The Festering Cove
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“We will spread word of Mahkloompah. Your glory will sing from ten thousand throats!„
Overview and access edit
The Festering Cove is a separate large cavern in the Underdark located beneath the general level of the region. It features several waterfalls and rocky cliffs descending to the subterranean water stream, and is scattered with giant mushrooms and adorned with fishing nets and various shells and conches.
The entrance to The Festering Cove is hidden at X: 70 Y: -240 northeast of the Arcane Tower and south-east of the Decrepit Village. It requires the party to traverse a rift (e.g. by using two mushroom platforms) and then descend via a cragged rock. On the far end of the rift under a Torchstalk lies a skeleton with the 
Helmet of Autonomy on it.
Interactions edit
The Festering Cove is home to a tribe of Kuo-toa who worship their alleged "God of Murder" 
. Part of the tribe led by 
are chanting near the makeshift altar, and several others are stationed up on the mushroom caps and cliffs around. Unless Pooldrip and those close to him are approached, none of them pay attention to the party, and it is possible to explore at least part of the cove by stealth.
When approaching the altar, approximately at X: -421 Y: 284, where one of the kuo-toa is sacrificed, the dialogue with Pooldripp starts automatically. At the start of the conversation the interacting party member rolls a passive 
DC 10 Nature check to recognize the creatures and the pecularities of this race. The layout of the conversation depends heavily on whether the player character recognizes the true nature of the "deity" they are fervently worshipping.
Exposing BOOOAL edit
Their deity's true nature can be revealed by certain dialogue options and / or ability checks:
Realizing he is a fake god edit
- Pooldripp the Zealous
- YOU! Our Lord of Murder demands sacrifice! You will be an offering for the great god BOOOAL!
- Bhaal is the true Lord of Murder. Perhaps I should offer you instead.
- 'BOOOAL'? Bhaal is the god of murder. (angers BOOOAL)
- I'm no one's offering. (angers BOOOAL)
- Get your bearings. What have you stumbled in on? (DC 15) (if BOOOAL has his sickle)
- Try to determine who - or what - they're talking to. (DC 20)
- Think back to your studies of kuo-toa and their gods for any useful information. (DC 15
)
Realizing he is a redcap edit
- You can give it a rest. Your 'god' isn't real. (if the player knows BOOOAL is a fake god)
- YOU ARE LISTENING TO A FALSEHOOD. HE IS NOT YOUR REAL GOD. (if the player knows BOOOAL is a fake god)
Revealing the truth edit
If the Kuo-toa's zeal wavers, their false god's disguise begins to falter. The party can then reveal the truth to Pooldripp using dialogue options and / or ability checks:
- BOOOAL
- NO! NO! Stop that!
- Murmur a prayer. Wherever you go, your god holds sway.
- He's a fabrication. Whatever you created him for, you don't need him. (DC 15)
- Look at me. If there's any god of death here, it's me. (DC 15)
- Seriously - 'BOOOAL'? Whatever this thing is, he didn't even feed you a good lie. (DC 15)
- I AM BOOOAL, LORD OF MURDER, VISCOUNT OF VIOLENCE. THIS ONE LIES. (DC 15)
Passing a check publicly exposes BOOOAL as a redcap, causing confusion in Pooldripp. BOOOAL, realizing he is in trouble, proclaims he is talking to his 'Chosen' and proceeds to offer the talking party member power:
- BOOOAL
- Shut it, you! I'm talking to... my Chosen! Chosen got power - you want power, don't ya?
- What kind of power?
- [To priest] Well? Bow before BOOOAL's Chosen! (becomes Chosen)
+1 
-1 
-1 - I'll just kill you and claim it for myself. (begins combat) +5
+1 
+1 +1 - I don't need your power - or theirs. (begins combat)
- I won't let you enslave them any longer. (beings combat) -1 +1 +1
+1 - I need no god to claim my power. I will show them the way of my oath. (DC 20) (non-Oathbreaker only) (begins combat)
- LIAR. DESTROY THE PRETENDER GOD, MY CHOSEN! (DC 20) (if challenged BOOOAL) (begins combat)
Demanding blood edit
If the party fails a roll or passes the Arcana check or the Investigation check to novice the sickle, BOOOAL will get angry and demand blood. This allows the party a second chance to become Chosen, by threatening him as the Dark Urge or exposing him further:
- BOOOAL
- WELL, PRIEST? BOOOAL WANTS A SACRIFICE! BOOOAL WANTS BLOOD.
- Fool. I kill in my sleep. If you seek death, death itself is here. (if Alfira was murdered) (automatically becomes Chosen)
- Wait! If it's blood you want, I can make another offer.
- You want me to sacrifice one of my friends?
- I have only one life. But I can kill many more in your name. (DC 20) (becomes Chosen)
- A demonstration of what a real champion of death can do. (begins combat)
- The wrath of a far greater god - let me show you. (begins combat)
- The mercy of a quick death. (begins combat)
- Redcaps love violence - bait him with an exaggerated tale of battle and bloodshed. (DC 10) (if aware BOOOAL is a redcap) +1 +1 +1
- Are your followers aware you're just a rabid little fey creature? (DC 15) (if aware BOOOAL is a fake and a fey)
- Show them what a God of Death looks like. Attack! (begins combat)
- Attack. (begins combat)
Sacrificing a companion edit
Any party member can be sacrificed to him, including companions or hirelings. If the player character chooses this option, the named party member breaks off and becomes hostile. The player character can only choose an active party member as an offering. After the sacrifice is made, and if the final blow was delivered with the 
Sickle of BOOOAL, all other active party members receive the permanent condition 
.[1] A party member sacrificed in this manner is permanently removed from the game, and cannot be resurrected later by any means.
Sacrificing Gale before his Orb is stabilized potentially softlocks the game as the player character is then forced to complete the game within three Long Rests lest Gale's Orb explodes with no way of preventing it.
- BOOOAL
- IT'S SIMPLE. MAKE AN OFFERING - OR BECOME ONE.
- Take Astarion.
- Take Shadowheart.
- Take Lae'zel.
- Take Karlach.
- Take Wyll.
- Take Gale.
- I won't do that. (begins combat)
Outcome edit
Afterwards, depending on the player character's conversation choices and / or ability checks, there are several possible outcomes. Following the first two scenarios grants the 
inspiration for characters with the 
background.
- The player character becomes BOOOAL's Chosen
- When BOOOAL, in an attempt to steady his standing, calls them his Chosen. In this case, BOOOAL grants them the Sickle of BOOOAL and teleports away; the Kuo-toa remain non-hostile to the party. If BOOOAL does not have his sickle, he grants instead.
- The player character can challenge BOOOAL
- This starts a fight against BOOOAL alone. After the redcap is defeated, Pooldripp immediately begins another conversation, proclaiming the player character their new god. Asking him to build an army leads to the party gaining
option during the final battle in Act Three as part of 
.
- The player character can reject BOOOAL's offer
- All other choices leads to a fight with BOOOAL and all his zealots. If BOOOAL is killed in this way (either as a single foe or together with Kuo-toa), the Sickle of BOOOAL cannot be looted from him.[verify]
Exploring the cave edit
The Festering Cove features several gilded chests in plain sight. Most are not locked and contain gold, Valuables, and miscellaneous sea-themed items like 
Clamshells or 
Starfishes.
There is one concealed chest, however, hidden on a rocky cliff. To approach it, the party must traverse (e.g. jump) several mushroom caps starting from X: -401 Y: 311, on which the Torchstalks grow. The chest itself is trapped and locked (requires two subsequent DC 10 Sleight of Hand checks to disarm and to lockpick), and contains the 
Slippery Chain Shirt. Under a Torshstalk nearby a 
Potion of Greater Healing lies in plain sight, but with high probability of being destroyed if the mushrooms explode.
On the beach at X: -395 Y: 240 a highlighted rock protrudes from the water. It seems to be used as a fane to BOOOAL by the Kuo-toa, as its foot is scattered with gold coins, bottles and other offerings. Also here lies 
The Ecstasy of Murder - a scroll briefly describing 
doctrine. Behind this rock a wooden chest contains some alchemical ingredients.
If exploring the far end of the beach, at X: -394 Y: 264 a DC 5 Perception check allows to notice a "Message in a bottle". Inside the bottle lies the 
Curled Paper - a letter from 
, one of tiefling kids from the Emerald Grove, to his father (probably deceased). A heavy chest nearby at X: -396 Y: 233 contains gold and random valuables.
Characters edit
Creatures edit
Loot edit
Hidden treasure edit
- Wooden Barrel with gold X: -425 Y: 306
- Buried Wooden Chest atX: -408 Y: 310
- Buried Wooden Chest atX: -413 Y: 241
Related quests edit
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