Mathematicians

One of the three professions in Hirzen that involve the use of Quipu. While loremasters deal with history and judges with law, mathematicians primarily deal with trade and economics. Their field may not be the most exciting, but they are a vital part of Hirzen. And while many in Hirzen simply think of them as those people who track trade, the mathematical research they do is among the most advanced in all of Hybridis.

Circles of Mathematicians

The cities of Yazen and Iskyazen each have their own circle of mathematicians. One of their main responsibilities is tracking the trade that takes place within their respective cities and its overall wealth. All traveling merchants are required to check in with them on their arrival. Additionally, they are the ones who take censuses and taxes. And it would be wise to remember that they're the ones with the most say over the military budget.
Beyond pragmatic economics, the circles of mathematicians are places of research into numbers themselves. Architects and shipbuilders will sometimes request their help. The circles have members dedicated to economics and helping with the various requests they get, so that they certain members can continue their research uninterrupted.

Training

Mathematicians use the same memorization tricks that judges and loremasters employ. Their training differs in the importance of math and economics, where they learn enough to rival even merchants. Learning how to make and use quipu represents another important part of the training. Many underestimate the complexity of their quipu, where even the ones simply dealing with economics have to track currency, products, who purchased what from who, and so on.
Training begins at a young age. The position of mathematician is often passed down between generations of the same family.

Yupana

In addition to the quipu, accountants use a tool called a yupana for arithmetic.

From the Author

If you liked this article or have feedback to give, please leave a like or comment. To know when future articles get posted, click the 'Follow World' button at the bottom of the article.