To deal with the potential clothing shortage, the Grateful first needed a supply of leather. So they began to work on a hunter's lodge. With no sheep or cattle, buckskin was the only option. The addition of venison to the diet would be nice as well, though for variety's sake a gatherer's hut would be better. But it's leather we need, not berries.
The long walk from the rest of the town would be a problem for the foresters and hunters. So it was decided to site a few wooden homes on the edge of the hunting ground, though it would be some time before supplies and labor could be spared for it.
A tailor's shop and a smithy were obviously going to be needed. For the sake of order, before they broke ground they laid out a plan for a market square. Once built, a market would be a major boon for the tailors and smiths, along with the rest of the village. The vendors will gather supplies from the barns and stockpiles, so that people can make one trip and get back to work faster. The actual market would be a project for the future. But space was set aside for it, along with space reserved for iron and coal mine entrances, a pair of houses, a storage barn and a pair of wells. Space was left for a broad stretch of cobblestone streets one day as well.
For now, building the shops for the craftsmen was more than enough a project. The first year everyone was available to work at clearing land or raising buildings. But now only a couple of people were available. Though it was a tad risky, two fishermen were reassigned to builders. But it was still an agonizingly slow job. The Grateful were still toiling away on the Tailor's shop when spring of the third year came.
After the tailor was finally at work, the people could finally get to work on the housing crisis. Homelessness was taking a toll on the state of public health, along with a monotonous diet of fish and venison and a lack of medicinal herbs. The first new house was to be one for the woodsmen. The long walk from the far side of the hunting ground to the existing house could be dangerous in the winter, and in any case it was highly inefficient.
The couple Shellen and Venesse moved into this new home. They had no children to take care of, at least so far.
The third house was one of the new ones near the future market square. It would be convenient for the tailor and smith, and also it was halfway between the village and the old storage cart. This old cart still had some supplies in it, and village children often seem to run out there to play. They cold get dangerously cold on their way home, so a warm hearth would be welcome. Workers were hard to come by, though the smith had already made many more tools than needed so he could be put back to building. Similarly there was a large stock of firewood. But due to having only two fishermen, the barn was quite empty. This was less alarming than it seemed, as the houses themselves were quite well supplied.
The third house went to Macker and Nette, who were taking care of three children. Mychalmer, a twelve year old boy, and Micharis, a ten year old girl, were siblings. Anastacey was a spry, lively two year old now. The fourth and (for the moment) final was another one built near the woods, and went to Carold, Hatti, and Colee.
The village, going into its fourth year, still has a great deal to be thankful for. Food stocks have gotten uncomfortably low, but now that all the houses are built four fishermen are on duty, and production should increase. Health has suffered greatly, but nobody has actually died. Still there are multiple issues to discuss as the villagers gather.
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