Avenge the Drowning

Key takeaways

These are the essential facts to know before beginning the investigation.

• Where it begins Start the quest by speaking with Flood Tide Allandra Grey at the Water Queen's House in the Lower City.
• What you are investigating The temple is mourning Holli Dylford, a Waveservant of Umberlee who was killed by what initially appears to be a sea monster.
• Where the trail leads The investigation points to Flymm's Cargo, whose hidden basement contains a submersible and its pilot.
• The central decision Redhammer the Deviser is responsible for the death, but the quest frames the incident as an accidental tragedy and lets you decide whether to kill or spare him.
• Potential reward Fulfilling the priestesses' request can reward the Wavemother's Robe.

Avenge the Drowning overview

Avenge the Drowning is an Act Three side quest that begins at the Water Queen's House in the Lower City and follows an investigation into the death of a Waveservant.

Speak with Flood Tide Allandra Grey at the Water Queen's House to learn why the temple is mourning. Holli Dylford, a Waveservant of Umberlee, has died in what appears to be an attack by a sea monster, and the priestesses want the circumstances of her death addressed rather than left unexplained.

The investigation takes you from the temple to Flymm's Cargo. Searching that location reveals a hidden basement containing a submersible and its pilot, Redhammer the Deviser. The discovery changes the nature of the quest: the apparent monster attack is connected to a human operator and a vehicle concealed beneath the cargo facility.

The final decision concerns Redhammer's fate. The quest allows you to decide whether he should die for Holli Dylford's death or be spared because the tragedy was accidental. Completing the request of the priestesses can lead to the Wavemother's Robe, while timing the quest around the Iron Throne sequence may affect progression.

entity_linksInclude spoiler-sensitive links for the people and places involved in the investigation.

entity_linksNote: The quest's major choice and reward are covered in later blocks.

entity_links

Where this sits

Requirements

The supplied material identifies Act Three and the Lower City as the relevant progression context.

• RequiredReach Act ThreeThe quest is available during Act Three of Baldur's Gate 3.
• RequiredReach the Lower CityThe opening conversation takes place at the Water Queen's House in the Lower City.
• RequiredSpeak with Flood Tide Allandra GreyThe quest is initiated through this conversation at the Water Queen's House.
• RecommendedConsider quest timingInteracting with the quest after completing the Iron Throne sequence can sometimes cause progression issues.

Objectives

1. Speak with Flood Tide Allandra GreyFind her at the Water Queen's House in the Lower City and learn about the death being mourned by the temple.
2. Investigate Holli Dylford's deathFollow the lead concerning the apparent sea-monster attack on the Waveservant of Umberlee.
3. Search Flymm's CargoThe investigation leads to this cargo facility, where a hidden basement contains a submersible.
4. Confront Redhammer the DeviserIdentify and confront the dwarf operating the submersible and connected to Holli Dylford's death.
5. Resolve Redhammer's fateChoose whether to kill or spare him in response to the accidental tragedy.
6. Fulfil the priestesses' requestCompleting the temple's requested resolution can provide the Wavemother's Robe.

WalkthroughSpoilers

1. 01

   Speak with Flood Tide Allandra Grey

   Begin at the Water Queen's House

   Travel to the Water Queen's House in the Lower City and speak with Flood Tide Allandra Grey. The conversation establishes that the temple is mourning Holli Dylford, a Waveservant of Umberlee, and starts the investigation.

   Location: Water Queen's House, Lower City

   TipRecord the name Holli Dylford before leaving the temple; it identifies the death at the center of the quest.

2. 02

   Investigate Holli Dylford's death

   Learn what happened to Holli Dylford

   Listen to the temple's account of Holli Dylford's death and the apparent sea-monster attack. The important lead is not a conventional monster hunt but the question of what caused the drowning and who was operating nearby.

   Location: Water Queen's House

   Watch outDo not treat the initial account as the final explanation; the later investigation identifies a different source for the death.

3. 03

   Investigate Flymm's Cargo

   Follow the investigation to Flymm's Cargo

   Go to Flymm's Cargo in the Lower City and search the facility for the concealed route below it. The relevant discovery is a hidden basement, so finding only the visible cargo area does not complete the investigation.

   Location: Flymm's Cargo, Lower City

   TipSearch the building rather than stopping after the first visible room. The quest's evidence is tied to the hidden basement.

4. 04

   Discover the hidden submersible

   Find the submersible

   Enter the hidden basement beneath Flymm's Cargo and inspect the submersible housed there. Its presence connects the cargo facility to the supposed sea-monster incident and identifies the person who can explain what happened.

   Location: Hidden basement beneath Flymm's Cargo

   Watch outThe basement is the key investigation area; leaving Flymm's Cargo without finding it leaves the central lead unresolved.

5. 05

   Confront Redhammer the Deviser

   Confront Redhammer the Deviser

   Meet Redhammer the Deviser, the dwarf who pilots the submersible. Confronting him reveals that he is responsible for Holli Dylford's death, moving the quest from investigation to judgment.

   Location: The submersible area beneath Flymm's Cargo

   TipExhaust the relevant conversation before making the final decision if you want the circumstances of the tragedy explained.

6. 06

   Resolve Redhammer's fate

   Decide whether Redhammer should die

   The quest presents a moral choice: kill Redhammer for the death or spare him because the tragedy was accidental. This decision is the quest's major resolution and determines how you answer the priestesses' demand for retribution.

   Location: Redhammer's submersible area

   Watch outThis is the point of no return for the quest's central choice. Decide whether your character prioritizes punishment or Redhammer's accidental responsibility.

7. 07

   Fulfil the priestesses' request

   Return the result to the temple

   Complete the priestesses' request after resolving the confrontation. The quest can reward you with the Wavemother's Robe when the temple's requested resolution has been fulfilled.

   Location: Water Queen's House

   TipIf the reward does not appear as expected, check the quest's timing relative to the Iron Throne sequence, which can sometimes affect progression.

   Checkpoint

Mission mechanicsSpoilers

Avenge the Drowning is structured as an investigation rather than a conventional combat objective. The opening testimony at the Water Queen's House gives you a death to investigate, while the hidden basement at Flymm's Cargo provides the physical evidence that redirects the case toward a submersible and its operator.

The quest's main mechanic is conversational judgment. Redhammer the Deviser is responsible for Holli Dylford's death, but the tragedy is described as accidental, so the resolution is not simply a standard villain defeat. The player must choose whether responsibility warrants killing Redhammer or whether the accidental nature of the death justifies sparing him.

Quest timing matters. The supplied source specifically warns that interacting with Avenge the Drowning after completing the Iron Throne sequence can sometimes cause progression issues. For a safer run, begin and advance the investigation before that sequence if possible, and verify that the temple's request updates after the confrontation.

Choices and consequencesSpoilers

• Kill Redhammer the Deviser

  You punish the operator identified as responsible for Holli Dylford's death and resolve the quest through retribution.

  Spoiler
• Spare Redhammer the Deviser

  You accept that the death was an accidental tragedy and resolve the moral conflict without killing him.

  Spoiler
• Complete the priestesses' request

  Fulfilling the temple's request can grant the Wavemother's Robe.

  Spoiler

Checklist

• Reach Act Three and the Lower CityThe quest is an Act Three side quest in the Lower City.
• Speak with Flood Tide Allandra GreyShe is at the Water Queen's House and initiates the quest.
• Learn Holli Dylford's role in the investigationHolli Dylford was a Waveservant of Umberlee who died in the apparent attack.
• Search Flymm's CargoThe important clue is in the hidden basement.
• Find the submersibleThe concealed vessel identifies the investigation's next lead.
• Confront Redhammer the DeviserHe is the dwarf operator connected to the death.
• Choose whether to kill or spare RedhammerThis is the quest's central moral decision.
• Fulfil the priestesses' requestThis can lead to the Wavemother's Robe.
• Check the quest around the Iron Throne sequenceThe supplied source reports possible progression issues if the quest is handled afterward.Optional

Failure conditionsSpoilers

• Progression issue after the Iron Throne sequenceInteracting with Avenge the Drowning after completing the Iron Throne sequence can sometimes cause progression problems.
• Leaving Flymm's Cargo without finding the hidden basementThe visible cargo facility is not the investigation's conclusion; the hidden basement contains the submersible and is needed to follow the main lead.
• Leaving the temple request unresolvedThe quest is not fully resolved until the confrontation and the priestesses' requested outcome have been addressed.

RewardsSpoilers

• Wavemother's Robe
  Completing the quest by fulfilling the priestesses' request can reward this item.

AftermathSpoilers

Trivia

• The quest title refers to the death of Holli Dylford, a Waveservant of Umberlee, rather than to a named sea-monster hunt.
• The investigation's apparent supernatural premise leads to a hidden submersible beneath an ordinary cargo facility.
• Redhammer the Deviser is identified as a dwarf and as the submersible's operator.
• The quest's resolution is built around accidental responsibility, giving the player a kill-or-spare decision instead of a single mandatory judgment.

Sources

• Avenge the Drowning quest reference — bg3.wiki

Relationships