A spell awarded to Team 4 of Series 3 by Merlin. Arguably something of an exception to the rule that dungeoneers should not carry weapons. SWORD was cast when Hordriss The Confuser, in his first proper appearance on Knightmare, sought to obstruct dungeoneer Leo on the bridge of the bridged vale.The spell conjured up a floating sword (spectral weaponry of the kind of that normally acts against dungeoneers) that intimidated Hordriss into retreating, after which it was dispelled so that Leo could proceed. It is perhaps odd that Hordriss was deterred in this way, bearing in mind that he was able to summon a floating sword in another Series 3 quest (that of Team 12 of Series 3).
Having 'learnt' of SWORD, the team went on to dispel every spectral sword they encountered in their quest - specifically, two swords in Level 3. Not only was this the only quest where spells of the same name were dispelled more than once, it was also the only quest where same-named spells were cast more than once (ENERGY).

It's fitting that when SWORD was featured in a word search in Knightmare puzzle book Lord Fear’s Domain, it appeared backwards as DROWS.

[Earlier versions: 2007-12-12 00:58:12, 2005-12-06 17:35:18]

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Team 7 of Series 2 were the first team to be given the choice of questing for the Sword, referred to as the Sword of Justice. (The team chose it over the Shield and Cup.) Team 6 of Series 6 were the last team given this choice. Like all Series 6 teams, the Hall of Choice offered them all four "classic" quest objects including the Crown.

The quest object later became known as the Sword of Freedom.

In total, 15 teams quested for the Sword. Four of them reached Level 3 (one via a short cut that bypassed Level 2); one of them won; three were abandoned due to the end of the series:
Team 1 of Series 2
Team 6 of Series 2 (pictured right)
Team 7 of Series 2
Team 1 of Series 3
Team 10 of Series 3
Team 4 of Series 4
Team 8 of Series 5
Team 9 of Series 5
Team 3 of Series 6
Team 7 of Series 6
Team 2 of Series 7
Team 6 of Series 7 (winners)
Team 2 of Series 8
Team 4 of Series 8
Team 7 of Series 8
The Sword's appearance in a stone in the winning quest evoked Exacalibur from Arthurian legend, though there was no suggestion it was the same sword.

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