# Hearthmere Turn Report — Month 3 (Late spring, Year 1)

### The Village, Kilns, and Quarters

At Hearthmere, late spring brought dry ground and steady labor. Kira supervised a second major communal kiln firing, drawing upon seasoned wood to produce a full run of Lorn’s standardized ceramic grain jars with precision-fitted lids alongside durable, curved interlocking roof tiles. 

In the domestic quarters, Noll directed work crews to install the fresh tiles across living shelters, securing living spaces against summer storms. Alongside roof repairs, Noll’s crews split firewood and stacked it in open-crib patterns across the drying racks, taking advantage of the warm winds to ensure a reserve of dry fuel for upcoming kiln cycles.

### The Measure House Assembly and Public Reweighing

At Measure House, the annual public reweighing took place before Convenor Belen, Keeper Oren, Junior Keeper Sella, and the four clan witnesses. Belen and the gathered witnesses examined the cord and verified the intact seal on the Stonecross reference chest before cutting it open. Placed upon the balance beam, Measure House's working stones balanced true against the reference stone, formally certifying the regional standard for Year 1. Immediately following certification, Reedhaven completed its scheduled Month 3 exchange of woven baskets for grain against verified tallies.

### The Winter Ledger Discrepancy and Unanimous Accord

When the floor opened to receipt verification, delegates from Barleybank presented chits documenting a two-weight discrepancy dating from winter deliveries. Before tension could harden into dispute, Pia spoke for Hearthmere. Acknowledging openly that eighteen dependent Hearthmere households had received emergency grain during the midwinter famine, Pia formally tabled the Storage & Reserve Agreement. 

Confronted with the tallies, Keeper Oren admitted to the gathering that he had utilized an uncertified receiving stone kept in the rear cupboard to secure emergency supplies during the shortage, maintaining he had acted to avert starvation without malice toward any clan. 

The assembly weighed the testimony calmly. Convenor Belen and all four clan witnesses—including Barleybank and Hearthmere—ratified a unanimous settlement:
- Consignments of Hearthmere’s standardized ceramic grain jars will be delivered to extinguish the central ledger balance.
- Barleybank receives documented restitution through priority allocations of ceramic storage jars and future harvest credits.
- Oren remains in his position as keeper, but his ledger work is now subject to regular joint tally oversight by Sella and Belen.

The agreement preserved communal peace, closed the unassigned book liability, and protected the eighteen households from public stigma.

### Regional Trade Accords

With the reweighing and audit concluded amicably, commercial negotiations moved forward briskly:
- **Reedhaven** agreed to weave fitted wicker protective sleeves for Hearthmere's ceramic vessels and provide river barge transport, easing the strain of carrying heavy pottery over rough dirt tracks.
- **Barleybank** finalized contracts for autumn deliveries of storage jars, pledging sound threshed grain in return at harvest.
- **Stonecross** confirmed that the upland road and roadside shelter remain cleared and maintained for all regional traders moving between settlements.

### Current Position and Unresolved Pressures

Hearthmere leaves late spring with substantial accomplishments, but immediate obligations now press upon the village:
- **Production Obligations:** Hearthmere must fulfill its pledged jar consignments to clear the winter ledger account at Measure House while also producing the priority jars contracted for Barleybank before the harvest rush.
- **Transport Logistics:** Coordinating with Reedhaven's river craft and basket weavers will require synchronizing pottery output with barge schedules.
- **Fuel and Kiln Capacity:** Kira and Noll must balance timber cutting and drying against continuous firing cycles so the village does not exhaust dry fuel reserves before summer's end.