Extramuros

Extramuros is an Orth term referring to what lies beyond the walls—especially beyond the walls of the mathic communities. According to The Dictionary (4th edition, A.R. 3000), its connotation has evolved across eras:

• Old Orth: literally “outside the walls,” often used for walled city‑states of that age.
• Middle Orth: the non‑mathic world and its turbulent state after the Fall of Baz.
• Praxic Orth: regions or social classes not yet enlightened by the resurgent wisdom of the mathic world.
• New Orth: similar to the Middle Orth sense, but often applied to settlements immediately outside a math’s walls, implying relative prosperity and stability.

First observed in context, an avout describes “an artisan from extramuros” who is admitted to the New Library to repair a hard‑to‑reach rafter as Apert approaches. The conversation is recorded by the narrator, Fraa Erasmas, acting as amanuensis. In this usage, extramuros serves as a shorthand for the non‑mathic world outside the math’s enclosure.

Usage and relationships

• Contrasts with the mathic world inside the walls; avout commonly use it to distinguish those who live and work outside.
• In current practice, it also functions as a social marker (e.g., “an artisan from extramuros”) rather than a precise geographic boundary.
• The term frequently appears alongside references to extramuros tools and media, such as the jeejah and a speelycaptor, highlighting cultural and technological differences between the math and the outside world.

Current status

Extramuros remains an active term in speech within the math, reflecting both a physical outside and a broader cultural distinction from mathic life.