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; any visitor devices are considered only under strict conditions and supervision.

Avout clothing includes the everyday habit of a long strip of cloth called a bolt, which can be wrapped in different ways for warmth or modesty. In large gatherings they often sit on personal, size‑adjustable spheres that can be expanded or shrunk to serve as seats.

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.

Rites and assemblies

Avout gather for formal rites—called an aut—performed on behalf of a math or concent. During the named hour of Provener, they wind the great clock inside the Mynster. The Hylaean Anathem is sung in parts by different communities; at a climactic moment the voices lock into a single tone that helps break the capstan free so a team of avout can set the winding hub in motion. Visitors from extramuros may, when permitted, enter by the Day Gate to observe from the north nave under supervision, while the Ita attend to the clockworks and other practical arrangements.

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.