Alexander Keith Jr’s Barrel

Origin
Alexander Keith, Jr. acted as a blockade runner for the Confederacy during the Civil War and tried to assist Luke Blackburn in sending yellow fever infected cloth to the north. After a confidence trick victim caught scent of Keith, he moved to Germany. While mooching off high society figures, Keith became broke and devised a scheme to blow up passenger ships for the insurance money. A clumsy deckhand dropped a barrel hiding a time bomb, resulting in a giant explosion that killed at least 40 passengers aboard the Mosel. Immediately aware of the accident, Keith shot himself and died a week later. Early terrorist groups throughout Europe later used his idea of a delayed explosive.

Effects
The crate’s normal state is a collection of shards and broken planks. It will reform when in the direct presence of somebody with a criminal history. The whole crate will then violently explode when another person almost finished with a plan or project passes along. Shrapnel and soot will spray outwards in every direction, covering anything nearby.