Twinsmoke censer

A (small) cure for what ails some.

Written by Acturus Albani, stranger in creation and certainty.

A twinsmoke censer, also called two-headed smoke dragon, is the generic name for Yōkenji vessels used to burn smellsticks, thin pieces of wood imbued with the essence of many an aroma. They are primarily used as a way to spread this aroma throughout a room in a controlled manner, while amplifying their smell through arcane means. Despite what its names imply, twinsmoke censers can hold many smellsticks and produce as many scents or more from them. The censer can vary in size, material and design, normally leaving its internal components intact but allowing the artisan to express themselves when crafting its external appearance. 

 Although mainly used to scent rooms, it has been discovered that the pure scents produced by the censer can heal or alleviate many symptoms related to mental anguish and some illnesses when still in their most mild state. Manic patients, for example, can be subjected to hour-long sessions of sandalwood and lavender smellstick burning, with the expected result being that their symptoms will be significantly reduced by the session's end. This has bolstered the popularity of the so called 'aroma therapy', wherein many a sign of anguish can be diminished through these non-intrusive means.

Utility

Twinsmoke censers are mostly used as a form of aroma therapy, wherein smells that come from the censer will be amplified many times over using the item's properties and result in different effects when inhaled by a user. 

The twinsmoke censers replaced other smoke-based treatments and enhancements present in Ni'Hel, wherein a person needed to inhale the vapours directly into their lungs for it to take effect, resulting in health complications along the way. Because the censers reduce the total amount of smoke generated, the impact on a person's well-being is significantly lower. 

However, this has also implied that new forms of narcotics are being developed for these censers, resulting in their effects being much more intense than they normally would do to the object's amplifying properties.

Manufacturing

The manufacturing process for twinsmoke censers is a secret kept close to the artisans that are allowed to produce them. Several attempts to reproduce their make have resulted in more questions than answers. Dismantling specimens has revealed that the wood used is magically imbued in some way, while the central cylinder that holds the smellsticks appears to be mundane in its craftmanship. 

The production of smellsticks has also been shrouded in mystery.  There have been many attempts to replicate the intensity an purity of the aromas they can produce, with all of them falling short of the original product's quality. It is unknown if these sticks are produced through arcane means or if they require a lengthy imbuing process.

Inventor(s)

Twinsmoke censers were invented by Akira Tenyō I, former Empress of the Yōken Empire.

Access & Availability

Twinsmoke censers are widely available in the continent of Ni'Hel and are sold as a novelty item in the Kingdom of Crendameth. However, the price of the censer itself and its smellsticks is oftentimes prohibitive, leading to both being considered as luxury items by many.

Complexity

Twinsmoke censers' design is deceptively simple, requiring little effort on behalf of its users but requiring expert craftmanship and advanced arcane knowledge to put together. Although it can use any readily available incense stick, the ones that are have been specially prepared to be used with a twinsmoke censer are more effective and are generally cited as smelling better than their regular counterparts.

Discovery

Twinsmoke censers were invented by the former Empress of the Yōken Empire while attempting to reduce the amount of narcotics being consumed within her borders. Initially, they were supposed to replace the smoketubes imported from Al Ramalwhil, a concept that never came to fruition after the costs and logistics of such an operation were considered. 

The Empress kept the first twinsmoke to herself, finding great pleasure in experimenting with different combinations of smells and the ways to enhance the potency of the smells produced by the burning smellsticks. It was her goal to reach the purest possible smell available, if only for the sake of enhancing the palace's presentability. 

However, the Empress realized that her granddaughter had been suffering from less nightly terrors when exposed to the twinsmoke's aromas. Sized by what some might call divine inspiration, the Empress began performing tests on servants that had complained about different issues. She discovered that, while not a cure for all ails, the smells managed to affect them in different ways, be it through their relaxation or by curing symptoms of mildly progressed illnesses, like chronically congested noses or the like.