Convox

Known names: ['Convox', 'the Convox', 'The Convox'] Summary: A rare named mass-assembly—and the designation for its host concent—when many avout are Evoked together to travel under Peregrin while preserving elements of the Discipline; normally held at a Millennial Apert or after a sack, and in exceptional cases convened at the request of the Sæcular Power. At present, Saunt Tredegarh is acting as a large Convox, receiving Evoked avout from multiple concents.

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.
• Operational reorganization: Routine functions were pared back to focus work (most activities suspended except for Laboratorium and Messal). Tasks were split among many small, praxic‑style teams using Sæcular syntactic systems to build a precise model of the visitors’ ship, with theor‑heavy groups tackling dynamics and structure while others pursued materials and subassembly clues.
• Risk mitigation and dispersal plan (“Antiswarm”): Convox leadership, in coordination with Panjandrums, planned for immediate dispersal into pre‑assigned “cells.” Each participant received a rucksack and a dormant badge that would activate with directions if dispersal were ordered. Cells are designed to include Ita and to maintain coordination over the Reticulum so essential Convox functions can continue while scattered. This dispersal has since been executed; during movement, wireless links were jammed, but the Ita maintain Reticulum connectivity over land lines and other terrestrial routes, restoring communication when cells go to ground.
• Deterrence signaling: Organizers staged distribution of gear outdoors before the Mynster, with amplified announcements and visible logistics, intending to signal readiness to disperse so as to deter attack by the opposing faction.
• Sæcular posture and logistics: Open‑air catering on the Mynster plaza, military vehicles, and a portable sound system underscored Sæcular involvement in day‑to‑day arrangements inside the Convox.
• Cell leadership and briefings: Cell leaders were privately briefed on responsibilities, evacuation routes, and compositions; most participants were not told their cell until needed, to avoid distraction and preserve flexibility.
• Post‑dispersal operations: Cells report arrival at secure host sites with prepositioned equipment and begin intensive training under appointed leads. Some sites focus on extramural operations and spaceflight‑related praxis using specialized gear.
• Rebirth parallels (as discussed): Some participants explicitly liken the planned dispersal and mixed avout–Ita working cells to a “second Praxic Age” or “Rebirth.” These are characterizations in dialogue, not formal declarations.
• Ongoing analysis: Teams continue to extract inferences from the craft’s maneuvers, including rotation behavior suggestive of internal momentum‑wheel systems and large standing masses of fluid; such findings are treated as work‑in‑progress within Laboratoria.
• 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.
• Programmatic engineering and archives: Convox mobilizations have historically sponsored large‑scale praxic programs. An earlier Convox in the era surrounding the “Big Nugget” developed advanced environmental suits and compatible modules; plans were archived at Saunt Rab’s and preserved through the Third Sack by fraas and suurs who carried the books. After the orbiting visitors appeared, new Vocos quietly pooled talent and resources to revive these designs and build fresh equipment at scale.
• Communications reach: During mobilization, announcements, images, and notices can be propagated “across the Convox” over the Reticulum, allowing rapid, wide circulation of material related to ongoing operations.
• 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.

Recent operational details (current mobilization)

• Engineering and stagecraft: Laboratoria associated with the Convox fabricated realistic decoy hardware for orbital operations (inflatable “thrusters,” memory‑wire and polyfilm assemblies, and hand‑applied “scorch” finishes) to support a deception plan while larger work proceeded under cover.
• Cold Black Mirror: Teams assembled a large, ultra‑black, multi‑band reflective shield referred to as a “Cold Black Mirror,” kept thermally cold by solid‑state chillers, to deflect light and radar away from observers and screen movements without revealing engine plumes.
• Low‑plume maneuvering: To adjust orbits stealthily, Convox crews deployed a long electrodynamic tether with a concealed counterweight, enabling continuous low thrust and gradual spiraling without firing rockets.
• Ground support via the Antiswarm: Numbered support cells coordinated over the Reticulum, issuing step‑by‑step prompts, checklists, and medical oversight; when stealth required it, suit‑to‑suit hardwires replaced wireless chatter, and narrow line‑of‑sight links carried delayed updates.
• Target and posture: Operations referenced closing with the Daban Urnud while sacrificial decoy elements distracted observers. Convox teams emphasized deterrence and dispersal readiness in coordination with the Panjandrums.
• Sensor clutter and cover: A cloud of radar‑jamming chaff and numerous large metallized balloons were lofted to confound long‑ and short‑wavelength surveillance; work details assembled and staged behind a balloon to remain hidden until departure.
• Decoy termination: A decoy platform was programmed to self‑terminate after a brief burn, simulating a propulsion failure so that observers would focus on the debris while the Cold Black Mirror departed on a different trajectory.
• Counterweight composition: Spent monyafeeks were bundled as a counterweight beneath a secondary shield at the end of the tether, keeping mass “below” the main mirror while remaining concealed.