The Camilla Dictionary Project

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One might consider it a strange pursuit given that the chief worry of many is surviving an attack by beasts, the haunting of a ghost, or the unpredictable calamities of wild magic. However, I guarantee that my work will help ensure the preservation of civilized society for all.

— Vauquelin Norwood, Librarian of the Camilla Grand Library

This great work was started in 1256 by Librarian Vauquelin Norwood of the Camila Grand Library. Vauquelin believed that the creation of a single catalogue of words and their history to be browsed by all would be essential to tightening the bonds between all peoples of the world. Therefore, he set to work on creating a set of works that preserve that languages of the world. The Camilla Dictionary is work is still in progress and it is expected to remain in progress for the foreseeable future as words are found and recorded.
When completed, the dictionary, which will comprise of several volumes, will catalogue every known word and their history in languages including Common, Elvish, and Dwarvish. It is among the most ambitious works undertaken at the grand library of the Free City of Centrum, and one that is time consuming and expensive. The nature of this work has garnered some resistance from other librarians of the Camilla Grand Library.

If this dictionary is to remain useful, then it will have to be constantly updated. I do not believe that Vauquelin has given thought to the costs in time and resources this could incur. If his present backer decides to cut their losses then this project will end.

— Arazana Vinterwind, Librarian of the Camilla Grand Library

A common criticism of the dictionary project by other librarians is that it would be impossible to account for every word in a timely manner. That is, the recording of every word is an impossible feat due to the nature of living languages. The meaning of a word can change and new words are often invented. Changing meanings and invention are both properties of living languages. This is often cited as a reason for the foolhardiness of trying to create a work to account for all words. Vauquelin was undeterred by these criticisms and managed to find a small group of scholars with a like-minded ambition to his own. They are able to continue pursuit of their project with the backing of the Mabara Guild, which is presently offering funding for their efforts.
Jofina Katsaros, the most gifted scholar of Vauquelin's group, devised an efficient method of gathering words and their meanings. The group would send letters to as many people as possible across the continent asking them for a single word they know. These letters would then be sorted and catalogued as they were received. The process appears to have some effectiveness as these small letters are received by the library every day.

Medium

Paper

Location

Camilla Grand Library

Note(s) from the Archivists:

Should we make our own dictionary? - Archivist Edward
Why? The Grand Library is already making one for us. - Archivist Savitri