Atlanian Liaison

The Atlanian Liaison is a colloquial label for a relationship pattern constrained by the ten-day opening associated with the decennial cycle. It is named for a Decenarian fraa who, according to in‑world account, met his true love for ten days every ten years and spent the intervening years composing poems for her and smuggling them out from within the math; some of these poems were reportedly carved in stone.

First Appearance and Context

The term is used in conversation during the decennial opening as a joking shorthand for a once‑per‑decade romance; the origin story and its cadence are briefly alluded to.

Roles/Actions and Affiliations

• Denotes an episodic, long‑interval liaison that resumes only during Decennial Apert.
• The namesake story involves a Fraa of the Decenarians who maintained a bond across decades—meeting during the allowed window and sending poems outward between openings.
• Used informally, often with a wry or teasing tone, rather than as any formal custom or rule.

Relationships

• Typical participants would be a member of the Avout—specifically a Fraa in the namesake account—and a partner beyond the walls. The original anecdote characterizes the partner simply as his “true love.”

Descriptions/Characteristics

• Connotes a romantic arrangement bounded by Discipline and gate schedules: very brief, highly anticipated meetings separated by long spans of separation.
• Carries a literary aura because of the associated poems, some said to be preserved in stone.

Current Status/Location

Active as a joking term among avout during the decennial opening; not presented as an institution, oath, or office. References assume the liaison occurs only when the math is briefly open during Decennial Apert, with all other contact constrained by life inside a Math.