The original and most mysterious of the Opposition headquarters. Lord Fear was based here in Series 5 and 6, and it was only ever seen in spyglass scenes (plus the Series 6 intro and the end credits of several episodes).

The name of this location was first mentioned by Skarkill as he attempted to capture Team 3's dungeoneer Sarah: "Let's see what His Lordship says when we get you back to Mount Fear." Treguard spoke of "The Opposition (may he rot in Mount Fear)" at the start of a later episode.

When Sylvester Hands discovered Pixel in a box carried by Team 5, he said he would take her to Mount Fear and sell her for lots of gold. The pixie objected to this plan ("Pixel not like Mount Fear!") and chased him off with her needle, before asking Jenna if she too wanted to take her there. Unable to understand what she was saying, Jenna hesitated and then said yes, prompting the response "Well I think that's jolly silly of you. There's a really nasty beef-bonce up there!" (She still consented to go back in the box though!)


Mount Fear's - ahem - fearsome reputation was further built up by Elita, who mentioned that it was located in Level 3 and refused to go there, making Team 7 promise not to use her calling name if they found themselves taken there. When the next team found her locked in a chest by Skarkill, waiting for goblins to take her to Mount Fear, she stated that "no-one ever comes back from that place" and implied that she was not the first elf to meet this fate. (However, the Powers That Be apparently paid a ransom to secure the release of captured dungeoneer Richard, and January was also seen returning home safely after being dragged "off to Mount Fear" by Sylvester Hands.)

Unlike the Black Tower of Goth and Marblehead, teams never visited Mount Fear during the course of a quest, although the Mines of Gore - where Team 5 of Series 6 redeemed the Crown - was said by Hordriss to be "within mage-fire range of Mount Fear". (Treguard speculated that it was their proximity to Lord Fear that weakened Hordriss' powers and left him at dungeoneer Ben's mercy.) It is fortunate that no team wound up there by accident, as Treguard rather oddly claimed that the Descender was "notoriously unreliable - just as likely to take you up Mount Fear" and that Smirkenorff was the only safe way into Level 2.
Lord Fear's chamber was the only part of Mount Fear seen by the watchers. It was constantly patrolled by a pair of Frightknights (his "personal bodyguard"), and received an impressive makeover between Series 5 and 6. The original room (adapted from the top floor of Hedingham Castle) appeared somewhat cramped, with Lord Fear always seen in close-up behind his crystal ball, complaining more than once that the noise of the Frightknights distracted him. This was replaced by a grand chamber, apparently open to the elements, with the Frightknights moved further to the sides and a new Pool of Veracity for communications. Lord Fear could now be seen striding about and receiving visitors (well, Skarkill), and they even found the space to house a large dragon, though not without difficulty.

Skarkill remarked that the hobgoblin Tiny was "not so useful down in our tunnels" due to his large size, presumably referring to a network of passages below Mount Fear where the creatures were kept. (Lord Fear also threatened to have Sidriss "clapped into the goblin pens".) In an issue of The Quest, Tim Child mentioned "the vaults" where Fear carried out his technomagical experiments.
The mountain itself was revealed to be a volcano, as Hordriss once threatened to "split Mount Fear in two and turn the remains into volcanic dust". (The name was perhaps inspired by Tolkien's Mount Doom, where the infamous One Ring was forged by the Dark Lord and destroyed at the climax of Frodo's quest.) It may be part of a volcanic chain, as another can be seen erupting in the distance.
Misfortune struck two years in a row while the Opposition was based here (though he brought it on himself, as usual). The finale of Series 5 saw Aesandre using magic to freeze the entire dungeon and surrounding zones. Lord Fear asked her to "leave Mount Fear out of your plans" as he did not relish the cold, but she ignored this request and left him shivering in his ice-encrusted chamber! The following season, another scheme backfired with even more catastrophic results - a red dragon sent to attack Knightmare Castle was shot down by Treguard & Pickle, crashing into Lord Fear's palace instead. This seemed to hit him rather hard (in more ways than one), with the building rendered uninhabitable. After relocating to Goth for Series 7, a visibly emotional Lord Fear was seen pining for his former residence: "Oh, Mount Fear! My beautiful home... well at least it WAS beautiful, until 200 tons of barbecued dead dragon dropped on it!" His new headquarters never held the same sentimental value, and he spent the season hell-bent on revenge for the loss of his dragon and his beloved home.

David Rowe's original artwork for Lord Fear's chamber can be seen here. An updated version of the painting was used in the 2013 Geek Week episode for YouTube, with extra foliage and overhead lighting. (Nice to see His Lordship was able to move back in eventually - and it's a lot more tranquil without the Frightknights!) In the extended edit, Fear mentioned "the gallery" where a rusty old broadsword with unimaginable abilities was hanging; Theodora Snitch wanted to discover the weapon's location so she could steal it.


Interestingly, Series 4 featured an illustration of a "subterranean tower" on a mountain, seen behind the falling bridge and transporter pads in Level 3 (and in the end credits of episode 2). As there are hints that Lord Fear may have been operating behind the scenes during this series, it's not inconceivable that this was a rare glimpse of Mount Fear in the background.

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