braan and Sageâs attempt to merge the two factions under the banner of The Opened Eyes, and Braan grudgingly handed him the leadership of the Eyes in an attempt to stabilise the situation. Within the passing of a few weeks, Talnes recognised the futility of his own efforts, and the two factions were merged as per Braanâs original intent.
- Sage Stoneshatterer: Sage, already having led the successful rebellion against Verdaugaâs rule, was proclaimed leader of the new, merged guild. She later left, feeling the guild had stabilised enough to receive a new start.
- Talnes Whitecloud: Appointed to lead the Eyes after Sage left. During his time as Wildlord, the guild experienced a severe decline in participation and membership, although this improved somewhat toward the end of his tenure. Talnes can be known for being Wildlord when the Eyes formally became known as The Thousand Eyes again, as oppose to the rebellion of The Opened Eyes.
- Sage Stoneshatterer: Sage was again appointed Wildlord (now styling herself as âWildmotherâ) amidst increasing dissatisfaction with Talnesâ performance, some time after the guild officially reverted their name back to the original one. She oversaw the creation of the Maen council system (and disposal of the Wildlord rank), after which she was elected Steward of the Eyes, which she remained until her death.
- Aroh Stonetotem: After a long Hiatus, Aroh decided to reawaken the guild and rally new members under itâs banners. He only holds to title of Wildlord out of necessity and aims to pass it onto someone more suitable when the times comes.
Promotion
The Trial of the Eyes takes place every now and then in Bloodhoof Village. It is a chance for the members with the rank of âEyeâ to prove their strength and cunning to earn a promotion, going against each other for the title of Wildcat, under the guidance of a sponsoring Maen.
A Wildcat is charged with the responsibility of recruiting, supplying for the guild, arranging gatherings, hunts and expeditions and of course taking care of those they invite. The trial of the eyes is almost as old as the eyes are, and on occasion has a different host. The details of the trial are disclosed to prevent cheating. The trial of the eyes tests knowledge, wit and common sense as these are all traits a Wildcat should have. Wildcats are also expected to do a certain amount of leadership but not abuse their powers. If a Wildcat neglects their duties they can be at risk of demotion.
Dibbun tasks
Every new member in the Eyes starts out as a Dibbun. In order for them to prove themselves as worthy of the Eye-title, they must first get a task from one their respective Maen. The Dibbun will be given various tasks to complete from gathering items to driving out invasive species. If the Maen thinks they have fulfilled their tasks using Strength, Wisdom, Knowledge, Patience and Cunning, they will earn a promotion to the rank of âEyeâ.
Meeting place
The meeting place of the Eyes used to be a hut named Kotir which was based in Taurajo. The Eyes would meet there every Friday and on other important ceremonial occasions. After the events of the Cataclysm, Taurajo was destroyed, and the hut with it. The Eyes were as a result forced to move back into Mulgore.
Camp Whitecloud
After the destruction of Taurajo, the Eyes relocated their base of operations to just behind the recently erected Great Gate. The resulting encampment was called Camp Whitecloud in honour of the Eyesâ late founder. The camp consists of several huts, split in two sections by the road passing toward the gate. The northern section functions as the primary meeting place, whereas supplies are stored at the southern end, along with work huts.
In retaliation for the attack on Theramore Isle, Camp Whitecloud and the Great Gate were severely damaged after an attack by the Alliance. The Eyes joined in with a group to defend the gate, and successfully repelled the assault. With time and effort, both the Camp and the Gate were rebuilt.
Following their hiatus, the Eyes have continued to use Camp Whitecloud as a base for their operations where they can regularly be found gathering.
What do we stand for?
The goals of The Eyes is, and have always been, to keep up old traditions and make sure their old tribal society is not forgotten. They teach their members to stay in harmony with nature and to follow the path set before them by the Earth Mother. Most of The Eyesâ teachings are derived from Tauren traditions and the Cenarion Circle, this being mainly because their first leader, Verdauga Whitecloud, was a druid and that the guild in the first place accepted only Tauren. Some parts of the Eyesâ teachings may have their origin in Orcish and Trollish culture, or organisations like the Earthen Ring.
The Eyes believe, as do the Tauren, that people should live in harmony with and respect nature, and not blindly harvest the earthâs resources. The Eyes oppose groups who do this, and they were against the dwarven presence in Bael Modan and the Baelâdun digsite in Mulgore, where the dwarves dug into the earth to discover titan artefacts. More heavily do they oppose the goblin-run Venture Company, which have established outposts around most of mid-Kalimdor. The Eyes have been known to launch attacks upon Venture Company outposts, and will likely not hesitate to do so again, should diplomacy fail to stop them in chopping down the trees and digging in the earth of the Tauren ancestral lands.
Members of The Eyes learn to resist the temptations of evil, and they question most things that they see as unnatural. This includes the Arcane, Fel magic and undeath.
Social
The Eyes also arrange in regular gatherings and expeditions. These generally revolve around the naturalistic ways and teachings, from village duties to lessons for the newer members. In addition they have meetings from time to other, whether purely social meetings or to discuss Guild-related issues. The eyes also used to hold classes in Thunder Bluff but they were canceled due to lack of interest.
The Eyes keep in contact using signets. These signets are imbued items, usually in the shape of eyes or stars, and it is through them that the guild communicate.