avout

Avout are the residents of a math, forming the people of the mathic community inside the walls and living under a strict Discipline that distinguishes their way of life from that of the world extramuros.

First mention and context

The term is used during a conversation in the New Library when Fraa Orolo, with Fraa Erasmas acting as amanuensis, interviews an artisan from outside the walls. Orolo contrasts the names used for the same moving‑picture practice across communities and eras, noting that “the avout who live on the other side of yonder wall” celebrate Apert only once every hundred years and would know it by yet another name. The scene also shows avout routines such as tending the great clock at Provener.

Life and Discipline

Within the math, avout describe their permitted media under the Cartasian Discipline as “chalk, ink, and stone,” abstaining from common extramuros devices. They state they do not keep speely devices or older Farspark equipment. When a visitor produced a recording tool, permission to use it was considered only under strict conditions, supervision, and designated placement.

Communities and cycles

Different avout communities observe Apert on different cycles. One math is explicitly decenarian, while others include groups who open only once every hundred years (sometimes called “Hundreders”). Because communities open at different intervals, terms for the same extramuros practice can vary across time, such as “Farspark,” “cruising the speely,” and “speel in.”

Notable avout observed so far

• Fraa Orolo: Leads the interview in the New Library and articulates the avout’s approach to observation and words over mechanical recordings.
• Fraa Erasmas: Serves as amanuensis during the interview and tends the clock at Provener.

Further details about avout orders, titles, and roles remain to be clarified as more of the mathic world is revealed.