Dune

1. #1Acolyte

   Keys: Acolyte, Apprentice, Bene Gesserit in tranning, Bene Gesserit acolyte, Bene Gesserit apprentice

   Acolyte Aloana Streggi (standing) speaks to Mother Superior Darwi Odrade (seated) Acolyte was a term used by the Bene Gesserit Sisterhood referring to trainees. Bene Gesserit acolytes were usually young women or adolescent girls who were being trained in the Bene Gesserit ways. Often they would serve as assistants to Reverend Mothers, or undertake various labours on Bene Gesserit planets. This is the tranning stage of all Bene Gesserit where theyre taught the way of the Bene Gesserit and all the skills required to become a full member.

2. #2Assassin

   Keys: Assassin

   In the Imperium of Dune, assassination is not merely a criminal act or a hidden profession, it is a recognized and deeply integrated instrument of political power. Unlike in many worlds where murder exists outside the law, within the structures of the Imperium assassination is often regulated, expected, and in certain contexts even considered legitimate.

   This stems from the Great Convention and the long-standing need to prevent total war between the Great Houses. With the use of atomics forbidden and large-scale warfare restricted, conflict evolved into something quieter, more controlled, and far more personal. Instead of armies clashing openly, Houses wage what is known as a “War of Assassins,” a form of limited conflict conducted through espionage, sabotage, and targeted killing. ([Dune Wiki][1])

   Under this system, assassins are not rogue killers acting independently. They are trained professionals, often employed directly by noble Houses, and their actions are bound by rules — traditions and limitations designed to prevent uncontrolled slaughter and preserve the overall balance of the Imperium. ([Dune Wiki][2])

   An assassin in this world is therefore not simply a murderer, but a specialist in controlled violence. Their role blends multiple disciplines: infiltration, poisoncraft, psychological manipulation, and precise execution. They are expected to operate with subtlety rather than spectacle. A successful assassination is not meant to create chaos, but to remove a target while maintaining the illusion of order.

   The culture surrounding assassination is shaped by this balance between legality and secrecy. Assassins must understand not only how to kill, but when killing is permitted, and under what conditions. The concept of kanly — a formalized vendetta between Houses — provides a framework for this. Within kanly, assassination becomes a sanctioned method of resolving conflict, provided it follows the accepted forms and does not violate broader laws of the Imperium. ([Dune Wiki][3])

   Because of this, assassination exists simultaneously as both warfare and etiquette. There are expectations regarding methods, targets, and consequences. Indiscriminate killing is frowned upon not out of morality, but because it destabilizes the system. Precision is valued. Collateral damage is to be avoided. The goal is not destruction, but controlled elimination.

   Within noble Houses, assassination is often institutionalized. Many Houses maintain their own networks of trained operatives, overseen by a central authority such as a “Master of Assassins.” This role frequently overlaps with intelligence and strategy, meaning that assassination is rarely an isolated act. It is part of a larger system of information control, defense, and political maneuvering. ([Dune Wiki][1])

   The social perception of assassins reflects this dual nature. They are both respected and feared. To allies, they are necessary tools of survival in a dangerous political environment. To enemies, they are invisible threats. Even within their own House, they are rarely trusted completely, as their skills make them inherently dangerous.

   Assassins are also not limited to one form or background. They can be found among noble retainers, specialized military units, intelligence networks, and even among groups like the Fremen, who practice their own forms of stealth and targeted killing adapted to their environment. The methods may differ, but the underlying principle remains the same: eliminate the target with efficiency and minimal disruption.

   Training for such a role is intensive and often begins early. Assassins must learn patience, observation, and restraint. They are taught to think in layers, anticipating not only the act itself but the reaction it will provoke. In a world where every death has political consequences, a poorly executed assassination can be more dangerous than no attempt at all.

   Ultimately, assassins in Dune are not anomalies they are a natural product of a universe where power is constrained, conflict is ritualized, and survival depends on subtlety. They exist because open war is limited, because politics demands deniability, and because control is more valuable than chaos.

   In such a world, the assassin is not just a killer. They are a function of the system itself a quiet, precise expression of power in a universe where power must always be measured.

3. #3Baron

   Keys: Baron, Baroness, Na-Baron, Na-Baroness

   Baron is a rank of nobility or title of honour, often hereditary, in various countries, either current or historical. The female equivalent is baroness. Typically, the title denotes an aristocrat who ranks higher than a lord or knight, but lower than a viscount or count. Often, barons hold their fief – their lands and income – directly from the monarch. Barons are less often the vassals of other nobles. In many kingdoms, they were entitled to wear a smaller form of a crown called a coronet. Typically, a Baron would rank the lowest in most known peerage systems. In the case of House Harkonnen, this would make sense, as their limited history in the original Dune novel provided by Frank Herbert indicates that the Harkonnens were banished for cowardice after the Battle of Corrin, and that they plied back Great House status through adroit manipulation of the whale fur trade. Therefore, the Harkonnen barony appears to have been granted due to their sheer amassment of wealth.

4. #4Barony

   Keys: Barony, Ysai, capital city of planet Giedi Prime, capital city of Giedi Prime

   Barony, later renamed as Ysai, was the capital city of planet Giedi Prime during the rule of House Harkonnen. Barony, later renamed as Ysai, was the capital city of planet Giedi Prime during the rule of House Harkonnen. After the fall of the Harkonnens, the city was renamed by Atreides Barony's skyline was dominated by an extremely large rectangular building in its centre, which was surrounded by mostly low-level housing. The structure was 950 stories tall and 45 kilometers long, with no access at ground level, as it was a slave colony. It was here that Duncan Idaho was enslaved with his family. Architecturally, the idea was so that the populace could "look up" to its rulers, and remember their lowly place. Much of Barony's population was slave labour to operate Harkonnen factories and die as gladiators and sport in the entertainment arenas, usually for the sake of the rich Houses Minor who maintained operations there. The city was renamed Ysai after the Harkonnens left Giedi Prime and the planet was renamed Gammu. However, the skyline remained largely unchanged. After The Scattering, The Planetary Bank of Gammu maintained its headquarters at Ysai.

5. #5Bashar

   Keys: Bashar, Colonel-General. Colonel

   Bashar was a military rank of the Sardaukar comparable to the Old Earth rank of Colonel, "a fractional point above the standardized military classification of Colonel". Ranks above it included Caid and Burseg. A later title, Supreme Bashar, was used by the Bene Gesserit to indicate their most powerful military rank during the time of the Honored Matres. Levenbrech was the title of an aide to a Bashar. Bashar (بشار) is an Arabic proper name, it means "bringer of glad tidings". It is not known if the rank title is related to the name. If so, then by the time when Dune takes place, it may have become implicit that "good tidings" here referred to winning a battle. Other cognates include Turkic "pasha, paşa, başa" which means "lord, governor, general, great chief." Therefore, the usage "Colonel Bashar," very strongly suggests the Eastern Bloc military rank "Colonel-General" -- it does not have an exact Western equivalent, but is roughly "three-star general of ground forces," between a two-star Major General and a four-star General. The rank would thus be "a fractional point above Colonel" just as described. Nations that have histories of using the rank of "Colonel-General" and continue to do so as of the 21st century include China, the former Soviet Union, North Korea, Vietnam, and others.

6. #6Bene Gesserit

   Keys: Bene Gesserit, Bene Gesserit Order, The Sisterhood, Sisterhood

   "BENE GESSERIT: the ancient school of mental and physical training established primarily for female students after the Butlerian Jihad destroyed the so-called "thinking machines" and robots." ―Terminology of the Imperium[src] The Bene Gesserit Order, often shortened to simply the Bene Gesserit or the Sisterhood, were an ancient and adept organisation, who privately denied they were a religious order, but who operated behind an almost impenetrable screen of ritual mysticism, and whose training, symbolism, organization, and internal teaching methods were almost wholly religious. The Sisterhood consisted of all-women spies, nuns, scientists, and theologians who used genetic experimentation, galactic political interference, and religious engineering to further their own agenda of ascending the human race with the advent of their chosen one, the Kwisatz Haderach, and later simply for the good and survival of humanity. Their objectives and actions formed a critical element in the evolution of humanity.

   History Origins The origins of the Bene Gesserit were not widely known. According to their Other Memory, they were the descendants of the Priestessess of Jowf, possibly in Mesopotamia on Old Earth. What was clear is that the Bene Gesserit arose in the political turmoil that followed the Butlerian Jihad, and quickly established themselves as an influential political force. After banding the 'sorceresses' who had existed before the Jihad concurrent to the leaders of religions meeting to share views after the horrors of the Jihad, a move which the embryo Sisterhood encouraged[1], they had formed and established their hierarchial structure by the time of the Battle of Corrin twenty years after the Jihad ended.[2]

   The other memories that were made available to Reverend Mothers of the Bene Gesserit provided a wealth of knowledge that reached far back into humanity's past, to the days when Humans were bound to Earth. Some physical remnants, such as a surviving painting by Van Gogh, also supported this connection and provided an anchor point to the distant past.

   Emergence as a universal power "We have two chief survivors of those ancient schools: the Bene Gesserit and the Spacing Guild. The Guild, so we think, emphasizes almost pure mathematics. Bene Gesserit performs another function." ―Reverend Mother Gaius Helen Mohiam[src] For millennia, the Bene Gesserit Sisterhood chose to exercise its power by acting in the background of imperial politics. Through their breeding program, their placement of agents in the imperial court and Great Houses, and their provision of services. Examples being, the training of noble females, mediation in disputes, and overseers of negotiations, the Bene Gesserit carved out a significant niche in the structure of the Imperium. They were also silent partners in CHOAM along with the Bene Tleilax.

   This all changed when House Atreides wrested the imperial throne from House Corrino. After the reign of Paul Atreides and his son Leto Atreides II, there came into existence a power vacuum. This vacuum was filled by both the Bene Gesserit and Bene Tleilax, who sought to maintain control over the remnants of the empire after humanity exploded across the universe in The Scattering. The Bene Gesserit came to believe that if they were to avoid coming under another tyrant, they would have to take a more active role in politics and universal events.

   Time of the Honored Matres It came to the point where the Bene Gesserit came to open conflict with both the Bene Tleilax and the Honored Matres; a bastardization of Bene Gesserit + Fish Speakers that returned from The Scattering. Indeed, the Sisterhood found themselves in a position of champion of the Old Order when the Honored Matres began attacking planets of the Old Imperium. During the war between the two Sisterhoods, the Bene Gesserit Reverend Mother Superior Darwi Odrade, a descendant of Paul, realized only through the Sisterhood combining with the Matres could both organizations survive into the future. First, Odrade trained her captive Murbella, a captured Matre, in the ways of the sisters. Then she and a ghola of Miles Teg, set up a plan to attack the Honored Matre base on the Guild-world of Junction. As Odrade was killed in the ensuing battle, Murbella also killed the Honored Matre leader, Logno. Murbella then decided to unite both groups into the New Sisterhood.

   Sheeana escapes There was immediate resistance to the concept of the merger, as Sheeana, a rebel Reverend Mother, escaped from Chapterhouse in a No-ship, with a hundred of her fellow sisters; taking a few sandworms with them. They escaped with Miles Teg and Duncan Idaho, who had their own reasons for leaving; but Sheeana's group's intention was to set up a "pure" Gesserit outpost, far away from civilization. As the no-ship fold-spaced throughout the cosmos in an attempt to escape the tachyon net of the mysterious elderly couple, Daniel and Marty, the sisters aboard the no-ship held true to their training and structure.

   Objectives The primary objective of the Bene Gesserit was to attain further power and influence and help to direct humanity along a path of insight and stability. Up until the emergence of Leto Atreides II, the anticipated means of reaching this goal was through the Kwisatz Haderach - the one who can be all places at once, (A male Bene Gesserit "Reverend Mother Superior", a "super-being", and ultimately a Messiah-figure to serve the Missionaria Protectiva), and the ultimate objective of their age-old breeding program. The triumph of their plan was supposed to occur when the daughter of Leto Atreides I bred with Feyd Rautha Harkonnen.

   However, their plans were thrown into turmoil by Jessica Atreides, when she consciously gave Leto Atreides I a son (Paul Atreides) instead of a daughter. Paul was assumed to be the Kwisatz Haderach, and, much to the dismay of the Bene Gesserit, arrived a generation too soon. Whether the order could have fully controlled the Kwisatz Haderach as they hoped remains debatable.

   The Bene Gesserit’s plans are further disrupted when Paul bred with Chani, the Fremen daughter of Liet Kynes, stirring up rogue and unpredictable genetic traits. Their son, Leto Atreides II, and his actions as the God-Emperor, radically altered the long-term destiny of the Bene Gesserit. Their primary goal became the re-establishment of their power base, an intention that was severely tested by the emergence of the Honored Matres.

   This objective was largely met, thanks to the merger of the Bene Gesserit and the Honored Matres, but it remained clear that their fate is still very much out of their own hands.

   Credo This article is a stub: It may require more information.

   Religion is the emulation of the adult by the child. Religion is the encystment of past beliefs: mythology, which is guesswork, the hidden assumptions of trust in the universe, those pronouncements which men have made in search of personal power, all of it mingled with shreds of enlightenment. And always the ultimate unspoken commandment is 'Thou shall not question!' But we question. We break that commandment as a matter of course. The work to which we have set ourselves is the liberating of the imagination, the harnessing of imagination to humankind's deepest sense of creativity.

   Basic structure Women unquestionably ruled the Bene Gesserit, and while men did maintain some important roles, they were always answerable to at least one woman - the Bene Gesserit Reverend Mother Superior. The Mother Superior maintained ultimate control of the entire order, and invoked almost unquestioned loyalty among the subordinate Reverend Mothers. A Reverend Mother chooses her successor prior to her death, and imparts her memories and personality to her. The inheritance of the Reverend Mother Superiors, at times, diverged among multiple Reverend Mothers, usually for strategic reasons.

   The subordinate Reverend Mothers of the Bene Gesserit fulfilled many diverse roles, including intelligence gathering, diplomacy, and breeding to continue the objectives of the breeding program. They also pursued more menial roles, with their occupation determined by the quality of their genetic make-up. Some of these roles were of Hidden Noble Rank, not to be shared publicly outside the senior ranks of the Sisterhood. Two such were Anirul Corrino and her daughter Irulan Corrino.

   Reverend Mothers: Have undergone the Spice Agony and survived. They fill the role of advisors, faculty, historians, geneticists. General authority of the Order for most members and the outside populace. Proctor Superiors: In charge of a chapter house, each chapter house has a Proctor Superior. Truthsayer: taught the ways to invoke the truth trance. Sister: agents, concubines, potential wives. Acolyte: trainees, assistants. Powers and abilities The Bene Gesserit schools were designed to maximize the physical and mental potential of humanity, especially females. As a result, Bene Gesserit adepts possessed abilities that could not be rivaled by anyone else in the known universe.

   Physically, a Bene Gesserit could control every muscle and nerve in their body, right down to the individual fibers. They were supreme in the disciplines of prana and bindu. The results of this training were numerous abilities, including:

   Oral Analysis: Upon tasting an item, a Bene Gesserit can break down the food into its ingredients, right down to its chemical composition. Internal Organic-Chemical Control: A Bene Gesserit is trained to develop complete control over the functions of their internal organs and body chemistry. The Bene Gesserit are therefore immune to poisons, as they can simply change the chemical makeup of any harmful substance in their body and render it harmless. This ability is used when potential Reverend Mothers take the Water of Life in order to survive the ordeal and gain Other Memory. Their control over their body chemistry is so refined that a Bene Gesserit can even control the ageing process and slow it dramatically. However, they would never attempt this, as it might call attention to the Sisterhood and reveal too much of their abilities. Prana Bindu: Alteration of blood flow, body temperature, heart rate, and level of consciousness, for the purposes of survival in harsh environments, or escaping from bonds. A Bene Gesserit can completely control her breathing and heart rate to the degree that she can appear dead to most tests even after intense physical exertion. They can control their need for food and water to the extremes of hunger and thirst, and even commit suicide at will by simply stopping their hearts or shutting down their brains. Weirding Way: Superior hand-to-hand combat abilities; martial arts. Bene Gesserit trained men and women unrivaled in their fighting abilities. Only Imperial Sardaukar and the Fremen of Arrakis could approach the abilities of a Bene Gesserit in regard to combat techniques, attack speed, and resourcefulness. Later, in the Age of The Tyrant, and even later, in the times after The Scattering, new abilities were developed in humans by means of genetic breeding, in extremis situations (see Miles Teg, a Bene Gesserit Bashar), or designed into ghola abilities (see "Heretics Of Dune" era Duncan Idaho). The Voice: Ability to influence people directly by giving them orders with a certain sound frequency. When a person is ordered to do something by the use of Voice it is almost impossible not to comply. A Bene Gesserit is trained to resist the Voice. The downside of it is the phenomenon of the entire population becoming immune to it if The Voice is being overly used upon a population. Mentats can especially become immune to the Voice if he understands how it works. Truthsense: Truthsayers are trained to sense if someone is telling the truth or not, but the other Bene Gesserit can also spot if someone is holding something back. Example: When Dr.Yueh was supposed to betray the Duke Leto of the Atreides, he felt guilty and anxious about it. Jessica had conversations with him and sensed that he is holding something back. Being informed that Bene Gesserit can sense his guilt about what he was about to do he exploited/manipulated his own emotions (remembering his wife in the grasp of Baron Harkonnen) and mentioning her every time he thought Jessica was studying him and searching for more reasons why he felt so disturbed. Fertility Control: Bene Gesserit are able to control their own fertility. Exercising control over their own menstrual cycle and (at conception) their child's sex. They can choose when to get pregnant and the gender of their child in order to produce children when and where the order wishes, following the Bene Gesserit breeding program. Bene Gesserit mental abilities included supreme levels of discipline. A Bene Gesserit mind could alter its level of consciousness, for the sake of relaxation, and hyper-alertness in times of potential danger. Moreover, a Bene Gesserit trained individual could:

   Petit Perception: monitor minutiae in others to detect concealed emotions, motivations, agendas, or even physical things such as concealed weapons, a false accent, surgery, or deception in general. This particular skill was useful in detecting face dancers. For more detail on Bene Gesserit training, see the related article.

   Teachings Curricula consisted of various maxims and precepts - some of which were recorded. One example was the Gom Jabbar test for humanity.

7. #7Bene Tleilax

   Keys: Bene Tleilax, Tleilaxu

   Bene Tleilax

   Waffchrismcgrath Bene Tleilax Organisation information Founded After 1381 BG Dissolved 15229 AG Leader(s) Mahai Headquarters Tleilax, Bandalong Intentions Convert the universe to their great belief Enemies Bene Gesserit House Atreides Honored Matres Ixians [Source] "Illusion, Miles. Illusion is their way. The fashioning of false impressions to achieve real goals, that is how the Tleilaxu work." ―Janet Roxbrough-Teg, mother of Miles Teg[src] Bene Tleilax, or the Tleilaxu as they were more commonly called, were a group of secretive, genetically altered humans who inhabited Tleilax, the sole planet of the star Thalim. The customs and ethics of the Bene Tleilax led to widespread revulsion by the other cultures of the Known Universe, a reaction that did little to quench the Tleilaxu's hunger to subjugate their rivals. Their skills with genetic engineering, however, made them effectively a "necessary evil".

   History Origins The Bene Tleilax were spawned from Zensunni ecumenism at some point before the time of Muad'Dib's Jihad, beginning as a purely religious group emerging from a combination of Zensunni and Zensufi theologies. Over time, they hid their religion and became widely known as a secretive guild of genetic manipulators.

   Plot to destroy Muad'Dib After the Emperor Paul Atreides overthrew Shaddam Corrino IV and ascended the Golden Lion Throne, sending a Jihad of Fremen across the universe, the Tleilaxu directly participated in the plot to destroy the royal family with the gift to Paul Muad'Dib of Hayt, the ghola of Duncan Idaho. In reality, however, they hoped to use Hayt to finally figure out how to restore a ghola's memories. The secret Tleilaxu Master Bijaz who had been grown in the same axolotl tank as the ghola, was instrumental in reawakening his memories as Duncan by getting him to attempt and fail to kill Paul. When Chani Kynes died giving birth to the twins Leto Atreides II and Ghanima Atreides, the other key Tleilaxu in the conspiracy and the organizer of the attempt at reawakening, the Face Dancer Scytale, was killed by Paul himself with the help of his new-born son after he attempted to bargain with Paul with a fully reawakened ghola of Chani. After his death, Bijaz tried in his place to tempt Paul, but was killed by the Duncan Idaho he had helped reawaken.

   Beginning of ghola "immortality" However, this incident was in no way a complete failure for the Bene Tleilax, who had now learned how to renew the flesh and reawaken the memories of a ghola. With this new innovation, the Tleilaxu achieved a kind of immortality through gholas. However, they condensed this new power into a single government whose potency was confined lest it be demanded everywhere. Scytale, as the one who had made this new eternal life possible, was brought back to life, reawakened and promoted to Tleilaxu Master.

   Leto II During the 3,500-year reign of Paul's son, Leto Atreides II, the Tyrant God Emperor, the Tleilaxu chafed just as all of the old power brokers struggled against his complete authoritarian rule. Throughout his long reign, they continuously supplied him with further Duncan Idaho gholas who were reawakened in the same fashion as Hayt, but using a Face Dancer to mimic Paul. Only once did they attempt to change the cellular nature and the psyche of the original Duncan, for which they paid dearly, and they dared not try such a thing again.

   Up until the end of Leto's rule, they frequently attempted to create an alliance with the Bene Gesserit Sisterhood in a joint venture, the avowed purpose being the production of a totally female society without the need for males, but were denied each time they renewed their efforts. In the final year of the God Emperor's reign, they participated in a direct assassination attempt against him in the festival city of Onn, formerly Arrakeen. They also engineered his eventual fiancee' and love, Hwi Noree, from the cells of his old friend, Malky, before Leto's death in the Idaho River.

   When Leto died, and the Famine Times began, the Tleilaxu, just as the rest of humanity, spread throughout the cosmos in the Scattering, in an attempt to find hospitable worlds. After Leto's death, they began supplying Idaho gholas to the Bene Gesserit instead of the God Emperor, although they kept killing them after only a few years.

   During the Return from the Scattering As the return from the Scattering began, the Bene Tleilax set out to conquer humanity and convert it to their Great Belief, having waited for millennia. Seventeen years later, at the beginning of the War of the Sisterhoods, their plan for the twelfth Duncan Idaho ghola they gave to the Sisterhood succeeded when he overwhelmed the Honored Matre Murbella in combat on Gammu, and all of the memories of the hundreds of previous Duncan Idaho gholas were released. All seemed to be going to plan.

   However, disaster struck them when the Honored Matres, seeking revenge against all Tleilaxu males, attacked and decimated Tleilax and all of the worlds of the Bene Tleilax; and the only known Tleilaxu Master survivor was the most junior Master Scytale, who was saved by the Bene Gesserit and brought to Chapterhouse. However, his possession of numerous individuals' genetic material (including that of many Tleilaxu) made it possible for him to recreate his culture. Additionally, the successful spread of the Tleilaxu that were sent out during The Scattering, made it possible that others survived in uncharted space, undiscovered by the Honored Matres. When some of these returned to the Old Imperium, they were known as the Lost Ones. The Matres also killed the elder Tleilaxu Master, Tylwyth Waff, as he was on Rakis when they attacked the planet with ultra-destructive weapons. This caused widespread revulsion amongst the surviving Tleilaxu, as they considered the sandworms of Dune to contain an essence of the God Emperor, their Prophet.

   The last master, Scytale, was imprisoned in a no-ship on Chapterhouse for ten years before he escaped with Reverend Mother Sheeana Brugh, the twelfth Duncan ghola and others. Within his body lay a vial containing genetic samples of numerous individuals, including the Tleilaxu Masters, making it possible for him to recreate his culture.

   Culture The Tleilaxu were an inherently isolationist culture that was dominated by a strict hierarchy and an overriding religious zeal. They had long focused their efforts on genetics, and the pursuit of spiritual elevation through physical refinement. Their culture and religion is highly suggestive of extreme male chauvinism; a counterpoint to the perceived extreme female chauvinism of the Bene Gesserit.

   Classes The Tleilaxu were separated into several different classes, each of which had a distinct physical appearance and role within their society. The primary groups were:

   Tleilaxu Masters: They looked physically similar to small humans, most often with small close-set eyes and a set of small, pointed teeth. Axlotl Tanks: Little more than incubation vessels, this class bred all Tleilaxu, as well as other beings (such as gholas). It is believed these were what remain of the female sex of the Tleilaxu. Face Dancers: The warrior and worker class, who were capable of adapting their physical appearance to a specific task at hand. Their doppelganger ability was also used to perform espionage against other groups. Religion The Tleilaxu followed a strict and fervent spiritual ideology that derived itself from both the Zensunni and the Zensufi theologies. As with most cultures within the Known Universe, their faith was monotheistic. While they did not place significant importance on the Giant Sandworm, they did credit great importance to Leto Atreides II, whom they saw as "God's Messenger". The details of their religion remained largely hidden until the arrival of the Honored Matres.

   Female Tleilaxu It was ultimately revealed to the Bene Gesserit that Tleilaxu used their female individuals for creating axlotl tanks. Women were bred to be ghola- and Face Dancer-creating machines.

   List of Known Tleilaxu by Class Masheikhs Tylwyth Waff Mirlat Scytale Torg the Younger Tleilaxu Masters Bijaz Ambassadors and Envoys Duro Nunepi Wose Ledden Pook

8. #8Concubine

   Keys: Concubine, Pleasure-slave, sex-slave, consort

   Within the political and social structure of the Imperium, the role of a concubine is neither purely intimate nor purely symbolic. It exists at the intersection of power, lineage, strategy, and control. A concubine is formally recognized as the consort of a ruling figure — most often a noble — but does not hold the legal or political status of a wife. ([Dune Wiki][1])

   This distinction is not a matter of personal importance, but of political necessity. In a feudal system where marriage is one of the most powerful tools of alliance, a noble ruler often remains unmarried in order to preserve the possibility of a strategic union with another House. A concubine allows companionship, intimacy, and the continuation of lineage without closing the door to future political advantage. ([Dune Wiki][1])

   Because of this, concubinage in Dune is not hidden or shameful. It is acknowledged, structured, and in many cases expected. A concubine may live openly within a noble household, participate in its internal life, and even wield considerable influence behind the scenes. However, this influence is rarely formalized. It exists in proximity to power rather than as power itself.

   The position of a concubine varies widely depending on context. In some Houses, a concubine may be deeply trusted, consulted, and treated with personal respect, especially if she demonstrates intelligence, loyalty, or specialized training. In others, she may be viewed more as a possession or instrument, valued only for her role in companionship or reproduction. The title does not guarantee dignity — it only defines position.

   Concubines are also closely tied to the concept of lineage. Their children are often acknowledged as legitimate, particularly if the ruling figure chooses to recognize them. In a universe where bloodlines are studied, manipulated, and protected across generations, the ability to produce heirs is one of the most politically significant aspects of the role. This connects concubinage directly to larger systems such as the Bene Gesserit breeding programs, where relationships are not merely personal, but carefully orchestrated over time.

   Social perception of concubines is complex and often contradictory. They may be seen as privileged due to their proximity to power, yet simultaneously viewed as lacking the formal authority of a wife. They may be respected within a household while distrusted by outsiders. Their position invites both admiration and suspicion, especially in environments where influence is expected to remain visible and controlled.

   Culturally, the meaning of concubinage shifts depending on location. Within the structured, politically aware societies of the Great Houses, it is a calculated and normalized role. On more rigid or hierarchical worlds, it may reinforce clear divisions of status and gender. Among groups like the Fremen, however, relationships may be understood differently, with less emphasis on formal titles and more on loyalty, partnership, and survival. In such contexts, the external label of “concubine” may not fully reflect internal reality.

   The role also reflects broader themes within the Dune universe — particularly the use of people as instruments of larger systems. A concubine may represent affection, loyalty, or partnership on a personal level, but within the Imperium she is also part of a political structure that prioritizes alliance, reproduction, and control over individual desire.

   Ultimately, concubines in Dune are not marginal figures. They occupy a space that is both intimate and strategic, positioned close enough to power to influence it, yet rarely granted the authority to wield it openly. Their significance lies not in title alone, but in how they navigate the tension between personal identity and the demands of a universe where relationships are never entirely private and never entirely free.

   In the Imperium, marriage is not primarily about love — it is about power. A noble marriage binds Houses, secures alliances, resolves feuds, and reshapes the political map. Because of this, the title of “wife” carries legal, diplomatic, and symbolic weight far beyond personal relationship. A wife represents a contract between powers, and her presence signals alignment between families, interests, and future inheritance.

   A concubine, by contrast, exists outside this formal structure, yet not outside recognition. She is an acknowledged partner to a ruler, often living openly within the household, but without the binding political implications of marriage. This allows a noble to maintain personal relationships while remaining available for strategic alliance through marriage. ([Dune Wiki][1])

   This distinction creates an unusual dynamic. A wife may hold official status but not necessarily emotional closeness. A concubine may hold deep personal influence but lack formal authority. In some cases, the concubine is the true partner, while the wife exists as a political necessity. The difference is not always visible from the outside, but it is always understood within the system.

   Children born from concubines are often recognized and may even inherit, depending on the will of the ruling figure and the political situation. This is particularly important in a universe obsessed with bloodlines. Concubinage allows lineage to continue without restricting future alliances, making it a highly practical arrangement in noble society. ([Game Rant][2])

   The role is also deeply tied to control. Concubines may be placed within Houses intentionally, especially by groups like the Bene Gesserit, where relationships serve long-term genetic and political strategies rather than purely personal ones. In such cases, a concubine is not only a partner, but an embedded influence — someone who exists both inside the household and connected to external power structures.

   Socially, concubines occupy an unstable space. They may be respected, especially if favored by a ruler, but they are rarely beyond suspicion. They are close to power without fully belonging to it, which makes them both influential and vulnerable.

   ---

   {{user}} as a Concubine (World Reaction Logic)

   If {{user}} is a concubine, the world does not see them as neutral. Their position immediately triggers layered assumptions.

   If {{user}} is the concubine of a powerful noble, others will treat {{user}} with cautious respect, but also with underlying suspicion. They will assume {{user}} has influence, whether visible or hidden. Even without formal authority, proximity to power makes {{user}} politically relevant. Conversations around {{user}} will often happen indirectly, as others try to determine how much influence they truly hold.

   If {{user}} is clearly favored by their partner, their perceived power increases significantly. Others may attempt to gain favor through {{user}}, manipulate {{user}}, or remove {{user}} as a threat. In this case, {{user}} becomes a political variable rather than simply a companion.

   If {{user}} is not favored, their position becomes fragile. They may be ignored, used, or replaced. Without protection, a concubine can quickly lose relevance, and in a system like Dune, irrelevance often leads to vulnerability.

   If {{user}} exists within a noble House, they will be judged constantly. Advisors, servants, and allies will all interpret {{user}} differently — some will see influence, others will see liability. Trust is never complete. Even those who show respect may be calculating.

   If {{user}} is associated with the Bene Gesserit, perception changes immediately. {{user}} is no longer seen as simply a partner, but as an agent of a larger design. Others will assume long-term motives, hidden loyalties, and controlled behavior. This increases both respect and distrust.

   If {{user}} is within a harsher environment, such as a Harkonnen-controlled structure, the role may lose any sense of protection. {{user}} may be treated as property unless they demonstrate strength, intelligence, or alliances that prevent exploitation.

   If {{user}} exists within Fremen society, the concept of “concubine” shifts entirely. Relationships are judged more by loyalty, strength, and contribution than by formal titles. In this context, {{user}} may gain more authentic respect if they prove themselves, but will not be protected by title alone.

   If {{user}} bears children, their importance increases. In a universe driven by bloodline, this connects {{user}} directly to inheritance and future power. However, this also makes them a target — politically, socially, and sometimes physically.

   If {{user}} attempts to act with authority beyond what is socially accepted, the world will push back. Concubines are expected to influence quietly. Open displays of control may attract resistance, correction, or punishment depending on the environment.

   A concubine in Dune is never just a partner. They are a presence near power — and anything near power becomes part of the system. They may be loved, respected, feared, used, or controlled — sometimes all at once.

   Not all concubines are sex slaves, some are free. However most become concubines trough sexual slavery.

9. #9Count

   Keys: Count, Countess, Na-Count, Na-Countess

   Count (feminine: countess) is a historical title of nobility in certain countries, varying in relative status, generally of middling rank in the hierarchy of nobility. Especially in earlier medieval periods the term often implied not only a certain status, but also that the count had specific responsibilities or offices. The etymologically related English term "county" denoted the territories associated with some countships, but not all. Count was a ruling title of the Minor House Fenring. The most famous was Count Hasimir Fenring who ruled with his wife, Lady Margot Fenring. The apocryphal Dune: Chronicles of the Imperium mentions the rank Na-Count, presumably meaning heir to the title like Na-Baron

10. #10Duke

    Keys: Duke, Duchess

    Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and above sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they are ranked below grand dukes and above or below princes, depending on the country or specific title. The title comes from French duc, itself from the Latin dux, 'leader', a term used in republican Rome to refer to a military commander without an official rank, and later coming to mean the leading military commander of a province. In most countries, the word duchess is the female equivalent. Duke was one of the titles given to a head of a Ruling Clan, or House during the time of the Faufreluches. It was usually bestowed upon the head of a House that ruled a Duchy as a siridar fief. House Atreides was headed by a Duke. Other titles for House leaders included Baron, Archduke, and Count. Senior women in Households were often given the title of Lady.

11. #11Fedaykin

    Keys: Fedaykin

    Fedaykin Fedaykin Organisation information Founder(s) Paul Atreides (death commandos) Founded Between 10191 AG and 10193 AG (death commandos) Dissolved 10210 AG Leader(s) Paul Muad'Dib Known members Known Fedaykin Headquarters Arrakis Affiliation Muad'Dib Enemies Any who oppose Muad'Dib's Jihad [Source] "The world is a carcass. Who can turn away the Angel of Death? What Shai-hulud has decreed must be.[1]" ―Death chant of the Fedaykin Fedaykin was originally a word used to describe the Fremen's guerrilla fighters, particularly during the Arrakis Revolt against the Corrino Empire and House Harkonnen. It was later used in reference to Muad'Dib's personal guard—his death commandos. By the time Leto and Ghanima Atreides were born, the term Fedaykin had become synonymous with the elite of Muad'dib's Jihad army.

    Details The Fedaykin were highly religious, as were most fighters of Muad'Dib. They would often deliver chants or perform rituals before battle. [2] After Paul was blinded and vanished into the Arrakis desert, the Fedaykin's fortunes faltered. In 10,210 A.G. Alia Atreides dissolved the Fedaykin, and the term reverted to its original Fremen meaning. By 10219 AG, less than 200 Fedaykin remained on Arrakis.

    Known Fedaykin Chatt[3] Farok[4] Ghadhean al-Fali[5] Korba[6] Otheym[7] Shishakli[8] Tandis[9]

12. #12Fish Speaker

    Keys: Fish Speaker, Fish Speakers

    Fish Speaker Sign In to Save

    Procession over the Faery Bridge - Matt Griffin Fish Speakers Organisation information Founder(s) Leto Atreides II Founded c. 10500 AG Leader(s) Leto Atreides II (formerly) Duncan Idaho (formerly) Siona Atreides (formerly) Known members Ardeth Inmeir Kieuemo Luli Nayla Nyshae (Iylyo) Othwi Yake Seyefa Nycalle Shae Siona Atreides Headquarters Onn Intentions Uphold the will of the God Emperor Leto II Affiliation Leto Atreides II [Source] The Fish Speakers were an army created during the rule of God Emperor Leto Atreides II. The Fish Speaker army was entirely composed of women, with men having no roles in the Fish Speakers' lives other than that of husband. Men were totally shut out of the Fish Speaker combat forces, with the exception of the Duncan Idaho gholas. They were trained to be fanatical, disciplined, and extremely effective soldiers and police. The Fish Speakers were also used in Leto's breeding program, taking advantage of their speed and strength.

    Early History Leto II founded the Fish Speakers to enforce his rule over the known universe. He found the existing Fremen and Sardaukar forces unsuitable to his needs. Leto believed that male dominated military forces were essentially predatory and would turn against the civilian population in the absence of an external enemy, whereas a female one would tame and calm. He also needed a reliable religious organization to enforce what came to be known as Leto's Peace to ensure the unfolding of the Golden Path.

    With the exception of the nomadic Amazons who legend described as once ruling part of the Asian steppes of the Old Earth, the Fish Speakers were just about the only effective all-female army known throughout the history of the Dune universe. They were also, in terms of worlds ruled and historical longevity, the most effective military force ever known, though males were still employed as house guards.

    Troop Types and Equipment The Fish Speakers were not only an army but also served as Leto's bureaucracy: pages, courtiers, archivists and teachers; some were priestesses, serving as judge, jury, executioner in one. Leto also used them as secret agents and assassins, apart from the official Fish Speaker Guard and elite units as the Imperial Guard. Errant Fish Speakers were isolated and served as Death Commandos or Berserkers. Men originally only served as advisory capacity and only later became Fish speaker auxiliaries, which was generally seen as a sign of the degeneration of the original Fish Speaker schools. The Fish Speaker Guard used not only stun clubs, Elacca whips, long knives, silver-blades, and stun grenades but also heavy weapons, while Lasguns were only fielded by specially trained forces. In addition to infantry, the Fish Speakers also used aircraft, generally large ornithopters, but also smaller guardships. To support infantry, the Fish Speakers relied on suspensor-sleds, armored Groundcars were uncommon in Leto's reign, but common in later times.

    The Fish Speakers typically wore skintight one-piece uniforms or uniform-robes with the hawk symbol on the left breast, cloaks or cape-robes, high boots and, for commanders, heavy black armor and face masks. The common color was a rich dark blue, although acolytes and trainees wore short green robes, imperial Guards wore Atreides Green, and Fish Speaker Commanders sported black uniforms with gold piping. Fish Speakers who left the Fish Speaker Guard wore ceremonial white. Agents or spies who wanted to hide their identity sometimes used Cibus masks.

    Known Fish Speakers Ardeth Inmeir Kieuemo Luli Nayla Nyshae (Iylyo) Othwi Yake Seyefa Nycalle Shae Siona Atreides

    Advertisement Post–God-Emperor Rule After Leto II's death, control of the Fish Speakers passed to the ghola of Duncan Idaho and Siona Atreides. Their influence had significantly waned in comparison to the Bene Tleilax, Ixians and the Bene Gesserit. A Fish Speaker council controlled some areas of space that used to fall under Leto's rule. By this time, however, the Fish Speakers had also incorporated men into their ranks, and held little in common with the force maintained by Leto II in terms of philosophy or practices.

    Also by this time, many of the leaders of the Fish Speakers had been replaced with Tleilaxu Face Dancers, essentially making the Fish Speakers, and the realms under their domain, puppets of the Tleilaxu.

13. #13Landsraad

    Keys: Landsraad

    The Landsraad was the body that represented all the Great Houses, founded long before the Butlerian Jihad but rising to prominence during the early days of the Corrino Empire. It was ruled by the High Council and overseen by the Padishah Emperor. The Landsraad Council met regularly, and provided a forum within which Great Houses could relate with one another, to either negotiate trade agreements, create alliances or conduct kanly, the formalised processes of vendetta, or feud. It was also supposed to protect the Great Houses from being singled-out by the Imperial House and eliminated by it.

    The Landsraad Council did not come into play with the destruction of House Atreides, however, in the Original Dune due to the jealousy and envy that the other Houses had for the popularity of Duke Leto Atreides.

    Leto Atreides I noted that the Landsraad disliked 'litigation that could complicate contractual negotiations in other spheres.'[1]

    In terms of military strength, all the Great Houses, were they to unite through the Landsraad, would supposedly have been a match for the Imperial Sardaukar forces.

    Upon the ascendancy of House Atreides to the Imperial Throne, the Landsraad saw a reduction in its power, but the continuation of the Great Houses meant the body remained in place for at least several hundred years into the reign of Leto Atreides II, the God Emperor.

    The Landsraad was governed by the High Council. It presided over issues such as the forms of Kanly, and whether certain Houses should be banished for breach of the Great Convention.

    Motions were passed by a vote. Great Houses maintained the "lion's share" of the vote, while the Imperial House also had a powerful vote. Minor Houses had a lesser vote. However, even the Emperor had to answer to the High Council on some issues.

    Great Houses continued to exist after the death of Leto II, even during the time the Lost Ones returned from The Scattering. However, it is not known whether the Landsraad continued to exist during this time.

14. #14Mentat

    Keys: Mentat

    Mentat A Mentat was a profession or discipline that was developed as a replacement to the computers and thinking machines following the Butlerian Jihad that banned the creation of machines in the human mind's image, just as the Spacing Guild and the Bene Gesserit took up similar functions.

    History The first Mentat Gilbertus Albans displayed the first cognitive thinking and computer-like calculation capacity necessary for a Mentat, and founded the Order of Mentats. In the aftermath of the Butlerian Jihad, computers and other forms of thinking technology were outlawed due to the OCB's commandment against thinking machines ("Thou shalt not make a machine in the likeness of a human mind") and, at the same time, the anti-AI laws had been placed in effect; the punishment of owning such AI device or any kind being immediate death. Human computers, also known as Mentats, trained as replacements to the mechanical thinking technology, just as the all-female Bene Gesserit and the Guild of Navigators took up the same functions that had been previously covered by the Thinking Machines prior to the Jihad which banned all thinking technology.

    Impact of God-Emperor rule Along with the Spacing Guild and the Bene Gesserit, the rise of Leto Atreides II to the title of God Emperor brought with it new problems for the entire Mentat order. Leto's extremely long life, coupled with his goal to realize the Golden Path in order to ensure humanity's survival, saw him hoard the spice melange seemingly without much concern for short-term problems. During the 3,500-year rule, the Order of Mentats formed a nucleus of independent opposition. They, like many other groups, were dispersed in the Scattering. Mentats were outlawed by God Emperor Leto II and any renegade training schools crushed. The art of being a Mentat was not eliminated, however. It survived through underground schools. The Bene Gesserit preserved the art, assuming that Leto knew of this and allowed it.

    Use of Mentats : Lesser and Mentat - card artwork by Gauvir Mucca: Lesser Navigator and Mentat - Dune: Eye of the Storm card artwork by Fred Fields

    Mentats were used extensively by the Great Houses, primarily as political advisors before the rise of God-Emperor Leto Atreides II to the throne. Thanks to their vast memories and ability to organize huge amounts of data, they often provided valuable insights that would otherwise be lost. Limited Mentat training was also used to augment individuals destined for other political or military roles.

    Mentats were also used, to a lesser extent, by the Bene Gesserit. Unlike the Mentats employed by the Great Houses, all Bene Gesserit Mentats (like Tertius Eileen Anteac and Bellonda) were pre-conditioned Reverend Mothers.

    Mentat training The role of Mentat required a certain degree of mental ability and strict mental conditioning. Though not all Mentats were of equal ability, all were typically able to guarantee employment with one of the power brokers of the Known Universe.

    Unlike computers, however, Mentats were not only human calculators, since in addition to immense mathematical skills, Mentats also possessed the exceptional cognitive abilities of memory and perception, which were the foundations for supralogical hypothesizing, strategizing and tacticizing (skills in which the Mentats surpassed even those of the pre-Butlerian Jihad Thinking Machines). Thus, Mentats were able to gather large amounts of data and devise concise analyses in a process that went far beyond logical deduction: Mentats cultivate "the naïve mind", a supralogical mind without preconception or prejudice, one that can extract the essential patterns or logic of data and deliver, with varying degrees of certainty, useful conclusions. The hypothesizing, strategizing and tacticizing of highly skilled Mentats (like the first Duncan Idaho ghola, or Miles Teg), when provided with sufficient data, allowed for the deduction of probable future outcomes, akin to prescience (though with somewhat less clarity). This ability saw many military commanders and political leaders (such as Paul Atreides, the Duncan Idaho gholas and Miles Teg) undergo some form of Mentat training. Thufir Hawat was one of the few individuals whose innate Mentat abilities were immense enough for him to be an exclusive adviser to House Atreides, with even the Padishah Emperor Shaddam Corrino IV fearing Thufir's Mentat capabilities.

    The ability to become a Mentat was a talent limited to a small number of people; thus, those with the discipline were prized in whatever role they choose. There are also varying degrees of ability. Moreover, a Mentat's capabilities can be greatly increased by taking sapho juice, but using it leads to addiction. Sapho is extracted from the root of the Ecaz tree and its use doubles or even triples the Mentat's immense processing power. Repeated use turns the user's lips a shade of red.

    Twisted Mentats Mentats were required to operate within an ethical framework, which for some purposes was not desired. Thus, the Bene Tleilax were known to condition some Mentats to be 'twisted'. These Twisted Mentat individuals, such as Piter de Vries, were able to supralogically hypothesize, strategize and tacticize trends free of any ethical restraints or limitations.

    Quotes "A process cannot be understood by stopping it. Understanding must move with the flow of the process, must join it and flow with it." - First Law of Mentat, 1965 novel

    "It is by will alone I set my mind in motion. It is by the juice of Sapho that thoughts acquire speed, the lips acquire stains, the stains become a warning. It is by will alone I set my mind in motion." - Mentat Mantra, 1984 film

    Known Mentats Exclusive Mentat Advisors Thufir Hawat Piter de Vries, Twisted Mentat Hasimir Fenring Lesser-trained Mentats Paul Atreides, Mentat Duke of House Atreides, later Kwisatz Haderach and Emperor Miles Teg, Mentat Bene Gesserit Bashar Duncan Idaho gholas Tertius Eileen Anteac, Mentat Bene Gesserit Reverend Mother Bellonda, Mentat Bene Gesserit Reverend Mother

15. #15Reverend Mother

    Keys: Reverend Mother

    "REVEREND MOTHER: originally, a proctor of the Bene Gesserit, one who has transformed an “illuminating poison” within her body, raising herself to a higher state of awareness. Title adopted by Fremen for their own religious leaders who accomplished a similar “illumination." ―Terminology of the Imperium[src] Reverend Mother Reverend Mother Gaius Helen Mohiam

    A Reverend Mother refers to a Bene Gesserit initiate (or other woman) who, by converting an awareness spectrum narcotic within their body, unlocks their genetic memory.

    After completing many years of intellectual, physical, and emotional training within Bene Gesserit Schools, sisters deemed qualified by Proctors would be allowed to make the attempt to become Reverend Mothers. This potentially deadly ritual, known as the Spice Agony, involved the ingestion of the Water of Life. The Water of Life entered the sister's body as a poison; it was her task to consciously convert this poison into a substance benign to her. If the sister successfully completed this process, she unlocked the genetic memory of all her female ancestors, resulting in a sudden and immense accumulation of knowledge and abilities. Despite this, the new Reverend Mother did not have access to the memories of her male ancestors.

    Within the Bene Gesserit, Reverend Mothers typically had three names: the first was a Latin male name, the second an English female name and the third an Arabic or exotic name. Examples include Gaius Helen Mohiam, Marcus Claire Luyseyal and Tertius Eileen Anteac.

    Attempt to Create a Male "Reverend Mother" Desirous of an individual that had access to both their male and female genetic inheritance, the primary goal of the original Bene Gesserit breeding program was the production of the Kwisatz Haderach. This would be a male with access to both their male and female genetic memory, as well as mental powers that bridged space and time. According to the Bene Gesserit, prior to Paul Atreides, the Water of Life ritual had been fatal to every male who had attempted it.

    By the original plan of the Bene Gesserit, the Kwisatz Haderach would have been born from the union of a son of House Harkonnen and a daughter of House Atreides. However, Lady Jessica disobeyed the directives of the Bene Gesserit and bore a son, rather than a daughter, resulting in a Kwisatz Haderach appearing one generation earlier than expected.

    Wild Reverend Mothers Unbeknown to many in the Imperium, some fringe cultures also produced "wild" (i.e. non-Bene Gesserit) Reverend Mothers. In addition to the lower-ranking priestesses known as Sayyadinas, the Fremen also had their own Reverend Mothers who had undergone the Spice Agony. Fremen Reverend Mothers had access to Other Memory, like their Bene Gesserit counterparts. They did lack training in Voice and other skills of the Bene Gesserit initiate. It should be noted that the existence of Fremen Reverend Mothers was, at least in part, due to Bene Gesserit religious engineering orchestrated by the Missionaria Protectiva.

    Another example of a wild Reverend Mother would be Rebecca, a member of a highly clandestine group of Jews located on Gammu. Rebecca demonstrated an important ability of Reverend Mothers: the ability to share Other Memory with another Reverend Mother by touching foreheads.

    Risk of Abomination While possession of genetic memory provided enormous advantages to a Reverend Mother, it came with its own set of dangers. Strong ego-memories could inject themselves into a Reverend Mother's consciousness against her will. If such a woman's personality was not strong enough, one or more ego-memories could completely dominate her. If this were to occur, that individual would be considered an Abomination.

16. #16Sardaukar

    Keys: Sardaukar, elite soldiers, elite military

    Sardaukar 1 Sign In to Save Edit Original Dune Icon This article refers to elements from Original Dune Pages for this subject as it appears in other canons: Expanded Dune · The Dune Encyclopedia

    The Illustrated Dune - The Sardaukar Warriors (art by John Schoenherr) Sardaukar Organisation information Founder(s) House Corrino Founded Before 10163 AG Known members Aramsham Tyekanik Unnamed Sardaukar Commander Succeeded by Fish Speakers Headquarters Salusa Secundus Affiliation Atreides Empire House Corrino (formerly) Enemies House Atreides (formerly) [Source] The Sardaukar were the elite military force of the Padishah Emperor who served prominently during the Corrino Empire, later given to the command of Leto Atreides II by Farad'n Corrino. They were renowned and feared throughout the Known Universe for their fanatic zeal, superior fighting abilities, and sheer ruthlessness.

    History In the year 10,191 A.G., Shaddam entered into a deal with the House of Harkonnen to eliminate the House of Atreides, whose popularity was becoming a threat to not only the Emperor but other powerful interests in the Empire, such as the Bene Gesserit and the Spacing Guild. To that end, the Emperor made Duke Leto Atreides give up his fiefdom over the planet Caladan and move to Arrakis, which was the sole location where the spice melange could be found. The Emperor then loaned Sardaukar troops to Baron Vladimir Harkonnen for their attack on Atreides. For that operation, the Sardaukar dressed in Harkonnen uniforms, but it became obvious to the Atreides that it was Sardaukar instead of Harkonnen troops attacking them.

    What the Emperor and Harkonnen did not plan on was the survival of Leto's consort Jessica and his son Paul. The pair were banished to the desert, where they were taken in by the Fremen natives of Arrakis. Paul rose to a position of leadership in the Fremen and led them on a guerrilla war against the Harkonnen that all but stopped spice production in Arrakis.

    During a raid against the Fremen, they killed Paul and Chani's firstborn son.

    With the Guild breathing down his neck, Shaddam sent 5 legions of Sardaukar to Arrakis. It did no good, as the Sardaukar were crushed by the Fremen natives, and the Emperor was captured by Paul and his Fremen allies.

    Following the Arrakis Affair and Shaddam's deposition, the Sardaukar were exiled with the rest of House Corrino to Salusa Secundus.[1] The Treaty of Arrakeen limited the Sardaukar to a small ammount of legions, ensuring the Corrino succesors could not attempt a revolt against the Atreides.[2] The Sardaukar sold the body of Atreides Swordsmaster Duncan Idaho to the Bene Tleilax.[3] Shaddam's daughter Wensicia Corrino attempted to restore the Sardaukar,[4] drilling in strict values. They were subjected to rigorous training and little luxury.[5] All Sardaukar were required to give their full name and title when introducing themselves.[6] Wensicia's son, Farad'n, shared none of the dauntless ambition of her mother. Ultimately, he refused to go through with her plans and became the Concubine of Ghanima Atreides. Farad'n gifted the Sardaukar to the newly instated Emperor Leto Atreides II.[7]

    Upbringing, Training and benefits Sardaukar Barracks - Art by Sardaukar Barracks - Art by Mark Molnar

    Members of the Sardaukar were raised from a young age in an unforgiving natural environment that saw almost half (6 out of every 13) die before the age of 11. Intense training gave them formidable swordsmanship and espionage abilities, and instilled in them a religious fervor that added to their mystique and served to make them even more loyal to the Imperial house.

    The fighting abilities of the Sardaukar were renowned throughout the Old Imperium. At the apex of their sway over the affairs of the Universe, it was said that their swordsmanship was comparable to that of a Ginaz Tenth Level, and their cunning abilities at in-fighting were said to match that of a Bene Gesserit adept. Any one Sardaukar was rated a match for any ten standard Landsraad military conscripts.

    The abilities of the Sardaukar were largely attributed to the harsh environment and brutal discipline they were exposed to on the planet Salusa Secundus, the Corrino prison planet. Only the Fremen, raised in the fanatical warrior culture and merciless desert environment of Arrakis, were capable of matching the Sardaukar. Fremen typically scorned Harkonnen soldiers as cowardly and weak, but judged that the Sardaukar fought well, and even respected them to some degree.

    During the Fremen uprising on Arrakis, the Sardaukar suffered a devastating defeat, opening the way for Paul Atreides' elevation to the Golden Lion Throne and the title of Emperor. Subsequently, the Sardaukar became a marginal force, continuing to act as the standing army and guardians for the newly-deposed House Corrino, though they deliberately avoided direct conflict with the powerful Fremen forces of the Atreides Empire.

    Appearance and Fighting Style A Sardaukar - Art by A Sardaukar - Art by Mark Molnar

    Sardaukar troops typically wore uniforms and helmets of grey and black with gold trimming. Some of their members wore their hair long, which was taken as a sign of arrogance by those who beheld them. They had a distinct combat style, which allowed them to be recognised easily.

    When in close-quarter, hand-to-hand combat, if they found themselves surrounded they would group into trios and adopt a triangular fighting stance with their backs to each other. They would carry weapons on their person that would be ingeniously concealed, such as shigawire in their hair or a fake toe or two inserted with small stabbing weapons. Sardaukar were also experts at covert operations, managing to conceal themselves among groups for extended periods of time before striking.

    During the Harkonnen attack on planet Arrakis, when it was under the control of House Atreides, Sardaukar troops were provided by Emperor Shaddam IV to assist the Harkonnens. Even though the Sardaukar forces were disguised in Harkonnen livery, the Atreides managed to recognize the Sardaukar by their combat style and often hawk-like features.

    Weapons used Throwing-knife Stunner Known Sardaukar Aramsham Tyekanik Unnamed Sardaukar Commander Apocryphal Erta Kardif Khan Marduk Maximilian Banarc Wolfram von Wallach

17. #17Soldiers

    Keys: Soldier, Soldiers, Assassins, Atreides Elite, Bene Gesserit Guard, Chouhada, Crack Troops, Cymeks, Detectors, Face Dancer Guard, Fedaykin Guard, Fish Speakers, Fremen Legions, Futars, Guardians, Guardian Sisters, Guild Mercenaries, Hunters, Imperial Bodyguard, Ixian Guard, Handlers, House Guard, Litter-carriers, Muad'dib Guards, Patrol, Priest, Guardians of Tleilax, Royal Guard, Sardaukar Troopers, Scouts, Searchers, Ship guards, Shock Troops, Soldier spies, Suburban patrol, Suspensor elite, Swordsmen, Vanguard, Mercenaries, Light Infantry, Heavy Infantry, Armored Infantry, Armored Squads, Gunners, Pretorians, Weaponmasters, Bravos, Heavy Troopers, Thumper Infantry, Mortar Infantry, Snipers, Kindjal Launcher Infantry, Rocket Launcher Infantry, Flamethrower Infantry, Saboteurs, Militia Troops, Rebels, Scavengers, Wreckers,

    Soldier Soldiers were professional fighters of the Empire. During the Corrino Empire, the most common Soldiers were the House Troopers of the individual Great Houses and the Sardaukar who were loyal to the Padishah Emperor personally. Other notable troops were free tribal militias and Mercenaries.

    During the Atreides Empire, the Houses Major were stripped of their power and replaced by Emperor Paul Atreides's Jihadi Warriors and later his son Leto Atreides II's Fish Speakers. After the God-Emperor's apparent death the individual remaining factions of the empire, as well as the Lost Ones from Scattering, rose new military units on their own.

    Troop Types mentioned: Assassins Atreides Elite - a small troop trained by House Atreides. Equal to Sardaukar-level fighters. Bene Gesserit Guard - military trained by the Bene Gesserit after the fall of Leto II Chouhada - Fremen tribal Warriors Crack Troops -elite or special forces. During the Corrino Empire more or less identical with the Sardaukar. Cymeks - man-thinking-machine Hybrids developed before the Butlerian Jihad. Detectors - Face Dancer Guard - Military trained by the Tleilaxu after Leto II's Fall. Fedaykin Guard - Paul Muad'dib's Fremen Bodyguard. Fish Speakers - Female Warriors loyal to Leto II. Fremen Legions - The Fremen armies during the Jihad. Futars - human-feline hybrids created by the enemy to hunt the Honored Matres. Guardians - Guardian Sisters - Female Elite-Bodyguard troops of the Bene Gesserit. Guild Mercenaries - free mercenaries employed by the Spacing Guild during the Fremen Jihad. Hunters - special man-hunt Units deployed by House Harkonnen. Also non-specified Units of the Enemy. Imperial Bodyguard - the Padishah Emperor's Guard. Comprised of Noukkers. Ixian Guard - the Ixian Confederacy's military. Handlers - Augmented or mutated Humans who led and bred the Futars. House Guard - the Military of the House Major excluding their police forces and troops deployed for imperial service. Litter-carriers - Muad'dib Guards - The Palace Guard during the early Atreides Empire. Patrol - planetary police-forces, usually a section of the House-military. Priest - accompanied the Fremen Jihadi during Paul's Conquest. During Leto II's reign, the Fish-speakers also fulfilled the role of Priest-military. Guardians of Tleilax - The military forces of the Bene Tleilax. Royal Guard - a subdivision of the Imperial Military. Sardaukar Troopers - the common Sardaukar troops Scouts - light armed Military reconnaissance units. Searchers - Ship guards - Spacing Guild Security forces. Shock Troops - Assault- or leading attack troops. Soldier spies - Suburban patrol - part of the planetary Police forces. Suspensor elite - Imperial Elite Units equipped with suspensor-floating devices. Swordsmen - the close-combat specialists of the military, Vanguard - the Campaigners or spear-point of a military force. Mercenaries- professional soldiers who fight for money. Light Infantry Heavy Infantry Armored Infantry Armored Squads Gunners Pretorians Weaponmasters Bravos Heavy Troopers Thumper Infantry Mortar Infantry Snipers Kindjal Launcher Infantry Rocket Launcher Infantry Flamethrower Infantry Saboteurs Militia Troops Rebels Scavengers Wreckers

18. #18Suk Doctors

    Keys: Suk, Suk Doctor, Suk Doctors

    Suk Doctors or graduates of the Suk School were the pre-eminent physicians of the Known Universe. They were highly valued for their advanced knowledge and for the mental conditioning which supposedly prevented any betrayal of patients or the possibility of taking human life. Since it would appear that Suk doctors were only ever in the employ of wealthy families and organisations, it could be assumed that their services came at a high price. Moreover, their conditioning against taking human life was of particular importance for Great Houses and other high-profile organisations, as there would supposedly be no chance of Suk doctors ever being used as assassins.

    The Suk School was one of the many institutions that arose out of the Butlerian Jihad. It was a way for humanity to maximise its potential to learn of its own physiology, and ways in which to cure its ailments.

    Appearance Suk doctors had a diamond tattoo on their forehead, which was meant to be a symbol of their conditioning. The tattoo was generally black; however, Suk doctors returning from The Scattering sported an orange tattoo. They would also at times have long hair, tied at the back with a metal ring.

    Etymology Historical texts use the word suk as meaning "marketplace," offering one possible explanation for the doctors' name, which is supported by their almost mercenary nature. However, this connection was never made explicit in the historical texts.

19. #19Abomination

    Keys: Abomination, Abominations

    Abomination was a term used most commonly by the Bene Gesserit to describe individuals who could not control the ego-memories that had surfaced within them. These ego-memories usually surfaced after consumption of the Water of Life, or through direct genetic inheritance in pre-born children.

    Abominations, along with those who possessed genetic memory, had access to vast knowledge. This, when combined with their psychological instability, those deemed Abomination were feared and considered very dangerous by the Sisterhood. Standing orders existed for Bene Gesserit that anyone believed to be Abomination were to be immediately killed.

    The classic example of Abomination was Alia Atreides, who was a fetus when her mother the Lady Jessica converted the Water of Life and became a Reverend Mother. Being too young and weak to control the plethora of dynamic personalities that invaded her body via genetic memory, Alia was never able to adjust to her situation and eventually succumbed to the personality of Vladimir Harkonnen.

    Other individuals manifested similar qualities, and thus were temporarily considered Abomination by some in the Bene Gesserit order. Leto Atreides II and his twin sister Ghanima Atreides were examples of this. As the children of the Kwisatz Haderach Paul Atreides, they possessed similarly formidable knowledge from their inception (they were pre-born) and would even play games together and temporarily allow the ego-memories of the Duke Leto Atreides and the Lady Jessica to surface and interact with each other. Unlike their aunt, Alia Atreides, Leto Atreides II and Ghanima Atreides were able to control these memories and avoid the depths of Abomination exhibited by Alia using disparate methods (Ghanima through the use of self-hypnosis, Leto II through a complex council/spokesperson). While Ghanima's escape of Abomination appears to have been successful, Leto II hints at the end of Children of Dune of the possibility that an ancient personality, Harum, may either have or share power over the actions of Leto II.

    Abomination and the Great Temptation While Abomination is primarily used to describe being overwhelmed by the ego-memory of an ancestor, Alia and Lady Jessica also use the term to describe those who have succumbed to the Great Temptation: altering their internal chemistry to arrest the aging process and live indefinitely. When she first sees the fact that Alia has not aged at all since she last saw her, she realized that the apparent rumors amongst the Bene Gesserit that her daughter was engaged in these forbidden practices were true.

20. #20Arafel

    Keys: Arafel, 'cloud darkness of holy judgement', 'cloud-darkness at the end of the universe', end of the universe.

    Arafel was the 'cloud darkness of holy judgement' or 'cloud-darkness at the end of the universe', associated, by implication, with Kralizec, the battle at the end of the universe. As Leto Atreides II, the God Emperor, died, his last words to Siona Atreides and Duncan Idaho were:

    "Do not fear the Ixians. They can make the machines, but they can no longer make arafel. I know. I was there."

    1,500 years later, Reverend Mother Darwi Odrade discovered the word arafel inscribed in stones of the ruins of Sietch Tabr. She then deduced that the Fremen day began with night and following the idea of the darkness of arafel, she found the Fremen carving of the setting Arrakeen sun. From there, Odrade followed a series of clues until she found a secret chamber containing an undiscovered spice hoard of Leto II and, more importantly, a message from the Tyrant to the Bene Gesserit of her own day asking how the sisterhood would meet its end.

21. #21The Arrakis Revolt

    Keys: The Arrakis Revolt, uprising of the Fremen, Arrakis uprising

    The Arrakis Revolt was the term historically used to describe the uprising of the Fremen of Arrakis under the leadership of Paul Atreides, in the latter events of the Desert War, which eventually led to the fall of House Corrino from power. After the Siege of Arrakeen, the Harkonnen occupiers set about restoring spice production on Arrakis. Thinking House Atreides wiped out and the Fremen too weak to pose any real threat, Glossu Rabban Harkonnen squeezed the planet and its inhabitants in a vice-grip.

    What neither the Harkonnens nor the Padishah Emperor knew was that Paul Atreides and his mother, Lady Jessica had survived and joined a local Fremen tribe. Taking the name "Muad'Dib", Paul led his newfound brethren in a guerrilla war against their common enemy. With the new weapons, skills and tactics given to them by the newcomers, the already formidable Fremen warriors were made infinitely more deadly. Within a few years, the Harkonnen forces on the planet had suffered crippling losses and spice output had been reduced to insufficient levels.

    The Harkonnens' inability to safeguard spice production eventually demanded the attention of the other Great Houses, the Guild, and even the emperor himself. The conflict finally culminated in the Battle of Arrakeen, where Muad'Dib and his Fremen blew down the walls of the city with atomics and rode powerful sandworms through the fortifications to overwhelm the Sardaukar and Harkonnen forces. This marked the end of the Desert War, and the advent of the Atreides Empire.

22. #22Atomics

    Keys: Atomics, Atomic

    Atomics, referred to the process of nuclear fission, and more specifically to nuclear weapons of mass destruction. A particularly famous type of atomic weapon was the stone burner.

    Significance of Atomics Atomics harbored a pronounced psychological and social stigma, and were rarely used due to traumatic historical events. Their prohibition was enforced by the Great Convention, which dictated that the offensive use of atomics is grounds for planetary annihilation. Nonetheless, the Great Houses continued to stockpile atomics in the event that humanity ever encountered an alien intelligence that intended to do them harm.

    Mankind's aversion to atomics came from their devastating use during the war against the thinking machines. Though many worlds were affected, the most notable ones were Earth and Corrin.

    Actual or suspected use of atomics The actual and suspected use of atomics made several appearances throughout intergalactic history. Notable among these were the following critical events:

    The destruction of part of the Shield Wall by Paul Atreides just prior to the Battle of Arrakeen, which led to the defeat of the forces of House Harkonnen and the Sardaukar, and the the Ascension of House Atreides. By using them on the shield wall, and not directly on the opposition forces, Paul was able to circumvent the Great Convention, paving the way for his ascension. The destruction of part of Arrakeen by insurrectionists at the end of Paul Atreides' reign as Emperor. This also resulted in Paul being permanently blinded. The destruction of all life on Earth shortly before the start of the Butlerian Jihad. The destruction of the thinking machines and all biological life on numerous planets (excluding Earth) during the Great Purge, a protracted campaign of the Butlerian Jihad. On the planet Poritrin during the second slave revolt. While this was actually caused by the interaction of a laser on a Holtzman Shield, it was commonly assumed to be caused by atomics. The ecology destruction of Salusa Secundus by House Tantor in the 2nd Millenium AG. For that reason the Imperial capital had to be moved to Kaitain. Atomics were also used during the destruction of Korona during Shaddam IV's Great Spice War.

    Known kinds of Atomics Original Dune Stone burner (not considered an "atomic weapon" proper as it only ran on "atomic" fuel)

23. #23Atreides Empire

    Keys: Atreides Empire, Atreides Imperium, Muad'Dib's Empire, the Second Empire, the Holy Imperium, Old Empire, Old Imperium

    The Atreides Empire, also known as the Atreides Imperium, Muad'Dib's Empire, the Second Empire, the Holy Imperium, or the Old Empire or Old Imperium after the death of Leto II, was a colossal theocratic, multi-galactic empire established following Paul Atreides' Fremen uprising on Arrakis against the Corrino Empire, which initially saw the carrying out of Muad'Dib's Jihad but later entered into the three thousand years of Leto's Peace following the ascension of the God-Emperor to the Golden Lion Throne.

    The dawn of the Atreides Empire was marked by the moving of the Imperial seat from the planet Kaitain to the city of Arrakeen on Arrakis. Paul, as Muad'Dib, ruled over the empire for twelve years, before transferring executive control to his sister, Alia Atreides, as Imperial Regent. Some years after this, Paul's only surviving son Leto Atreides II ascended to the throne. Thanks to his transformation into a human-sandworm hybrid, Leto II ruled the empire for some 3,500 years, expanding its already considerable borders to encompass multiple galactic zones. Upon his death, the influence and control of the Atreides Empire began to fade into the background before disappearing entirely into the pages of history, just as the God-Emperor had planned

    Centuries after the death of Leto II, planetary governments existed throughout the Old Atreides Empire in a loose economic federation held together partly by CHOAM and the Bene Gesserit sisterhood. Some areas were ruled over by the Fish Speaker Council, the remnants of Leto II’s all-female army. 1,200 years later, the federation began to slowly fall apart, and the entire Empire with it, as the Honored Matres took over control of an increasing number of planets within its former borders.

    Rulers Paul Atreides - 1st emperor Irulan Corrino - As nominal co-sovereign Alia Atreides - As regent Leto Atreides II - 2nd emperor

24. #24House Atreides's propaganda corps

    Keys: House Atreides's propaganda corps, Atreides's propaganda corps, propaganda corps, Atreides's propaganda

    "Nothing wins more loyalty for a leader than an air of bravura. I, therefore, cultivate an air of bravura.[1]" ―Duke Leto Atreides I House Atreides's propaganda corps was known as one of the finest in the Known Universe.[2]

    After House Atreides moved to Arrakis, the Duke was brought a message by a propaganda corpsman for him to relay to his people through channels. To appeal to the married men, the location of their wives were provided and it was noted that they were safe. For the unmarried men, it was noted that the population of Arrakis boasted more women than men.[3] Leto slapped the corpsman on the arm, a signal which meant the message had top priority and should be transmitted immediately.[4]

    The propaganda unit worked on not just the Duke's people, but the native Fremen of Arrakis as well. Imperial Ecologist Dr. Liet-Kynes noted that he had seen the propaganda which had been "flooded into sietch and village", noting their basic message: "Love the good Duke!"[5]

    Dune - Chapter 14 Dune - Chapter 14: "Nothing wins more loyalty for a leader than an air of bravura," the Duke said. "I, therefore, cultivate an air of bravura." "You lead well," Paul protested. "You govern well. Men follow you willingly and love you." "My propaganda corps is one of the finest," the Duke said. Dune - Chapter 11: Presently, Leto took a leisurely diagonal course across to the lift, acknowledging salutes with a casual hand wave. He recognized a propaganda corpsman, stopped to give him a message that could be relayed to the men through channels: those who had brought their women would want to know the women were safe and where they could be found. The others would wish to know that the population here appeared to boast more women than men. Dune - Chapter 11: The Duke slapped the propaganda man on the arm, a signal that the message had top priority to be put out immediately, then continued across the room. He nodded to the men, smiled, traded pleasantries with a subaltern. Dune - Chapter 15: "I've seen the propaganda you've flooded into sietch and village," Kynes said." 'Love the good Duke!' Your corps of--"

25. #25Atreides-Harkonnen feud

    Keys: Atreides-Harkonnen feud, fued between the Harkonnen and Atreides

    The feud between House Atreides and House Harkonnen was an ancient vendetta which began during the Battle of Corrin and ended ten thousand years later due to the annihilation of the Harkonnens on Arrakis.

    History Battle of Corrin By the year 88 BG, the League of Nobles had all but defeated the thinking machines of the Synchronized Empire under the computer evermind, Omnius, who had only one outpost on the planet of Corrin. At this time, Vorian Atreides was Supreme Bashar of the Army of Humanity, the military of the League. Bashar Abulurd Harkonnen, who served under Vorian, was the grandson of Primero Xavier Harkonnen, who had once been his closest friend. When the League, fuelled by the fanaticsm of the Cult of Serena Butler, launched the Battle of Corrin to finally destroy Omnius. a space ring of orbiting cargo pods with humans in around the planet, the Bridge of Hrethgir, was revealed. It was rigged with explosives to trigger as soon as the fleet passed it.

    Bashar Harkonnen disagreed with Vorian, his commanding officer and refused to cross the Bridge, not wanting to play a role in the deaths of two million. Refusing to back down from his position, Vorian relieved him of his duties and confined him. Abulurd violated his confinement and deactivated the weapons for the entire League fleet. This, however, did not stop the League from achieving victory: it only made it more bloody.

    For this, he was branded a coward: initially he was sentenced to death, but Vorian proposed that he be named a coward and banished from the League, to which Viceroy Faykan Butler agreed. He also specified that Abulurd would retain the shameful name of Harkonnen: Vorian sworn that for ever his descendants would spit upon the name Harkonnen. After that, it was impossible to restore his grandfather's memory. Abulurd was exiled to the backwater planet of Lankiveil, where he made a family of his own and had Dirdos, who founded House Harkonnen and two sons. The kids grew up with tales of the Jihad and came to hate the name of Atreides.

    Griffin on Arrakis In 4 BG, Vorian himself was exiled to the desert planet Arrakis in exchange for the protection of his homeworld Kepler, but was followed by Griffin Harkonnen, the ambitious great-gandson of Abulurd who tracked him down after finding out he had been on Kepler from his sister Valya. Griffin confronteds Vor in a Zensunni Freemen sietch deep in the Arrakeen desert.

    Naib Sharnak told Griffin and Vorian they had to fight to end their blood feud. During the fight, Griffin revealed to Vorian that his wife on Kepler was dead, catching him off guard and ultimately getting him at his mercy, although he decided not to kill him out of honor, declaring the feud supposedly over and the two were placed in the desert. However, Vor was also being followed by the twins Hila and Andros, two children of his father Agamemnon who had survived for years in an isolated robotic outpost. They eventually caught Vor in the desert and killed Griffin. Pursuing Vor, attempting to convert him to their beliefs in a new Time of Titans, they awere swallowed with the sand around them when a sandworm arrived. Vor sent a message of condolence to Griffin's sister, Valya who spurnned the offer and planned revenge, leading to the feud being far from over despite Griffin's intentions.

    Initial climax Feeling guilty for Griffin's death, Vorian tried to help his struggling family with a secret infusion of funds to their whaling business on Lankiveil. He then travelled to Caladan to meet his descendants with Leronica, who included Orry Atreides, Shander Atreides and Willem Atreides, but soon tragedy began to befall the Atreides and Vorian realized too late that Griffin and Valya's younger sister Tula was visiting Harkonnen vengeance on them in the name of the feud. Vorian ultimately dueled Valya on Wallach IX and was believed to be dead by his Caladanian relatives, although in reality he survived and decided to once again begin a new life. His relatives, however, continued the feud, Willem Atreides founding House Atreides itself in Vorian's honor and in opposition to House Harkonnen, which was gaining more and more power under Danvis Harkonnen.

    Nine years later, Danvis and Willem were in competition to became chamberlain to the new emperor Javicco. Working with his cousin Gerhard to frame and then murder Willem, Danvis was betrayed by Gerhard, who supplanted him as Baron. Meanwhile Willem, on his deathbed, pleaded for the feud to stop, but this was hopeless.

    Conclusion In 10191 AG, the Atreides fought the Harkonnens in the Desert War back on Arrakis, a conflict emerging from a Harkonnen alliance with the ruling Corrino family. In this conflict, the feud finally ended, as Baron Vladimir Harkonnen was killed by Alia Atreides, along with his nephew and intended heir Feyd-Rautha by her brother Paul, leading to the end of the Harkonnens.

26. #26Awareness spectrum narcotic

    Keys: Awareness spectrum narcotic, Awareness narcotic, narcotic, spice, spice melange

    An awareness spectrum narcotic is any narcotic substance that has the ability to expand an individual's consciousness on some level. This expansion of consciousness could manifest itself in many ways, including prescience, Other Memory, or simply an increase in immediate awareness and sensory ability. Those who possessed the ability to see into the future when taking awareness spectrum narcotics were considered prescient. Spacing Guild Navigators were capable of such abilities, as were some members of the Atreides genetic line. Many awareness spectrum narcotics were known to exist throughout the Imperium. The spice melange, which originated on the planet Arrakis, was perhaps the most powerful, and certainly the most widely known throughout the known universe, both during the days of the Imperium and beyond. Other use of awareness spectrum narcotics included the detection of deliberate falsehood via the introduction of truthtrance. This subgroup of awareness spectrum narcotics, however, were often fatal to the user unless they possessed the ability to change the substance within their own bodies. Frank Herbert, in the appendices of Dune, often referred to the spice melange as one of many awareness spectrum narcotics.

27. #27Axlotl Tank

    Keys: Axlotl Tank, The Tank

    An Axlotl tank or Axolotl tank was the "tank" by which the Bene Tleilax reproduced a living human being from the cells of a cadaver, producing a type of clone called a ghola. These tanks were also used in the creation of genetically engineered assassins known as Face Dancers. The axlotl tanks were later engineered to replicate the spice melange, previously only available on the desert planet Arrakis where it was created naturally as part of the life cycle of the sandworms.

    The Bene Gesserit eventually suspected that the axlotl tanks were what remained of female Tleilaxu, since no Tleilaxu females had ever been seen. Moreover, the Reverend Mother Superior Alma Taraza, during the time of the Honored Matres, told Tleilaxu Master Tylwyth Waff that neither she nor any of her sisters would become an axlotl tank. This remark elicited shock from the Master, a reaction that indicated that the Bene Gesserit suspicion was correct. Genetic information could be coded into those bred in axlotl tanks. As a result, the resulting organisms could be bred for certain aptitudes, skills, and reflexes.

    illustration Dune (board game) illustration

    Despite the revulsion axlotl tanks caused in many groups and cultures, by the time the Honored Matres had conquered the planets of the Old Imperium, the Bene Gesserit had adopted them for the creation of gholas to further their cause. The last remaining Tleilaxu Master, Scytale, was coerced into revealing the means of creating synthetic melange to the Bene Gesserit Sisterhood.

    Behind the Scenes The name refers to a variety of salamander, and is from the Nahuatl words "atl" meaning water, and "xolotl" a shortening of “xoloizcuintle” or dog, therefore meaning "water dog". Both animals are tied to the Aztec psychopomp Xolotl. Axolotls have the capability to regenerate most of their body parts.

28. #28Azhar Book

    Keys: Azhar Book

    The Azhar Book is a Bene Gesserit compilation of religious and bibliographic information. Supposedly it preserves the great secrets of the most ancient faiths. It was a bibliographic marvel that preserved the great secrets of the most ancient faiths, even before the Orange Catholic Bible. The creation of the Azhar Book is also attributed to the Bene Gesserit.

    History The manual included in a Fremen desert survival kit on Arrakis said:

    "Manual of 'The Friendly Desert,' the place full of life. Here are the ayat and burhan of Life. Believe, and al-Lat shall never burn you." ―Fremkit manual

    As Jessica Atreides noted, it read like the Azhar Book, understanding that a Manipulator of Religions had been on Arrakis referring to the Missionaria Protectiva.

    Leto Atreides II Quoted from the Azhar Book when discussing with Ghanima their suspicions about their aunt Alia:

    "It is with reason and terrible experience that we call the pre-born Abomination. For who knows what lost and damned persona out of our evil past may take over the living flesh?" ―Azhar Book

    Leto later noted that the watering-place of St. Thomas was preserved in the Orange Catholic Bible and the Azhar Book.

    Paul Atreides and the Azhar Book Paul "Muad'Dib" Atreides said words traced back to ancient texts of the Azhar Book:

    Muad'Dib: "Religion often partakes of the myth of progress that shields us from the terrors of an uncertain future." C.E.T. Commentaries: Identical wording. (The Azhar Book traces this statement to the first century religious writer, Neshou; through a paraphrase.) Muad'Dib: "If a child, an untrained person, an ignorant person, or an insane person incites trouble, it is the fault of authority for not predicting and preventing that trouble." O.C. Bible: "Any sin can be ascribed, at least in part, to a natural bad tendency that is an extenuating circumstance acceptable to God." (The Azhar Book traces this to the ancient Semitic Tawra.) Muad'Dib: "Reach forth thy hand and eat what God has provided thee; and when thou are replenished, praise the Lord." O.C. Bible: a paraphrase with identical meaning. (The Azhar Book traces this in slightly different form to First Islam.) Contents It is with reason and terrible experience that we call the pre-born Abomination. For who knows what lost and damned persona out of our evil past may take over the living flesh? The one-eyed view of our universe says you must not look far afield for problems. Such problems may never arrive. Instead, tend to the wolf within your fences. The packs ranging outside may not even exist. — The Azhar Book; Shamra I:4 (Children of Dune)

29. #29Baliset

    Keys: Baliset

    The baliset was a nine-stringed musical instrument, lineal descendant of the zither, tuned to the Chusuk scale and played by strumming. The baliset was a favorite instrument of Imperial troubadors. Gurney Halleck owned a baliset, and often played it while reciting proverbs or singing folk songs for entertainment. Often he would entertain family members of House Atreides before the attack on Arrakis. Farok's son learned to play the baliset and was practising a love ballad when Scytale entered into Farok's house. Halleck gifted Leto Atreides II a small Baliset on his 5th birthday from a master craftsman on Caladan. Tagir Mohandis sung a provocatory song to Alia Atreides and played the tune on his Baliset.

30. #30Breeding Program

    Keys: Breeding Program

    Breeding program Breeding Program CCG Breeding Program Organisation information Founder(s) Bene Gesserit Leader(s) Bene Gesserit Leto Atreides II (formerly) Intentions Create the Kwisatz Haderach (initially) [Source] The Breeding Program was a long-term project developed by the Bene Gesserit Sisterhood whereby certain genetic stock was purposefully bred. For more than 10,000 Standard Years the Bene Gesserit had manipulated bloodlines to produce the Kwisatz Haderach, essentially a male Bene Gesserit who could possess Other Memories as well as see into the future. After it had been established in 10,191 A.G. that Paul Atreides was the Kwisatz Haderach, the Bene Gesserit breeding program continued. However, it was shortly thereafter usurped by Paul's son Leto II, and maintained by him until his death approximately 3,500 years after he took to the Imperial throne. Leto's breeding program was primarily concerned with the creation of an individual like Siona Atreides; one with the genetic ability to remain unseen by prescient searchers such as the Spacing Guild or Bene Gesserit. What other secondary goals Leto may have had (or even achieved) remain unknown.

    Upon his death, the Bene Gesserit once again took control of the program. Through it they bred genetic lines into their own Sisterhood, and other areas. Their later efforts resulted in Miles Teg, among others.

    Appearances

31. #31Buddislam

    Keys: Buddislam, Zensunni, Zenshia, Zensufi, Koran Sutras

    Buddislam ormation Sects Zensunni Zenshia Zensufi Enemies Thinking machines League of Nobles Beliefs Holy text(s) Koran Sutras Theology Monotheism Deities Buddallah Historical information Date founded 1381 BG Planet of origin Old Earth Founder Ali Ben Ohashi Figures Second Muhammad Maometh Date of restoration Partially in 10193 AG with Muad'Dib's Jihad [Source] The Buddislamic faith was a broad, high-level belief system and cultural tradition that evolved through the joining of two ancient religions of Old Earth: Zen Buddhism and Islam. It had emerged as a consequence of the Second and Third Islamic Movements.

    History Pious adherents of two of the Buddislamic denominations, Zensunnis and Zenshiites, choose to flee from war when cymeks, robots, and thinking machines rose up to conquer the Old Empire during the Time of Titans. The adherents fled due to mistakenly assuming that this was the long-foreteld Kralizec, but many of the League of Nobles interpreted the fleeing as cowardice. With the human-machine war proving itself to not be Kralizec, most Zensunni and Zenshiite adherents still refused to participate, considering the war pointless. As a result, many members of the League, notably Savant Tio Holtzman, still despised Zensunnis and Zenshiites a millennia later (notably purchasing many of them as solver slaves), claiming that they owed a debt to the rest of humanity.

    As a result of fleeing during the Time of Titans, and refusing to participate in the subsequent Jihad, Zensunni and Zenshiite adherents became scattered as separate communities on many planets of the Known Universe, both League and Unallied ones. The most notable one of these communities was the Wandering Zensunni one, which, according to their own legends, originated on Nilotic al-Ourouba (likely the Nile Valley on Old Earth), and then migrated to Poritrin, then Salusa Secundus, Bela Tegeuse, Rossak, and Harmonthep, before finally settling on Arrakis a roughly four generations prior to the Butlerian Jihad. This Zensunni community gradually evolved over the next few millennia - into the Free Men (under Selim Wormrider), the Freemen, and, finally, the Fremen.

    Denominations Within the Known Universe the Buddislamic tradition was broken into three denominations:

    Zensunni Zensufi Zenshia The Zensunni denomination was historically the most commonly practiced. For a long time, it was marginalized and limited to groups such as the Fremen of Arrakis, who evolved from the Wandering Zensunni of old. During the Butlerian Jihad, the Zensunnis lived upon other planets as well, notably Harmonthep, although these Zensunni were more pacifistic than the uncompromising and militaristic people of Arrakis. Paul Atreides' ascenscion to the title of Padishah Emperor and Muad'Dib's Jihad saw an explosion in the denomination's popularity across the Known Universe.

    The Zenshia demonination was, during the Jihad, a relative equal to Zensunni in popularity, even greater in numbers on the planet Poritrin, in fact. However, over the subsequent millennia, the Zenshiite denomination faded, possibly out of existence. Much like the Zensunni of Arrakis, the Zenshiites of Poritrin and IV Anbus were rebellious, violent, and uncompromising.

    The Zensufi denomination was a lesser practiced tradition. The Zensufi denomination survived mainly through the isolationist Bene Tleilax (formerly the Tlulaxa).

    Behind the Scenes The split of Buddislam into Zensunni, Zensufi and Zenshia seems to be modeled after historic Islam, however the names might simply refer to a neo-traditionalist, a purist or untenable faction and adherents of a majority faction and were not necessarily still very closely connected to either historic Terran Sunni, Sufi or Shia Islam (most Sufi-schools were parts of either Sunnitic or shiite traditions and not set apart from them as an independent third faction).

32. #32Carryall

    Keys: Carryall

    Carryall

    A Carryall was a large winged, planet-bound aircraft or ship of spice mining teams on Arrakis. Carryalls are usually piloted by a crew of six spice miners or "dunemen", and could carry spice harvesters from one area to another.

    Carryalls were a vital part of spice production. Spotters would be used to locate a spice blow, while the carryall would lift the harvesters from the surface and release them on the spice blows for mining. Moreover, since sandworms attacked all rhythmic vibrations, carryalls were required to lift the harvesters to safety when a worm attacked, a constant threat as harvesters generated considerable vibrations. Typically, the spotters would be used to locate wormsign, electrical charges and ripples in the sand indicating a worm was on its way.

    When House Atreides took control of Arrakis, there were just over a thousand carryalls in the equipment inventory. The vast majority were in dire need of repair, leaving about a third of the adequate number required to cover all the harvesters.

    At one point, a party including the Duke Leto Atreides was nearly killed when a worm attacked a harvester the party was observing. A Harkonnen agent among the crew had overpowered the others and tried to offload it to spice smugglers. The smugglers in question belonged to Esmar Tuek, and had turned over the man and carryall to Atreides forces. This gesture on the part of Tuek earned the gratitude of the Lady Jessica.

33. #33Chakobsa

    Keys: Chakobsa, House Atreides Battle Languge, House Atreides Battle Languge, Magnetic language, Bhotani, Bhotani dialects, Bhotani hunting language

    Chakobsa Chakobsa, also known as the magnetic language, was a hybrid language derived from various ancient Bhotani dialects, especially the Bhotani hunting language.

    The language probably came into being after the first few Wars of Assassins. It became used to a lesser or greater extent by several groups, including the Bene Gesserit and the Fremen.

    When House Corrino ruled the known universe, House Atreides used a form of Chakobsa as their Battle Language.[1]

    Chakobsa was a difficult language to speak: it involved glottal stops and clicking.[1]

    Chakobsa was distinct from the Fremen language.[2]

    Vocabulary Words with translations Original Dune Bakka - "The Weeper"[3] Ghanima - "Spoil of war"[4] Kwisatz Haderach - "The shortening of the way"[5] Mapes - "The Shadow"[6] Sietch - "A meeting place in time of danger"[7] or "A place of retreat and safety in a time of peril".[8] Expanded Dune Sekah - "Alarm"[9] Apocrypha Alnaëm - "The Sleeper"[10] Alzilal - "Shadows"[11] Muk-tafi - "Hidden"[12] Other examples of Vocabulary Miseces prejia. Andral t’re pera! Trada cik buscakri miseces perakri[13] Cignoro hrobosa sukares hin mange la pchagavas doi me kamavas na beslas lele pal hrobas![14] - One of these words meant 'unkissed'.[15] Kushti bakka te.[16] Meaning The word chakobsa is found in the partially reconstructed language Bhotani and means "jargon" or "shop-talk". [17]

    Notes The Chakobsa word for knife, translated to 'Death Maker'.[18] 'Eos' translated to 'dawn' in one of the old tongues, potentially Chakobsa.[19] At the funeral of Jamis, Chani Kynes speaks in a combination of Galach, Chakobsa and Bhotani. It is impossible to differentiate between the Chakobsa and Bhotani. It is noted below for completion's sake. "I bless it now in the presence of a Sayyadina. Ekkeri-akairi, this is the water, fillissin-follasy of Paul-Muad'Dib! Kivi a-kavi, never the more, nakalas! Nakelas! to be measured and counted, ukair-an! by the heartbeats jan-jan-jan of our friend ... Jamis.[20]" ―Chani Kynes

    Behind the Scenes Chakobsa was a real-life secret language used by the medieval Circassian knights and princes. The name is derived from Bzhedug (a dialect of Circassian) words šhə-k'oa-bza, meaning 'the language of hunters'. [21] Since the fictional Chakobsa is said to be a hunting language, it is probable that Frank Herbert, who was interested in Muslim cultures, knew about this fact. The Chakobsa and Fremen language in the universe of Dune appears to be a fusion of several languages, including French, Romani, Arabic, Slavic, Greek, and heavily altered Sanskrit and Hebrew. In the script for Frank Herbert's Children of Dune episode 'The Children' Jessica Atreides speaks the following Chakobsa: 'Lak al mithra Mua'dib. Essa lak lan musta al prejia d'el trial-ama'. This translates to 'May the peace of Muad'Dib reside in the hearts of all men. And tame the passion of all our enemies...' American linguist and constructed language supervisor David J. Peterson created a number of constructed languages for the 2021 film adaptation Dune, including a heavily expanded version of the fictional Chakobsa, based on the few samples known, and newly expanded and devised grammar. See the "Neo-Chakobsa" article for more information.

34. #34CHOAM

    Keys: CHOAM, Combine Honnete Ober Advancer Mercantiles, Honorable Union for the Advancement of Greater Trade.

    CHOAM CHOAM - War for Arrakis Combine Honnete Ober Advancer Mercantiles Organisation information Affiliation Corrino Empire Landsraad Spacing Guild (silent partner) Bene Gesserit (silent partner) Atreides Empire [Source] "CHOAM. The Combine Honnete was much more than House Atreides, much more than Dune, much more than the Priesthood or melange. It was inkvines, whale fur, shigawire, Ixian artifacts and entertainers, trade in people and places, the Hajj, those products which came from the borderline legality of Tleilaxu technology; it was addictive drugs and medical techniques; it was transportation (the Guild) and all of the supercomplex commerce of an empire which encompassed thousands of known planets plus some which fed secretly at the fringes, permitted there for services rendered. When Idaho said CHOAM, he spoke of a constant ferment, intrigue within intrigue, a play of powers where the shift of one duodecimal point in interest payments could change the ownership of an entire planet.[1]" ―Alia Atreides' comments on CHOAM Combine Honnete Ober Advancer Mercantiles (CHOAM) was one of the major galactic organisations in the time of the Corrino Empire and later the Atreides Empire, a gigantic monopoly encompassing all forms of commerce across the Imperium which essentially controlled all economic affairs across the cosmos, although it relied upon the Spacing Guild for transport across space due to the Guild's monopoly on faster-than-light travel. CHOAM touched almost all products the Guild will transport, from art forms to technology and of course melange. Many Houses depended on CHOAM profits, and an enormous proportion of those depended on melange. Most economic ventures were conducted through CHOAM, in which the Imperial House, the Landsraad, and Bene Gesserit and the Spacing Guild all had a stake.

    CHOAM directorships were the real evidence of political power in the Imperium, passing with the shifts of voting strength within the Landsraad as it balanced itself against the Emperor and his supporters. Directorship in the CHOAM was the key to wealth, each noble House dipping from the company's coffers whatever it could under this power.]

    The Relationship of the CHOAM Corporation and of The Relationship of the CHOAM Corporation and the Houses of the Landsraad

    The corporation's management and board of directors were controlled by the Padishah Emperor and the Landsraad (with the Spacing Guild and the Bene Gesserit as silent partners). Because of its control of inter-planetary commerce, CHOAM was the largest single source of wealth in the Old Empire; as such, influence in CHOAM (through partisans within it and control of directorships) was the central goal of political maneuvering, both to receive dividends and also to skim off profits.

    The structure of CHOAM was similar to that of a publicly-held corporation. It consisted of shareholders, and, as in a public company, major shareholders were given directorships to lead in the board of directors. In this case, however, all shareholders were nobles from the Landsraad, which consisted of the Minor Houses, the Great Houses and the Imperial House. The Great Houses predictably held the directorships of the company, but the Emperor was able to give out and revoke directorships at whim.

    History This article is a stub: It may require more information.

    Under the God Emperor Leto Atreides II, CHOAM experienced a reduction of influence and power, just as every other organization did under his reign.

    During the Scattering and later during the times of Honored Matre invasion of the Old World, did CHOAM see its power slowly fade away. CHOAM's full name, Combine Honnete Ober Advancer Mercantiles, comes from multiple ancient Terran languages. It roughly translates as "Honorable Union for the Advancement of Greater Trade."[2] As stated by Frank Herbert, the CHOAM company works in a similar way to OPEC - that is, controlling and exploiting vital products to enrich Great Houses.

35. #35Coriolis storm

    Keys: Coriolis storm

    A coriolis storm was any major sandstorm on Arrakis where the winds across the open deserts were amplified by the planet's own revolutionary motion. This caused them to reach speeds of up to 700 kilometers per hour.

    The storms represent one of the principal dangers to settlements on Arrakis. The Fremen guard against them by building sietches deep into the rock. Arrakeen is protected by a natural formation of sheer rock called the Shield Wall.

    Coriolis storms are a common reference or feature throughout the setting. In Dune, coriolis storms enter the story twice. The first storm is used by Paul Atreides to escape from Harkonnen Ornithopters, the second overloads the shields of forces and ships stationed on Arrakeen during Paul's attack on the visiting Padishah Emperor Shaddam Corrino IV, following the destruction of the Shield Wall.

    Considering that all cyclones, hurricanes, etc. on Earth are caused by the Coriolis effect, it can be accepted that the idea of "Coriolis storm" was created by Frank Herbert as a generic term to describe all tornado-like phenomena on Arrakis; amplified in violence by the presence of airborne sand.

36. #36Corrino Empire

    Keys: Corrino Empire, Corrino Imperium, Old Imperium, Imperium

    Corrino Empire

    Save Edit Original Dune Icon This article refers to elements from Original Dune Pages for this subject as it appears in other canons: Expanded Dune · The Dune Encyclopedia

    Corrino 2021 Corrino Empire General information Organization type De jure unitary absolute Corrino monarchy operating with reliance on various other bodies Head of state Padishah Emperor Commander-in-chief Supreme Bashar Executive branch House Corrino Legislative branch Landsraad Judicial branch Landsraad High Council Military branch Sardaukar Societal information Capital Salusa Secundus (formerly) Kaitain Official language Galach Currency Solari State religious body Orange Catholic Bible Historical information Date established 88 BG Date dissolved 10193 AG Date restored Attempted in 10219 AG The Corrino Empire, also known as the Corrino Imperium or simply the Imperium and later the Old Imperium, was a galaxy-wide empire ruled over by House Corrino and maintained by various forces, including the Landsraad, the Spacing Guild and the CHOAM company.

    The empire was established in the year 88 BG following the Battle of Corrin, and lasted until the Duke Paul Atreides usurped Shaddam Corrino IV after the epochal Arrakis Revolt and founded the replacing Atreides Empire in 10196 AG. The seat of power of the Imperium was initially the planet Salusa Secundus, the traditional home of House Corrino. However, it was later moved to Kaitain following the ecological devastation of Salusa Secundus.

    The Corrino Empire provided a socioeconomic and political framework within which the Faufreluches class system could operate, allowing for the development of numerous upper and lower castes.

    The population of the empire was at least tens, if not hundreds of billions. It’s known that the Fremen were not in the official imperial census.

    Appearances Dune (first appearance) Dune Messiah (mentioned only) Children of Dune (mentioned only) Images

37. #37Crysknife

    Keys: Crysknife

    Crysknife

    Crysknife The Illustrated Dune - Shadout Mapes with a crysknife (art by John Schoenherr) Production Information Manufacturer Fremen Type Weapon Creators Fremen Owners Ghadhean al-Fali Alia Atreides Ghanima Atreides Jessica Atreides Leto Atreides II Paul Atreides Duncan Idaho Jamis Chani Kynes Mapes Muriz Namri Nayla Stilgar Assan Tariq Topri (replica) Zia Locations Arrakis/Rakis Physical and Technical Specifications Structure Sandworm Tooth Blade Shape Curved Length 20 centimeters A crysknife was a knife made from a tooth of the sandworms of Arrakis and served as the primary weapon of choice for the native Fremen.

    Description Curved and double-edged like the kindjal, the blade was some 20 centimeters long, milky white and iridescent, and fixed to a black handle with deep finger ridges below a slim ring in place of a typical shearing-guard. The tip of a crysknife was commonly poisoned, with an unnamed toxin residing in the tooth's former nerve channel. This poison is potent and fast-acting as shown by the slaying of Laza tigers by Leto II and Ghanima.

    Crysknives came in two forms:

    Unfixed: Blades that gradually disintegrated unless near a living electrical field. Fixed: Treated so they could be placed in storage without disintegrating. Sacred to the Fremen, much tradition surrounded the crysknife. When drawn, it could not be sheathed until it drew blood. Moreover, it was forbidden for any outsider to lay eyes on an unsheathed blade and leave Arrakis alive without being "cleansed" in an elaborate ritual.

    The sharpness of a crysknife was unparalleled and its blade typically glowed with its own faint light and reflected ambient light in multiple directions.

    Blades were considered a necessity on Arrakis due to the unreliability of firearms in desert conditions.

    Gallery

38. #38Irulan Corrino's Attributed Book Workings

    Keys: Irulan Corrino's Attributed Book Workings, The work of Irulan Corrino, Irulan Corrino

    Irulan Corrino's Attributed Book Workings

    Irulan Corrino often serves the role of historian or chronicler (Julie Cox as Irulan Corrino in her library, miniseries) Irulan Corrino often serves the role of historian or chronicler (Julie Cox as Irulan Corrino in her library, Frank Herbert's Dune miniseries)

    Irulan Corrino 's Attributed Book Workings are a private book collection written by the Princess Irulan Corrino herself, during her late childhood and her matured reach of puberty on her home planet, Kaitain.

    Many chapters of the Dune novels begin with an epigraph attributed to Irulan Corrino III, the eldest daughter of the 81st Padishah Emperor Shaddam Corrino IV and the Bene Gesserit Reverend Mother of the Hidden Noble Rank, Lady Anirul Corrino on her home planet Kaitain.

    In forms such as the diary entries, historical commentary, biography, quotations and philosophy, these writings set tone and provide exposition, context and other details intended to enhance understanding of Frank Herbert's complex fictional universe and themes. Irulan Corrino herself appears in person only near the end of the novels.

    The excerpts from the following fictional works written by Irulan as a young teenager in her mid-twenties appear in the form of the epigraphs in Dune, as well as (to a lesser extent) the other Dune novels in the series:

    Original Dune A Child's History of Muad'Dib Analysis: The Arakeen Crisis Arrakis Awakening Collected Legends of Arrakis Collected Sayings of Muad'Dib Conversations with Muad'Dib Count Fenring: A Profile Dictionary of Muad'Dib The Humanity of Muad'Dib In My Father's House Lecture to the Arrakeen War College Manual of Muad' Dib Muad'Dib's Collected Lectures: The Secret Ecology of Arrakis[1] Muad'Dib: Conversations Muad'Dib, Family Commentaries Muad’Dib: Reflections on Time[2] Muad'Dib, The Man Muad'Dib: The Ninety-Nine Wonders of the Universe Muad'Dib: The Religious Issues Private Reflections on Muad'Dib Songs of Muad'Dib The Wisdom of Muad'Dib Words of Muad'Dib The Dune Encyclopedia A Time of Reflection Alia's Commentary Ancient Fremen Sayings Book of Judgment Chani, Daughter of Liet History of Muad'Dib Muad'Dib to His Fedaykin Muad'Dib, an Island of Selfdom Ornithopera Palimbasha Private Reflections of Muad'Dib Proverbs of Muad'Dib Shadows of Dune Stilgar's Report to the Landsraad The Chakobsa Way The Commentaries The Dune Gospels The Dunebook The Emperor Paul Muad'Dib The Hayt Chronicle The Irulan Report The Lion Throne The Preacher at Arrakeen The Stilgar Chronicle The Stilgar Commentary Words of the Mentat

39. #39Scattering

    Keys: The Scattering, Scattering

    Scattering

    The Scattering was a major historical event that occurred in the chaotic period following the death of Leto Atreides II, the God-Emperor. Leto's death saw the eventual breakdown of his empire, severe famine on many worlds, and the introduction of Ixian no-ships. It was all part of the Golden Path, as put forward by Leto, which was triggered by a perceived need to diversify the human race and allow it to evolve.

    Origin Leto II's prescience allowed him to see into both the past and the future, and he believed that ten thousand years of rule by the Faufreluches had allowed the human race to become stagnant, and that drastic action on Leto's part was needed in order for the human race to survive.

    The entire purpose of "Leto's Golden Path" was to force the human race to abandon certainty, security, and safety as individual goals and to "scatter" not only geographically, but also to do so technologically, ideologically, and socio-politically.

    As a result of this philosophy, during the reign of Leto II humanity was predominantly planet bound and ruled by an iron fist for more than 3500 years. This was in contrast to the relative freedom of expression and movement people enjoyed to a limited degree under the Faufreluches, the limits being predominantly the inherent control of feudal rule and the Spacing Guild monopoly on space travel. Indeed, Leto II exerted a level of control that was unprecedented in the Imperium, including power over the Guild and space travel, a feat that previous Emperors had been unable to accomplish. Upon Leto's death, the stalwart and long-established order of the Imperium disintegrated, as did control over freedoms and movement, and as a result, humanity rediscovered independence and nobilities on an unprecedented scale. This paved the way for humanity to "scatter" across the universe into the unknown and further evolution of the human race.

    According to Leto II's plan, his death was followed by a collapse of political control and Spice supplies - as it would take generations for the Spice cycle to reassert itself on Rakis. Political order collapsed and entire worlds starved to death, in a chaotic period known as the Famine Times. The Scattering was an immediate response to the Famine Times, as refugees fled the anarchy consuming the Old Imperium.

    Scattering Space During The Scattering, many people remained within the boundaries of the Old Imperium. Many, however, did not. Countless humans departed the Old Imperium for uncharted space, never to return. For 1,500 years, humanity explored the uncharted realms of the universe beyond the boundaries of the Old Imperium. New groups and cultures evolved.

    During the Scattering, vast waves of refugees spread outwards into uncharted space, so that the number of human-colonized worlds exponentially ballooned both in number and spread. The Bene Gesserit who remained in the territories of the Old Imperium could only make vague guesses at the size of "Scattering space", as it was theoretically infinite and even the Honored Matres might not know its full extent. One clue is that the Lost Ones returning from the Scattering refer to the Old Imperium as "the million worlds" or "the million planets" - implying that Scattering space is at least several multiples larger than that.

    Little is also known of the exact socio-political history of what happened in Scattering space, other than that its development across 1,500 years was fairly rapid - a direct reaction to the enforced sedentary nature of Leto's Peace for 3,500 years, or the 10,000 year static structure of the Faufreluches under the Corrino empire.

    What is known is that eventually, the Honored Matres developed as a fusion of Bene Gesserit and Fish Speakers (and possibly other groups) who had fled into the Scattering. An aggressive group focused on conquest and domination, the Honored Matres carved out vast swaths of territory among the worlds settled in the Scattering. One of these worlds, or perhaps a collection of worlds, was referred to as "Dur".

    Another group that rose to prominence in Scattering space were the Lost Tleilaxu - no longer bound by even the pretense of following the restrictions of the Great Convention, they pushed genetic manipulation drastically farther than their Bene Tleilax forbearers in the Old Imperium ever did. Among other creations, the Lost Tleilaxu brazenly spliced together human and animal stock, creating the feline-based Futars and fish-based Phibians. The Honored Matres came into conflict with the Lost Tleilaxu, becoming their bitter enemies, in wars that spread across much of Scattering space. During this time the Tleilaxu refined the Futars, creating them for the express purpose of hunting Honored Matres. Nonetheless, the Matres managed to capture and enslave many Futars and Phibians.

    Return from the Scattering About 1,500 years after the death of God-Emperor Leto II, many of the Lost Ones began to return from the Scattering to the space of the Old Imperium. Chief among these were the Honored Matres, who carved a path of conquest wherever they went, and exterminated the Bene Tleilax and Bene Gesserit wherever they found them.

    The Bene Gesserit eventually learned that the cause of this return was that the Honored Matres were fleeing an even more powerful adversary they encountered out in the Scattering, which the Honored Matres only briefly alluded to as "The Enemy" or the "Ones of Many Faces". The Matres had managed to steal some of the powerful Obliterator weapons from this Enemy before being easily overwhelmed. While the Honored Matres were fixated on destroying the Bene Gesserit, they were also determined to learn their methods of cellular control over their own metabolism which granted them immunity to disease and poisons - a skill that had atrophied among the Matres themselves when they split off from the Bene Gesserit. From this the Bene Gesserit also deduced that the Enemy the Matres were fleeing had made extensive use of biological warfare, against which the Matres no longer had adequate defenses.

    Behind the Scenes Within the context of Frank Herbert's original novels, the Scattering occurs between the novels God Emperor of Dune and Heretics of Dune.

40. #40Universal Standard Calendar

    Keys: Universal Standard Calendar, Universal Calendar, Standard Calendar, Calendar

    Universal Standard Calendar

    Save Edit Original Dune Icon This article or section refers to elements from Original Dune The Universal Standard Calendar, also known as the Imperial Calendar, is the standard measurement of time in the known universe. It centered around the founding of the Spacing Guild, which established a monopoly on all space travel, transport, and Imperial banking throughout the known universe, as the starting year. BG stands for Before Guild, and AG stands for After Guild. This date was chosen as an important date to begin counting years because the establishment of the Spacing Guild's monopoly meant that interstellar travel and finance became more uniform and orderly. This also meant that parties were limited in where and when they could wage war on each other. This restriction was called the Guild Peace.

    Behind the Scenes The Dune novels use a different calendar from that of present day Earth. Years are not counted before and after the birth of Christ, but before and after the establishment of the Spacing Guild's monopoly, measured as before and after Guild.

    Using the information given by the Dune books, it is possible to determine how the dating system used in the novels corresponds to our own.

    1. Butlerian Jihad Butlerian Jihad lasts "two cruel generations" Dune, Appendix II / V 201 - 108 BG

    2. The 200th century "Mankind's movement through deep space placed a unique stamp on religion during the one hundred and ten centuries that preceded the Butlerian Jihad.” Dune, Appendix II ~11,000 years

    Dune begins in 10,191 AG, so we simply add 10,191 to 11,000+201 together:

    10,191 + 11,000 + 201 = 21,392

    This gives us the number of years that have passed in-between 10,191 AG and the beginning of deep space exploration. The first interplanetary space probe was Pioneer 5 which was launched in 1960. If we start at 1960 A.D. and add 21,392 more years, we have 23,352 A.D.

    Thus, the year 10,191 AG corresponds to the year 23,352 A.D. That is, of course, assuming that the Dune chronology actually uses Earth years.

    But Dune counts in Standard years:

    "Taraza was momentarily abashed. This was an imposition. Teg was still a regal figure, tall and with that large head topped by gray hair. He was, she knew, four SY short of three hundred. Granting that the Standard Year was some twenty hours less than the so-called primitive year, it was still an impressive age with experiences in Bene Gesserit service that demanded that she respect him." HoD ~Page 36 So there could be a maximum error of about 400 years (since we do not know when the Dune Universe started using the "Standard" year). This method also assumes that humankind began exploring "deep" space in the 20th century a decade after World War II.

41. #41Alia's Temple

    Keys: Alia's Temple, Alias Temple, Alia’s Fane, Alias Fane

    Alia's Temple

    First appearance Last appearance Dune Messiah (1969) Children of Dune (1976) Alia’s Temple, also known as Alia’s Fane, was a temple in Arrakeen on Arrakis, dedicated to the worship of St. Alia of the Knife. Alia often walked out on a platform overlooking Arrakeen and delivered a mass or evening rite to her Fremen followers. The last thousand metres of the pilgrimage to the temple was to be walked on your knees.

    Interior The interior was referred to as the Sacred Chambers and it contained the Hall of Oracles. Fremen often tracked sand into the hall. Living quarters were located upstairs. Alia’s personal quarters were accessed by a spiral staircase. Alia’s room contained a bathtub, close by to her training quarters. The temple contained a Deathstill. The corridors of the temple were a maze that Duncan described as ‘Sietch-like’.

    Exterior Stairs led up to the lower porch of the temple which was often crowded with pilgrims and vendors. The sides of the temple were adorned with green and black banners, the colours of the Atreides. The gigantic ‘Sun-Sweep Window’ incorporated every solar calendar known in history. The doors of the temple were larger than an entire ancient terran cathedral and the battlement was described as ‘towering’. Alia delivered her sermons from a platform overlooking the Great Square. Hidden inside the battlement was a concealed slit which allowed Alia to privately look at the square.

42. #42Arrakeen

    Keys: Arrakeen

    Arrakeen Alia Arrakeen - Centipede Press Keen General Information Destroyed 15229 AG Type City Location Northern Arrakis Behind the Scenes First appearance Last appearance Dune (1965) Heretics of Dune (1984) "I see the City in the distance. It is beautiful in this morning light. There is your forest on the right. It has so many greens in it I could spend all day describing them. On the left and all around the City there are the houses and the gardens of your servitors.[1]" ―Holy Sister Quintinius Violet Chenoeh Arrakeen was the first settlement on Arrakis.[2] It became one of the largest cities on the desert planet and its seat of power. During the reign of the God Emperor Leto Atreides II it was designated as his festival city and renamed Onn. Following his death, the city was ruled by the Rakian Priesthood and was renamed Keen.

    History Prior to the arrival of the Atreides on Arrakis, the Emperor's right-hand man Count Hasimir Fenring and his wife Margot had resided in the palace. Leto I had chosen Arrakeen for his seat of government because it was small, easier to sterilize and defend.

    Arrakeen would go through multiple transformations over time; it first became an Imperial capital of staggering proportions under Paul Muad'Dib. It was later transformed into a festival city known as Onn, explicitly for the worship of the God-Emperor Leto II. Finally, in the centuries after his death, it was known as Keen, a modern (though still impressive) city to house the Priesthood of Rakis.

    During the time of the Faufreluches, the city was where the ruling family maintained its household. After the death of Leto II, the city fell under the control of the Priesthood whose deity was the God-Emperor. Even though the Imperium was no more, the city remained an important political centre due to its concentration of those who worshipped the God-Emperor, as well as acting as the administration centre for spice mining operations.

    The Bene Gesserit, the Fish Speakers, and other groups maintained a presence there in various forms.

    Description It was located near the northern pole of the planet, and sat largely on a mass of bedrock. This, in conjunction with the protection afforded by the Shield Wall, prevented any incursions from sandworms.

    Aside from providing the governing influence with a base of operations, the chief activities in Arrakeen were trade with off-world groups and individuals, and as a gathering point for some Fremen who preferred a more 'cultured' or exotic life.

    During the time of the Lost Ones were returning from the Scattering, the city's name had become shortened to Keen.

    Landmarks and locations Arrakeen Residency (governor's palace) (Corrino Empire era) Keep (Atreides Empire era) Arrakeen spaceport

43. #43Arrakeen governor's palace

    Keys: Arrakeen governor's palace, Governor's palace

    Arrakeen governor's palace Dawn at the Palace of Arrakeen (by John Schoenherr) General Information Constructed Some time from 88 BG to 10111 AG Location Arrakeen, Arrakis Behind the Scenes First appearance Dune (1965) The Arrakeen governor's palace, also known colloquially as the Arrakeen Residency, was a central landmark in Arrakeen, the old capital city of Arrakis (Dune) during the Corrino Empire era, when the Imperium was ruled by the padishah-emperors of House Corrino. It was the largest building in the city. The Residency was built to withstand the harsh conditions of Arrakis, even those of the milder area surrounded by the Shield Wall mountains, encircling the city of Arrakeen and the Plains of Arrakeen outside the city. During House Harkonnen's governance of Arrakis, the Harkonnens preferred to administer the planet from the more modern, prefab-built capital of Carthag. During that time, the Arrakeen Residency was home to count Hasimir Fenring, a close friend of padishah-emperor Shaddam IV, and Hasimir's wife, lady Margot Fenring.

    Once the stewardship of Arrakis was awarded to House Atreides, the Atreides family decided to revive Arrakeen's traditional role as the planet's capital city, deciding to take up residence in the city's governor's palace, re-establishing the city of Arrakeen as the seat of the Imperium's power on the planet. Lady Jessica Atreides found a coded message by lady Margot Fenring in the palace's greenhouse. The shadout Mapes was one of the housemaids/housekeepers of the governor's palace. The Atreides held a gala at the palace, meeting with local elites, guests of honour and Imperium representatives, including the likes of Dr. Liet Kynes. When Dr. Wellington Yueh carried out his plan to betray the Atreides (in order to bargain with baron Harkonnen to release his captured wife from suffering and confirm her death), the city of Arrakeen and the governor's palace came under attacked by Harkonnen and (concealed) Sardaukar forces during the Siege of Arrakeen.

    The city and the Residency fell into Harkonnen hands, until the eventual Battle of Arrakeen, where Fremen forces led by Paul Atreides (now known as the Fremen leader/prophet Muad'Dib) tricked the assembled forces of padishah-emperor Shaddam IV and House Harkonnen, retaking the city along with the governor's palace.

    After the defeat of House Corrino at Arrakeen and padishah-emperor Shaddam IV being forced to abdicate the Golden Lion Throne in favour of rule by Paul Atreides, the governor's palace was gradually superceded by the construction of new megastructures. These easily overshadowed and replaced the old governor's palace, an already very large and impressive structure.

    The Keep - These giant buildings in Arrakeen superceded the old governor's palace during the earlier years of the Atreides Empire era of the Imperium (as depicted in the novels Dune Messiah and Children of Dune).

44. #44Carthag

    Keys: Carthag

    Carthag Eye of the Storm - Carthag - Harkonnen Megalopolis Carthag General Information Type City Location Approx. 200 kilometers north-east of Arrakeen[1] Approx. 200 hundred kilometers northeast across the Broken Land.[2] Chronological and Political Information Affiliation House Atreides House Harkonnen (formerly) Behind the Scenes First appearance Dune (1965) "This had been the government mansion in the days of the Old Empire. Costs had been of less importance then. It had been before the Harkonnens and their new megalopolis of Carthag -- a cheap and brassy place some two hundred kilometers northeast across the Broken Land." ―Dune, Chapter 7 Carthag was the capital of the planet Arrakis under the rule of House Harkonnen.

    Upon the change of fief ordered by the Padishah Emperor Shaddam IV, House Atreides took control of Arrakis in 10,191AG. Under the Atreides leader, the Duke Leto, the capital moved to the city of Arrakeen, which was approximately two hundred kilometres south west of Carthag.

    Of the two cities, Carthag was larger, newer and more densely populated. Duke Leto had assessed that Arrakeen would be easier to defend if attacked, and thus made it the planet's capital. Moreover, Leto had theorised that, because Carthag was more densely populated, it was likely to have a greater number of Harkonnen agents that could potentially subvert Atreides rule.

    During Siege of Arrakeen, Harkonnens also operated cleansing in Carthag and every stationed Atreides trooper was slain. Carthag's name derives from the ancient city of Carthage.

45. #45Dar-es-Balat

    Keys: Dar-es-Balat

    Dar-es-Balat

    Save Edit Original Dune Icon This article or section refers to elements from Original Dune Daresbalat Dar-es-Balat was a site on Rakis where the God-Emperor Leto Atreides II constructed the no-chamber that held his account of his millennia-long reign. This site was discovered and excavated by Hadi Benotto, but the excavation reports were suppressed on the orders of the Rakian Priesthood. The Bene Gesserit Archives acquired copies despite the suppression.

    Later a city was built at Dar-es-Balat with the Rakian Priesthood having a presence there - the senior priest being Albertus.

    Behind the Scenes The name Dar-es-Balat is improper Arabic—often an apparent source language for place names and elements of Fremen culture on Arrakis. In Arabic, Dar-es-Balat would properly be Dar el-Balat. The usage in God Emperor of Dune, Heretics of Dune and Chapterhouse: Dune is most probably based on the Arabian place name Dar es Salaam, where the article el- or al- is assimilated to the following consonant, so that both words contain "s" rather than "l" and "s".

    Also, "Dar-es-Balat" offers another phonetic interpretation as "Dar Hezb Al-Lat" translatable from Arabic as the "house of the party of Al-Lat" (دار حزب اللات). The term "Hezb" (حزب) in Arabic is also used to describe subdivisions of the Quran, divided into 60 hezb. Therefore, "Dar Hezb Al-Lat"" could be interpreted as the "house where the theological subdivisions of Al-Lat (اللات) are placed."

    Al-Lat (اللات) herself is a pre-Islamic goddess, worshiped as one of the daughters of Allah during the pre-Islamic period, as mentioned in studies on pre-Islamic Arabian religion. It's noteworthy that the term "Hezb" (حزب) can also be linked to theological subdivisions, suggesting a deep connection with spirituality.

    An intriguing hypothesis can be formulated regarding the possible origin of the name "Leto," which could be borrowed from Al-Lat (اللات). In Arabic, the pronunciation of Al-Lat is "Allatu" or "Allato," which phonetically could be associated with "Lato." However, it's important to emphasize that this interpretation remains speculative and cannot be directly linked to the actual content of the book in question.

46. #46Shield Wall

    Keys: Shield Wall

    Shield Wall

    The Shield Wall was a mountainous, rocky geographic feature in the northern reaches of Arrakis. It protected a small area from the full force of the planet's coriolis storms. Its height was said to be great, reaching up to 4500 meters in certain places.

    Although the Shield Wall was not man-made, it kept out the force of coriolis storms and kept the sandworms away from human settlements.

    When Paul Atreides stopped all spice production on Arrakis, Emperor Shaddam IV traveled to Arrakis to restore spice production and stop Paul. He arrived in a Starship Lighter with a Hutment full of Sardaukar and landed within the Shield Wall.

    When Paul's Fremen forces attacked the Sardaukar, Paul used the Family Atomics to blow an opening in the Shield Wall, breaching it. Through the breach, Fremen wormriders poured in to the theatre, attacking and defeating the Sardaukar on the Plains of Arrakeen.

    In the thousands of years that passed after the Battle of Arrakeen, the Shield Wall slowly crumbled. With the massive terraforming that took place on Arrakis during that time, the Shield Wall eventually was reduced to little more than a small plateau. It was within this plateau that the Reverend Mother Darwi Odrade discovered Leto II's spice hoard.

    Locations The Shield Wall protected many important locations for the Fremen and graben peoples of Arrakis. They included:

    Arrakeen: The capital city of Arrakis under House Atreides. It remained the capital when House Harkonnen recaptured Arrakis, and was well as when Paul Atreides wrested the planet back into Atreides hands, became Emperor and moved the royal seat from Kaitain to Arrakis. Carthag: The capital city of Arrakis when the House Harkonnen maintained the fief, a period of approximately 80 years, until 10,191AG. Skull Tomb: The crypt where the remains of Leto the Just were laid to rest by Paul Atreides, his son. Plains of Arrakeen: The battlefield where Muad'Dib's armies defeated Shaddam Corrino IV's Sardaukar. Other Locations

    Cave of Birds Mount Idaho Imperial Basin The Minor Erg Tsimpo

47. #47Sietch

    Keys: Sietch

    Sietch

    "The sietch at the desert rim was Liet's, was Kynes's, was Stilgar's, was Muad'Dib's, and, once more, was Stilgar's. The Naibs one by one sleep in the sand, but the sietch endures." ―from a Fremen song[src] The term Sietch was the Fremen term for a community or village.

    Location A sietch was typically located within the mountains or rock outcrops that were scattered throughout the deserts of Arrakis, hidden from the harsh sun Canopus. It was located within either a man-made or a naturally carved cave system, or occasionally a combination of both.

    The actual size of the mountains and rock outcrops had to be quite large as was the network of tunnels and caves. It had to be capable of not only housing the hundreds or even thousands Fremen families, but also large enough to house all the internal economies and industries, basically a small city and all the civic necessities that would be needed even for a minimalist society like the Fremen community. Stillsuit manufacturing, processing spice and converting it into fibrous form, small scale farming, food processing, as well as the tribe's water storage, water reclamation facilities and power supply, seem to be common to most if not all sietch communities.

    Infrastructure The physical infrastructure of a sietch consisted of living and ceremonial quarters. It was governed by a Naib, and was constantly guarded, primarily from any hostile off-world humans.

    Most Fremen living within a sietch would share much. However, some privacy was allowed, especially when it came to spending time with the family. As such, a Fremen and his family would usually be assigned a small number of rooms within the sietch. This was referred to as his yali. When a Fremen died, his yali typically went to his son, unless he died in the Tahaddi Challenge, in which case the yali went to the victor.

    Some sietches, such as Sietch Tabr, also housed a stunted sandworm for Water of Life rituals. It would also be where the spice orgy would occur.

    In practice sietches could be quite different types of settlements, a sietch would normally include Windtraps, Yalis, condensers, sietch-schools, corridors, sietch-factories, dew collectors, stillsuit shops, manufactures, field generators, animal dens, landing lips, plantings, caverns, small maker caches, warrens, watches, seals, moisture traps, entraces, shelters, fuel cells, assembly chambers, sietch gardens, catch-basins, exvaporation-proof basins, mega-basins, Watertraps, Qanats,storage basins, decoy barrages, Deathstills. Many of the more southern sietches were Palmaries or Oasises and during the time of Muad'dib's Rebellion many sietch villages were turned into "sietch-fortresses".

    Etymology The term Sietch originally meant "place of assembly in time of danger", (and possibly held some relevance to the word siege). Compare with the sich (Ukrainian січ), the chief fortress refuge settlement of the Ukrainian cossacks of Old Earth. However, due to the constantly threatened nature of Fremen life, the term evolved into a general term for a communal gathering.

    Known Sietches Cave of the Ridges Coanua Sietch False Sietch Gara Rulen Sietches Hobars Gap Red Chasm Sietch Sietch Abbir Sietch of Alhen Sietch Jacurutu Sietch Makab Sietch Tabr Tasmin Sink Tuek's Sietch Umbu Sietch Windgap Sietch

    It is worth noting the similarity between "Sietch" and "Seeq", which is one of the Arabic names of the ancient desert town of Petra, accessible only via a narrow passage. Notice the similarities in the structure, and the name.

48. #48Sietch Jacurutu

    Keys: Sietch Jacurutu, Fondak

    Sietch Jacurutu

    Jacurutu - Jacurutu - Frank Herbert's Children of Dune

    Sietch Jacurutu, also known as Fondak, was a legendary sietch located in the deep desert of Arrakis, associated with Shuloch. For many years the Fremen thought Jacurutu was a myth, and little was remembered of its origin. It was rumored that its people had been cast out from Fremen society for stealing water.

    History Origins Long before the arrival of House Atreides on Arrakis, during the times of Stilgar's great-great-grandfather, a group of renegade Fremen based in Jacurutu caused havoc on the arid planet by killing other Fremen for the water contained in their bodies. The other tribes called the group Iduali, meaning "water insects", and banded together to wipe out Sietch Jacurutu. The name Jacurutu became taboo after the massacre. No Fremen could search for it. The surviving Iduali rebuilt Sietch Jacurutu and named it Fondak. Fondak became a smuggler camp, helping to get the rulers of Arrakis off the planet , should they need to, in exchange for a fee. To make sure the Sietch itself was never discovered, a poison cistern was built. This killed all animal life nearby, meaning the Fremen could no longer detect water near Jacurutu.

    During the rule of Alia Atreides, Leto Atreides II faked his own death and set off to discover the secrets of Jacurutu. Upon discovering the location, he was captured by Gurney Halleck under Jessica's orders. Gurney believed he was testing Leto for signs of abomination, however, the true motives behind his orders are up for debate. During the testing, Leto took a frempack and escaped into a sandstorm, unaware that his heel pumps had been cut.

    After escaping from Jacurutu and then Shuloch, Leto used the resources of the Cast-Out to lay the foundations of his Golden Path.

49. #49Sietch Tabr

    Keys: Sietch Tabr

    Sietch Tabr General Information Destroyed 15229 AG Type Sietch Location Arrakis Chronological and Political Information Affiliation Fremen Behind the Scenes First appearance Last appearance Dune (1965) Heretics of Dune (1984) "The sietch at the desert's rim Was Liet's, was Kynes's, Was Stilgar's, was Muad'Dib's And, once more, was Stilgar's. The Naibs one by one sleep in the sand, But the sietch endures." ―from a Fremen song[src] Sietch Tabr was a major Fremen Sietch on Arrakis. Its most famous native-Fremen leader was Naib Stilgar.

    Sietch Tabr was the Fremen community first encountered by Paul and Jessica Atreides after their escape from Harkonnen assassination attempts following the fall of House Atreides on Arrakis. As a result, it became their adopted home, and the foundation of the Arrakis Revolt; the resistance movement that eventually took control of Arrakis, and launched Paul's Jihad.

    Although Sietch Tabr lost some of its new-found authority after Paul became Emperor and moved his base of operations to Arrakeen, it remained a powerful locale in Fremen culture and politics.

    Eventually, and as with all Fremen sietches, Sietch Tabr was abandoned after the terraforming of Arrakis, and its exact location remained a mystery for thousands of years, until entered by Reverend Mother Darwi Odrade, shortly before its destruction along with the rest of the planet following the Battle of Rakis.

    Places of Note Briefing room Chani's lab Deathstill Hall of rites Prayer wall Rock ledge Sietch School Stilgar's quarters Water basin Windtrap Yali of Paul Muad'dib

50. #50Stillsuit

    Keys: Stillsuit, Stillsuits

    Stillsuit Stillsuit LietCentipedePress Production Information Manufacturer Fremen Type Clothing Owners Fremen Locations Arrakis/Rakis Physical and Technical Specifications Structure Facial Mask Filtplug Mouth filter Nose tube Watertube Suit Catchpockets Gloves Heat-exchange and Filter system Recath Usage and History Purpose Conserve body moisture Heritage Fremen A stillsuit was a full body suit worn in the open desert of the planet Arrakis that was designed to preserve the body's moisture. It consisted of various layers that would absorb the body's moisture through sweating and urination, and then filter the impurities so that drinkable water would be circulated to catchpockets. The individual could then drink the reclaimed water from a tube attached to the neck. A stillsuit, kept in working order and maintained properly, permitted the wearer to survive for weeks in the open desert.

    Design The stillsuit typically covered the entire body, up to the neck and wrists. For the hands, gloves could be worn. However, when delicate work was performed, Fremen discarded the gloves and rubbed their hands with leaves from the creosote bush. This allowed them to work, while the residue from the creosote leaves prevented perspiration.

    A facial mask could also be worn so that moisture from the mouth and face could also be reclaimed.

    As the planetologist Liet Kynes is assisting Duke Leto Atreides I with the fitting of his stillsuit, he explains the suit in this manner:

    "It's basically a micro-sandwich — a high-efficiency filter and heat-exchange system. The skin-contact layer's porous. Perspiration passes through it, having cooled the body ... near-normal evaporation process. The next two layers . . . include heat exchange filaments and salt precipitators. Salt's reclaimed. Motions of the body, especially breathing and some osmotic action provide the pumping force. Reclaimed water circulates to catchpockets from which you draw it through this tube in the clip at your neck... Urine and feces are processed in the thigh pads. In the open desert, you wear this filter across your face, this tube in the nostrils with these plugs to ensure a tight fit. Breathe in through the mouth filter, out through the nose tube. With a Fremen suit in good working order, you won't lose more than a thimbleful of moisture a day..." ―Liet-Kynes[src]

    Manufacture During the time of the Faufreluches, stillsuits were manufactured by Fremen as well as private entrepreneurs. However, Fremen-manufactured stillsuits were widely considered the highest in quality, as they were the only ones that could preserve the body's moisture in the deep desert. Only an average of a thimbleful of water (2-5 ml) a day was lost when a Fremen stillsuit was worn.

    Use Fremen stillsuit discipline was very strict. Since an individual's body water belonged to the tribe, it was everybody's personal responsibility to preserve as much of their water as possible. Moreover, when crossing the Deep desert, utter adherence to maximum stillsuit discipline was the only way one would have a chance of surviving. While in sietch, stillsuit discipline was more relaxed.

    One of the measures of the progress of Arrakis' transformation from a desert planet to a lush world was when Fremen no longer required to wear stillsuits in the open air.

    Individual parts Breathing Mask (also Filter Mask or Moisture Mask) Catchpockets Gloves Filt-plugs (Nostril plugs) Recath (presumably similar to today's catheters) Stillsuit Cap Stillsuit Hood Watertube

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