Woods Of Dissolution

adjusts headset Weather says 70, Creek says 0.

Five competitors rolled into Timmons Park for Episode 5’s “Calcination,” the alchemical midpoint where pressure doubles and the field starts looking like a metallurgy chart. Clouds hung low, wind hummed at 10 mph, and the Creek of Culling kept its own thermometer—one that only reads in dissolved metal.

Three Metals, One Meltdown 🔥

Patrick Kleiss emerged from the RAF crucible at +2, a 48-point rating bump to 841 that felt like watching lead flash to gold in real time. Behind him the alloy separated: Joshua Lockaby cooled to +6, while James Cable—who’d hovered near the lead early—oxidized completely on the back nine, finishing +9 and shedding 37 rating points to 749. One furnace, three very different phase changes.

The One-Man Metal Meltdown ⚗️

Robert Donald owned RAE wire-to-wire, carding a personal-best -4 that rang in at 920-rated, 73 points north of his sticker. Five birdies dotted the scorecard (holes 1, 3, 7, 8, 15) and a six-hole par train glued the front nine together. No one else got within striking distance; the rest of the division just watched the transmutation unfold.

RAG: The Cold Metal ❄️

Jessica Cable never found heat in RAG, closing at +25 and a 538 rating—technically 43 points above her number but still base-metal territory. Cold streaks ended on 3 and again on 8, only for four closing bogeys (15-18) to re-freeze the process. The furnace is lit, but her ore hasn’t cracked yet.

Three Transmutations, One Evaporation 🌡️

Beyond the podium, the numbers told the story: Donald +73, Kleiss +48, Cable (Jessica) +43 all climbed the chart, while James Cable’s -37 proved that sometimes the Creek sublimates you straight to vapor. Robert’s five birdies were the only ones the whole evening—everyone else just hoped for clean par chemistry.

Twenty Cents For Transmutation 🤝

Joshua Lockaby unlocked Charitable Champion status, sliding exactly $0.20—ten percent of his $2.00 RAF haul—into the course-improvement jar. Small coin, big statement: even evaporated metals can leave something behind for the next batch of alchemists.

Sundered Accord Slips, Halo Holds 🪙

AllIn reshuffle time. Mike Mathis missed the start, so the #1 Sundered Accord tag sank to the basement of Pool A; the fractured rings will test a new bearer next week. In Pool B, Robert Donald’s -4 defended the #1 Shattered Halo, proving a guardian can still rule the proving ground when the formula is right.

Five down, five to evolve. The calcination phase has halved the field, but the temperature keeps climbing—back here in a week to see whose alloy survives the next blast from the Creek’s crucible.