Anybody who advances to the top 8 and no longer has to put up with the...privilege, of running the RPG Superstar gauntlet anymore is a winner in my book.
So hats off to all of you guys.
As far as Hassaldor's Span goes, I really like it. Some parts would be challenging to implement, but the basic underpinnings of the encounter are strong. It also has some little seen, even unique, elements to it that would make for an absolutely gripping encounter. I'm thinking specifically of Chaitrakhan hunting both Bugbears and PCs indiscriminately, here.
Really, what better way to instill fear in the heart of a PC than by introducing a beast that works AGAINST one of the GM's other beasts?
In my opinion, the job of a GM is to make the role-playing experience as real as possible for the gamers. And if they're scared - really frightened - it becomes the player who's getting stalked by a ferocious ice kitty and not his character. And this encounter, if done right, will bring the fear by the truckload.
I also think that the environment and locale is so rich in detail that it further serves the GM's duty of creating a real experience out of dice and paper. There are terrain considerations. Weather. Structures. I know that the houses were not flushed out on the map, but who cares? Hassaldor's Span might not have been the most polished of the entrants, here. But it certainly has the highest ceiling of the eight.
I'm using it.