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Jul 23, 2011 -- 6:15PM, Johnathan_Vagabond wrote:

You can also take this time to gush about my entry, and throw it all the laurels and prizes you wish before the judging comes out.

I forgot to mention that the judge golems are named after the judges.

Cawren the Coordinator - Wrecan the Coordinating judge
Tanya Elthorp - Nyarlathotep
Adash Wo - Shaadow

Don't know that I much fancy being a 'Tanya'.

For those twisted individuals who actually might've wanted it, here's the long-winded history of the Haunted Mansion.

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The Haunted Mansion is the large, sprawling estate of the Gaynesford family residing at the top of the largest hill overlooking the city.  The Gaynsford family was a powerful aristocratic family for generations.  Their forebears had made the family fortune through shrewd business dealings and investments.  Then, almost seventy years ago, Giles Gaynesford assumed the head of the house.  He was a lazy lout who had no socially redeeming values except his family’s money, which he spent early and often.  He married a gold-digger wife who further drained the family’s coffers.  They had only one child, Reginald, or Reg as he was called.
 
Reg grew up in the lap of luxury…for a while.  When he was barely ten years old, his parents realized that they would soon run out of money.  They apprenticed Reg to a local gnome artificer, in hopes that he could make enough money to keep them in their accustomed lifestyle.  Reg learned the craft quickly, but maintained a sour and ill-tempered attitude towards his family and the upper-class in general.  Reg had always had a talent for trap-making and all things mechanical.  During his time apprenticing, he also learned illusion magic, which he incorporated into his mechanical works quite well.  When he was twenty, his master released him from his apprenticeship and sent him on his way with a modest sum of money to start his own business.

Reg immediately saw a way to rebuild his family fortune, as well as stick it to his parents and the other snooty upper-class citizens whom he so despised.  While he was young, he had developed contacts among most of the city’s street urchins.  He had learned that on the night of a high-society party, the local thieves’ guild was going to burglarize a prominent merchant’s vault.  That night, while at the party with his parents, he pointedly discussed how he had learned how to secure vaults and crypts such that none but the owners could enter.  The next day, when the robbery was discovered, the merchant (who had attended the party) came knocking up on the Gaynesford mansion’s doors.

Reginald agreed to secure the man’s vault…for a hefty price.  The merchant hesitantly agreed, and Reg went to work.  Several weeks later while in town gathering supplies, Reg off-handedly mentioned to a friend on the street that the merchant’s vault was near-impregnable.  This, of course, caught the guild’s attention, so they mounted another burglary.  The burglary failed spectacularly, with the thieves either being killed outright, or maimed severely by vicious and devious traps both magical and mundane.  The merchant was ecstatic and Reg’s reputation shot through the roof.  Soon, it became vogue for all of the upper-class citizens to have their treasures protected by Reg’s security devices.
 
While Reg was raking in the money for his work, his parents continued to live a posh lifestyle, congratulating themselves on their brilliance for putting Reg on the path for success.  Reg had about enough of them, however, and arranged for them ingest a cake decorated not with colored sugar, but with crushed glass.  The two died a horrible, painful death under their “loving” son’s gaze.  Of course, the house chef was blamed for the murders and was executed on the estate grounds.  Reg, claiming bereavement of his parents’ horrible deaths, locked himself in the mansion and refused visitors for almost a year.

He finally emerged the day before the famous Summer Solstice Festival, crashing several pre-festival parties and announced his intent to retire to his mansion for good so he could further his studies and skills at artificing.  He then left the parties abruptly and wasn’t seen again.  Naturally, local gossip found him to be “unstable” and “touched by madness from the murder of his parents.”

The night of the Summer Solstice Festival came and everyone in the city attended, and the city guard was, of course, focused on the party.  Little did anyone know that Reginald Gaynesford had chosen that night to liberate all of the treasures whose security he himself installed.  For the entire night, Reg went from estate to estate, entering with the claim that he was “checking the security of the vaults”.  He would leave shortly afterward, thanking the staff for their indulgence. 

The next day, the robberies were discovered and, of course, Reg was accused as the thief.  When the city watch arrived at his door to arrest him, they met with a large note tacked to it.  The note read:

“To my fellow townsfolk:

     I have chosen to relieve you of your treasured items in hopes of teaching you some humility and respect for a less-extravagant lifestyle.  If you wish to procure your items from my vaults, you are welcome to do so.  My door is open to all who wish to make the attempt.  Should you succeed (and survive), you may have your ill-gotten trinkets.  Otherwise, I shall keep them in your stead in hopes that they may be used at a later date for more beneficial purposes.

Reginald A. Gaynesford”

The city guard was, of course, unimpressed and, finding the door unlocked, entered the mansion.  Only two men returned from the house, however; both very bloodied and frightened mostly out of their wits.  They told stories of wickedly devious traps which maimed and killed; ghostly creatures and flying statues; and illusions which baffled the mind and hid even more nefarious traps.  The entire time, they heard the bemused laughing of a disembodied voice mocking their efforts.  Occasionally, they had even spotted an apparition which claimed to be Reginald Gaynesford himself, berating them for their stupidity or lack of observation skills.

It is now forty years since Reginald Gaynesford ransacked the town, and innumerable treasure seekers, mercenaries and adventurers have since attempted to penetrate the great mansion’s walls and escape with its treasures.  None have so far succeeded.  Most do not return; those who do tell bone-chilling stories of traps, monsters and illusions which cause even seasoned soldiers to squirm uncomfortably in their seats.  A vast fortune awaits those brave (or foolish) enough to challenge Reginald’s Haunted Mansion.

My scores are done.  I just need to find some time to enter it into the judges' wiki.  My commentary will follow the release of the scores.

I probably won't have my scores in until this weekend to be honest.