Work of the Woodpecker

Every flock needs a nest. The freedom and chaos of the open road - a roiling battle of all
against all, and brutal survival of the fittest - is the heart and soul of the flock, but from time
to time even the most energetic need safe harbour. The woodpecker welcomes them in and
receives the adoration of his siblings. He gathers and builds, catering to the needs of others
so that he can receive their leftovers in return. It might not seem a proud way to make a
living, but woodpeckers come from finches that realise how small favours tend to compound
and that one small piece of every pie around means one hell of a big meal in the end.

The result of all this effort and accumulation of gifts and favours is the nest. Judges scoff at
these ramshackle, temporary dens. Quickly erected and demolished by hammers even
quicker. The flock makes a lot of noise, but disperse in the end. The Judge takes a drag on
his pipe and shakes his head. No permit, no squatting, migrant.

The nest will just pop back up again. Next night it occupies another alley and customers will
arrive as usual, tipped off by word of mouth and coded messages scribbled on walls.

What few of the Judges have grasped is that a nest is not a temporary location to be built up
and then torn down with all effort lost. Apocalyptics hate spending effort and have little
patience for futile tasks. If their nests were lost every time they were taken down, they would
hardly bother to make new ones.

Big nests are the result of years of work, generations of woodpeckers have picked up where
their predecessors left off or claimed it from a weak rival. They are mobile villages, never so
rooted into the landscape that they could not hit the road in a few hours. Everything is ready
to be stuffed into packs and carried off. Fabrics are torn down, wooden frames disassembled
and every useful item gathered. Everything is judged by its usefulness and the speed of the
evacuation required. Never sentimental, the flock leaves everything deemed useless, even
its fellow flock members. Soon, the nest is gone, leaving garbage and refuge behind.

Chroniclers have noted with interest how the Apocalyptics and the Jehammedans share
nomadic features. Few groups could live different lives, but both cults have adapted to a life
of travel with strangely common solutions to logistic problems. Common memetic markers,
or just the result of similar solutions to similar problems?

Since the nests are not just temporal, as it might appear on the surface, they are the most
vulnerable component of each flock. If a migrating nest is caught in the open and destroyed,
the flock is dealt a lethal blow. It might take a decade to rebuild the material foundations of
the flock so Woodpeckers quickly develop a keen instinct camouflaging their nests -
especially when they are being moved. They pick locations by instinct and the advice of the
Ravens, always looking for alternative hiding places, fallback locations and secured exits.
Remember, Finch: always have an exit.
When it is time to move on, the Ravens once again show their absolute authority over the
flock by seeing into the future and foresee dangers and possible paths. If the visions are
flawed, the flock will suffer and the Raven will find himself vulnerable to rivals.

A home away from home

Apocalyptic nests are more than just the resting place for the flock, it is a place where the
cult can ply their trade in safety and draw in guests for pleasure and business. Scrapers
more than any other cult find a second home in the nests of the Apocalyptics. A critical
market for the Apocalyptics, the dirt diggers have money to burn and very human needs that
can be met by the magpies.

Even if other cults do not court the Apocalyptics as policy, their ranks are full of men and
women who are drawn to the pleasures the Apocalyptics provide. It is a dangerous game to
play, as the migrants entangle themselves into the lives of other cults, seducing and
facilitating. Blackmail and manipulation gives the flock leverage, but also is in danger of
drawing the wrath of local authorities.

Some Woodpeckers managed to set up nests to weather such storms. Fortresses located in
unassailable positions, be they ruins or natural cliffs, offer protection. Mines and gun
emplacements do the rest. In their fortress, the flock can lick their wounds and wait for things
to calm down.

Nests are the material part of the flocks that live on beyond the individuals. While the name
of the flock holds the pride and identity of the flock, it is the nests that hold all the resources.

Allies
A nest that does not attract fellow flock members will not be operating for long. The hierarchy
of the Apocalyptics is flat and ever changing. But, still some migrants stand out from the rest
and it is by courting them that a woodpecker grows his power. One megpie of legendary
beauty might attract clientele with drafts and dinars to burn. A scheming vulture is a steady
source of stolen goods. Battlecrows offer the opportunity for racketeering and protection.
Dots in Allies show the nests standing in the internal hierarchy of the flock. Dots in Allies
show how many Apocalyptics flock to the nest for business and pleasure.

Authority
To outsiders, it might seem like the Apocalyptic respect no authority, beyond violence and
the mystical ramblings of the Ravens. It is a bit more complicated than that. It is true that the
concept of legacy or blood holds little sway amongst migrants. They do not build monuments
in stone, or elevate noble families or build connections to the land. But, they do view their
nests as something that lives on and transcends. The heart of the flock, its history and
destiny is caught up in the intangible web of material, favours and feelings they hold towards
the nest. A nest as an authority of its own, that no individual can usurp or wield. Soon
enough their bones will line the walls. Dots in Authority shows how prominent the nest is in
Apocalyptic culture.

Renown
As the nests migrate from territory to territory. In the black lounge one spring, only to appear
on the other side of the Alps, a season later. Word of mouth starts to spread. Some nests
gain names, spoken like curses or sought out like sacred carnivals of sin. It does not matter
who now controls them, visitors arrive with expectations - looking for the miracles and vices
they heard whispered about in scrapper camps and dingy bars. Dots in Renown show well
established the nest is in the rumor mills and legends of the cults and clans of the world.
Resources
Nests are the place where migrants store their loot, meet to divide spoils and place it all in a
communal pool. Too many personal possessions would tear the flock appart and slow down
the migrants - chain them down in needless squabble and lead to hoarding. To recklessly
throw something away is to show that it holds no power over you. Woodpeckers happily
gather the leftovers and hoard them. For the flock, of course. Never know when it might be
needed later. Dots in Resources show how big the nests collection of material possessions
is and how easily it can use those to adapt to their environment.

Secrets
Nothing protects a flock like the ignorance of their victims. The fury of the most powerful
enemy will be impotent if there is no ready target for their wrath. Nests have permanent
physical location by their nature, at least none that could not be given up at a moment's
notice. That said, safety lies in distributing the nest across many locations, dead drops and
safehouses. A Woodpecker would never reveal the full extent of all her preparations, not
even to the raven of her flock. When the Judges raid a nest and burn it to the ground, they
think that they got the entire thing, while in reality they only peeled off a layer. Dots in
Secrets show how well distributed and hidden a nest is.

Network
Werever a nest is set up, the apocalyptics will eagerly involve themselves with the people.
Seeking to fulfill their own desires and stoke passions in others. Outsiders are drawn to the
migrants and get entangled in their dark web. The more souls are pulled into the gravity well
of the nest, the easier the apocalyptics can find cracks in the wall of every cult and clan.
Then they start to bend, worming inside and planting their seeds. The nest as a whole reaps
the rewards and absorbs the blowback.