From TES issue 19 (January 2003)

Series 8. Level 1/2/3.
SKELETRONS
These skeletons were introduced to the Dungeon in series 8 to guard trapdoor chambers, clue rooms and the corridors of Linghorm and Marblehead. From the information snippets about skeletrons given by Treguard and Lord Fear throughout the series, we learn that the computer-generated skeletons were made from old bones by Lord Fear: "Skeletrons are sort of reconstituted warriors. You might call them undead, but I'm not convinced they ever lived." - Treguard. They had spooky glowing eyes and most carried swords with which to dispatch intruders. Skeletrons were not very intelligent creatures, and could not see very well, which made them quite easy for dungeoneers to outwit. There were various ways to cross a skeletron's path safely. In the level one trapdoor room, Daniel used a magic ring to disintegrate one while Nathan took an invisibility potion before walking briskly past the patrolling skeletron guard. No one was killed by a skeletron because it was usually quite easy to pass them.

Apart from their mundane guard duties, Lord Fear twice used skeletrons as part of a more complicated plan. During Nathan's quest in level two, Lord Fear unleashed a skeletron that had been made to look like Sidriss with the intention of using it to kill Hordriss. Nathan warned Hordriss, who disintegrated the skeletron - or bimboid as Fear called it - when the two met it in the trapdoor room. Then, during Mike's level two, a skeletron went haywire and had to be destroyed. Lord Fear told Lissard the ingredients for a spell called FILLET, which eradicated bones. Mike made the spell and cast it at the rogue skeletron, which promptly disintegrated.

Apart from these two incidents, skeletrons simply guarded exits, and didn't really do it that well from Lord Fear's point of view. However, it was nice to see a traditional old supernatural threat so late in Knightmare's run.

Fear Factor: 7 Threatening, with eerie glowing eyes.
Killer Instinct: 1 A bit too slow and stupid.
Humanity: 6 The bones must have held humans together at some point.
Gore Factor: 5 We can only imagine the unnatural processes Lord Fear used to reanimate the bones.

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Skeletron was the name for a bot originally programmed by Alan Boyd, also known as Mystara, to run in Knightmare Chat. As an "eggdrop" bot, Skeletron - affectionately known as "Skellie" - stayed permanently in the channel, akin to later bots such as Caei, even when Mystara was not present (unlike Jobe, who required Neil Jones' presence to run).

Skeletron, named after the threat from Knightmare Series 8, originally appeared in the distant past, before Mystara stopped running him.

A reanimated version of Skellie was brought back in the mid-2000s. Skellie version 2 was allegedly female, and had functions such as actions, tickling, jokes and trivia. Her tagline, viewed by the /whois function, read "Skeletron - the #knightmare bot".

Skellie vanished after a few months in #Knightmare, and eventually Jobe returned to the room - ironically, "Skeletron" was also the original name for Jobe, before Max Maslen convinced Neil to change it.

Skeletron now appears permanently in #Knightmare.

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The skeletron made a return in RPG Season 2. A skeletron served as a password guard on Level 2 and was responsible for ending Team 1's quest. In a spyglass scene during Session 3, the Unholy King was seen taking the unusual step of telling a skeletron to keep an eye (...socket) on henchman Blade and stop him getting spooked. RPG2 skeletrons were apparently willing and able to eat dungeoneers.

The skeletron of RPG2 was created by Lucy of Tiger Fish Studios. Even though only one was seen at a time, her website refers to a 'skeletron team'. Lucy confesses there that she 'didn't actually draw these! I used the wonderful media that we artists call a 'scanner', as I am an Illustration student I have plenty of anatomy books lying about the place. I realised it was going to take me a long while to draw out four different skeletons, so I used the computer to alter the image and add the shields, spears and swords which I had drawn! I also had to draw the hands holding them which was very difficult.'

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The Latest Contraption to stop dungeoneers Skeletrons
are created by bones from dead warriors but they are
missing a few pieces like a brain for instance! and
Dungeoneers always get past them easily!

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