Hundred Scales Round 4/Shanty Town

As with most things it started innocently enough; winter was in full swing, the cold making it hard for the lamia of Hundred Scales to operate as they normally would, ice flows began to build up in the night, forcing ferries to stop at halfway points for hunters and workers stationed there to clear the way in the morning, rudimentary lodgings and checkpoints were built for the merchants to rest in relative comfort away from the biting cold... And it was only a matter of time before the congregations of merchants and supplies drew attention. Most of the inhabitants of the forest knew better than to actively raid the snakes' routes, fearing their wrath and the withdrawal of a much needed source of food and medicine in dire times, though this especially harsh winter emboldened some of the more brash and foolish beastfolk into making the attempt. As a result, armed guards were sent to accompany the caravans and ward off such threats in the future... And from there everything came together like toppling dominoes.

The increased presence of snake women armed with bows and spears, each skilled hunters in their own right, meant the areas around the canal were much safer than the rest of the deep woods, the presence of merchants meant food was plentiful if one could pay the price, the rudimentary shelter meant a safe haven against the cold. Thus, it stood to reason that the meeker races of the forest nomads began to congregate along the channels, gathering at checkpoints, offering their services keeping the river clear in return for food and shelter. Within a week small shanty villages began cropping up, huts built in the trees and along the banks, once wandering families settling down, trading furs and meat (and occasionally their young men) for herbs and medicine, eventually accruing their own supplies of turquoise chips to make proper transactions with the snakes, learning their tongue to better negotiate.

Thus it was that the simple act of digging a canal for transport changed the societal ecosystem within the forest, creating settlements where there were none and changing whole cultures with the newly granted means of survival. While still not technically official citizen of Hundred Scales, and still largely getting by off of scraps of what the traveling merchants can spare thanks to the scarcity of winter, who knows what the spring may bring for these budding entrepreneurs?