From TES issue 16 (July 2002)

Series 7.
Quest: The Sword of Freedom. Dungeoneer: Julie Connell. (Julie II.)Advisors: Helen, Sam and Helen.

Home town: Leek, Staffordshire.
Team score: 10 out of 10.
 
This is the first winning quest featured in this section, and I've chosen it over the others for two reasons. One is that this was the only all-girl team to win Knightmare, the other is that, in my opinion, they were by far the most pleased and excited to win.
  Level One:

Julie meets Brother Strange in the dwarf tunnels, who tells her that she is heading for a town called Warlock, in the area of level one known as Grimdale. He gives her a piece of advice; seek the apothecary.

Once in Warlock, Julie uses a spyglass to see Lissard presenting his latest devious plan to Lord Fear. He proposes to capture Romahna, and use her to get to Smirkenorff, whom Lord Fear is intent on destroying. Fear likes this plan, and decides that Raptor should be the one to carry out the kidnap.

Julie is then accosted by Romahna, who thinks she is Sylvester Hands. Once Julie has persuaded Romahna that she is a dungeoneer, she warns her that Raptor is being sent to kidnap her. Romahna is grateful for the warning, and directs Julie towards the apothecary's stall in the woods.
  On the way, the team pick up a bar of gold and a bottle of catnip from a barrel in the forest, before being chased off by a pooka.

At Rothberry's stall, Julie buys some insight powder. This is used in the next challenge, as Julie has to avoid a marauding troll that is blocking her path to the exit.

In the final chamber of the level, Raptor has captured Romahna and is demanding that she opens the Great Door to Smirkenorff so that the Brollachan can kill him. He warns Julie to keep out of the situation. By drinking the contents of the bottle, Julie turns into a huge black cat and scares Raptor away. Romahna is very grateful and opens the door for Julie. She instructs the waiting Smirkenorff to fly the dungeoneer to level two. This he does, and lands in the Rift of Angar.
  Level Two:

Julie finds a spyglass in the valley, through which the team see Lord Fear instructing the Brollachan to find and destroy the dungeoneer. Sylvester Hands is also there. Fear tells him to stop drinking on duty and instructs him to leave a phoney magic wand where Hordriss will stumble over it. It looks like a Wand of Majesty, but it is really designed to freeze the user.

Next, in the dwarf tunnels, Julie picks up a bottle of ale and an arken stone.

Brollachan is the next challenge. He is quite happy to let Julie go after she has fed him with knowledge.
  She meets Sylvester Hands in the next room, who prepares to capture her. Julie is able to stop him by getting him drunk on the ale. After some singing, Hands passes out.

Julie meets Grimaldine in his study. In return for the arken stone, he tells her the combination to the Trial by Spikes. Using this information, the advisors direct Julie well in the tricky challenge, and she gets through to the final chamber of the level.
  Hordriss is teaching a class of would-be sorcerers, and invites Julie to join them. As he is writing on his blackboard, Sidriss runs in carrying a present wrapped in golden wrapping paper, and wishes Hordriss a happy birthday! He opens the present to reveal the fake Wand of Majesty. Once Julie has told him about Lord Fear's plan, Hordriss casts a spell that reveals the wand's true nature. To return the favour, he creates a portal to the Descender, before having to console the distraught Sidriss. Julie is directed into the lift, where a short ride takes her to level three.
  Level Three:

The level begins in the Sewers of Goth, where Grimaldine tells the team that he has secreted three fragments of a magic arken shield on the level, which Julie can use to form a spell to trap Lord Fear if she finds all the pieces. He rows her through the foul sewers.

In the clue room, they pick up a true sight potion and a wand called reveal, as well as the spell GROWME from a scroll. Through the spyglass, Fear is again instructing Brollachan to find and eat Julie. After the monster has gone, he receives a call from an irate Greystagg, who promises revenge against him for destroying Witch Haven. Lord Fear is unimpressed, and tells the witch queen that he will summon her to him if she tries anything, assuring her that he knows that her calling name is Gwen.
  In the next chamber, Julie has to use the wand to reveal a third of Grimaldine's arken shield placed high up on the wall. The team cast GROWME so that she can reach it, and then dispell so that she can leave the room.

Next comes Play Your Cards Right. The girls become the first team ever to complete it successfully. Julie takes the potion so that she can see the puzzle. At the end is the second part of the arken shield.

The final third is picked up immediately in the next chamber, before the Brollachan arrives and demands more knowledge. Once he is satisfied, Julie can progress to the final chamber, where the Sword waits in a large stone. When Julie pulls it out, Lord Fear appears in the room. The team have to spellcast ARKEN to release the shield and trap their enemy, before hurriedly guiding Julie out.
  Treguard explains that they will need a RETURN spell in order to get the Sword back to Knightmare Castle, so they'll have to find a friendly sorcerer to award them one. Julie calls Greystagg, who is pleased to give her the spell in return for the knowledge that Lord Fear is trapped in the next chamber. Greystagg flounces off to take her revenge on him; we can only imagine how she does this.

Once the RETURN spell is cast, Julie and the Sword are transported back to Knightmare Castle, leading to boisterous celebration from Majida and the delighted team. Once they have calmed down, Treguard summons Hordriss to award the trophies. He congratulates them on their victory, before Treguard sends them back to Leek.
  Summary:

Practically perfect in every way; a really well-deserved victory.

[Previous team: Team 5 of Series 7
Next team: Team 7 of Series 7]

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[Category: Quotes]

In 2013, Hugo Myatt commented about a team that could only be Team 6 of Series 7.

'We had a splendid team of girls who achieved a rare victory by completing their particular themed quest. The one they put under the helmet was a bit of a strider; they guided her towards a door, and she bumped straight into the blue screen. She let out an expletive we didn't think she'd know at that age.'

- Hugo Myatt, How We Made Knightmare

This does highlight a slight discrepancy in Debbie Glover's 2002 interviewing of Hugo Myatt, in which he had recalled the incident as having taken place during 'the early programmes'.

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