Cousins

Overview

Cousins is the working label avout use for the beings associated with the Cousins’ ship, an enormous icosahedral craft observed in proximity to Arbre. The term arose among travelers after close inspection of images linked to Orolo. Details visible on the hull—glyphs that echo familiar alphabets and a diagram laid out as a geometry proof—led observers to interpret the craft as signaling kinship and intelligibility to mathic minds, hence “Cousins.”

Purpose and Structure

• Identity and organization: No individuals, hierarchy, or internal structure are known. All references concern the ship and its exterior markings.
• Signaling by design: A mosaic-like geometric construction on one face and a tidy line of unfamiliar glyphs on a forward member appear to be deliberate, non-linguistic signals intended to be legible to mathematicians.
• Physical inferences: Observers discuss the craft’s scale, shell, and frame; see the dedicated page for technical description and hypotheses. See: Cousins’ ship.

Practices

• Communication through mathematics: By placing a geometric proof on the exterior, the Cousins appear to bypass language and address viewers through shared reasoning. Such a proof is quicker to recognize and verify than any attempt to decode an unknown script.
• Directed illumination: Reports describe a narrow red beam from the craft briefly illuminating prominent maths. The purpose of this action is not established.

Known Members/Associations

• Identified individuals: None; all mentions refer to the ship and its markings.
• Associations with the mathic world: Images connected to Orolo catalyzed discussion; a traveling company including Fraa Jad has examined processed images while urging restraint in speculation.
• Intermediaries and authorities: The Sæcular Power is reported to have tracked the object and quietly sought observational assistance; an Ita courier relayed information that led to telescope imaging. Accounts present these as participants’ reports rather than official communiqués.

Recent Activity

• Observation and analysis: Processed images continue to circulate among travelers, refining shared descriptions of the ship’s features while preserving clear distinctions between observation and conjecture.
• Public signals: Red-beam illumination of notable maths has been witnessed and debated; readers differ on whether to treat it as benign signaling, targeting, or something else. No intent can yet be assigned.
• Discourse and stakes: Among traveling avout and companions, discussions frame the visitors in terms of kinship versus risk; some explicitly voice the possibility that a hostile arrival could lead to a world-level “Sack,” while others emphasize caution and restraint. Intent remains unassignable.

Status

Present in the near-Arbre environment with sustained visibility and ongoing analysis by avout and outside authorities. No direct contact, language, or individual identities have been established; the designation “Cousins” remains a provisional, avout-coined term.