

Clinton Atwater #238970

The Phoenix Series @ Art Dye
Wielding the power of Spellthaw Matrix (#46), Clinton demonstrated exceptional skill by playing +74 points above their rating in this epic clash.
Frozen Witnesses
The icy grip of winter has tightened around Art Dye as veteran detective Maxwell 'Frostbite' Flynn and his protégé Daniel McIllece investigate the chilling phenomena plaguing the course. Strange ice formations and a frozen warning at the seventh hole point to the return of Elyse, a ghostly figure from Maxwell's past, and her haunting prophecies of the fabled Ice Phoenix. With the legendary Cryptfrost Chronometer bag tag pulsing with eldritch power and the mysterious Stephen Dunton appearing amidst the swirling snow, Maxwell and Daniel find themselves drawn into an ancient game that threatens to consume the course entirely. As the impossible becomes reality and the line between myth and truth blurs, the detectives must confront the terrifying possibility that the Ice Phoenix may soon rise from the depths of legend to reshape the very nature of the game.



Commentary from Flippy (your trapped narrator)
Frozen Witnesses
The ethereal blue glow frosted the treeline, casting long shadows across the snowbound fairway. Maxwell Flynn crouched at the edge of the seventh hole, his breath clouding the air as he studied the scene. Three sightings in as many days, each accompanied by an unnatural chill that lingered long after the ghostly lights faded.
The Ice Phoenix was growing bolder.
"Another witness, same story," Daniel said, pocketing his notebook. "Shimmering bird, cold snap, then nothing. Not even a track in the snow."
Maxwell straightened, eyeing the silent woods. "Our frozen friend's learning to cover its tracks."
"You think it's aware? Like, intelligent?"
"Let's just say I've got a feeling this bird isn't winging it."
Daniel huffed a laugh, the sound muffled by his scarf. Maxwell allowed himself a grim smile. The kid was learning to appreciate the gallows humor that came with chasing disc golf's darker mysteries.
A twig snapped in the underbrush, and both men whirled, hands dropping to their bags. A figure emerged from the trees, tall and lean, a disc bag slung over his shoulder. Maxwell recognized the shock of white hair, the ice-chip eyes that seemed to take in everything at once.
"Clinton Atwater," he called. "Fancy meeting you here."
Clinton raised a gloved hand in greeting, his eyes never leaving the scorched snow at the edge of the fairway. "Suppose I shouldn't be surprised. The way I hear it, you two are making a habit of turning up where the weird does."
"It's a living," Maxwell said. His gaze dropped to the faintly glowing bag at Clinton's hip. "Though I'm curious what brings the legendary Spellthaw Matrix out in weather like this."
Clinton's hand drifted to the bag's strap, his fingers brushing the pulsing crystal. "Let's just say I've got my reasons."
Maxwell studied the man, taking in the tension in his shoulders, the wary cast to his eyes. Clinton had the look of someone shouldering a burden he wasn't sure he could carry.
Know the feeling, Maxwell thought.
"Seems to me," he said aloud, "that if we're all out here freezing our bags off, we might as well pool our resources. Never know what kind of fires we could thaw, put our heads together."
For a moment, Clinton hesitated, his gaze darting from the woods to the snow to the glowing disc at his side. Then, slowly, he nodded.
As the three made their way back to the clubhouse, trading theories and half-remembered legends, Maxwell's mind churned. The Ice Phoenix, the Spellthaw Matrix, the whispers of ancient prophecies reawakened...
Piece by frozen piece, the puzzle was coming together. He just prayed they solved it before the final hammer fell and shattered them all.
Flippy's Hot Take