Team 4: Mark, Daniel, Matthew and Jonathan from Witney.
The fourth quest of Series 2 was for to free the Maid and lasted 40 minutes.
Level 1
Folly the Jester invites Mark to play 'Chase the Lady'. The room fills with playing cards, so the team must choose the correct symbol to unlock the Queen.
Gretel the Maid is in the kitchen. Mark corrects her knowledge of the 'Knave of Hearts' rhyme, and gains a clue to avoid the bomb room.
The Level 1 clue room is guarded by Igneous (Score: 3).
Igneous: "To proceed, you'll need to wake the dead, or you'll be dead."
Mark takes a bell and a bar of gold, leaving behind a gauntlet on the Wall Monster's advice.
Into a long bomb room, with the fuse already lit. They escape (unusually) into a side exit.
Lillith's Chamber, where Mark rings the bell to wake her. She is not impressed.
Lillith: "The bells! The bells! Oh, dragon's breath. If I had wanted to live in a cathedral, I would have done so."
She allows Mark to escape without payment as long as he passes quickly and quietly.
Gumboil the Horrid guards the wellway to Level 2.
With no password, they bribe him with some gold and eventually he lets Mark through.
Gumboil: "Just this once, mind you!"
Level 2
Cedric is sulking in the first room of Level 2. Mark convinces Cedric that he will be his friend. The rejuvenated Monk agrees to accompany Mark.
They encounter Gumboil in the Axe Room.
Cedric: "Well, if it isn't Boil Bonce, the boozy knight!"
Gumboil makes for Mark, but Cedric stops him and clobbers him with his staff.
Into Ariadne's Lair, where Cedric isn't so tough. He runs off and leaves Mark to collect the first quest fragment (a letter F) and escape the arachnid.
Into Merlin's Chamber (which is also the Level 2 clue room). Merlin thinks he is being burgled and runs to intercept!
Instead of riddles, Merlin offers sayings to complete. They get both correct and earn a FREEZER spell.
Merlin: "It's a useful sort of trickery, but I'm afraid it doesn't last too long."
Mark takes a ruby and a candle from the table.
Olaf the Viking is on the bridge over Mogdred's Vale. He takes the ruby.
A Catacombite guards a part of their quest in the next chamber. They spell-cast FREEZER to claim a letter 'R'.
Into pitch darkness. Mark uses the candle to light the room, which is the wellway to Level 3.
Level 3
The sinister entrance to Level 3. They hurry to gather a sprite of energy as cavernwights approach.
A room with a Gargoyle but no exit. Mark must convince it that it isn't ugly. A door is revealed when the Gargoyle changes from blue to red.
Gargoyle: "You've done me a power of good, so I'll do something for you. I'm going to give you a spell. It's called SUN. It's not a very exciting spell, I suppose, but it's all I've got..."
The team hurry Mark away as the Gargoyle changes back to blue.
Into the stone chamber, where Mark collects the third element of his quest, the letter 'E'. Merlin appears. He offers a SLEEP spell and further advice.
Treguard: "Well done, but there's many a slip betwixt cup and lip. Just remember that."
The team carefully navigate Mark around sleeping cavernwights to steal a sprite of energy.
Into a room identical to the beginning of the level. Mogdred appears, and tries to bully Mark into submission.
Agree to serve me and you will be a hero. Spurn me, and you must meet the invincible terror that waits ahead...
After 40 seconds of deliberating, the team decline his offer.
Mogdred: "I could of course crush you. But why bother? I enjoy observing fear. I'll enjoy observing yours!"
Into a room with a large shaded window and four pathways leading towards the screen.
Treguard: "A fine stained glass window but wasted here in the dungeon depths where daylight cannot reach."
The team spell-cast SUN. A beam shines through the artwork, revealing which path to take.
Some real difficulties with direction as Mark faces the camera. He steps off the path once, but is allowed to continue.
Into a dark room, which begins to light up in phases. As they cautiously proceed, steam begins emerging from the causeway. Mark is stood on a dragon's mouth!
Every hero should meet a dragon. I am the first dragon you will ever meet. And the last.
The vain dragon allows a moment to admire him, so they spell-cast SLEEP which saves Mark from a terrible fate.
The first ever glimpse of the final quest room, where the last letter awaits them.
Hear from the team
In December 1999, advisor Dan Allen signed the Guestbook:
Wow. This is amazing to see. I was the spell-caster in the first team that ever won Knightmare. (Mark, our Dungeoneer, who's still a good mate of mine, pointed this site out to me.) And there was me thinking everyone had forgotten...
I agree with the other comments - it was a great series (even more fun to play than to watch) and should be reinstated forthwith.
Congratulations on the site - it must have taken a lot of effort, and it's very good!
In March 2000, winning dungeoneer Mark Wickson signed the Guestbook:
Greetings from me, Mark Wickson, the first winning dungeoneer. I've just got on the internet, and think the site is great. (Nice to see that someone remembers us!)
%%INTERNAL 378 More about Mark's experience
