Kukuga is a deceased yuan-ti pureblood whose skeleton lies in the fungi-filled cavern beneath the Fane of the Night Serpent. He secretly worshiped Zuggtmoy, the demon queen of fungi, in defiance of the yuan-ti’s devotion to Dendar the Night Serpent.
Death and Current State
Kukuga died attempting to transform himself into a form closer to his demonic mistress by consuming a fungal brew of his own creation. The concoction led to his sudden and horrific death instead of the transformation he sought. His malformed skeleton now lies buried under a patch of yellow mold, with poisonous toadstools growing from his corpse.
Treasure and Significance
A brass key hangs around Kukuga’s neck, which unlocks the door to the venom distillery (area 14 of the Fane). Retrieving the key requires a successful DC 12 Dexterity (Sleight of Hand) check to avoid disturbing the deadly yellow mold covering the corpse.
Relationship to Other Entities
Xopal (the yuan-ti in area 14) occasionally ventures into Kukuga’s cavern to harvest poisonous toadstools from the corpse for use in the venom distillery, suggesting Xopal is either aware of or complicit in keeping Kukuga’s heresy secret.