The Glorious Censer of the People

The Glorious Censer of the People (informally called "Cardamom Library" or "The Censer" - or occasionally, when no representatives of the Canton or the Houses Temporal are within earshot, "The Censor") is an immense public library located in the city of La Vieille. While there exist a number of superior and more-selectively-curated private libraries in the possession of schools and wealthy individuals,The Censer may be the only library in shield that is open to commoners and to visitors from elsewhere. The structure is ancient, being designed before the withdrawal of the Orarchs by Bilbiam, The World is a Home Encircling our Frail Clear Eye, and has been in near-continuous operation since that time. It is built from a whitish, imported stone of now-unknown provenance, lighter than that composing most stone buildings in the city. Massive stone beams arc widthwise like the bleached ribs of a sea animal over a long, curved central hall.

The grounds of the Censer are shaded by the glossy, dark green shrubs of a kind of cardamom. The smouldering ashes of the plants' pods miraculously do not damage the books, but protect them from age and insects.

The Censer was funded by the Lords Temporal, the Canton, and (formerly) the Orarchs 'to benefit the literacy and civility of the common people,' and has met with some success in its long history - it is now widely used, and many residents of la vieille and the surrounding area can read. However, the vast majority of people continue to strongly prefer oral methods of knowledge transmission, intellectual activity and entertainment, largely regarding reading and writing as a necessary inconvenience required for interacting with official institutions.