Avout

Avout are the residents of a math, living within its walls under the Cartasian Discipline. Their way of life is deliberately distinct from those who live extramuros, with practices meant to minimize entanglement with outside affairs.

First appearance and context

The term is used during conversations in the New Library between avout and visiting artisans from outside the walls. These exchanges highlight differences in everyday tools and media, and they situate the avout within a broader history that, in its present form, is said to date from the Reconstitution. The same context also looks ahead to the opening of the gates for Apert.

Life and Discipline

Within the math, permitted media are restricted by the Cartasian Discipline (often summarized as relying on chalk, ink, and stone). Avout eschew common recording devices used outside and prefer observation and words. One stated purpose of living in a cloistered math is to reduce causal linkages with the world beyond the walls.

Communities and cycles

Avout communities open their gates on different cycles during Apert. Some groups open every ten years, while others are said to open only once per century. When the gates are open, traffic is limited and brief; avout may venture out and visitors may enter for a short period.

Attire and personal items

Everyday clothing centers on a long strip of cloth called a bolt, typically worn with a waist cord ("chord") and accompanied by a personal sphere used as a portable seat.

Current status

In the present era, avout describe themselves as living under the revived rule-set established after the Reconstitution and preparing for an imminent Apert.