Victorious Faction
Ashen Pilgrims
The Ashen Pilgrims are a group of dedicated individuals who follow the Phoenix's ashes to sacred sites, seeking to uncover the secrets of rebirth and renewal. They embark on a global journey, facing challenges and trials along the way, all in the name of witnessing the legendary bird's fiery resurrection. The Pilgrims are characterized by their determination, self-sacrifice, and unwavering faith in the ancient prophecy.
Faction Leader
Aria Emberheart
Aria Emberheart is a wise and compassionate leader who has dedicated her life to studying the ancient prophecies surrounding the Phoenix. She believes that witnessing the bird's rebirth is essential for bringing balance and renewal to the world. Aria guides the Ashen Pilgrims on their journey, providing support and encouragement in the face of adversity.
Members
7Divisions
This faction emerged victorious in Week 4, advancing their narrative in the ongoing conflict.
Victory points are calculated based on player performance relative to rating, special achievements like aces and CTPs, and community contributions. Pool multipliers are applied based on division ratings and demographics to ensure balanced competition.
Collin Dyer #90957
Selkie Harbinger
Phoenix Rising @ Dow James
Wielding the power of Selkie Harbinger (#8), Collin demonstrated exceptional skill by playing +14 points above their rating in this epic clash.
Crucible's Call
Aria Emberheart and the Ashen Pilgrims have secured the first elemental marker in their quest to ensure the Phoenix's prophesied rebirth, but the enigmatic Zephyr Shadowcloak and the Obsidian Sentinels remain determined to prevent the ritual. As Jake LaPutka embraces his role as the Emberclaw Seeker, wielding the power to guide the Pilgrims, he and Aria have discovered that unlocking the secrets of renewal may demand great sacrifice. With the Inferno's Heart now in the Sentinels' possession and the true nature of Aria and Zephyr's shared past threatening to engulf them all, the waters of truth await to test the very foundations of their beliefs. As the ashes continue to swirl and ancient energies awaken, the Phoenix's imminent rebirth promises to reshape the world itself—but who will be left to witness it?
Commentary from Flippy (your trapped narrator)
Ember's Emergence
Dawn mist rolled across Dow James disc golf course, clinging to the ground in unusual patterns. Collin Dyer stood at the water's edge where a small stream cut through the property, his presence barely noticeable in the early morning haze. The Selkie Harbinger bag tag at his hip pulsed with a subtle glow, responding to something hidden in the mist's movement.
"The waters speak of shadow," he murmured, webbed fingers trailing through the stream. Where his hand touched the surface, the water briefly ignited with ember-like sparks, revealing patterns that matched the swirling ashes overhead.
Aria Emberheart emerged from the mist behind him, her amber eyes studying the phenomenon. "What do they tell you, Harbinger?"
"The Sentinels have changed something fundamental," Collin replied, his voice carrying the deep resonance of ocean depths. "Their victory with the Inferno's Heart... they're not just containing its power. They're transforming it."
As if to demonstrate, he lifted his hand from the water, drawing up a sphere of liquid that hung suspended in the air. Within it, shadows and embers danced together in patterns that shouldn't have been possible—fire and water, light and dark, coexisting in impossible harmony.
"The trial ahead," he continued, "it won't respond to pure Phoenix energy as we expected. The ancient wards... they'll react differently to this transformed power."
Players began arriving as the sun crept higher, many still processing the implications of the Sentinels' victory at the Inferno's Ignition. Jake LaPutka approached the gathering, the Emberclaw Seeker disc in his hands still showing traces of shadow integrated into its ember patterns.
"The paths are different today," he reported to Aria, gesturing to the faint trails only he could see. "They're not just fire anymore. It's like... like they're adapting."
Collin nodded, the ember-freckles across his skin glowing brighter. "The Phoenix's power evolves, just as water finds new channels when its path is blocked." He reached out, touching Jake's disc with one webbed finger. Where they connected, a brief flash of blue-green fire rippled across the disc's surface.
"The Selkie Harbinger's gift," Aria explained to Jake's questioning look, "allows him to bridge elemental boundaries. Water and fire, shadow and light—his presence helps us find harmony where others see only opposition."
The sound of approaching footsteps interrupted their discussion. Lucas Gazzola emerged from the shadows of a nearby tree, the transformed Inferno's Heart pulsing within its obsidian container at his side.
"Fascinating," he observed, studying Collin with evident interest. "The Selkie Harbinger awakens. We wondered when you would reveal yourself."
Collin's response was to exhale slowly, his breath becoming visible mist that revealed complex patterns of ashes and shadows swirling through the air around them. The display showed how the energies were flowing—and more importantly, how they were changing.
"Your victory changes the cycle," Collin stated, his voice carrying both warning and wonder. "But change flows both ways. What you transform may transform you in return."
The round began with an energy unlike anything previously felt at Dow James. As players moved through the course, they found themselves navigating not just physical obstacles, but shifting patterns of elemental power. The Ashen Pilgrims, led by Aria's guidance and Collin's insights, began to adapt their approach.
On the fourth hole, Collin demonstrated the new reality they faced. As he prepared to throw, his sealskin nature manifested more strongly—his form becoming fluid, almost translucent. His disc, when released, left a trail that combined water and ember in a spectacular display.
"The Phoenix's power isn't diminished by the Sentinels' victory," he explained to the watching Pilgrims. "It's finding new expressions, new paths to renewal."
Lucas watched from the shadows, the transformed Inferno's Heart resonating with each display of Collin's power. The artifact's energy, once purely flame, now pulsed with deeper, more complex rhythms.
"The Harbinger offers false hope," he called out, shadows gathering around him. "The water trial ahead will recognize only pure energies, not these... hybrid manifestations."
Collin turned to face him, water droplets suspended in the air around him igniting with inner fire. "The trial recognizes truth, Shadowmist Keeper. And truth, like water, flows where it will—not where we demand it go."
To demonstrate, he touched the stream again, and this time the water rose in a spiral around him. Within the liquid column, shadows and embers danced together, neither dominating the other. The display drew gasps from watching players as they realized the implications—the Sentinels' transformation of the Inferno's Heart hadn't weakened the Phoenix's power, but opened new possibilities for its expression.
Jake stepped forward, the Emberclaw Seeker disc glowing with renewed purpose. "The paths I see... they're not just fire trails anymore. They're like... rivers of light, flowing through shadow."
"Yes," Collin confirmed, the ember-freckles across his skin pulsing in rhythm with Jake's disc. "The water trial ahead will test not our ability to overcome shadow, but to find harmony within it. The Sentinels believe they've corrupted the Phoenix's power—instead, they've helped us discover its true depth."
As the round progressed, Collin's guidance helped the Ashen Pilgrims develop new techniques. Players learned to read the subtle interactions between water and flame, shadow and light. Their throws began to leave trails that combined elements in ways that even the Sentinels hadn't anticipated.
On the thirteenth hole, Aria gathered the Pilgrims for a crucial revelation. "The Selkie Harbinger's presence shows us what we couldn't see before," she announced. "The Phoenix's rebirth was never meant to be a pure flame that burns away darkness. It's the harmony of all elements, finding balance in transformation."
Collin demonstrated by throwing a shot that seemed to bend reality itself. His disc passed through both shadow and light, water and flame, leaving a trail that showed how all elements could coexist. The display caused even Lucas to pause in his opposition, the Inferno's Heart pulsing with what almost seemed like recognition.
"The water trial approaches," Collin reminded them, his form shifting slightly as high tide began to turn. "The ancient wards there will respond not to force, but to understanding. The Sentinels believe they've prevented our path forward—instead, they've helped us discover a deeper truth about the Phoenix's power."
As if in response to his words, the morning mist began to gather more purposefully, forming patterns that resembled flowing script. Within the ethereal writing, players could glimpse hints of the trial to come—not a confrontation between opposing forces, but a challenge to find harmony within apparent opposition.
Aria smiled, understanding dawning in her amber eyes. "The Phoenix's renewal was never about destroying darkness to make way for light," she realized. "It's about finding the spark of flame within shadow, the drop of water within fire—the balance that makes true transformation possible."
The day's final throws were accompanied by displays of power that defied traditional boundaries. Players who had aligned with the Ashen Pilgrims found their discs leaving trails that combined elements in ways that spoke of deeper possibilities. Even the shadows cast by the Sentinels seemed to contain hints of inner light, suggesting that their victory with the Inferno's Heart had set in motion changes they hadn't anticipated.
As twilight approached, Collin prepared to return to his fully aquatic form with the high tide. Before departing, he left the Pilgrims with a final insight: "The waters of truth await us, but not as anyone expects. What the Sentinels have transformed cannot be untransformed—it can only be understood, integrated, harmonized. Our path forward isn't to overcome shadow, but to help it dance with light."
The Selkie Harbinger's form became translucent, merging with the stream as the last light faded. But the patterns he had revealed remained—in the mist, in the shadows, in the very air around them. The Phoenix's power hadn't been diminished by the Sentinels' victory; it had been revealed in its full complexity, flowing like water through shadow and light alike, finding new paths to renewal.
The water trial ahead would test not their strength against opposition, but their ability to find harmony within apparent contradiction. And in that challenge lay possibilities that neither faction had imagined—possibilities that the Selkie Harbinger had shown them were always there, waiting to be discovered in the space between elements, in the dance of shadow and flame, in the eternal flow of transformation itself.
Flippy's Hot Take