Here's the beginning of my haloweenish themed GW2 story Sylvan Nightmares:
As Javezt Shaowthought crept silently up the side of a small mountain vale, the silent shroud of the night served well to hide him from the watchful eyes and keen ears of any hostiles in this desolate landscape.
Javezt was a Sylvari, only seven moons had that since he could consciously remember, before then life had been but a dynamic unifying dream dream. He had much knowledge, for all Slyvari shared common knowledge learned from the dream, but his experiences since then were what defined him most, and they had been rivetingly magnificent. Every aspect of life was new, every moment a clear learning experience, from the primal Sylvari’s perspective the meaning of life was to grow. From each now revelation or trial, Javezt gained experience and understanding that helped both his mental, emotional, physical, and magical abilities.
Today would be one of those trials, and today would hold many new revelations, Javezt’s innately inquisitive nature assured that, and he would have it no other way. In fact, Javezt had spent only a short time in the grove, and while he returned there often to meditate, train and explore, he had spent the majority of his first seven months of live traveling the vast reaches of tyria.
Is there ever an end to what one can experience? Thought Javezt, his mind always puzzling and philosophizing about the things he experienced. Mortality is obviously one possible way to control what beings experience, but if one were to live forever would they stay interested
Javezt was brought from his thoughts by a shift in the dream. Is there danger? Javezt questioned. He felt a different aura than he had earlier, and it wasn’t simply the change from daylight he noticed, but a complete shift in perspective. Suddenly, he saw the world before him from a baseline of shadow, and all permeating shroud that was the lack of reflected light in the world around him. This isn’t happening to your world Javezt, this is happening to your perception of it!! He suddenly realized. He rapidly started to re-process everything he saw, the types of light reflected by something’s outer pigment and the abundance of them would dictate how visible it is. The objects contrast to the world around it is what matters most. Javezt kept pondering, all the while keeping a keen eye out for any threats or opportunities as he moved stealthily along the narrowing Cliffside of the rocky vale.
Then again, that holds true for a lot of other things than light and vision. I have to understand that there might be other ways for beings to detect me, my smell, sound that my interaction with my environment produces; there could be a lot more factors I don’t know about. Magical ones even.
Javezt nimbly scaled a large area of rockslide debris all the while methodically listing some mental rules of camouflage, as they made sense to him: The only reason I would be detectable right now would be because someone or something acquires a certain level of awareness through one of their senses. That could be sight, sound, shape, smell, shine, silhouette, texture, and movement that is alerting them, or a magical sense.
As Javezt descended from the rockslide debris he spotted a small nondescript cave, and inquisitive as always, proceeded carefully. Probably nothing friendly inside, this is a long way up in the mountains.
As he left the world under the stars Javezt astonished at how well his night vision was getting. I think this new perspective has done more than effect my mental perception of the world, can thinking of the world in a different and creative enough way really give birth to the evolution and growth of new abilities? Well think about what your asking here… Is it possible to affect the world differently, or have it affect you differently for that matter, because of a difference in your perspective towards it?
Javezt somehow sensed this was a deeply intriguing and possibly far more complicated notion than he might think.
But he knew one thing for sure: The more perspective I have, the more potential I have to live life to it’s fullest. The quicker and better I can make decisions based on my perceptions, the more efficient all of my abilities are going to become, innate, or learned, magical or physical. Growing as a being means balancing the growth of all these aspects to your own liking and needs.
Javezt was then acutely aware of the danger even before he consciously registered it. A sense of alertness precluded his physical sighting of the titanic behemoth rounding a nearby corner. Javezt had been to Rata Sum the city of the Asura, he had absorbed vast quantities of knowledge during his weeks spent amongst the diminutive race possessed of immense mental capacity. And he had certainly seen his fair share of golems, which wasn’t something most 7 month olds in Tyria could say. And so it wasn’t so hard for Javezt to deduct the approximate nature of the monolith before him.
A magma golem, and a massive one at that. That means there has to be an Asura nearby, or that the Asura are involved here somehow.
Of course Javezt, having been contemplating the very issue of stealth only minutes before, hadn’t been noticed by the magma golem. He was already hugging the wall, now it was just a matter of moving slowly through the shadows created by the uneven outcroppings in the tunnel wall and ceiling, avoiding areas saturated with large amounts of light from the glowing magma golem. That thing is so tall, it’s probably always looking down at the world, I wonder how much attention it pays to what’s above it, especially while underground.
As Javezt watched the golem, his vision once again began to adapt rapidly to his increasing perspective of how it perceived the world. He envisioned a conical field of the creatures sensory input, and simply tried to stay out of it. Climbing up the wall he pressed himself tight to the wall, but the golem wasn’t even looking as it lumbered by.
Now to find out why an Asuran magma golem is here in these tunnel, Javezt thought, guarding something perhaps?
Until the next installment, shadow hide you friends
