The majority of the Faction's agents are designated Cousins. When the Great Houses abandoned natural childbirth in favour of the artificial breeding programme, the word Cousin“ was taken to mean “anyone of the same House”, but the term's an archaic one and for the most part only Faction Paradox still uses it.” The Cousins are the rank-and-file of the family. Every Cousin has a rudimentary training in the Faction's techniques, and most have had their weapons bound to them as part of the initiation process. The majority of Cousins are to be found outside the Eleven-Day Empire itself, and run (or at least inhabit) the Faction's various interests and colonies in the outside universe.

Few Cousins are actually children of the Great Houses: most are recruits from the lesser species, trained and equipped for whatever tasks the elder members of the Faction deem necessary. Should the day finally come when Faction Paradox begins its long-anticipated crusade against the other Houses, then the Cousins are expected to make up the bulk of the army, although even in the military individual strengths can still be encouraged. Within the Eleven-Day Empire itself, a Godfather or Godmother will often have a small clique of Cousins in his or her employ, to act as assistants and in some cases even proteges. No official distinction exists between “ordinary” Cousins and “sponsored” Cousins, but it's generally accepted that those taken under the wing of an elder patron have a much greater chance of entering the Parliament…