Demonic Room.PNG

Stained Glass Window Monster.PNG

Bomb and Pit.PNG

Crystal Cave.PNG

Cavern Ledge.PNG

Eye Eye.PNG

The kind of dungeon I want to see!

Corridor.PNG

Serpent's Mouth.PNG

Hall of Choice.PNG

Wellway.PNG

Merlin's Library.PNG

Ariadne's Lair.PNG

The Vale of Banburn.PNG

Olgarth or Granitas.PNG

Bomb Room.jpg

Pat Sharp and Treguard by Copilot.jpg

***"Enter, stranger!" called Treguard. A boy materialised in the doorway. "Who challenges my dungeon?"

"David Campbell," replied the boy.

"You have some small previous experience of dungeoneering, I hope?"

"Yes, I have."

"Very well. And what reward do you seek here?"

"I seek knighthood," said David.

"That will not be possible," said Treguard. "Only the first step to knighthood can be taken here. Squiredom is the reward for surviving the dungeon, for silver precedes gold, and the silver spurs of a squire will be yours, if you survive."**

"How long must I be squired before I become a knight?" asked David.

"As long as it takes," said Treguard.

"Well, I'm ready to go down now," said David. "I'm not afraid."

Treguard stared at him in surprise. "Well, that's a pity," he said.

"Why is it a pity?" said David.

"Because the rules of the dungeon are very strict," said Treguard. "I don't allow any untrained adventurers down here. No amateur can possibly survive the dungeon without training. Therefore, I cannot accept you."

"Why not?" demanded David.

Treguard shrugged. "There are too many risks," he explained. "If I allow you in, how will I know that you are able to cope? There are monsters down there, you know. Even if you come out again, there is the risk that you could die before you could return, and then there would be no one to train your friends. No, you must have been trained to survive the dungeon, and you have not been."

"I'm willing to try," said David.

"Then you will fail," said Treguard. "Come back when you are older."

"I am older!" said David angrily. "I'm eight!"

"Yes," said Treguard. "That's very old, but it is not old enough. Good-bye, David Campbell. We may meet again."*

I was also impressed at how "right" some of the AI story was, both to the show and to the books.

The tower, the "many dangers" and, for those that have read the books, Treguard was a soldier, albeit a Crusading mercenary in charge of a band of ne'er do wells, but still...

The Boy turned out alright in the end!!

***"So you never give up, ever?" asked Majida.

"Well, I will if he will," replied Treguard. "Shall we find out?" Holding up a spyglass, he called out to the enemy: "Lord Fear! Lord Fear! Are you ready to surrender?"

"What?" snarled the furious Technosorcerer, staring back at them from his high tower at Marblehead. "Me? Surrender? You must be absolutely out of your tiny MIIIIIND!!!"**

"I have a great surprise for you," replied Treguard, as he began to lob fire balls at the Technosorcerer's body from his usual distance.

"SHUT UP!" screamed the Technosorcerer. "YOU GOVERNMENT MOLDED SCUM!!!"

From his tower, he watched with horror as Treguard - a few years previously a thorn in his side, a just-about-managed annoyance, was growing into a self-assured and masterly martial artist - now began to systematically dismantle the towers and towers of sorcery that protected Marblehead. More fireballs flew from his tower. "You coward!" he shouted, and gave the Treguard a call of "Now, you miserable fool, YOU SHALL NEVER KNOW THE SECRET OF MY POWER UNTIL I LEAVE THIS FRIGGING TOWN!!!"*

I mean, it would be quite a surprise for Treguard to be hurling fireballs at Lord Fear instead of the other way round. Still, it fits quite well after a series that was full of them!

One of the common ones.

Out of curiousity, I tried giving an AI image generator some Knightmare-related image instructions.

In particular, I asked for images of Treguard skiing. Here's what it came up with

treguard_skiing.jpg

I think it did surprisingly well!

It's surprisingly good! What AI did you use?

Last year, computer scientist Dr. Thomas Lancaster trained an AI on David Rowe's Knightmare artwork and got it to generate 100 rooms.

That snake room (#7) looks like a scene from Planet Earth II - good luck navigating that!!

#37 is more like the set of Bullseye than Knightmare.

I like the gargoyle in #39.

#45 is giving me Oriental Nightfish vibes.

Out of curiousity, I tried giving an AI image generator some Knightmare-related image instructions.

In particular, I asked for images of Treguard skiing.

I like the idea of Treguard deciding to take a holiday between Series 5 and 6 after Aesandre froze the Greater Dungeon and literally put Lord Fear on ice. Perhaps that's why Pickle was away from the castle when S6 started.

I thought I'd use the AI to find out once and for all what the "BUT" spell would have done. It turns out they were screwed either way, as both spells would have taken too long to cast.

I don't think anyone's ever speculated before about what might have happened if BUT had been the wrong spell to cast first, but this makes the scenario easier to imagine.

Last year, computer scientist Dr. Thomas Lancaster trained an AI on David Rowe's Knightmare artwork and got it to generate 100 rooms.

*The sorcerer Mogdred towered over Helen. "I have come to regard your progress through my realm as something of a personal insult, so I shall now put an end to it in person. Prepare to receive the doom of Mogdred!" A spectral sword began floating through the air towards her. The team of adventurers quickly cast the spell named "BUT" in an attempt to save Helen.

"But your spells fail, and your sorcery is weakened by my presence." Mogdred brought the sword up to his left shoulder, and brought it down against the wizard like a bolt of lighting [sic].

Helen, who was attempting to cast the spell that would protect her from the curse, was unable to use it before she fell to her knees, unconscious.

"Goodbye, young woman." Mogdred gave a smile that caused him to resemble a character from The Goonies, before disappearing in a cloud of yellow flames.*

*Treguard set a castle rule:

"It is possible, but very risky to jump down from the top of the Tower.

If you do so, make sure you don't panic and get an arrow in your back before you can run away.

Or else I might lose my temper and try to shoot you."

Peggy left the castle.

Peggy worked for Treguard's military.

Treguard told her she could test the top of the Tower.

If she could hold on to a rope tied to the landing, then she was a dungeoneer.

"So this castle needs a dungeoneer."

she said.

She climbed up the Tower.

When she got halfway up the rope got tangled.

She panicked and fell down to the castle courtyard.

Treguard had to make a rule:

"There are many dangers in this castle.

Some of these dangers have killed many people.

You will have to be careful when climbing the castle wall.

Or else you might fall and get hurt."

"I am a duke."

Peggy replied.

"I am far more dangerous than you are."*

Considering the AI obviously has no idea what Knightmare is, I'm amused that it brought up the dangers of the castle that have "killed many people"! No idea why it apparently decided to turn Pickle into a woman named Peggy, but falling from the tower does offer a possible explanation for his fear of heights.