Convox

Definition

Convox is a rare, named mass‑assembly—and the designation for its host Concent (walled scholastic community)—when many avout (cloistered scholars) are Evoked (formally summoned to depart) together to travel under Peregrin (sanctioned travel outside walls) while preserving elements of the Discipline (rules of avout life) in their cohort. A mathic dictionary defines it as a large convocation of avout from maths and concents across the world, normally celebrated only at a Millennial Apert (thousand‑year opening) or following a sack (attack on a concent), but also convened in highly exceptional circumstances at the request of the Sæcular Power (worldly authority). It contrasts with Voco (rite naming departures).

Context and Usage

• Designation in practice: A host concent becomes “a Convox” when it is named as the receiving site and begins functioning as rendezvous and staging for Evoked groups, coordinating departures while upholding the spirit of the Discipline outside the walls.
• Scale and attendance: Accounts describe very large turnouts with all‑hands gatherings in a nave; more continue to arrive as proceedings unfold.
• Current accounts: Saunt Tredegarh is described as a “giant Convox,” receiving Evoked avout from multiple concents, assembling small travel groups, and dispatching them under Peregrin with low‑visibility habits (for example, moving in small cohorts and avoiding conspicuous garb).
• Assembly format: Convox‑wide announcements and briefings are delivered in Plenary (all‑hands session) held in a nave, where rules may be relaxed and recorded presentations shown. Long Plenaries can run into the night; exhausted attendees have been observed catching brief rest in back pews between sessions.
• Theme‑focused messals (observed): A Plurality‑of‑Worlds messal proceeded with a one‑way sound feed carrying the table’s audio to work spaces, letting staff follow along while they labored.
• Working sessions and inquiry: Speakers report the Convox “crunching numbers” and poring over high‑resolution phototypes of the visitors’ craft; a successful gambit to obtain such images was publicly described, and participants treat these as shared work‑product.
• Political and practical scrutiny: Participants note that the Convox is “expensive,” not chiefly in food but in effort—thousands of avout working day and night—and that outside officials expect discernible results. Such outcomes are said to ease relations with the Powers That Be.
• Participation and presence: Sæcular officials attend some sessions and speak on priorities; members of outside religious communities have also been present and contributed during a messal.
• Roles and logistics: Within dining arrangements, attendees may be paired in doyn–servitor roles, and placements among different messals or dowments can shift with hierarchs’ decisions; such shifts are sometimes described as political maneuvers or rebukes.
• Induction of arrivals: Newly arriving peregrins undergo Inbrase (named ritual service), which formally enrolls them into the Convox; groups often offer a short musical piece as a symbolic first contribution before taking up assignments.
• Gatekeeping language: At some sites a gate speaker has said, “No Convox is summoned hither. We do not look for peregrins,” clarifying that certain communities explicitly decline to host a Convox or receive travelers under Peregrin.
• Destination and routing: Accounts refer to avout being “Evoked, and despatched to Convox at Saunt Tredegarh,” indicating formal routing of cohorts to a designated host.
• Messaging and coordination: Travelers heading toward the Convox have been observed carrying letters addressed to named contacts there; cohorts en route agreed to bear such notes. This reinforces the Convox’s role as a clearinghouse for organizing and relaying information among avout on Peregrin.
• Millennial milestones and other triggers: Dialogue cites a “Millennial Convox of 3000” as a long‑cycle gathering that disseminated plans and standards across orders; see Millennial Convox. Other asserted triggers include post‑sack regroupings and requests by the Sæcular Power.
• Perceptions and debate: Some describe a Convox as inherently political, with compromise shaping decisions. Others worry about concentration risk and discuss contingency plans to disperse. Participants emphasize its temporary nature and act with the expectation that dispersal will follow. In some circles, certain messals are criticized as a waste of talent; defenders argue these dinners motivate, structure, and coordinate useful work.
• Analytical outcomes (reported in messal): Collective examination of newly obtained phototypes led participants to infer the presence of a detachable, extraordinarily massive device on the visitors’ ship—interpreted by some as a thermonuclear weapon capable of delivering devastating radiant energy to Arbre. This is recorded as the Convox’s in‑house analysis, as discussed at table.

Notes

• Rarity: Usage treats Convox as exceptional; lists in speech include only a handful across history (for example, millennial markers and post‑sack regroupings). These are assertions within dialogue, not a complete, verified chronology.
• Practice: Travel norms during a Convox emphasize moving in groups, coordinating quietly, and preserving elements of the Discipline outside the walls. The host concent functions as a clearinghouse—receiving, recording, assembling, and dispatching cohorts.