From TES issue 41 (September 2006)
Series 5
Quest: The Shield.
Dungeoneer: Ben Lowings.Advisors: John, Ray and Jonathan.

Home town: Exeter, Devon.
Team score: 10 out of 10.

This may be the final winning quest to be examined in this feature, but it was still classically good, believe me.
Level One: After an introductory flight on Smirkenorff, Ben is presented with an early choice of objects. He picks up a bag of silver and a spyglass, after much deliberation. Amongst the castle ruins, Ben meets Motley, who is trapped in [a pillory]. The jester explains that Elita has locked him in there, and Ben agrees to persuade the bad-tempered elf to release him. Motley advises Ben to find a green gem with which to bribe Elita, then he explains how to use the spyglass that Ben is carrying. Through this, the team see Lord Fear moaning at an unseen Skarkill for a while, but, unusually, nothing of any real value is learned.

On the outskirts of Wolfenden, Ben meets Julius Scaramonger. The merchant eventually parts with a green gem in exchange for Ben's silver, after trying to flog him a useless red gem. Ben then meets Elita in a courtyard. After some of the cavern elf's customary rudeness, she agrees to release Motley in exchange for the green stone. She also reveals the causeway code - red, blue, green and grey. The advisors use this to guide Ben across the causeway, and then Motley reappears and gives Ben the password (bludgeon) as a thank-you for his rescue. This helps Ben to pass the blocker, and he then arrives in a room that leads on to the Descender. Before he can change levels, however, Hordriss quizzes him about his intentions. When he is satisfied that Ben is worthy of his help, Hordriss explains how to use the Descender, and that it must be stopped after four levels in order to reach level two. The advisors have no trouble in counting the levels and halting the Descender, so Ben is able to progress into the second level.
Level Two: In a clue room, Ben acquires a horn and a book. Yet again, it takes the team a long time to decide on their choice. There is also a scroll in the clue room which gives a clue for the causeway - rock breaks scissors. Next, Ben is accosted by Sylvester Hands, who gabbles at him for a few moments before Gwendoline turns up, with her bow and arrow at the ready, looking for Hands. When Gwendoline is not looking, Hands sneaks off and puts on a helmet that looks exactly like the Helmet of Justice. Gwendoline is unable to tell (rather stupidly) whether Hands or Ben is the real dungeoneer, so she asks them a set of three questions. Ben is able to answer two of these correctly, and Hands runs off.
Gwendoline resolves to catch up with the filthy vagabond later, and accompanies Ben into the Greenwood, where she tells him that the password for the level is morning star. In a forest glade, Sir Hugh turns up and announces his intention to rescue Ben and Gwendoline. When Gwendoline tells him to get lost, Sir Hugh distracts her by saying that there are goblins lurking amongst the trees and then carries her off using a fireman's lift. An eye shield sequence then takes Ben through a farmyard, up a path and into an inn, where a spyglass is waiting on a table. Through this, the team see Lord Fear and Skarkill discussing what a nuisance Gwendoline is. Skarkill offers to capture her, but Lord Fear tells him to concentrate on catching up with Ben instead, seeing as Gwendoline would likely come off better in a tussle with Skarkill: "You would, of course, look different with an arrow through your head, but it shouldn't affect your thought processes." - Lord Fear.

As Ben puts the spyglass down, Brother Mace arrives in the inn. After an amusing scene in which Mace is forced to prove his identity to the team, the monk parts with some snippets of information and a spell called SESAME in exchange for the book.
After leaving the inn, Ben has to run across an area of open ground to a castle keep, where the causeway is waiting for him. By stepping on rock, scissors and then paper, Ben crosses safely. He passes a second blocker by means of the password, and then arrives in the final room of the level. A large metal door clanks upwards, revealing the Descender beyond, but Skarkill arrives to block Ben's path. By blowing the horn, Ben summons Gwendoline, whose threats and arrows soon send Skarkill packing. Gwendoline tells Ben that it's winter in level three before she shoots off, and the advisors work out that this means they have to look for wintry scenery through the windows of the Descender. Using Hordriss's earlier instructions to start the machine, Ben is able to descend towards level three. When the advisors see a snow-covered castle through a window, they tell Ben to stop the Descender at the next door. It is locked, but the SESAME spell soon opens it. Ben steps out of the Descender, into Winteria, and into the third level.
Level Three: A tree stump on a snow-covered field contains a spyglass, through which the team see Lord Fear tasking Aesandre with stopping Ben's progress. There is also a scroll, which instructs the team to give a dog a bone. From the stump, Ben picks up a green gem and a bar of gold. In the next chamber, Ben is forced to endure a second meeting with Elita. He sparks her interest with the green stone, which she agrees to swap for a bone, which the team are looking out for because of the scroll clue. In the very next chamber, Ben is able to trade the large sphinx bone with Hordriss for two spells, FIRE and FREEZE: "One defeats the sorceress Aesandre; the other releases the object of your quest." - Hordriss.
In the room which used to be the Block and Tackle, Ben meets Aesandre in person. The sinister queen threatens him with death, but the FREEZE spell puts her promptly on ice. Ben then arrives at a castle moat, which has a small island in the middle. The team have to direct him over several platforms containing Roman numerals, completing simple equations as they do so [SEE: Shapes and Numerals]. Once Ben reaches the island, which has the symbol of a sun on it, the Shield of Justice appears, but it is trapped in a block of ice. The FIRE spell releases it, and Ben picks the Shield up. A quick stroll across a few shape puzzles (accompanied by a rapidly depleting life force, featuring the old beating heart sound for the one and only time in series 5) Ben reaches the castle door, which leads him back to the antechamber, where Treguard, Pickle and the advisors are waiting to greet him.
After a bit of celebration and the presentation of a large frightknight trophy, Treguard sends the victorious team home with the spell HEROES, which he has not used on a team since series 2, and never does again.

Summary: "A trifle disorganised, Master..." but an excellent team nonetheless, who deserved their exciting victory.

[Previous team: Team 3 of Series 5
Next team: Team 5 of Series 5]

login to vote