Cottonwood Cove

 is a location in Fallout: New Vegas. It is a base for Caesar's Legion. When approaching the village with Boone, he informs you that this is a Legion slave camp and he is going to kill everything in it. You have the option of joining him or stopping him.

Decanus Severus is second in command here, serving under Aurelius of Phoenix. If you have 50 Explosives skill you can tell Severus how to disarm NCR frag mines. If you have the Schematic for Powder Charges, you can also show him how to make them. This will earn you experience and Legion Fame (no NCR Fame is lost). Speaking with Aurelius of Phoenix gives you the opportunity to turn in NCR dog tags for a reward.

Layout
To the south are several buildings with random loot, with the mess hall on the docks in the river. In the center of camp is the two story head quarters with tents just north of this building. Veteran Legionaries patrol near the Headquarters with Legionaries Explorers and Legion Mongrels patrolling all access points. Aurelius of Phoenix is found in the second story of the headquarters building.

Just south of the entire encampment (on the hill and quite visible) is an abandoned truck with copious amounts of nuclear waste. A lockpick skill of 50 will open the back and release the radioactive contents on the encampment. Voila! Justice is served, and Camp Searchlight is avenged. Anders, the crucified Great Khan is spared from this radioactive death, but still must endure crucifixion. If you want to free the Weathers, ensure this is accomplished before releasing the radioactive righteousness into the camp, as they will die otherwise.

Inhabitants

 * Anders, a crucified Great Khan.
 * Aurelius of Phoenix, Centurion Leader.
 * Canyon Runner, Slavemaster.
 * Cursor Lucullus, ferryman.
 * Decanus Severus, second in command.
 * Kenny Weathers, slave and son to Mrs. Weathers.
 * Mrs. Weathers, slave.
 * Sammy Weathers, slave and daughter to Mrs. Weathers.

Related Quests

 * Left My Heart
 * Aba Daba Honeymoon: Anders, a Great Khans gang member can be found crucified on the road into the cove. Free him to complete the objective "Find Jack and Diane's missing drug runner."
 * Render Unto Caesar: You must go through Cottonwood Cove to take the barge to The Fort. BEWARE: Taking Boone with you will result in hostilities, as Boone shoots Legionaries on sight.
 * Eye for an Eye: The camp must be destroyed or bugged for a reward by Astor.

Notable Loot

 * Recompense of the Fallen, a Lad's Life and Legion patrol notes in the desk in Aurelius of Phoenix's office.
 * Legion Raid Plans in one of the filing cabinets in Cottonwood Cove HQ
 * Grognak the Barbarian on the nightstand in Aurelius of Phoenix's office.
 * Inside the ladies bathroom there is a bobby pin and Sarsaparilla Star Cap on a shelf(not counted as stealing).
 * Inside the mens bathroom there is a random skill magazine on the floor (stealing)
 * There is a hollowed out rock on the paved road that leads into town. It is marked with the words "The Sun is Killing Me."

Appearances
appears in Fallout: New Vegas.

Behind the Scenes
Cottonwood Cove is an actual camping area and marina on Lake Mohave, 40 miles, roughly an hour, south of Las Vegas. It is home to the Cottonwood Cove Resort and Marina on Lake Mohave.

Bugs

 * If Anders is killed you fail the quest Oh My Papa, and there doesn't appear to be anyway to release him, except during the related quest Aba Daba Honeymoon.
 * Seeking out Cottonwood Cove on the Render Unto Caesar quest, while Craig Boone is your active companion will make everyone hostile to you, despite Boone not being visible (likely stuck at the Lucky 38)and the fact that you have Caesars mark.
 * Just after releasing the slaves, if you go to the radioactive truck at Cottonwood Overlook and release the barrels, you can equip your binoculars and watch as the three slaves are continuously spawned as running entities escaping from the camp. They no longer continuously spawn after you return to the camp, indicating that it is a scripted sequence gone awry.
 * Entering Cottonwood Cove with Boone as your partner, he will bug out and disappear if you leave him and go meet with Caesar at The Fort.
 * Rex will glitch almost every time to take the ferry to the Fort, or even when you map travel to The Fort.
 * If you have your legion armor equipped when you take the ferry to The Fort sometimes glitches the guards and makes them hostile. - Certain guards or scouts will "see through" your disguise, as stated in the documentation. Some pertinent examples I found are the Canyon Runner, and some of the guards in the Weather Station.
 * For some reason Canyon Runner may not be in Cottonwood Cove at all. This specific player entered Cottonwood Cove for the first time and searched thoroughly throughout the camp, in every building, and there was no sign of him. - The Canyon Runner attacked my disguised character immediately upon coming out of fast-travel to the Fort, indicating that he "runs" through canyons filled with water ;).
 * If you have a barter of 35 you can ask Aurelius of Phoenix "How much for your helmet". He will then tell you to ask Decanus Severus about the dog tag prices. Upon asking Decanus Severus, he will not have an option for it. Also Aurelius of Phoenix will still have the option for speech 35 "How much for your helmet". This glitch allows the player to gain unlimited experience at the loss of not gaining fame from Caesar's legion or gaining the Centurion helmet.
 * Cursor Lucullus may not be near the ferry, nor in the camp. Also the player will be unable to use the ferry manually. If you have not been to the Fort, you will be unable to.
 * Initiating combat from the pier can result in a lemming-like rush of attacking Legion soldiers into the bay. Several will drown.

Easter Eggs

 * On the side of the Cottonwood Cove HQ building (If you have the Wild Wasteland trait), "Romanes Eunt Domus" is written. This is a reference to Monty Python: The Life of Brian. Brian attempted to write  "Romans go home" but instead wrote "people called 'Romanes' they go the house".


 * On a shelf in the Headquarters a package of bubblegum rests atop a box of 20 gauge shotgun shells. This is very likely a reference to Roddy Piper's ad-libbed line "I have come here to chew bubblegum and kick ass... and I'm all out of bubblegum" from the 1988 film They Live. The protagonist makes this announcement while holding an Ithaca Model 37 shotgun, which he then uses to great effect in the ensuing ass-kicking. This line has been used overtly in previous Fallout games.

Images by Vettexl 04:23, October 28, 2010 (UTC)