From TES issue 21 (May 2003)

Series 8. Level 2/3.
MIREMEN

One of my main objections to series 8 is that it contains far too many new creatures, characters, rooms and aspects to the quest itself in such a short period of time. To go with the all-new level three realm of the mire world, miremen were brought in to Knightmare to roam the halls of levels two and three with their enormous pitchforks, trying to stop dungeoneers from entering Linghorm and Marblehead.

Usually travelling in pairs, miremen had green scaly skin, large plastic-mould heads with gills, webbed feet and large bulbous eyes. Although they could breathe in both air and water, they could see better and move faster in water, hence their suitability to the mire in level three and the Sewers of Goth in level two. They were employed by Lord Fear - not Maldame, surprisingly - and were given their orders by Lissard, who communicated with them in their own hissing language. On one occasion a pair were encharged to Raptor, but mostly they hunted with their own kind. ("They're slow on land but deadly if they catch you." - Treguard.) Because miremen were so slow on land, a speedy exit was usually all that was required from the team.
Unlike some creatures, though, miremen weren't just there to scare and unnerve - they proved a real lethal threat on occasions. When a pair of miremen were guarding the way onto the Golden Galleon, Daniel's team had to use a SHADE spell to sneak past them. After then spooking Nathan's young team on several occasions and chasing Michael out of a clue room, the miremen actually managed to bag themselves a victim, which is nothing to underestimate on Knightmare. Having failed to arm their dungeoneer with a bottle of fireball brandy when they entered level two, Rebecca's team were rendered defenceless against the marauding miremen. After a pair of them had waded towards her though the sewers, Rebecca found herself trapped in one of Goth's long grey corridors with two miremen blocking the path. Majida asked if Rebecca could turn back, which of course she couldn't. ("You must remember the first rule of the Dungeon - the only way is onward." - Treguard.) With no defences, the mireman advanced mercilessly on Rebecca and she disappeared in a spectacular green flash.

Thus the miremen proved themselves a worthy foe on several occasions and, although they featured in a weak series, their alarming and striking appearance and their impressive death toll have earned them a place in Knightmare's repertoire of memorable classic creatures.

Fear Factor: 8 New and frightening.
Killer Instinct: 9 One victim in a short series - very impressive.
Humanity: 4 We can't be sure how much man is really in a mireman.
Gore Factor: 10 Utterly repugnant.

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Miremen were a new creature in Series 8.

Underground, aquatic creatures, Miremen lived in the Great Mire. They could breathe air, so they survived on land and were occasionally seen in Level 3, sometimes under the command of Raptor. Unlike other creatures, however, Miremen were often quite slow and sluggish, though deadly to touch, as dungeoneer Rebecca found out the hard way.

Miremen were often seen aboard the Golden Galleon as dungeoneers stowed away on it. It's not known whether Miremen got to Level 3 via the Galleon or not, but it's a safe assumption that they did.

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