OOC for THE AFFAIRS OF KAITAIN: A Role-Play of Dune

I read up on the capital and I was very impressed. Sounds like a paradise and I'm sure it will be a lovely setting for many of our scenes. Now comoe find me people...lol

A paradise where those who can afford them wear personal poison snoopers disguised as heavy rings.

A paradise with it's own hell. The Imperial Prison.

"Their skulls, still draped in bloody flesh and then coated with a preservation polymer, had been hollowed out and fitted with glowglobes, so that an unsettling ghoulish light shone through the eye sockets, mouths, and nostrils."

A paradise for every plotter and intriguer from every major and minor power. A paradise for the sinful. Not as openly hedonistic as the pleasure planet Gamont but being the Imperial capital most pleasures are available for a price.

Unless it is personal between Houses, CHOAM and it's business dealings are the primary source of intrigues. The more planets you control and the richer you are, means more dealings with the Guild. Your amount of shipping with the Guild, outside of your systems, goes towards voting shares in CHOAM, reviewed every ten years and reassigned every 100.

Royal monopolies, rampant capitalism and shady dealings!

Canon, Non-canon, Fan Fiction

Canon, Non-canon, Fan Fiction

In fiction, canon is the material accepted as officially part of the story in an individual universe of that story. It is often contrasted with, or used as the basis for, works of fan fiction.

Fan fiction or fanfiction (also abbreviated to fan fic, fanfic, or fic) is fiction about characters or settings from an original work of fiction, created by fans of that work rather than by its creator. It is a popular form of fan labor, particularly since the advent of the Internet.

3. Note the Details. You can find an extensive backgound for our story at The Dune Wiki, and many other places on the internet, with details specific to this role-play added at the OOC for The Affairs of Kaitain. As you contribute to the story, make sure your actions and descriptions follow the information provided by those resources. Any uncertainties or questions you have in this regard should be presented on the OOC thread for comment and resolution.

Admittedly this is technically a fan fiction story but rule 3 posted in the OOC thread states 'As you contribute to the story, make sure your actions and descriptions follow the information provided by those resources'.

The intent is to stay within canon storylines and not pollute future plotlines with non-canonical facts. If we kill off an Atreides ancestor, there is no Maudib to rule later. An extreme example but sci-fi readers should be familiar with changing timelines inadvertently.

The use of non-canon Houses and characters is required. Interaction with established canon characters is acceptable but avoid playing them out.

While the Dune Encyclopedia has some really great information, it was declared non-canon by Herbert's estate so his son could continue and expand the series. The DE is accepted for the timeline of the first printed five books, it deviates large from events published in the Prequels and Legend books. It still has value as a resource but must be taken with a grain of salt. Plus is a great read.

The timeline to follow is Dune XD on the Wiki pages. This storyline (10,148 AG) occurs during a period not highly documented yet close to first set of books printed to have relevant info and recognizable characters. Best bet is to keep it simple and not make your character some sort of super-character. Any Bene Gesserit adept could kill almost any character without breaking a sweat in hand to hand combat. And currently no army can withstand the Emperor's Sardaukar. The Spacing Guild is all powerful and no House can defy them.

For someone not overly familiar with Dune it can be quite daunting. It is a very well documented universe with 18 books written on the subject. It can be like writing a historical period piece. I find myself jumping back and forth between the DE and XD to get facts right and fill in blanks.

There is still much room for rping non-canon Houses and characters. Intrigue and plots amongst Houses and factions was rife in the Duniverse. We don't need to rewrite the Dune books.


I must say that as a HUGE Dune fan/geek polluting the Duniverse with too much out of place non-canonical stuff bothers me personally. I love the books too much to see them diluted by stuff that cannot be substantiated by or that supports the timeline. I find too much non-canon to be unbelievable. The fact there may be more fans of the video games than the books probably puts me in the minority opinion though. Even the '84 movie deviated with that stupid "weirding module". They introduced that and I almost turned off the movie. Duke Leto had trained a small cadre to close to Sardaukar levels not invented a device that used Bene Gesserit Voice to power it. Stupid invention, ruined the whole movie for me.

Ginaz Swordmaster

Swordmaster is a title awarded to warriors attaining a certain level of skill in the Ginaz School, during the time of the Faufreluches.

Conceivably, many Great Houses maintained their own Swordmasters as commanders, teachers, and personal guards for their family members.

Swordmasters of Ginaz were regarded superior warriors in every way, superior even to a Sardaukar.

Duncan Idaho was Swordmaster for House Atreides. It was partially through his instruction that the Atreides were able to train a small army that rivaled the Sardaukar in ability in 10,191 A.G.

The name 'Swordmaster' comes from the fact that adepts are highly skilled in bladed weapons (namely knives and swords) and hand-to-hand combat, which re-entered human warfare after shielding systems made the use of guns futile.

House Trooper

The House Trooper was the common houseguard soldier in the Imperium. Every Major House had it's own army, formally independent from the Emperor's own military forces.

Regular troop types included the common Infantry footman, armored squads, technicians, personal guard and elite guard (or Pretorians) as well as shock troops and support troops. House Harkonnen also deployed specialized Hunters. In the Age of Shield-fighting the infantry were swordmen, armed with blades, and, for support, dartguns or needle projectors. Gunners operated armored groundcars, cannons, launchers and large heavy duty Lasguns.

The House Troopers wore a uniform consisting of watchcap, tunic, jacket, robe, trousers or shorts and boots or a one-piece working uniform in the color of their house or sometimes camouflage. A Trooper would also often wear a com-helmet. Com-helmets could be provided with helmet amplifiers, communicator and night-lenses and emergency transmitter and occasionally with crests, filters, gas masks or visors. Armored Squads could also wear a heavier battle garb, suit of armor of Alloyglas or metal armor made of Plasteel.

Assassin

An assassin was a combatant specially trained in the art of stealth killing. Good assassins were highly regarded by various major political entities, particularly the Great Houses.

The assassin's role was of particular importance due to the concept of a War of Assassins - a series of warfare restrictions incurred by The Great Convention and Guild Peace. Assassins, with their expert knowledge of poison and other discreet methods of murder, were responsible for the deaths of many prominent figures, especially during the Corrino Empire.

Roles for female characters

Of course females are allowed fighting skills as mercs and House troopers. The various Bene Gesserit roles are huge. Teachers, maids, Amazonian guards and concubines. Never underestimate a BG trained female. Their in-close fighting skills are second to known. Even Sardaukar and Swordmasters fear hand to hand combat with BG females. They posses great training in muscle control and internal body chemistry. They approach Mentats in computing ability. Advanced Reverend Mothers can access genetic female memories.

Chances are that they are loyal to the Sisterhood over all others even as employees of Noble Houses. Rogue BG are known but do not posses all the abilities of a true BG trained adept. Many Noble born females receive training and learning on Wallach, the Sisterhood controlled planet.

Even before becoming a Reverend Mother, the Lady Jessica easily defeated the armed Fremen Stilgar. The Emperor employs BG Reverend Mother Trusthsayers (feared by all). BG adepts have the ability to control others actions through Voice, a manipulation of sub-vocals and an intimate reading of the subjects personality.

The Bene Gesserit are not called "witches" for nothing.
http://dune.wikia.com/wiki/Bene_Gesserit/XD
http://dune.wikia.com/wiki/Bene_Gesserit_Training

Powers and Abilities

Chemical and Organic Powers

The Bene Gesserit schools were designed to maximise the physical and mental potential of humanity, especially females. As a result, Bene Gesserit adepts possessed abilities that could not be rivalled 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 the following:

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

Alteration of metabolism to render poisons harmless. This ability was used when potential Reverend Mothers took the Water of Life. It was also sought by the Honored Matres, from the Sisterhood, as they sought a way to combat the revived Omnius Scourge.

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.

Weirding Way

Superior hand-to-hand combat abilities. Bene Gesserit trained men and women were unrivalled in their fighting abilities. Only Imperial Sardaukar and the Fremen of Arrakis could approach the abilities of a Bene Gesserit in regards 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, such as in the later gholas of Duncan Idaho.

Mental Abilities

Consciousness Altering

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.

Guilt Casting

Some Bene Gesserit sisters could use the psychic ability of guilt-casting, which was used as a means of disabling one's opponent. This experiment was prominent during the end of the Corrino Empire and the Ascension of House Atreides.

Petit Perception
Sisters could 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.

Before I post my character I was just wondering if it would be possible to make him a Ghola. That way there could actually be several of him on world at the moment, all controlled by a Mentat who knows the means of unlocking his memories. The axlotl tank's could be hidden in either the embassy or deep in the catacombs. Thus if an assassination attempt fails he would not be suspected as he could turn up again alive.

(I am assuming a device can be triggered that would destroy the body if it died. Not sure if this is possible)

Ghola

Aussie_Wolf said:

Before I post my character I was just wondering if it would be possible to make him a Ghola. That way there could actually be several of him on world at the moment, all controlled by a Mentat who knows the means of unlocking his memories. The axlotl tank's could be hidden in either the embassy or deep in the catacombs. Thus if an assassination attempt fails he would not be suspected as he could turn up again alive.

(I am assuming a device can be triggered that would destroy the body if it died. Not sure if this is possible)

Click to expand...

A ghola would be a cool character. Yes there could conceivably be more than one of you.

All Tleilaxu products are viewed with suspicion or hostility by many. The Bene Tleilaxu have a rep as "flesh merchants". They harvested human organs during the Butlerian Jihad while claiming to grow them in Axlotl tanks. The metal eyes used at this time are viewed with suspicion even though they are accepted as replacements for damaged eyes.

Gholas can be trained or conditioned for many things. Mentat, pilot, prostitute/concubine, assassin, Zensunni philosopher (1st Idaho ghola). They could also be deeply conditioned for loyalty or treachery and could carry deep hypnotic suggestions. The Bene Tleilaxu are the least trustworthy of the factions in the Dune Universe.

The ability to restore a ghola's memories was not discovered until the end of Dune Messiah. Axlotl tanks are actually Tleilaxu females. Never seen and hidden on home world. The BG did not discover their origin until Chapterhouse of Dune.

A ghola was an artificially created human, who was replicated from a dead individual. Gholas were created in Axlotl tanks and could be reconstructed from as little as one cell from the original being. They were created almost exclusively by the Bene Tleilax, although at least one (based on Miles Teg) was created by the Bene Gesserit shortly before the Return of the Honored Matres.

Differences between gholas and clones

Though a ghola would at first seem synonymous with a clone, there were some key differences:
To be considered a true ghola, the cells used to grow the ghola were collected after the original human had died, whereas a clone is grown from cells collected while the original human was still alive. Clones do not possess a "death memory" when the original memories are restored.
Gholas possessed most (if not all) of the memories of the source human, thanks to a combination of conditioning and a variant on genetic memory.
Gholas originally possessed artificial 'metallic' eyes, due to an initial problem with the method of ghola production. This was later resolved, resulting in them possessing natural eyes.

Ahem....

Well I don't see an issue with a clone though from my reading on the topic clones in Dune, and they are pretty special so who would you be a copy of exactly? I imagine there might be some conditioning as well. Who could we have manipulating such a character. This could be a lot of fun...

I must admit I am basing this a lot on what has been written about House Ordos in the Wiki and that is only based for the few games so...

Ordos is a collection of Wealthy Families that formed a Cartel then grew into a house. It is now ruled by the Executrix council of four beings that are linked in a gestalt mind.

They are very Rich and powerful in business but not in political power. I was thinking that was why they are trying to get an alliance with someone who does have power but needs wealth, and could be manipulated.

They did have an Assassination Mentat called Ammon that was supposedly executed on charges of embezzlement, but not much is known about him. Perhaps he is the one behind the curtain pulling the strings. He could have been in charge of training my character then once I was ready the plan was set in motion.

Alright tell me about about this young man trained by this shadowy assassin...Is he like a son to this older assassin?

JawnKarTurr said:

Alright tell me about about this young man trained by this shadowy assassin...Is he like a son to this older assassin?

Click to expand...

Huh?

I think he is a ghola owned and operated by House Ordos with a "supposedly" executed Mentat-Assassin boss type (good cover story being dead!) somewhere in the city directing him. As House Ordos is militarily weaker, having to rely on mercs not loyal House troopers, they are looking for an alliance or a House to manipulate. House Ordos is rich but lacks political contacts on Kaitain. Apparently House Ordos has no compunction against using banned computer technology provided by Ix for a huge amount of spice. I would imagine the banned tech allows their leaders to link minds and communicate through a speaker (who may be a thinking machine or advanced cyborg).

In the language of the Ordos, there are no words for the concepts of trust or honor; there are more than 300 for the concept of profit.

— Lady Elara, Emperor: Battle for Dune

House Ordos sounds almost Ferengi, LOL.

Am I close?

That's the concept I was thinking. They are looking for Political power to maximize their profits. If they gain an ally they can perhaps start their own army and finally be rid of the need to hire Mercs, thus increasing profits in the long run.

So Mentat Ammon would be like an NPC. Hardly used in the story but still there to explain some things that could potentially happen. If my character needs to die and be 'Reborn' in a failed assassination attempt (Either he stuffs up, or part of a plan) he can be used, or used as a planner for a tricky situation. After all he is a Mentat.

I may actually change my Characters name for clarification. So if there are no objections I will post one shortly.

That clears somethings up. I like what I'm hearing though.

Name: Harmon
Sex:Male
Age:Varies (But at least mentally and physically 23)
House:Ordos
Occupation:Assassin
Race:Ghola


Bio
Harmon was chosen as a very young boy to enter the Ordos school of Assassin's when he showed early signs of promise. When he proved himself during his training he was taken under the supervision of the Mentat Ammon along with several others.

Over the next decade they all underwent grueling tests and training, pushing both their minds and bodies to their limits and beyond. By the end only a small handful remained. They were all deadly weapons, skilled in the ways of the Assassin's handbook as well as other duties.

They did not graduate from the school but were classified as dead and all records of them were deleted. Mentat Ammon himself was brought up on false charges and supposedly executed. Thus the death squad of House Ordos was formed.

All members had cell scrapings done at this time and Ghola created. Why waste a valuable resource if you didn't have to. There was no profit in that and Ordos was all about profit. The death squad was sent out on various missions to help the Executrix gain power and profit. Sometimes performing assassinations, sometimes bribing people.

Now Harmon had been sent to Kaitain to finish a job botched by the incompetence of others. He was to approach Josephine Marìus, the newly self appointed Countess of Molyvis. His job was to try to get her to ally with House Ordos in a trade agreement. They would get political power, she would get money.

Of course they had been behind the attempt by her younger sister to assassinate her older brother and her and if she ever found out about that...

At the moment he has been in the capital on Kaitain for over two months establishing himself as a young Noble of Ordos looking to establish trade routes for his wares. (Representing a very large family of course). He has spread wealth around and played the part. He is ready for Josephines arrival though and as they say is keeping an ear out for any other opportunities. After all if an easier mark should appear he will adapt.

In the meantime, if there is a profit to be made he will make it. That is tantamount before all else after all.

Interesting...very interesting. A assassin walking about the capital how lovely. Though it's ultimately up to Lady Josephine, and our Dune expert.

Making it Official


I take it we all agree that we want the story in canon. To that end, I have updated the story thread's Prologue and the Introduction to this thread making this expectation clear to all writers.

Please let me know if you have any objections to what I wrote there (and, as always, point out any typos, I hate typos). Thank you!

I fully agree with the official changes made to the prologue, and find it will only help us turn out a superior roleplay. In that I want us all to have fun in our writing, but I think quality will do that. There are some fantastic fanfiction stories out there, and there is just crap that allows people to hookup their favorite characters or go down a different path then the main plot. I would rather do the former especially with something so epic. I've been listening to the audio book of Dune and I can only be moved by the classic and want us to do it justice. Sure it will be knights, ladies, and a regal court set in space, but let's do it right.

http://wiki.dune2k.com/Main_Page

some more info and lacks the ads which slow down the Dunewiki site. Not very complete though.

Dune Economics


In our current postings, Hard_Rom and I have our characters haggling over the mentat's salary. I tried to figure out what the two species of exchange we're using are worth in today's currency. I found an answer here reasonably suggesting that imperial solari are about equivalent to US dollars.

The geriatric spice Melange... PRICELESS!!!

http://dune.wikia.com/wiki/Solari

The Solari was the official monetary unit of the Imperium. Its purchasing power was set at quatricentennial negotiations between the Guild, the Landsraad, and the Emperor.

Recorded Prices of Solari
On the Imperial market, Melange went as high as 620,000 solaris the decagram.
During their rule, House Harkonnen took ten billion solaris out of Arrakis every 330 standard days.

Hasimir Fenring to allay the Landsraad's suspicions after the Arrakis Affair. It cost more than a billion solaris in spice bribes, slave women, royal honors, and tokens of rank. In 10193 AG… http://dune.wikia.com/wiki/Hasimir_Fenring

The Baron Harkonnen thought that it would take 60 years if Rabban squeezed Arrakis dry to repay Guild transport fees of the Harkonnen/Sardaukar force that deposed Duke Leto.

During the rule of Leto II the God Emperor he set 1 solari at 1 lb of Pundi rice.


The koku (石?) is a Japanese unit of volume, equal to ten cubic shaku. In this definition, 3.5937 koku equal one cubic metre, i.e. 1 koku is approximately 278.3 litres. The koku was originally defined as a quantity of rice, historically defined as enough rice to feed one person for one year (one masu is enough rice to feed a person for one day). A koku of rice weighs about 150 kilograms (23.6 stone or 330 pounds).

wish i was a mentat to do this in my head quickly

Very high stakes cheops game to walk away from.

5 decigrams at 62k per gram

6.2k per decigram x5=31k solari

800x12=9.6k solari

walked away from almost 3 years salary

65 milligrams=.65 decigrams

and 7 months of spice

2 decigrams=200milligrams

no idea what a medium spice habit is!
middle class could afford one meal a week with a spice dose
maybe a spice coffee for dessert
probably dispensed by the grain

1 gram = 15.4323584 grains

or less!

10000000000÷62000=161290.323 grams of spice yearly production 10billion solaris divided by 62k per gram

161.29 kilos

might have to edit post on spice imports to House Marius controlled planets

124 major houses, not all equal, 1kilo each average, rich house more poor less, House Marius did have directorship, not now, put them at average consumption 1kilo

1kilo=1000grams vast majority to planetary upper class
1k, 1000grams,10k deci, 100k centi, 1million milligrams

Did I mention Generalist Mentats are pedantic know-it-alls. If I was an actor I would probably be a method actor and stay in character for the entire time to film. LOL

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/2/2e/Melange+Snooper-Dune1984.png

As this is an erotic lit site, we should mention slavery is legal in the Duniverse. If there are any subbie types looking to RP.

Female characters can range from the deadliest most powerful matriarchs (Bene Gesserit Sisterhood) known to pleasure slaves. Males too can be slaves. Aristocratic and feudal but equal opportunity in any field or profession.

A recruitment post in the SRP might attract more characters.

I would like to write a post while your characters are negotiating ptice that would both back up Rom's notion of how Lax your security is but also get negotiations between my character and Josephine's going.

Nothing big or over the top, in fact rather small and I believe it will benefit both.