Cursed Cold Cavern

Corak's Notes

The witches who have established their coven in this cave are commanded by the Black Knight. He dwells deep within, rewarding his witches with Ancient Artifacts plundered in a long-forgotten war. Cauldrons of magical brews stand in the chilled chambers — not all of them welcoming. Four statues of the Black Knight's horses conceal knowledge worth the journey, and solving their riddles earns permanent level and magic resistance bonuses.

Monsters in the area: Carnage Hands, Wicked Witches · Boss: Black Knight Cursed Cold Cavern is located in world map area D1 — Frozen Isles: East. No key required to enter.

• 1Entrance/Exit.
• 2Cauldron: Black Terror Key — 10,000 XP and the Black Terror Key (required to enter Tomb of Terror).
• 3Level cauldrons — permanent +1 level each: X14 Y13, X14 Y15, X16 Y13, X16 Y15. Total: +4 levels.
• 4Resistance cauldrons — +20 Magic Resistance each: X7 Y29, X12 Y2, X22 Y21.
• 5Cursed cauldron — +50 Age + 1 L6 item. Avoid unless you can accept the ageing penalty.
• 6Chest — 200,000 gold and 4 L4 items.
• 7Chest — 100,000 gold, 2,000 gems, and 4 L4 items.

Cursed Cold Cavern requires no key — the entrance is open. Find it in area D1 — Frozen Isles: East at X9 Y5.

The primary objective here is the Black Terror Key in the cauldron at X2 Y24 (point 2) — without it you cannot enter Tomb of Terror.

In the central chamber of the cavern stand four statues of the Black Knight's horses: Iron Hooves, Silver Hooves, Golden Hooves, and Copper Hooves. Each carries a riddle — entering the correct answer at the statue's base grants the reward. Solutions can be found in the Puzzle Spoilers section. Correct answers yield permanent level and magic resistance bonuses.

The beneficial cauldrons (points 3 and 4) are spread throughout the cavern. The four cauldrons at X14–X16, Y13–Y15 each give the whole party +1 level — a combined +4 levels in a single visit. The three resistance cauldrons (X7 Y29, X12 Y2, X22 Y21) each raise magic resistance by +20.

Warning: the cauldron at X15 Y3 (point 5) looks like the others but instead ages a character by 50 years. It does yield one L6 item — almost certainly not worth it. Avoid it, or cast Restoration afterwards.

The Black Knight has 375 HP, 7 attacks per round, and deals 4–160 physical damage — dangerous despite the moderate HP thanks to his attack count. Carnage Hands and Wicked Witches are weaker, but Wicked Witches use magical attacks — raising magic resistance before the visit is worthwhile.