The Caustic Barrels

Summary

The Caustic Barrels are a collection of hazardous containers stored in the Caustic Barrel Chamber within the New Smoke Underground Tunnels. In Session 10, the barrels served as part of the Thunder Hogs' arsenal of chemical weapons, presenting a severe danger to anyone who came into contact with their contents. The barrels emit an extremely pungent, acrid smell described as "almost like painful," giving a strong impression of death throughout the chamber. When Sucks opened one of the barrels during the party's infiltration, the resulting exposure caused immediate physical harm and compromised the group's stealth.

Properties

The caustic barrels vary in size and material, clustered throughout their storage chamber. The containers emit fumes so toxic that merely opening one causes immediate burning to the eyes, nose, and mouth. The substance inside feels as though it seeps through skin on contact, triggering violent coughing fits in those exposed.

The physical effects are severe and instantaneous. When Sucks opened a barrel, he experienced burning sensations in his eyes, nose, and mouth before he could even examine the contents. The substance caused him to suffer a debility to charisma from the exposure, and his uncontrollable coughing persisted even after the barrel was closed. Sucks later joked that the barrel might have contained "a full peanut" due to the allergic reaction-like symptoms he experienced.

The exact chemical composition of the barrel contents remains unknown. The party took significant care to close the opened barrel lid immediately to prevent further exposure, recognizing that "the only danger is try not to open these lids and huff the contents of them."

History

Session 10

The caustic barrels were encountered when the party infiltrated the New Smoke Underground Tunnels beneath the Thunder Hogs' territory. Upon entering the chamber, the group immediately detected the pungent, acrid smell emanating from the barrels, which were described as "a series of barrels of different sizes and different materials clustered about the room."

Despite the obvious warning signs, Sucks opened one of the barrels to investigate. The consequences were immediate and severe: "you open this barrel and all you see is like. Well, you don't even have time to really look because your eyes, nose and mouth are immediately burning and you kind of whip your head back to get away from this." The substance had already begun affecting Sucks before he could retreat, with the fumes "seeping through your Skin" and causing him to "start hacking like crazy."

The exposure resulted in Sucks receiving a debility to his charisma. More critically, his uncontrollable coughing alerted the Thunder Hogs to the party's presence in the tunnels, compromising their infiltration attempt. The party quickly closed the barrel to prevent further exposure and continued their mission despite the setback.