From TES issue 47 (September 2007)
Series 3
Quest: The Sword.
Dungeoneer: Julie Stretton.Advisors: Amanda, Marie and Angela.

Home town: Knighton, Leicestershire.
Team score: 6½ out of 10.

A very competent quest from series 3, this one, which (like Martin’s and Leo’s) failed for the want of one correct answer.
Level One: After rolling the die, Julie meets Mellisandre at Khar’s pit. The maid helps Julie to escape from the giant snake, before sending her safely across the long pink tongue that leads into the Serpent's Mouth. In the clue room, Julie scores a very shaky two out of three with Brangwen. From the clue table, she picks up a candle and a silken scarf. Past the Spectral Scorpion and the Lion's Head and the Broken Path, Julie meets Mellisandre again, in the Dungeon Kitchen this time. Mellie is thrilled to see that Julie is carrying her favour (the scarf) and passes on a few useful hints (in the form of a very badly-rhyming poem) including the first step (the hop) and a spell called FLARE.
Julie then has to negotiate a series of rocky ledges, where she is pursued by Olaf. The Viking guard eventually catches up with the dungeoneer and demands some “lootings” before he lets her pass. Julie is able to bribe Olaf with the candle; he is so pleased with it that he tells the team the second step – the handshake. When Julie reaches the wellway room, someone has turned the lights out. However, the FLARE spell soon puts that straight, and Julie is directed into the well, relentlessly pursued by a skull ghost.
Level Two: Julie lands on the Mills of Doom, for the mechanical puzzle’s first of two appearances in series 3. The advisors direct her safely out, into a room with five doors. Hordriss is sitting at a table, and he gives the team a riddle to help them decide which door to take, as well as the third step – the stretch. Once the advisors have finally worked out which door to use (the furthest one to the left) they direct Julie out, into the level two clue room, where she has to pick up some food whilst being pursued by another skull ghost.
Unusually, Julie enters through the door on the left and exits up the stairs, which is the only time this ever happens. Merlin’s throne room follows, where the team’s fate is sealed. Julie summons the three steps and calls Merlin to his throne, and the usual two riddles follow. The advisors almost stumble on the first answer, but get it right after quite some time. However, they then blow it by answering the second riddle very quickly, with no discussion and, crucially, the wrong answer.
Merlin refuses to give the team any magic, but he still wishes them luck, even though he knows (just like the rest of us) that they’re doomed! The Cavern Range follows, where Julie has to rescue Velda from some goblin-tied bonds. Velda is grateful for Julie’s help, and gives her a green gem as a token of her gratitude. Julie then enters the Great Corridor of the Catacombs, which is crawling with goblins!
In a memorable death scene, Julie approaches the nearest right-hand door and almost walks straight into a goblin as it emerges from the exit! Surrounded by goblins, and without Merlin’s magic to save her, Julie is doomed.

Summary: An intelligent, engaging team, who got a lot further than most in the notoriously tough series 3. Victory was denied them after one small slip-up, which was a shame.

[Previous team: Team 9 of Series 3
Next team: Team 11 of Series 3]

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