Q1: Pledge Packages come with 3 Souls and at least 1 Spark of Life. You apply the Spark of Life to the Soul of your choice to create a character. Once you encounter Perma Death you need to purchase an additional Spark of Life (around $30) to re-animate the same soul or apply it to another to keep playing your second life for around another year.

Q2: Little is known about the Crafting so far in CoE since they decided to rework it when they have the time though they have said they don't want players to produce 1000's of pieces to level, but instead try and fail (and sometimes succeed) with much lower numbers. They initially introduced Mini Games and wanted Crafting to be about Skill rather than producing mass numbers, but with the revamp who knows what they will come up with. Also you will Not create a complete weapon, only parts that must be assembled. Weapons were believed to take a Blacksmith (blade), Woodworker (handle), Tanner (grip), and possibly a Jeweler (identifier), and also hinted that they needed to be maintained and repaired. So it may be a little more involved than having the raw materials and just pressing a button called Craft.

Q3: From what we understand so far I am guessing there mayl be very basic blueprints available for sheds or small hunting structures however for anything substantial will take a Architect to draw out a more detailed set of blueprints. Then of course you must locate the materials and hire builders to build it (or build it yourself if you are so skilled). Dwellings will be varied by regional style, by size, by shape, and by materials used (wood vs stone vs brick) and must be maintained or possibly upgraded over time if want to go that route. I would also assume you must use the finished materials, such as beams and planks, you can't just chop down a tree and call it a day, it will have to be taken to the lumber mill to be shaped and processed. Once again, it won't be as easy as gather the material and press "build", it will be much more involved.