During Sanctum’s Wonderland, the community was given very fun and challenging quests to solve. They pushed us to research, hunt for clues, and explore every corner. In one of those quests, we dug deeper into a Sanctum LST/PET we were holding, called pathSOL, along with its corresponding Wonderland pet Teafsie.
To my surprise, when I visited the project’s website, I discovered it was a Ghibli-inspired art project, and even more surprising, that @fplee, Sanctum’s founder, was an advisor there. Another big Sanctum connection! As a Ghibli fan since the early 2000s (and an artist myself), this instantly caught my attention. I ended up looking for clues all over their website! haha
Later, I found out that holding pathSOL also granted a spot on the whitelist to receive free NFTs from Pathfinders’ prequel collection. The more pathSOL you held, and the longer you held it, the more NFTs you could get. And it didn’t stop there, as their main NFT collection was on the horizon, and prequel holders would be able to mint early, before the public phase.
One of the Prequel NFTs
I was rewarded with one of those prequel NFTs (one of 10 types), which was soon being traded around 0.3 SOL. I liked them so much that I eventually collected all 10 (which also unlocked a special Discord role).
Here’s where it gets truly innovative: their minting system. Each Pathfinder NFT was minted using 2 pathSOL (which always equals 2 SOL, since profits flowing into pathSOL fund the project). This means holders of pathSOL, and their NFTs, directly support the project’s growth.
And if you ever decide to exit, instead of relying only on secondary sales, you can simply dissolve the NFT on their Lilypad Launchpad and get your 2 pathSOL back. It’s essentially an anti-rug system - you never lose your initial value. On mint day, I was able to pick up 2 of the main collection NFTs: one for myself and one for my young daughter!
The lore is just as unique. Each NFT begins as a mysterious “totem,” which unfolds into a storybook experience. You choose between 5 factions, then progress through 5 chapters that were released over several months, with a fun, very original and thought-provoking storyline.
With every chapter, your Pathfinder gains new traits, and you can even swap between them, making it a dynamic NFT that evolves with you. On top of that, the art by Muimooi and Ellinx is stunning, easily some of the most beautiful I’ve ever seen in the crypto space. Here’s how my daughter’s character looked by the end of Chapter IV:
And here’s how my own character transformed over time:
The deeper I went, the more I realized just how groundbreaking this project was!
Their Discord is also like no other. There’s Ochako, their witty and delightful hostess (who’s actually an AI - you can’t even tell at first, lol).
Then there’s Mochi, their internal community currency you can earn in many ways and spend in the Mochi Shop to buy Discord subscriptions, join raffles, grab merch, or even commission custom art from the Pathfinders artists. They also have a special GM Tea, a daily ritual where you can relax with the community and get a chance to win extra Mochi.
They also host weekly art sessions called Creative Hours, along with other fun community calls - like the coolest movie nights they ran last year. On top of that, they’ve created unique Discord games with great rewards, organized festivals (where you can even unlock special traits for your NFTs, like a jellyfish from the Angling Festival), launched actual gold hunts, and so much more!
The whole team is incredibly kind and always active in the community. There’s Hazy, who creates the most clever games, manages events and community vibes; Astra, who also helps with the community and is a talented pixel artist creating beautiful art for the project; and Pix, the project lead - one of the nicest people you’ll meet, carrying the project forward with vision and heart.
Another special Sanctum connection came during the first phase of the Cloudfam Emoji Clan, when artist Muimooi created two unique Cloudmojis just for the Sanctum community! You’ve probably spotted them floating around in Sanctum’s Discord! hehe
In time, I decided to save up some Mochi for a custom art piece, but while I was doing that, I actually received a generous donation from @nothing, who’s active in both the Pathfinders and Sanctum communities. Since a custom piece requires quite a lot of Mochi, this was no small gift, I’m really grateful for it!
That meant I now had two custom artworks to create with the Pathfinders artists. I came up with what I thought was the perfect idea: to design two Sanctum-themed Pathfinders, one for CLOUD and one for INF. It felt like the ideal crossover between both projects. The CLOUD piece would be a male character inspired by its celestial, luminous and high-vibe energy, while INF would take shape as a cosmic girl, embodying Infinity’s full spectrum of colors.
The inspiration behind the whole idea also came from the fact that FP has long used a beautiful custom Pathfinder created for him by the Pathfinders artists, and later I found out they’d also created incredible custom pieces for other Sanctum Core Team members, like J (@eggpanned) and Jesse. Check them out:
I’ve even created a personal Cloudmoji for FP based on this pfp! haha
Since I’ve been building the Sanctum community art collection on DRiP, called Spectrum, I asked Pix if I could feature the finished pieces there. Any profits (though very modest) are reinvested into community art initiatives, so this collaboration is really about strengthening both communities and deepening the bond between them. Pix loved the idea, and we decided to mint one piece in the Spectrum Collection and the other in the Pathfinders Collection, keeping a part of each project inside the other, another symbol of their strong connection.
In fact, many of Sanctum’s Cloudfam members are also part of the Pathfinders community and are pathSOL holders, so it made perfect sense to make these links even clearer and celebrate them! If you’re part of both communities, I’d love to hear your story! Please do share it with us in the comments!
Looking ahead, the INF Pathfinder will most likely be distributed as an exclusive Sanctum Spectrum Ultimate Mint, reserved for the top 5 donors in the next snapshot starting September 10th (right after the current one ends). Don’t miss out - both snapshots will feature Ultimate, Legendary, and Rare mints!
When the time came to bring these new artworks to life, I worked with Muimooi to shape the concepts. She prepared some sketches, and we even hosted a Creative Hours session where she drew live for the community to watch. It was such an inspiring experience to see her creative process in action, I learned a lot!
During the session, we also had a wonderful conversation about art and community. I learned about even more connections between Pathfinders and Sanctum, and they shared exciting updates about their project’s new direction under the Pathsoul banner, including a new game called Cafe Umiari (which we are already testing on their Discord). Stay tuned for updates!
The final artworks turned out beautifully, just as I had envisioned! Art is all about creating meaning and connection, and that’s exactly what these pieces do. They also speak for themselves, of course. I hope every Cloudfam member feels represented in them and can share in the warmth they radiate. Here they are! Cheers! 
CLOUD Pathfinder
INF Pathfinder
