The Book

The Book is a disciplinary text invoked by hierarchs when assigning penance. Avout speak of authorities “throwing the Book” at someone, meaning the person must complete a specified range of chapters, often immediately and without returning to other activities.

First Appearance and Context

During the closing festivities of an opening at the Concent of Saunt Edhar, the Warden Regulant spoke of throwing the Book at Fraa Lio after he confronted uniformed visitors in the meadow. Moments later she formally threw the Book at another avout, assigning a block of chapters and directing him straight to the Mynster to carry it out in a cell, even at the cost of foregoing goodbyes.

Roles/Actions and Affiliations

• Penance tool: Completing assigned chapters functions as a formal penance administered by the office that oversees internal Discipline.
• Procedure: The assignee proceeds to a cell in the main hall to complete the work in seclusion; assignments may comprise multiple consecutive chapters.
• Oversight: Because the Regulant’s office is a branch of the Inquisition, use of the Book is understood as part of maintaining Discipline inside the walls.

Relationships

• Office: Administered by the Warden Regulant; the current holder at Saunt Edhar is Suur Trestanas.
• Persons: Referenced in connection with discipline surrounding Fraa Lio after a confrontation with visitors during Tenth Night.

Descriptions/Characteristics

• Format: A codified text divided into numbered chapters; assignments are described by chapter ranges (e.g., “Chapters … through …”).
• Usage: The idiom “throw the Book” in this context is literal as well as colloquial—signaling a formal chapter assignment rather than a mere figure of speech.

Current Status/Location

Actively used at Saunt Edhar as a standard instrument of penance. Chapter assignments are completed in a Mynster cell under the authority of the Warden Regulant.