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A concent is a community of avout in which several maths exist side-by-side. As a practical matter, centenarian and millenarian maths almost never exist outside the context of a concent, but unarian and decenarian maths are more likely to exist in isolation. The term is meant to suggest "concentration camp," (in its pre-Nazi meaning) as it is alluded that the avout were forced into the concents at the time of the first reconstitution. It also suggests "Convent", (whose full definition is not specific to female orders).

The several maths in a concent will share the Mynster and other facilities. Members of different maths in a concent sit behind screens at shared auts so that they will not see one another. There is typically a means to move from one math to another via a labyrinth that connects them. Such movement between maths is extremely rare, and usually involves graduation to a longer-sequestered math. During apert, Erasmas uses one to go to the unarian math for duties, just for the amusement of it.

Cloister[]

Formerly a word for a math, and in the real world a close synonym for concent. In New Orth, however, the word has more of a symbolic meaning.

Dictionary Entry[]

Cloister
(1) In Old Orth, any closed, locked-up space (Thelenes was confined in one prior to his execution, but, confusingly to younger fids, it did not then have the mathic connotations of senses (2), etc., below).
(2) In Early Middle Orth, the math as a whole.
(3) In Late Middle Orth, a garden or court surrounded by buildings, thought of as the heart or center of the math.
(4) In New Orth, any quiet, contemplative space insulated from distractions and disturbances.
The Dictionary, 4th Edition, A.R. 3000

See Also[]

Concent of Saunt Edhar

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