Matarrhites

The Matarrhites are one of the very few orders of avout who openly profess belief in God. At the current Convox hosted at the Concent of Saunt Tredegarh, a contingent is present but keeps to itself and participates sparingly in broader socializing and debate.

Origins and first notice

Earlier accounts list the Matarrhites among names first recorded when the gates at Saunt Byadin’s opened during the Third Centennial Apert. They are described as the residuum of a Centenarian order that “went hundred,” i.e., became Hundreders in the centuries after the Reconstitution; the group’s exact ancestry and internal structure are not detailed.

Beliefs and standing

• Theism: Observers refer explicitly to “the God of the Matarrhites.” In one exchange, their servitor Orhan made a devotional gesture while affirming that claim. These are reported statements and not a formal creed.
• Reputation: They are often characterized as self‑separating within the mathic world, maintaining distance from other avout except as rites and sessions require.

Conduct at Convox

• Attire: At Inbrase, Matarrhites were seen with bolts pulled over the head, veiling the face save for a screened opening at the eyes.
• Dining customs: At a messal, a Matarrhite delegate kept the bolt drawn down to cover the face while eating. Their servitor handled plating and a separate, pungent stew‑like dish was prepared for them, suggesting distinctive culinary rules.
• Demeanor: Their ceremonial chant has been interpreted as a lament for being drawn out of their own concent and as a signal of minimal mingling. At Tredegarh, some avout refer to them as “cloaked ones”; a respected Thousander remarked that it would be impossible to pay too much attention to them.

Participation in discussions

• Representation: A delegate identified only as “Zh’vaern” has spoken at a theme messal, voicing skepticism toward certain claims about other worlds. The same delegate noted that provisional, informal names for the four visitor groups—Antarcts, Pangees, Diasps, and Quators—were in circulation.

Historical accounts and the Third Sack

When asked how the Matarrhites fared during the Third Sack, Zh’vaern answered that, according to the iconography of the time, they—“as Deolaters, with nothing to do with Rhetors or Incanters”—were regarded as innocent of the controversies then blamed on others. He went on to say that the Matarrhites evacuated to an island deep in the southern polar regions and survived on local plants, birds, and insects. In this telling, their austere cuisine originated in that exile, and they “remember the Third Sack with every bite of food” they take. These are presented as the delegate’s statements and period iconography, not as adjudicated history.

Current status

• Presence: A small contingent is in attendance at the Convox in Tredegarh.
• Interactions: They remain reserved and engage with others chiefly through formal sessions and required rites.

Notes

Details above are recorded from observers’ descriptions and participants’ remarks during Convox proceedings and are preserved here as such; ambiguity and disagreement are common in these accounts.