Stauf - A Cyberpunk Adventure

For nearly 21 years (wow, amazing it's been that long), I have been a big fan of the Trilobyte games The 7th Guest and The 11th Hour. I've seen a few interesting websites relating to those games over the years - including one page that used to be on GeoCities called "Stauf - a_Cyberpunk_adventure" by totalsystemtechnologies.

I found this page around 2002 to 2003, and I have found it interesting because of the additional, non-canon information written about the Stauf mansion and the town of Harley. It was somewhat like a fanfic - although that is not really the best way to describe it. Even now, I don't quite know how to explain the purpose of the web page, but since the index site seemed to have pages relating to Cyberpunk (which I know little about), it seems that the page was written to use the Stauf mansion and the town of Harley as a setting for a Cyberpunk RPG. Although it's not exactly a "story," I still have enjoyed reading this person's unique interpretation of the history of the Stauf mansion and the town of Harley. The page is especially interesting now - given that the current year of the setting described was 2020, which is the year that I am posting this blog entry. I have found somewhat fascinating abandoned buildings - as well as the concept of a town being abandoned as a result of the mysterious events at the Stauf mansion, which is why I've liked this page.

Anyway, this page was created back when GeoCities still existed, so it is now offline. Although there is an archived version on OoCities.org, it has been hard to find with search engines. Thankfully, I was able to find the original URL with the help of a saved version of the website and the Wayback Machine. Below is text from the page - modified slightly in places.

Stauf - a_Cyberpunk_adventure

For anyone who has played either The 7th Guest or The 11th Hour you'll probably guess what this is about, but you'll be wrong. While this is inspired by the afore mentioned games it isn't them (After all that would be illegal wouldn't it).

Stauf will be a long term project with mostly background information about the mansion and points of interest to start.

The town of Harley, N.Y., located on the Hudson River, has suffered the fate of many small towns in the cyberpunk age, abandonment. But it wasn't always like this.

During the Great Depression the town was booming and Henry Stauf, a toymaker, built his store and Mansion, best described as 'a bizzare estate fashioned from a dream', in the town, only to close the store a few years later, in 1931, which effectively crippled the town.

A group of celebrities visited the mansion later that year, and all dissappeared, as well as a local child.

There was also an explosion that night in the presence of the mansion but no evidence was recovered from the location.

In 1995 there was another string of dissappearances occurred, including a TV Producer, a TV star and the Sheriff. On this occasion the house was destroyed by a massive explosion, although the basic framework was left standing.

Less than 12 months later the town was deserted.

The town remained this was until 2011 when it was rediscovered and put to use as a safehouse for an unknown corporation.

The builders plans, and house remains, were discovered by a hiding out top level executive who had the mansion rebuilt following the plans almost exactly.

In 2012, and exactly a month after the reconstruction was completed, every last person who moved into the mansion dissappeared as well as half the townsfolk.

Two members of the investigation team also dissappeared when they went to investigate noises from the mansion one night.

The rest refused to enter it.

The town was abandoned two weeks later (officially, those who could left a lot earlier).

It is now 2020. The town is being reused. And people have started to dissappear.

There is also a little known legend about the mansion, that someone who enters the house at the time of the next event (which is due) will be given theirs hearts desire, and more power that they could imagine.

If they survive.

But this is only a legend.

The Stauf Mansion

The gates to the Stauf Mansion has large metal gates which have almost rusted into place with one side closed and the other partially open. There is also a lot of overgrowing plants and vines over the closed gate. Someone with a lot of strength could open the gates but it's easier to just walk to the house.

The overgrown path continues for another 30 metres where it thins out to a meadow with the house built 200 metres away on this meadow.

The grounds of the house are mostly overgrown, concealing a small garage and access to the Hudson River.

The house exterior has a neglected look, with the front door being boarded over, which, strangely, are only nailed into the door.

Inside the house, if entering through the front door (which should happen as the other entrances are currently blocked), it is found that the stairs are directly in front of the door. There are two light fittings originally at the bottom of each bannister but the right-hand one of these has be broken off and lies at the bottom of the stairs.

Turing left there a painting, very old, off the wall and leaning against it. There is also a couple of old style chairs strewn around, a small table and the entrances to two rooms (the kitchen and dining room, see map). If you move further around towards the kitchen door, there is a grandfather clock, tiking away, on the far side of the table, against the wall which is also the side of the stairs.

The Dining Room is very dark and murky, with the window covered in grime and slime. There is an oval table in the center of the room with a complete setting of cutlery, plates and glasses, for a formal dinner for six people, and large, siderweb backed chairs. The large persian style rug on the floor squishes as someone walks on it and the walls and their paintings are covered with mould.

The Kitchen is also dark but not as dark as the dining room. There is the ashs of a previous piece of furniture to the left of the door which is not identifiable. There is a deep sink on the left wall, beneath the window, with mud and some unrecognisable bones of a number of animals in the bottom. Next to the sink is a fridge, rusted open, with two broken bottles of champagne sitting on a shelf inside it. The kitchen door is also along this wall, barred to prevent entry.

The pantry is on the far wall, its shelfs empty except for the remains of a box, eaten away at by rats, with half a dozen candles inside it.

There is a cutting table in the centre of the room, similar to a butchers style of table (wooden), with a pile of plates on it, similar to the plates in the dining room.

The right-hand wall has a door at the far end, nailed shut, which gives access to the cellar (Hidden in cellar is access to Chapel & Lab and maze to Crypt). There is a stove next to the door, woodburning style of stove, with a cheese grater, with a old looking brown coating, and an empty black cooking pot on top.

The right-hand side of the main entry room has a phone table with a disconnected red phone on the table, which is sitting on top of the remains of a large painting which is in surprisingly good condition. There are two doors on this side the stairs, one to the study and the other to the music room.

The Music Room is dark, almost pitch balck, without windows, and with sheet music strewn across the floor with the remains of a number of musical instruments mixed in. An old style gramphone is just inside the door on the right.

The Study has a couch as it's centrepiece, cushions missing and stuffing removed by rats. Left of the door is a large bookcase, most of it shelves at incorrect angles, with two skulls with a few books between them. The next wall has has a bookcase in similar size and condition to the first before the wall ends to a kink in it's structure, which conceals a ladder to an upstairs room. The far wall has two doors set into it, with painted over glass in them, and a telescope looking out through a broken pane. (The telescope looks out across the river to a small cave in the far bank). The right hand wall has a a marble fireplace set into it, with the grate lifting up and revealing a passage underground, which connects to the maze.

What is not easily found on the ground floor is the secret passage, through the grandfather clock front, through a passage and into the gallery. The gallery has pictures all over the walls and a couple of statues, tipped over onto the floor. Otherwise there is little in this room, but it does have the best concealed entrance into it and is the easiest to secure.