The Festering Cove

Recommended route

A skeleton beneath a Torchstalk on the far side of the rift carries the Helmet of Autonomy. The helmet is outside the principal worship area but belongs to the practical entrance route and is worth collecting before proceeding.

Traversal hazards

The approach and upper cove contain Torchstalks and unstable mushroom platforms. Torchstalks can explode when disturbed, potentially destroying nearby loot, including a Potion of Greater Healing located beneath one of them. Avoid striking or igniting the mushrooms until you have checked the surrounding ground.

The cave is also vertically arranged. Characters with poor Strength, limited jump distance or no safe-fall option can become separated from the party. Keep the group together before beginning the descent, and consider using turn-based mode if you are making several jumps around hostile or explosive terrain.

The upper ledges

The upper section overlooks the worship area. Several kuo-toa are positioned on mushroom caps and cliffs, but they do not necessarily react immediately if the party remains away from the altar. This makes it possible to scout parts of the location before beginning the central conversation.

One of the most important pieces of treasure is on a concealed cliff reached by jumping across mushroom caps. The route begins near X: -401, Y: 311. The chest is both locked and trapped, requiring two Sleight of Hand checks, each at DC 10 according to the available location information. It contains the Slippery Chain Shirt.

The altar and worship area

The main gathering is around the makeshift altar at approximately X: -421, Y: 284. Pooldripp the Zealous leads the ceremony while the kuo-toa prepare sacrifices for BOOOAL.

Approaching this area begins the principal dialogue. A passive Nature check can identify the kuo-toa and their unusual behaviour. From this point onward, dialogue choices, ability checks and class-specific options determine whether BOOOAL grants a reward, fights the party or is exposed as a fraud.

The lower beach

The lower beach borders the Ebonlake watercourse. A highlighted rock at approximately X: -395, Y: 240 functions as a crude fane to BOOOAL. It is surrounded by offerings, including coins and bottles. Nearby are The Ecstasy of Murder, a scroll concerning Bhaal’s doctrine, and a wooden chest containing alchemical ingredients.

At approximately X: -394, Y: 264, a DC 5 Perception check reveals a message in a bottle. The bottle contains a Curled Paper, a letter from Doni, one of the tiefling children associated with the Emerald Grove, addressed to his father. A nearby heavy chest at roughly X: -396, Y: 233 contains gold and random valuables.

BOOOAL

BOOOAL presents himself as the kuo-toa’s God of Murder. He is actually a redcap using deception and supernatural spectacle to convince the kuo-toa that he is divine. Their belief has strengthened him considerably, making him more dangerous than an ordinary redcap.

BOOOAL’s encounter is built around testing whether the party recognises the fraud. Useful routes include:

The available checks include Investigation DC 15, Arcana DC 20 and Bard or History DC 15, with some options depending on class, background, dialogue state and whether BOOOAL is holding his sickle.

Pooldripp the Zealous

Pooldripp is the priest and most prominent spokesman of the kuo-toa. He begins the encounter by declaring that BOOOAL demands a sacrifice. He carries the Sickle of BOOOAL in some outcomes and can later sell or provide it depending on how the confrontation is resolved.

Pooldripp is also central to the Act Three consequence. If the party kills BOOOAL and convinces Pooldripp that the player character is the new god, he can be ordered to build an army. That choice unlocks the Kuo-Toa Acolytes option during the final confrontation.

Ordinary residents

The cove’s ordinary inhabitants are kuo-toa rather than a conventional settlement population. They include worshippers, hunters and combatants stationed around the altar, cliffs and beach. Their exact reactions depend on the BOOOAL conversation and on whether the party attacks first.

Named characters

Creature groups

The cove has no verified inn, shop, permanent service provider, forge, healer or conventional business. Pooldripp’s barter interaction is conditional and should not be treated as a normal shop.

1. Become BOOOAL’s Chosen

If the party plays along or successfully persuades BOOOAL that the player character can kill in his name, BOOOAL may name the character his Chosen. He then gives the Sickle of BOOOAL and teleports away. The kuo-toa remain non-hostile. If BOOOAL no longer has the weapon, the result may instead provide BOOOAL’s Benediction.

The Sickle of BOOOAL is a rare, light, one-handed simple weapon dealing 2d4 slashing damage. It provides the Lacerate weapon action to proficient wielders. Its associated blessing grants advantage on attack rolls against bleeding creatures while there are still kuo-toa worshipping BOOOAL.

A warning for collectors: the weapon’s special blessing can disappear after a long rest while the sickle remains in the inventory. The available documentation records that storing or dropping the weapon before resting can preserve the condition, though this is an unusual and potentially unintended interaction.

2. Expose BOOOAL and replace him

The most consequential route is to identify BOOOAL as a fraud, defeat him and persuade Pooldripp to accept the player character as the new god. Pooldripp may call this new deity Mahkloompah, depending on the dialogue outcome.

If the party then tells Pooldripp to build an army, the cove contributes the Kuo-Toa Acolytes option to Gather Your Allies. This is not an Act One combat summon. It becomes available during the Act Three confrontation with the Elder Brain.

The Kuo-Toa Acolytes action summons several fishfolk allies for the final battle. The available documentation describes a champion or proselyte who summons additional units, with the action being usable during combat and dismissed afterwards. These allies cannot be summoned again if they are killed in that combat.

This outcome is the strongest long-term consequence of the cove if you value Gather Your Allies over the weapon.

3. Reject BOOOAL and fight the cove

Rejecting BOOOAL’s claims or choosing hostile dialogue can start combat with him and, depending on the exact conversation, the kuo-toa as well. BOOOAL is dangerous because his worship-enhanced abilities allow him to attack repeatedly and recover health when he kills a creature. He also has attacks that can knock characters prone or cause Bleeding.

If combat begins, focus on BOOOAL first where possible. Removing the false god can alter the morale or hostility of the surrounding kuo-toa, but the exact result depends on the dialogue state that led into the fight. The safe assumption is that rejecting the offer without preparing for combat can turn a small social encounter into a multi-enemy battle.

Major rewards

The Slippery Chain Shirt causes a wearer who heals another creature to automatically Disengage, avoiding opportunity attacks. It is particularly useful for support characters who regularly heal allies in melee.

Other documented treasure

The cove also contains gold, random valuables, alchemical ingredients and sea-themed decorative objects. The gilded chests are generally not locked and can contain items such as clamshells and starfishes. These are useful for exploration and selling, but they are not individually identified as fixed high-value rewards.

Verified hidden or concealed containers

Written items and lore

The Curled Paper is the most personal piece of writing in the area. It connects the otherwise isolated cove to Doni and the tiefling community from the Emerald Grove. The Ecstasy of Murder provides a small link between BOOOAL’s theatre of murder and the actual doctrine of Bhaal, whose name the player can invoke during the conversation.

Preserving BOOOAL’s Benediction

BOOOAL’s Benediction persists through death and remains active as long as at least one kuo-toa in the cove survives. It is removed if all the kuo-toa are killed. Only characters present in the active party when the blessing is triggered receive it, and it cannot simply be reapplied later to characters who were left at camp.

Obtaining the Sickle of BOOOAL

The sickle is not a normal boss drop from BOOOAL. It is given by BOOOAL in the Chosen outcome or can be obtained through Pooldripp under particular post-combat conditions. The weapon does not drop from BOOOAL himself.

Unlocking the Act Three kuo-toa allies

To gain Kuo-Toa Acolytes for Gather Your Allies, the party must:

Simply killing BOOOAL is not enough. The replacement-god and army dialogue is the relevant progression condition.