Woe leads the way into the depths, his spear held suggestively before him. He tries to keep his eye on the wet ground for prints, but the daylight is soon left behind in the twisting tunnel, and Hacker's lantern is far enough behind that he has trouble making out his own feet, let alone footprints. His attempts at stealth are impeded by the sticky mud, which squelches quite noisily around his boots. Undeterred, he leads on, with Kathalia, Atreus, and Hacker following in single file.
[sblock=ooc]At least, that's what I take your marching order to be, based on recent posts. Also, since I've gone and broken into OOC text anyway: Hacker's everburning lantern is the only light source that anyone's mentioned so far, so I assume that's all you've got out at the moment. [/sblock]
Suddenly, Atreus calls,
"look out!" and hurls himself backward. Woe and Kathalia turn in time to see a small flame moving quickly along a concealed fuse. Its illumination is just enough that you have time to read the label on a small wooden barrel: "Grayson's Finest Red Label Coconut Rum".
Then the barrel explodes. Flames blast across the tunnel, along with splinters of burning wood. Woe takes a burning splinter right to the eye, and a wash of scalding rum pours over his face. Kathalia fares slightly better, though she is still badly burned, and some flaming debris lodges in her clothing.
"Aaaaahahahahaha! Brilliant, me beasties! Get them now!" cackles a harsh, screeching voice from around the corner to the east.
[sblock=ooc]The rum barrel makes a close blast 3 attack. +9 vs. Reflex
crits Woe, hits Kathalia, misses Atreus. Woe takes 28 fire damage

, Kathalia takes
15 fire damage. Those hit are subject to a followup attack, +7 vs. reflex.
Woe and Kathalia are hit, and take 5 ongoing fire damage and are dazed (save ends both). Woe is bloodied.
[/sblock]
[sblock=status and initiative]
Woe
24/46 HP, 11/11 surges, bloodied, 5 ongoing fire and dazed (se both)
Kathalia
21/36 HP, 9/9 surges, 5 ongoing fire and dazed (se both)
Atreus 29/29 HP, 7/7 surges
Hacker 36/36 HP, 9/9 surges
Bad guys undamaged. All out of sight around the corner.
Initiative rolls: Good guys:
all higher than 10, bad guys:
10. So you all go first.
You've been travelling west to east in the cave, and the voice was to the east.
[/sblock]
[sblock=map]
[/sblock]