Pool of Radiance: Ruins of Myth Drannor Oily Iron Key Door

The Oily Iron Key drops from a Dark Naga in the First Cellar, and it opens the wooden door on the southwest wall of the Cult Stronghold in the Second Cellar. These details come from the GameFAQs walkthrough by AIssil (written for the original 2001 release, February 2002); the game is back on Steam, where SNEG's re-release launched on November 6, 2026.

Getting the key

Reaching the key is part of the First Cellar's eastern and central sections. Follow this route, as described in the walkthrough:

1. Reach the eastern First Cellar

   From the Cult area, use the Scarred Elven Key (taken from the Orog Elite in the previous event) on the metal doors on the northeast wall, then work through the Freth Drow and Arraccat battles until you climb the steps up to the eastern portion of the First Cellar.

2. Find the hidden door

   Head northwest from the bottom of the staircase, go southwest at the wall, then northwest at the next intersection. Pass through the broken wooden door on the northeast wall; a message about the scent of blood appears. Search the dark brick patch on the northwest wall to reveal a secret door.

3. Kill the Dark Naga

   Set your spellcasters in front of the secret door and open it for an ambush round on the Dark Naga. The guide reports two Cones of Cold plus a Flamestrike should destroy it during the ambush. Loot its corpse: it drops the Oily Iron Key and a Quiver of Arrows +5 hit/damage.

While in the Naga's room, also search its two chests and the shelf. One chest holds the Slender Silver Key, which opens the room's own northeast wooden door, plus the Dawn Pike weapon. If the secret door won't reveal itself, make sure you're searching the dark brick patch on the northwest wall of the blood-scent room, not a regular wall section.

Which door it unlocks

The key's purpose only becomes clear one event later, in the Cult Stronghold of the Second Cellar: open the southwest wooden door with the Dull Brass Key, note the Fragile Iron Key gate to the west, then use the Oily Iron Key on the wooden door on the southwest wall you reach heading southeast. Beyond it lies a wall, a northwest intersection with a central log, and halls leading toward Stillwater and further Cult Stronghold content.

FAQ

Where exactly is the Oily Iron Key found?

On the Dark Naga hidden behind the secret door in the north-central/eastern First Cellar, found via a dark brick patch after a message about the scent of blood.

Can I reach the Oily Iron Key door before I have the key?

The door sits in the Cult Stronghold you explore right after the Naga fight, so you should already have the key when you arrive; the walkthrough treats the pickup as a prerequisite for Event 106.

Is the key needed for anything else?

No. The walkthrough's key list gives it a single use: opening the door leading into the Cult Stronghold area.

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Check note: the location and door details come from the GameFAQs walkthrough by AIssil (first-hand player material for the 2001 PC release); exact enemy counts may differ in the 2026 SNEG re-release. The official Steam store page confirms the re-release shipped November 6, 2026, but does not document individual keys.