From TES issue 34 (July 2005)
[Series 6]
Quest: The Shield.
Dungeoneer: Sumaiah Khan. Advisors: Raminda, Carmony and Zarminah.
Home town: London.
Team score: 4 out of 10.

A strange but amusing quest from series 6 this time, that never fails to entertain.
Level One: Sumaiah meets Sidriss in the dwarf tunnels. They journey together to a clue room, where Sidriss uses a spyglass to eavesdrop on a conversation between Lord Fear and Sylvester Hands. When he discovers that she is spying on him, Lord Fear freezes Sidriss. Treguard and Pickle make it clear to the team that it is up to them to ensure the rescue of the accident-prone trainee sorceress. From the clue table, Sumaiah collects a bar of gold and a horn. In a courtyard, Elita is performing a ritual. After being rude to Sumaiah for a while, the cavern elf informs the dungeoneer that the only hope of rescuing Sidriss is to enlist the aid of Hordriss, her father, for which a summoning spell will be required. Elita also reveals the causeway code, which is needed in the next chamber. Sumaiah then arrives in Wolfenden, where Ah Wok sells her a summoning spell in exchange for the gold. Of course, viewers of the previous two series of Knightmare already know how to summon Hordriss - by calling "Malefact" three times. On an open area of grassland, Sumaiah manages to summon Hordriss - despite some annoying and silly confusion over the calling name - and she informs him of Sidriss's plight. Hordriss reveals the password for level one - palladin - and he also informs the team that Smirkenorff can be won over with flattery, before going off to rescue his daughter. Sumaiah meets a blocker next, but there are no complications with venturing the password.

At the end of the level, Smirkenorff is waiting. Once Sumaiah has played to his vanity a little, the dragon is won over, and completes the customary flight to the next level.
Level Two: In the clue chamber (or courtyard, I suppose) there is a scroll that tells Sumaiah to be an 'amber gambler' and it is here that the fatal mistake is made. Rejecting the witch amber that is on offer, the team decide to take a firestone and a Shield drink. In the next room, a spyglass sequence reveals Lord Fear instructing Skarkill to intercept Sumaiah at the Rocks of Bruin. As she enters Witch Haven, Sumaiah is bombarded with fireballs by Peggatty the witch. However, the Shield drink allows her to pass through the chamber unscathed. A meeting with Ridolfo follows. In exchange for the minstrel revealing the causeway code, Sumaiah sings him a song - Ring-a-Ring-of-Roses: "Hey, with a bit of training and the right lights, you could make it big!" - Ridolfo. Next, Sumaiah meets Heggaty [Heggatty]. Without witch amber to win over the diminutive witch, Sumaiah is forced to depart empty-handed and, more importantly, without vital knowledge. In a vast open chamber, Dreadnort blocks Sumaiah's path. She has no password to give him, so the quest is brought to a merciful - if slightly overdue - end: "With no word, you have reached journey's end!" - Dreadnort.
Summary: A pretty bad team, really, but they were good for a laugh, and never boring.

[Previous team: Team 1 of Series 6
Next team: Team 3 of Series 6]

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