'Starmetal' One-off Campaign

'Starmetal' was a PRPG one-shot campaign.

Scenario:

From the journal of Night Eyes, provincial archmage:

I fear that what I've done is foalish, but such an opportunity was more than I could bear to let pass by unseized.

The stray celestial body was the mere slightest pinprick of sensation in my horn via the celestial amplifier, at first, so far away in the void of space. I thought nothing of it until it came closer and I realized after plotting its progress that it would pass in a favorable near parallel to the orbit of our planet. Still, I guarded against raising my hopes at first, since I knew I might meet only disappointment if it turned out to be the more common stony variety. It was not until my careful probes showed that it was metallic that I no longer restrained my excitement. Here, at last, the perfect chance to conduct two long-awaited experiments at once!

The first is already in progress. Using the magical process I've devised, and some calculations which I hope were not done in too much haste, I've discovered a way to adjust the object's trajectory such that it should now be deflected from a near-miss of the planet to a collision course, impacting reasonably near to this town. Not too near, I hope — this is where my fears arise from. I find myself looking back at my actions and wondering in dismay how I was overcome with the foalish compulsion to take such a risk when I knew my margins of error were so wide. I can only plead that I was overpowered by the thrill of curiosity and the heat of the moment: I am, as far as I know, the first to redirect such an object, and more than that, I must know what fantastic metal composes it! The tantalizing clues from the ancient stories about the properties of 'star metal' and the few small fragments available hint at the presence of something rare indeed, and this must be verified with a specimen of absolutely certain extraequustrial origin.

I can only hope that the potential for advancement of both of these areas of knowledge and the benefits they could bring to ponykind make this risk worth having taken, and I pray that I may somehow be forgiven if the worst should happen instead. Perhaps such a mistake will not matter, however. If this great projectile falls directly on the town, I do not think I or anypony else will live long enough to be concerned. I continue to track it anxiously.

~ 3 Flowers, 8th year of Queen Stargazer's reign

To my great relief, the town was not struck. I knew the odds were small, anyway, but the uncertainty... I can hardly express how it felt to have the immense weight lifted off my back when I saw the orange streak in the sky, far to the East, followed by only the low booming rumble of a distant impact. No shockwave of hot air or quaking of the earth shook us, and most common ponies, after a few moments of surprise and fearful wonder, were largely content to return to their early morning shopping.

I, however, have no such luxury of leisure and must act quickly. The spectacular trail of fire through the sky must have been noticed far and wide, with others surely on their way to search out any remains even as I write. Time is of the essence if I am going to get any of the celestial metal into my hooves. But I cannot leave all my delicate work here on the spur of the moment to traipse off over the hills on an expedition, even for something so valuable. What, then, to do?

There is only one choice: I will have to hire ponies who can be trusted to retrieve it for me. I wish I had the time to request the aid of the military to send a small expeditionary force — this would surely be justifiable, given the great potential for discovery — but there is no local garrison, and I simply cannot wait for remote help to arrive. Fortunately, this rural town is home to a variety of hardy ponies, for whom exploration and adventure is part and parcel of life. I am confident that the right ones for this task can be found.

I go to seek them now.

~ 9 Flowers, 8th year of Queen Stargazer's reign