'Ironbound' One-off Campaign

'Ironbound' was a PRPG one-shot campaign played on July 17, 2018.

Introduction:

The year is 2265 AE. The Dark Age that has come over Equus and ponykind feels as if it will never end. In the absence of effective government, much of the West of Yore has descended into feudal warlordism. Those with the prowess and resources raise personal armies to advance their own selfish interests, and these petty self-declared 'lords' squabble over whatever patches of territory they can grab. Their methods are brutal.

And Iron Horn is one of the most brutal of all.

It's hard to say for sure whether the 'Lord' of Calkin is really the earth-unicorn he claims to be, or just an extremely well-built regular unicorn. However, this also hardly matters in your situation. Whatever he is, he has little tolerance for disappointment, and you just returned with naught else to offer.

"Half of you gone, all the very expensive equipment I financed missing, and you bring me nothing to show for it!" He bellows, glaring into you with wild fury.

The expedition to go find and retrieve a rumored powerful magical artifact had seemed like easy money, until it all fell apart into an unqualified disaster. Who would have thought a monastery would be so well secured? It's still hard to believe that the Solarites guarding Sunshine's secrets had forced your entire party to abandon your heavy armor and weapons to make a hasty escape. And the strange new forest of crystals you encountered... perhaps if you'd been more careful to go around it in your retreat, more of you might have made it back alive.

It's easy to see with the clarity of hindsight how it was all one big mistake, but alas, that can't help you now.

"Give me a reason I shouldn't crush your heads like melons just for the practice," Iron Horn demands, brandishing a large, cruel-looking mace in his telekinesis. "Tell me what use I have for bunglers like you lot!"

Iron Horn's guards surround you, staring at you with eyes that make your legs feel like they're made of lead. They wait. The court is deadly silent, the air oppressively still. Nopony dares to even whisper.

Better to be suspected a fool in silence than open your mouth and remove all doubt.

A shiver runs down your spine as Iron Horn finally draws in a breath, and prepares to decree your fate...

Pregenerated Characters

Player selections
Jelle	Dusty Belle
Bryce	Brass Tacks
Owen	Windshear
Matt	Clever Cudgel

Clever Cudgel
Race	Unicorn
Appearance	Yellow coat, pink mane, teal-green eyes
Background	Clever Cudgel's calling in life seems to be using telekinesis to hit things with other things. Having mastered this simple but vital skill, she was on her way up in Iron Horn's army... until she volunteered to lead an expedition that ended with her party limping back in complete failure.

Icy Storm
Race	Pegasus
Appearance	Blue-white coat, blue and white striped mane, sapphire eyes
Background	A weather specialist often employed to provide cover for Iron Horn's small groups of raiders. Possibly not for much longer.

Stonesinger
Race	Earth pony
Appearance	Sage green coat, pale green mane, orange eyes
Background	A geology expert and earth pony mage, as well as an experienced raider, Stonesinger's talents are – or possibly were – sometimes employed by raid parties for overcoming fortifications.

Dusty Belle
Race	Earth pony
Appearance	Dappled pale grey coat, pink mane, sky-blue eyes
Background	With the right combination of shapely and competent at fighting, Dusty Belle is part of Iron Horn's circle of favored mares. She tried to improve her position in that circle by joining an expedition that sought to bring back a powerful magic artifact for him, but it backfired badly. Now she nervously awaits his decision regarding her fate.

Sparks
Race	Unicorn
Appearance	Orange coat, orange and yellow striped mane, copper eyes
Background	Sparks is a mage with a special talent for pyrokinesis. This makes her quite valuable in a fight... but she's seen before that nopony is valuable enough to be immune from the consequences of disappointing Iron Horn.

Windshear
Race	Pegasus
Appearance	White coat, dark grey mane, green eyes
Background	Windshear is a skilled wind manipulator and a strong flier, as well as a good fighter. She was one of Iron Horn's veteran raiders, and never failed to deliver when he asked for something... until now.

Brass Tacks
Race	Earth pony
Appearance	Copper coat, yellow mane, yellow eyes
Background	A tinkerer and mechanic, Brass Tacks is the pony to have around if something needs fixing. Unfortunately, the jam she finds herself in after the recent expedition might be beyond her talents.

High Kick
Race	Earth pony
Appearance	Pink coat, white mane, green eyes
Background	High Kick refers to herself as built for one thing: bucking. Her talent earned her esteem from Iron Horn, as a strong and skilled fighter in his raids. Off the field, she is also one of his favored mares. It was a good thing she had going, until participating in a ruinous expedition left her in a suddenly precarious position and awaiting judgment.