Centenarians

The Centenarians—also called the Hundreders—are a mathic cohort whose gate opens only once each century. At Saunt Edhar they keep their own community and have a reserved south nave within the Mynster.

First Appearance and Context

Within the Concent of Saunt Edhar, the cohort is based in the adjacent Centenarian Math across a meadow and wall from the neighboring Decenarian Math. In shared rites they are associated with the south nave of the Mynster.

Roles/Actions and Affiliations

• Centennial opening: Their gate opens only once each century. Avout note that if a Tenner became a Hundreder during an Apert, that person would share the current opening but would almost certainly not live to see the following centennial one.
• Preparatory questioning: In the years leading up to an opening, Hundreders are said to conduct interviews through a grate in the dark of the upper labyrinth to gather information and ready their community.
• Choral service at Voco: During the aut of Voco in the Mynster, a choir of Hundreders sings a monophonic chant. When a member is called, the avout steps alone through the Centenarians’ screen to answer the summons. Named Hundreders at Saunt Edhar include Suur Bethula and Fraa Athaphrax, both identified from the Edharian chapter of the Centenarian community during a calling.
• Regulated rooftop access: At night, portcullises allocate sole access to the rooftop instruments so that a single math uses the stair and roof at a time; these arrangements are administered under the authority of the Warden Regulant.
• Screens and privacy: Their screen in the hall is opened for formal processions during auts, and high‑resolution imaging across naves has been barred so that their space remains private during services.

Relationships

• Neighbors: Their math stands across a walled meadow from the Decenarian Math and they share rites in the central hall.
• Comparisons: They are regularly contrasted with the Thousanders in discussions of cycle length and outlook.

Descriptions/Characteristics

• Use of grounds: Their side of the shared meadow is described as supporting livestock, reflecting an agrarian use of nearby land.
• Names and usage: "Centenarians" is a formal designation; "Hundreders" is a common informal term. A single member may be called a "Hundreder" or a "Centenarian."

Terminology and Historical Notes

A dictionary entry defines “to go Hundred” as derogatory slang meaning to lose one’s mind. It traces the phrase to a Third Centennial Apert when the gates of several Hundreder maths opened to startling outcomes across different sites; these mishaps are cited as prompting the creation of the Inquisition and the modern empowerment of hierarchs such as Wardens Regulant to inspect and impose discipline in all maths.

Current Status/Location

Active within the Concent of Saunt Edhar. The choir of Hundreders has been heard during a Voco, and contact with others is expected by way of grated interviews in the upper labyrinth ahead of their rare opening. Access to the rooftop remains regulated by portcullises under hierarch authority.