# Hearthmere Turn Report — Month 2 (Mid-spring, Year 1)

### The Village, Kilns, and Households

The mid-spring weather brought firmer footing to the clay slopes, and Hearthmere's domestic efforts moved forward smoothly. Following the repairs to the communal flue, Kira oversaw a full-scale firing of the main communal kiln. Fuel drawn from Noll's elevated drying racks burned clean and steady, yielding a substantial batch of Lorn’s standardized grain jars along with durable, curved roof tiles. 

Noll’s work crews immediately turned those tiles toward weatherproofing, securing vulnerable living quarters and storehouse roofs against further rain. Across the yard, Mela successfully integrated members of the eighteen dependent households into slip preparation, clay refining, and straw packaging. The work proceeded as ordinary community labor rather than counted charity, preserving household standing while building up Hearthmere's trade goods.

### The Measure House Registry and the Ledgers

At Measure House, Pia participated in the customary second-month proceedings, presenting Hearthmere’s delivery chits and receipts to Belen and Sella for entry into the seasonal registers. The copying was conducted in good order, and Hearthmere’s documented deliveries stand verified.

Following directives, Pia quietly examined the recorded lines for last winter's emergency grain. The transfer of grain to Hearthmere’s eighteen households is booked under Measure House’s central accounts, with no specific clan or community source identified for the delivery. In cross-referencing Sella’s duplicate records, Pia noted an unassigned balance alongside the entry. Keeping to her instructions, Pia documented the entry into Hearthmere’s notes without voicing challenges, accusations, or public questions. Keeper Oren’s reputation remains strong among the gathered folk, and there is no physical proof that weights or ledgers were altered, though the origin of the grain that fed Hearthmere's families remains accounted for only through central stores.

### Craft Demonstrations and Regional Interest

Lorn and his apprentice presented Hearthmere’s standardized ceramic grain jars before the gathered witnesses and delegates at Measure House. Lorn demonstrated how fitted lids sealed with beeswax and clay slip bar moisture, insects, and rodents without requiring grain to be repeatedly turned out into open bins.

The demonstration drew clear interest:
- Senior witness Belen officially accepted three sealed test jars of sample grain into custody, placing them under formal observation through the autumn to verify their performance.
- Visiting delegates from Barleybank and Reedhaven expressed strong commercial interest in establishing exchange agreements, seeing the jars as valuable protection for their own harvest stores and river transport.

### Pressures and Preparations for Month 3

As mid-spring closes, Hearthmere stands sheltered and productive, but critical decisions arrive with the coming month:
- **The Month 3 Reweighing:** The annual public reweighing and assembly is scheduled for next month at Measure House. All four community witnesses—Barleybank, Reedhaven, Stonecross, and Hearthmere—will be present alongside Belen, Sella, and Keeper Oren. 
- **The Ledger Question:** Pia holds a clear record showing that the winter relief grain sits in an unassigned central account. Hearthmere must decide how to conduct itself at the assembly: whether to seek quiet clarification, confer with other clan witnesses, or let the matter rest, mindful that three witnesses can order a one-month suspension under Belen's custody, while four can confirm replacements or restitution claims.
- **Trade and Food Security:** Hearthmere's own grain land remains thin, but Lorn's jars have established real leverage. With Barleybank and Reedhaven receptive, forward agreements for grain and timber can be pursued as formal trade resumes under assembly supervision.