Millenarians

The Millenarians are a cohort within the mathic world, also referred to as the "Thousanders." Avout speak of them as an internal group—"our Millenarians"—and outsiders often repeat exaggerated stories about them.

First Appearance and Context

They are first referenced in a discussion inside a Decenarian community, where an avout invokes the Millenarians while critiquing popular extramuros assumptions. Later descriptions place their math high on a crag overlooking the Mynster, making their presence a visible part of the concent’s landscape.

Description and Role

• Location and access: The crag of the Millenarian math rises above the Mynster on the east. For major rites, the southeast corner of the Mynster is reserved for the Thousanders; a walled, covered, fantastically hand-carved stone staircase connects their portal down the face of their crag to the Mynster’s floor.
• Liturgical participation: During the winding rite at Provener, the Thousanders are traditionally associated with the deepest sung parts, and avout repeat rumors that they cultivate techniques to achieve unusually low pitches. This is presented in-world as hearsay rather than a verified practice.
• Screened presence during Apert: During a Decennial Apert when the Year and Decade Gates opened, the Thousanders were heard reacting from behind their screen in the Mynster’s southeast corner, underscoring their separation during rites.
• Usage and pronunciation: A note in The Dictionary on the honorific "saunt" observes that within some traditional orders it is still pronounced "savant," and indicates this is probably true among Millenarians, reflecting historical shifts in Orth.

Relationships and Functions

• One among several maths sharing the Mynster—alongside other cohorts such as Unarians and Centenarians (each with their own reserved areas)—the Millenarians are depicted as part of daily and ceremonial life within the concent.
• Avout quip about their long horizons: a proposal said to have been submitted to the Millenarians centuries ago is joked to be awaiting a reply after several more centuries, reflecting their deliberative pace as it is perceived by peers.
• Continuity during disruptions: Following the Third Sack, the Thousanders remained holed up on their crag while the rest of the concent lay uninhabited for decades; during such lapses the clock can sustain itself in a hibernating mode until winding resumes.
• Extramuros perceptions: They are a frequent subject of outsider rumor, including notions of alchemical prowess; within the mathic account this is treated as misconception rather than fact.

Current Status

The Millenarians maintain their presence on the crag and attend rites in the Mynster’s southeast corner. Specific leadership, internal rules, or confirmed practices beyond what is noted above have not yet been detailed in the text available so far.