Build the Best Nest (a game)

And of old it was not darksome, but full of light and splendour, as is still remembered in our songs.
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Ent Ancient
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Holy holy ahh sweetly sweetly eeh, sing the thrushes in the trees beneath the Lonely Mountain and around Ravenhill. Their lovely song fades and is interrupted --

WHOOSH...
CRACK...
CLANK!

……
Silence.

A storm blows through, knocking down branches and destroying carefully built nests. The next day, the birdsong is quiet. They are too busy rebuilding to sing. One thrush has made it her mission to save the spring broods! With the help of a wise raven to translate, she has flown far and wide asking all folk and creatures for help rebuilding their nests.

This is where you come in, resident of, or visitor to, Erebor. You’ve heeded the thrush's call and are here to help the birds gather nesting material and build new nests. After all, who knows when they might help defeat a dragon!

How does the game work?
1. RP yourself searching for nesting material by picking a space from the grid below.
Spaces may or may not contain nesting material (grass, sticks, etc.), nothing, other items or situations to RP.
Nesting material is worth 1 point each. Other items may be worth extra points.

2. Once you have obtained 2 different types of nesting material (for example, grass and sticks, but not sticks and sticks), you may choose to have birds LAY EGGS in the nest you built.
If you choose to Lay Eggs, you may NOT also search the grid in the same round. Eggs are worth 2 points each, so get nesting! Dice will determine # of eggs laid.

The game ends when no squares remain. The winner is whoever has the most points (nest material + eggs + other item points). Nice and simple, I hope!

(photo & grid by me)

Squares searched: A7, B3, E5, E6, G2, H1, H2, H3
Rules
- I’ll encourage playing birds, animals, dwarves or humans of Erebor/Dale, but you may play whatever race or being you like, including canon characters.
- You may only search one grid space (or opt to lay eggs if able to) per round (which is each GM update). You can do RP in between if you want. RP does not need to be elaborate. Just have fun.
- Bold your grid space or decision to lay eggs.
- No bright or light colours.
- Label OOC, no need to white out.
- No godmoding except by me, the GM.

@ me in here with questions/comments/bird treats/whatever

(Game was very loosely inspired by the board game Wingspan and with some feedback from @Goosil )
Last edited by Lail on Thu Mar 25, 2021 11:59 pm, edited 2 times in total.

Balrog
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Lusola was a long way from home. He’d gotten his bearing all turned out of whack in a freak storm as he was heading north for the summer, toward the great inland sea, but new he was not sure where he was. There was no sea, there was a lake though. It was not one he recognized, but all the same he needed water, and he needed to rest. The world was cold and grey here, wherever here was. There was a large mountain in the not so distant distance. Perhaps there were birds there that might tell him how to get back to his desert home far south? He assumed it was south, but really he had no way of knowing. Lusola was very lost and very nervous. He didn’t want to worry too much, it was nearly mating season and he was going to need all his fluffy black feathers if he was going to attach a mate this year. What kind of birds lived here? Would they be kind and friendly? He was rather small bird and knew that many of the larger birds of the world liked to pick on and eat the littler ones. He was very cautious in how he dipped his head in the water and let it run back and cool his back feathers. The world seemed quiet and peaceful. He tweeped and cheeped and chirped, trying to gauge the friendliness of his fellow avians. A thrush appeared. A thrush! The little desert cardinal realized he was very far away from his intended inland sea indeed! She needed help, this little (well bigger than Lusola) bird was in dire need of a nest. Would he help her? As unsure and nervous as he was, he knew he ought to help her. What are bird friends for anyway? Maybe after he was done helping her build a nest for her babies, she could tell him which direction the great inland sea was. A win-win! He’d better get to looking fast, he didn’t want to miss out on all the girl cardinals again!

Start me off with H1, por favor
Strange Fruit got holes in the flesh but it ain't gonn' spoil cause it never was fresh

Orc Chieftain
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Alternate Universe Michaela

Alternate Universe Michaela is a copy of the Michaela from this universe, a woman of Dale who got killed when an unstable mine collapsed on top of her. It was the mine where her husband and two sons (who were of dwarven descent, originally from the Blue Mountains) were employed. Luckily, her daughter Marida (who's of mixed heritage, but seems to take after her mother rather than her father, so she may be a bit on the small side, but looks more human than dwarven) wasn't with her (not that it would have mattered, since the only fatality was Michaela herself). In Alternate Universe Michaela's world, it was her husband and three children who got killed (since it was Marida, not Michaela, who was trying to surprise her father and siblings for a visit on her father's birthday; so this version of Marida never met Thorin, never had a falling out with him nearly three years later, and never found that time portal in an abandoned section of Erebor that led her to a new world... and a new love, whom she is still with to this day).

Alternate Universe Michaela's mission was to seek out this family (though she wouldn't come across Marida, who is no longer in Middle-earth) and somehow ease their suffering when she came across a bird of some sort that seemed to have lost it's home. Distracted from her mission (which was probably a good thing, since the family that Marida left behind would be pretty shocked to discover their mate and/or mother was still somehow alive and would want Alternate Universe Michaela to explain herself), Alternate Michaela decided that she would at least try to help her newly found avian friend (she hoped) by helping him (or her) build a new nest. But where to begin?

Let's begin with E5, please


OOC: Marida's a character I play on another Tolkien site, who started off as a dwarf when I was more into Thorin, but evolved into a woman of mixed heritage when she gained a new husband. Sort of like I did with Talina, minus the husbands. Michaela is her mother, a woman of Dale who may be a relative of the woman who called Alfrid a snake.
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He who commands the Ruling Ring... commands all

Ent Ancient
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Interrupting to clarify how this works, sorry if anyone was confused (totally my fault) --

Nest-building:
If you RP a bird, you may build a nest for yourself/your mate OR for other birds
If you RP anything not-a-bird, you are obviously building nests for the birds


Nests can be for thrushes OR any other bird you choose (ducks, geese, go crazy). You don’t have to specify the type of bird you’re building for: you can build a generic nest and I’ll pick someone to populate it with as part of your RP prompt.
Egg-laying:
If RPing a bird who built your own nest, you can lay your own eggs, your mate’s eggs OR RP woo-ing a ladybird to do it.

If RPing anything else, birds will basically find your nest, maybe give you a chirp of thanks for it, be satisfied with it and decide to lay eggs.


If you want to RP multiple characters, go for it. But you can only choose one square or lay eggs in 1 nest at a time.
Frost and Lady Winchester, your posts are absolutely perfect! (I love lost little Lusola and the creativity of AU Michaela). But if you want to change your character or anything based on this extra info, please feel free to go ahead and do so.

If you have any questions, please go ahead and ask.

Ent Ancient
Points: 2 696 
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New players always welcome!

@Call of Bearthulhu - Perhaps it is your avian instincts or the speed at which you started searching, but you have already found some nice little sticks perfect for a nest! The thrush is so impressed with your skill she drops a snail your way for a snack seeing as you are a long way from home.

@Lady Winchester - It is a lucky thing that this Michaela is still alive to help out! However, you’re not so lucky in your search. All you find is a (sadly quite empty) wine bottle left over from some careless picnickers! The thrush sings you an encouraging little ditty nonetheless.


Nestwatch aka scoreboard
@Call of Bearthulhu - 1

@Lady Winchester - 0

Khazad Elder
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Alf and Duf had discovered the Endless Stair (not many had but these two dwarves were always poking their noses into place that they should not have). They also discovered a tunnel about a quarter of the way up the stair that lead out onto the side of Zirakzigil . Down this tunnel they found a smooth stone shelf large enough to sit two young dwarves abreast. And off the shelf was a cliff with an overhanging. A perfect place to build a nest. A nest that may even lure some nobel ravens to it.
The dwarves had gotten the idea of nest building from watching the great birds soaring in the sky. Bird watching was one of their favorite pastimes. When the weather was fine and the long green slope that lead down to the Mirrormere was lush and scented, they would lie on the turf and watch the birds flying in the vast blue sky below the sailing white clouds. They would chat about how they would take such pleasure in learning how to fly like a bird. Then Duf came up with the idea of building a nest for them and maybe in return, they would teach them how to fly. And so, the planning began.
The first part of the task was gathering the supplies for the nest. They made many trips (a week's worth) up the stair carrying what they deemed was the right material; large sticks and twigs, hay, grass, bark, moss, mud, and even fish bones. It then took them a few more days to construct the nest. They weaved the large sticks and twigs into a bulky basket with a deep depression in the center. Then with the help of water from their water skins, they lined the basket with the hay, grass, bark strips, moss, mud and bones. When it dried, it held its shape wonderfully.
The last part of the task was the trickiest - building a bridge using two long poles. They had quite the challenge carrying the long poles up the narrow stair, with many a halt to rest their arms, sip some water, and chuckle over the awkward positions they had to make in order to move forward. They made the bridge from the shelf to the cliff. They placed the large nest atop the poles, then slowly lifting the poles in unison, they shimmied the nest over to the cliff ledge. There was only one scary instance when the nest rocked dangerously and the dwarves were positive it was going to crash down the side of the mountain, but it stopped teetering and plopped down snuggle into the corner of the cliff.
Wiping sweat from their brows, they sat themselves down on the shelf, and waited patiently for the birds to arrive.

E6 please!

Arien
Arien
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Geese like to nest by lakes. Goose’s first memories: cracking the egg, pecking his siblings, pecking his mother; and clear blue skies and a passably clear lake. Silty, to be honest. A little weedy and overgrown and populated by insolent fish. But a place Goose once called home.

In the shadow of the mountain, the lakes are cold. Goose doesn’t mind: that’s what goosedown is for. But spring is coming, and nests must be made. He cocks his neck. He has a very long neck. This takes some time. He’s thinking.

A shape cuts across the sky above him. Another goose? Perhaps. Perhaps not.

Still, it never hurts to be prepared.

G2
cave anserem
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Black Númenórean
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Bombycilla was appallingly drunk. He had gorged himself on early-spring berries, those that had frozen and fermented and begun to emit their glorious odors of sugar and booze, drawing every waxwing from miles around to the feast. After stuffing himself fuller than any reasonable bird would have thought possible, he had rolled about languorously on the ground on his back, absently chewing on yet another berry as drunken visions of beautiful lady birds danced before his hazy eyes- perhaps this season was the one he would finally win over that stunning falcon he'd had his eye on for years. So what if he got eaten in the end? Worth it. But then the thrush had come by, calling for help to rebuild a slew of destroyed nests! Bombycilla, obviously a hero, had somehow hauled his drunken carcass to its feet and careened into the air by the simple expedient of staggering off the edge of a cliff. His intoxicated wings gained some semblance of control before he hit the ground, and he swooped off in the direction the thrush had indicated with a triumphant trill. Nailed it!

H2!
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Evil is a lifestyle | she/her

Chef
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Zinnia buzzed through the forest at top speed, which was, to be fair, her only speed. The flowers of spring were few and far between, and she was thirsty for the sweet nectar they provided. But today, the forest was all askew, branches leaning this way and that, needles and leaves and pine duff blown every which way. She flew low and hovered over a hill that usually caught the weak winter sun, a favorite place to sip from those little red flowers that hung in rows like tiny trumpets. But today an enormous branch had fallen, destroying the young plants.

With a volley of angry high pitched chirps, Zinnia dove at the branch, tugging pine needles and bits of bark loose in an effort to find just one or two flowers that might still be left. Although...these needles might make the beginnings of a fine nest. And the bark would do to form the perfect little cup she needed to hold her tiny eggs. Hmm...

A7 please!

High Warden of Tower
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Feathers, the Pigeon

Feathers had comfortably weathered the storm tucked away in a crevice in a mountainside - it had protected her both from the wind and the rain. Once everything had calmed down she flew out to seek for a meal, and that is when she heard the call for aid from the thrushes.

Technically, she could assist, and perhaps pick up some building material while she looked for food, but then again, perhaps she should build her own nest? While the crevice had been good and she might choose it as her home it was not very cozy and needed improvements.

At any rate, she landed on the ground near a large fallen branch to see what she could find.

B3, please!
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Balrog
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“For me?” Lusola chirped. He’d never really interacted with thrushes before but when this one dropped a snail beside him he was positively ecstatic. How did she know that snails were his absolute favorite? Was she a mind reader? Thankyouthankyouthankyou he thought, and thought as hard as he could. When she didn’t react (he probably looked like he was having stomach issues) he realized that maybe she was not in fact a mind reader. He chirped a ‘thank you’ instead, avoiding eye contact with the lady thrush. He scarfed down the snail, despite trying to savor it. This always happened when he was eating snails! No matter how hard he tried to slow down and enjoy them, he always ended up gorging himself on them. It was an embarrassing trait of his. At least there was only one here this time. Oh, but what he wouldn’t give to find a rout of snails! With that mental imagine in the little lost desert cardinal’s mind, he got to work finding more sticks.

H3, please
Strange Fruit got holes in the flesh but it ain't gonn' spoil cause it never was fresh

Ent Ancient
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Joined: Sat May 23, 2020 11:34 pm
New players always welcome!!

@Afird Splitax - A gust of wind makes the platform shake, but it holds (for now)! Your nest is impressive but the ravens have not appeared. Since it seems to be missing something, Alf and/or Duf search for more material...They find a pile of old bones.

@Goosil - Quack quack quack! A duck flies overhead. Was the drake eyeing up your spot? They like silty, weedy ponds, too. Your Goose Instincts lead you to a nice puddle of mud to start your nest off with!

@Moriel - You are so addled, in fact, you flew in the exact opposite direction the Thrush told you to go! She really was trying to help--instead of finding something nice, you find yourself staring into a mouth full of big, pointy teeth. How does a drunk waxwing escape a hungry fox?

@Menolly - There are no delectable flowers for you here, just worms and grubs slithering in the bark. They might give you an extra buzz of energy if you can manage to slurp them up with your needle-nose beak. The Thrush flutters over, hoping you might share... (+1 bonus point, but sadly no nesting material)

@Pele Alarion - What a sensible pigeon you are taking cover during the storm! You are a very warm and dry and ready to face the world! Your senses (or luck) lead you in the right direction again--beside the fallen branch, you find a pile of soft, furry leaves perfect for insulating your nest!

@Call of Bearthulhu - The Thrush cocks her head at your attempt to send her a super-secret psychic message. What a strange bird, but a nice one, she thinks. She flies away after you finish scarping your snail. Too bad she didn’t stick around to warn you not to accidentally wake a cranky owl from slumber.


Nestwatch aka scoreboard:
@Call of Bearthulhu - 1
@Lady Winchester - 0
@Afird Splitax- 0
@Goosil- 1
@Moriel - 0
@Menolly - 1 (but no nesting material)
@Pele Alarion- 1

Squares searched: A7, B3, E5, E6, G2, H1, H2, H3

Chef
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Poking disconsolately at the fallen branch, Zinnia hovered back, doing an anxious tight loop in flight as she saw a feast of grubs squirming in the loose bits of fallen bark. They were far too large for her to choke down, unfortunately. Zinnia came to rest on a tiny branch, looking down at the unappealing worms, then took flight again as an enormous shadow passed overhead, her heart thrumming in a panic.

A thrush landed nearby. "Oh!" Zinnia exclaimed in the high quick voice of all hummingbirds. "Hello there. I was afraid you were a hawk, or perhaps even a crow, or, well, I don't know what, but almost anything else is large enough to eat me. That is, if they can catch me. But thrushes don't eat hummingbirds, do they, please say they don't, please?" Zinnia landed again, flipping her wings back neatly, her dark magenta throat flashing in the pale light as she rattled on. Most hummingbirds talked as fast as they flew, and Zinnia was no exception. "You eat worms, I believe, worms like these, tasty little worms and big worms too, and grubs, I suppose. I eat little worms, that is if they're very very little, and little flying things and sometimes even ants, but these worms are far too large." She looked at the thrush, then down at the crawling creatures before her. Perhaps there were little insects somewhere she could eat. Not as good as nectar, no, not as good at all, but it would keep her going and provide nutrition for her eggs and her chicks, when she had them and a nest in which to raise them.

"If you'd like some worms, you have some worms," Zinnia chirped at the thrush. "I'm off to seek the sun, and the little red trumpet flowers, and maybe some little tiny bugs I can fit in my beak. Farewell for now!"

C4 please!

Balrog
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“Ay, mierda!” the little desert cardinal tweeped as he realized who (hoo, hoo) he’d stumbled on in his overeager search for nesting construction materials. La Lachuza! His little bird heart nearly stopped. He didn’t know they lived this far north! An innocent bystander might not understand his terrified reaction to seeing an owl. Owls, after all, were not symbols of evil everywhere, and indeed they were often symbols of wisdom and learning. But little Lusola came from a place where they were known as la lachuza, a kind of shape shifting witch. One could never really tell if an owl was an owl, or if an owl was a person pretending to be an owl to put a curse on them. Sadly, this sort of thing led to lots of misunderstandings, both in the human world (where owls could be shot at or killed because of the fear) and in the bird world (where owls could be shunned). Lusola himself was a very progressive bird, but he had been so startled by the sudden appearance of the owl that he forgot all his manners, tweeped as loudly as he could, then zoomed off in a wild, zig-zag pattern. He was quite far away by the time his better angels got a hold of him. There was nothing scary about this owl! Probably… most likely… maybe…? He looked back at the old tree where he’d seen the great creature. There was no sign of the owl. Could that mean he hadn’t accidently awoken them? Or that they were out there in the sky somewhere, waiting to swoop in and devour little Lusola? He fluffed his feathers, suddenly very, very anxious. Oh this was bad. This was bad. Did the thrush know about the owl? What did they do when it was about? Were they friends? Enemies? There was only one thing the desert cardinal could do right now, he had to keep looking for sticks and straw and leaves, the more he found, the better and more protected the nest would be. Yes! He would find so many sticks it would be a fortress nest, even stronger than that mountain nearby.

H4, please
Strange Fruit got holes in the flesh but it ain't gonn' spoil cause it never was fresh

Orc Chieftain
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AU Michaela

"A wine bottle?! That's it?"AU Michaela thought to herself as she threw the wine bottle away. She knew she should have taken it and thrown it in the nearest bin (or whatever they used to dispense their trash in) but was still trying to figure out how to contact her "family" in this universe and how they would react to her (though she would have to wait to meet Marida, since she was in another world). As she was contemplating this, she noticed a thrush on a nearby branch singing a mesmerizing tune, almost as if the little bird was trying to lift her spirits.

"Hello, little bird, do you know where I can find some appropriate items to help build a nest with?" AU Michaela asked, not really expecting it to answer her, other than the usual bird sounds, but perhaps it can lead her to the right area. "Look at me, asking the local birds to help me find appropriate items!" the alternate version of Marida Grady's mother scolded herself."But who knows, maybe the birds in this universe talk!" AU Michaela shook the thought off as soon as she had it and continued on with her search.

Let's try in square A5 this time
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He who commands the Ruling Ring... commands all

Ent Ancient
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Thank you for jumping back in, @Lady of Shadow!! :smooch:

Since we were just about finished with this (i.e. the next update was going to be the last one), I'm going to wrap this one up and lock the thread. @Afird Splitax was ahead by quite a lot so I am going to declare her (and Alf & Duf and the Eagles) the winner and Official Best Nest builder!

Thanks for playing everyone, your bird stories were a joy to read!!

Part of the thread is recovered and viewable here for your reading pleasure.

EDITED Sep 8 to add: the nearly-finished thread can be viewed via the archive here!

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