Coldest Shoulder [Ironsworn Hack] Session 2

 Session 2

Oct 5, 2025

Editor’s note: I haven’t forgotten about the weak hit I got earlier in the Gather Information move.  I’m going to introduce a complication soon.

Having perused his motel room to his satisfaction, it was disappointingly normal, he decided it was time to head out to the area.  He went to the trunk of his Pontiac Grand Prix, and popped it open.  Nestled amongst the subwoofer and amp was a gun case holding a 9mm pistol.  He instinctively checked the lock on the case, it was secure.  He placed his duffel bag back into the trunk and closed it.  He wasn’t going to leave it in the motel room unsupervised.  He sat in the driver’s seat of his car and flipped through the instructions Beverly had given him concerning the old church.  He had no idea if it had anything to do with his dad, or this town, or anything really.  But he needed to start somewhere.  

He started the car up, and pulled out of the motel and out onto the deserted highway.

I am not going to use a progress tracker on the move Embark on a Road Trip, because I envision this as a tiny community and everything being relatively close.  I’ll just roll once on the move and then resolve that in the fiction.

[Embark on a Road Trip +Wits  3+2=5 vs 3,10 Weak Hit. Reach a Landmark but it costs you.  Face a peril at waypoint]

Andre drove about a half a mile down the highway until he came to a rusted sign, hardly legible, First Church of God.  He turned down a gravel road and passed a “newer” church as Beverly called it.  It still seemed the worst for wear to Andre.  He drove past and continued down the gravel road until he came to a dirt path crossing a cattleguard.  As Beverly instructed, he parked his car and got out.  He fetched his 9mm from the trunk, along with his camera and his notepad. Tucking the firearm into a holster under the arm of his jacket, he crossed the cattleguard and began walking down the dirt path. [Travel Peril: A rattlesnake coils under the hood].  He walked along the path and passed through a thicket of trees and bush. 
Oracle is the church still standing? No.  Is there a graveyard nearby? No.

[Mark progress on Old Church vow 3 progress]

Where Beverly had said the church was located, there was now only a stone foundation.  Andre walked up the steps and began to poke around.  There was debris from the remnants of the building, piles of wooden rubble.  He gingerly walked among the detritus looking for clues. He stepped over one particular large pile of boards and shingles and heard an ominous rattle of a rattlesnake!

[Face danger +Edge 5+3=8 vs 10,10 Critical Miss. Mark Watched, Endure Harm -2 health]

[Endure harm +Health 2+3=5 vs 10,4 Weak Hit.  You press on]

Before Andre can react, the snake strikes out and bites him in the leg, he kicks the snake off  of him and it slithers back under the rubble.  Well, that is just great, he had better go get some help quick or this is going to be really bad.

He stumbles off the foundation and begins to walk briskly back to his car.  He thinks he packed some anti-venom shots for just this reason, he only hoped he remembered to do so.   He rushes to the trunk of the car which luckily wasn’t too far, and pops the trunk. He begins to rifle through the bags of gear.

[Check your Gear +Supply 4+5=9 vs 9,7 Weak Hit.  I have it, but -1 Supply]
Andre finds an injection pen labeled as the appropriate rattlesnake antivenom, and injects it near the bite site.  He will still need to get to a hospital as soon as possible, but this should keep him alive.   He cleans out the bite wound with his first aid kit, and wraps it in gauze.  What a great start to this mess.  When he closes the trunk, he notices a vehicle coming down the gravel road.  It is already surprisingly close, an old pickup truck that seems to be trailing…mist instead of dust on the gravel road.  Andre rubs his eyes, maybe the venom is affecting his vision.  As it pulls closer, it has the remnants of some business slogan on the passenger side door, but it is so faded it can’t be made out.  The pickup slows as it passes you, then pulls over in front of your vehicle.  The driver steps out [d6=5 nonbinary] and they stare at Andre.

“Hey, where is the nearest hospital, I just got bit by a snake and need some help,” Andre calls out to the person.  They stand there staring for a moment, then get back into the pickup and drive off. “Wait…HELP!”  Andre calls after the old truck.  It rumbles on down the gravel path and is soon out of sight. “What the hell,” Andre says and limps back into his car.  He starts it up and turns the car back the way he came.  He speeds down the road back to the motel to ask Beverly which way to the nearest hospital.

[Retrace to Safety +Supply 4+5=9 vs 4,6 Strong Hit. +1 Momentum]

He drives way too fast down the highway, and speeds into the motel parking lot.  He leaves the car running and rushes into the office.  Beverly is sitting at  the desk and is started when he bursts in.  “What in tarnation!”

“Sorry Beverly, I can’t talk.  I was just bit by a rattlesnake, which way to the nearest hospital!”

“Oh dear!  It is not too far, about 30 miles east of here in the town of Poteau. Should I call an ambulance?” and she reaches for the phone.

“I had some anti-venom that I already applied, but I think I should go get checked out.  I’ll head out right away.”  He sets out in his car in an uneventful trip to the nearby town of Poteau.  He gets checked into the ER there, and they treat him for the snake bite.

[Sojourn +heart 5+2=7 vs 3,3 Critical Strong Hit +2 Health, tailwind +1 momentum]

Andre spent that night in the hospital, making sure the vestiges of the snake bite were cleared and that he wouldn’t have any complications.  The next morning, as he was preparing to be discharged, a young woman knocks on the open doorway of his room.
“Andre Burnett?” she says hesitantly as she looks into the room.  She is of an age as Andre, in mid-30’s, long brown hair that hangs in loose curls around her shoulders.  She is the epitome of the girl next door, very little makeup, soft but athletic build, striking brown eyes.  Gorgeous.
Andre clears his throat, “Yes, who’s asking?”

She gives a nervous laugh, “This is very unusual, I know, but I’m Maribel Cox.  You met my grandma, Beverly, yesterday at the Killdeer Motel?  Anyway, she was worried sick about you and felt super guilty about you getting hurt while going places she recommended.”

“Oh, she shouldn’t. I asked her about it, it’s not her fault.  I should have been more careful.”

“Regardless, she felt bad and baked you these cookies,” And she laid a Tupperware container full of chocolate chip cookies on the table next to his bed.  “And she said if you wanted to stop by the motel later, she would give you a full refund.  Or you could stay there tonight if you were still needing to.”

“That’s really sweet of her, thank you.  I think I’ll spend a few more days in the area, so I would love to stay in the motel.  Say, do you know this area at all? Could you point me to a library?”

“Well, I live here in Poteau, so yeah, I could give you the grand tour,” and she laughed.  Poteau was not a big town, only around 9000 people.  “Grandma recommended I buy you some lunch and then maybe I can show you to the library?”

“That would be great!” Andre exclaimed, a little too enthusiastically.  “Now…do you mind stepping out while I get dressed?” They both blush a little and she acquiesces. 

Andre and Maribel have a nice lunch together and decide maybe they could have lunch again the next day. 

[Make a connection +Heart 5+2=7 vs 7,1 Weak Hit.  +1 momentum, mark progress on connection, Ask Rumors and Local Talk +1 tied to them. Complication: Watched, someone is keeping tabs]

Andre mentions the mysterious pickup truck, but leaves out the fact it was trailing mist.  Maribel laughs and talks about “The Painter.”  It’s a local folk tale of the deceased painter, Andrew Gibson, who drives around at night staring at people in parked cars.  Usually, teens making out.  Legend states that Andrew was obsessed with keeping his daughter away from boys in parked cars.  He mysteriously was killed when he fell from a short 8 foot ladder.  People say his daughter did it.
“Well, I certainly wasn’t making out with anyone!”  And they both laughed.  Maribel had a twinkle in her eye that Andre knew unmistakably.  They definitely had some chemistry.

“Oh, well, I’m sure you are just pulling my leg.  Grandma probably told you about the Painter and you are just giving me a hard time.  What are you looking for in the library?”

Andre tells her about the church Beverly mentioned, and she leads him to the local library, where they both begin do to some research on it, to see what they can find out. 

[Gather Information Move +wits 4+2=6 vs 10,2 Weak Hit. +1 momentum.  Reveal a Danger in the future]

Andre looks up information about both the church, and this Andrew Gibson fellow. [Action Theme – Close Navigation for Andrew] [Collapsed Photo for the church]

He finds out that the church collapsed sometime in the 80’s, but had been abandoned long before that.  Just as Beverly said, there were reports of strange happenings at the church long before it ceased being used.   He found a photo of the preacher and his family standing outside the church when it first opened.  Like most really old photos, it was very blurry and didn’t say much.  But interestingly, the name of the preacher was Andrew Gibson.  And in the photo, there was a young girl standing with him and his wife.   Andrew was in fact a painter in the community, that was his livelihood since being a country preacher didn’t come with any income.  His obituary in the local newspaper didn’t mention a cause of death.  But maybe he could pay a visit to the local police department.

[Mark progress on Investigate Old Church +3 boxes]

What does Maribel do besides help her grandmother at the inn? Local Authority > School Board member

Andre gets Maribel’s phone number; she jokes that she doesn’t have one of those fancy cellular phones.  Andre concurs that one would come in handy if he is out and about and gets into trouble, but they are too expensive for him as well.  She reminds him to leave a message if she doesn’t answer.

After learning a lot about Andrew and the church, and that they were connected, Andre decides to drive back out to the church ruins. 

Weather – Good weather

[Embark on a road trip +1 from Road Dog +wits 1+3=4 vs 10,7 Miss.  Mark Learn from failures progress.  Reveal a Danger]

Andre drives out to the church site once again.  He makes sure he has his firearm, and this time, he finds a long straight stick along the path that he can use to flush out any snakes or other critters.  By the time he makes it back to the ruins, the sun is beginning to make it’s way past the edge of the treetops.  He doesn’t want to be out here at night, so he tries to hurry about the site, looking for clues.

[Gather Information +wits 4+2=6 Weak Hit. +1 momentum.  Introduce a cost] 

Andre searches for items in the ruins, and finds some rattlesnake skin, molted away.  He pockets some of it, it mind come in handy for some ritual.  He also finds a small bible, with the name Jean Gibson inscribed.  He thumbs it open, it is in surprisingly good condition, and finds the family tree section filled out. Listed as the father is Andrew Gibson.  When he reads that entry, suddenly the reality shifts, and he is standing in the church fully intact.  A sermon is happening silently in front of him.  Andrew is preaching with fervor, many of the congregation are raising their hands in worship.  Andrew motions for a small girl to come forward, Andre knows it is Jean somehow.  He forces her hands into a box, and she removes a writing rattlesnake.  A look of terror suffuses her face as her father wraps the beast around her shoulders.   Suddenly another woman runs forward, her mother, and the snake lashes out and bites her on the face.  She collapses on the ground, and the vision fades away.

[Witness something strange +Heart 5+2=7 Weak Hit. -1 Spirit]

Andre wipes sweat from his brow from the disturbing scene just revealed.  On a hunch, he moves past the foundation of the church into a small clearing behind some nearby trees.  There, standing alone among the trees are 2 headstones.   Andrew and Mary Gibson.  Andrew died a few days after Mary.

[Mark progress on the vow +3]

The sun is really and truly starting to set now, and Andre makes his way back to his car and then the motel.  When he arrives, he gets some supplies from his trunk.  An old book, some candles, and salt.  He goes into room 7, and pulls the curtains closed.  He doesn’t turn on any lights but instead lights some candles on the tiles of the bathroom floor.   He sprinkles a circle of salt around where he is sitting, including the candles.  He draws out the book, and flips it open to a page outlining rituals to Sever a connection.  He burns a page of Jean’s Bible and collects the ashes in a small shallow dish.  He crumbles up the snakeskin and adds it as well. Then he calls out to Andrew Gibson, and waits.  These things take time.

[Work the Ritual +1 from ashes of bible and snakeskin +Wits 3+1+2=6 vs 1,3 Strong Hit. +1 momentum, the effect is clean and contained]

After a few hours of sitting in silence, the candles burning low, an apparition appears in the motel room.  It is the figure you saw in the pickup truck.  You can see now that the spirit is an amalgamation of both Andrew and presumably his wife Mary.  They look at you sadly, reach out a hand as if they wanted you to take it, then gently fade away.  You know in your heart that the spirit has been laid to rest.  No sightings of the Painter should be seen going forward.

[Mark last progress box of Church vow]

[Fulfill a vow 10 progress vs 2,2 Critical Hit. +1 experience from Troublesome vow, Kindred sign: Clear Watched if marked]

Andre feels a sense of peace roll over him, and he puts away the materials for his ritual.   He tucks himself into bed, ready for sleep.

Soon after he falls asleep, the radio crackles to life, and he hears the voice of his Mother say over immense static, “Andre, be careful”.

End of Session