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

[EmpressJosephine]

THE AFFAIRS OF KAITAIN
A Role-Play of Dune





Out of Character (OOC) Thread

​

This thread primarily serves as a resource for the writers at THE AFFAIRS OF KAITAIN: A Role-Play of Dune. It will provide the indexed and cross-referenced geographical, technological, cultural, and social background for this lost, all female, interstellar colony. Secondarily, it serves as a forum for the story’s writers and readers to comment upon and discuss the issues, events, and relationships that arise as we role-play.

If, after reading the particulars of The Affairs of Kaitain, you think you might want to join in its role-play, please contact Empress Josephine here or JawnKarTurr here.

FOR THOSE WRITING IN THE AFFAIRS OF KAITAIN
​

The founding members of this story thread intend and hope to keep the tale entirely within the canon of Frank Herbert’s wonderful and elaborate Dune universe. The idea is that our story could actually have happened, unrecorded until now, in the setting of the canon novels and not be contradictory to the history and events in them. To that end, Hard_Rom has graciously agreed to serve as arbiter of canon for this “Affairs of Kaitain” thread. Please post any questions you have in this regard for his (and others’) comments and his ruling on this OOC thread.

Further, can find an extensive background for our story at The Expanded Dune Wiki, and many other places on the internet, with indexed details specific to this role-play added below. As you contribute to the story, make sure your actions and descriptions follow the information provided by those resources, and are likewise consistent with any details already established by other writers earlier in the thread. Again, any uncertainties or questions you have in these regards should be presented on this OOC thread for comment and resolution.

INDEX
​

This is not an exhaustive index, but rather a place to ger started on your exploration of Katain and the rest of the Galactic Padishah Empire. Numbers indicate the posts below containing information on the subject. An underlined entry links to a Wikipedia article on the subject. More information on many of these entries, including some not in Wikipedia, can be found at The Dune Wiki.

If you see an omission or error in this index, please contact its editor here.

Assassination —

Assassin's Handbook: 16
War of Assassins: 31​

Battle of Corrin — 21

Bene Gesserit — 21, 32

Bene Tleilax — 21, 34

Biographies —

Harmon: 41
Joab: 4
Josephine Marìus: 2
Leanna A'tare: 126
Pathir al-Qid: 5
Scheherazade de`Cortez: 57​

Butlerian Jihad — 17, 21

Cheops —

"Cheops Master": 16
Game: 19​

CHOAM — 21

Cities —

Corrinth: 15, 27, 69, 155
Volida: 3​

Concubines — 132, 133

Ghola — 34

Ginaz Swordmaster — 29, 89

Great Convention, The —

Assassination: 16, 23, 31
Atomic Weapons: 16​

House Trooper — 94

Imperium — 69

Landsraad — 16, 21, 69

Livery — 156

Mentats — 17, 21

Money — 46, 47

Noble Houses —

House Atreides: 5, 156
House Corrino: 21, 89, 155, 156
House Harkonnen: 94, 156
House Marìus: 2, 3, 156
House Ordos: 4
House Vernius: 5​

Planets —

Gamont: 126
Ginaz: 29, 89, 126
Ishkal: 4
Ix: 21
Kaitain: 15, 69, 155
Molyvis: 2, 3, 179
Tleilax: 17, 21
Wallach IX: 126​

Sardaukar — 89

Shields —

Holtzman Shield (personal): 92, 93, 94, 99, 101
House Shield: 93
Pentashield: 93, 110​

Slavery — 49, 155

SpacingGuild — 21

Swordmaster — (See "Ginaz Swordmaster," supra)

Warmaster — 89

Weaponry —

Blades: 92
Lasguns: 92
Maula Pistols: 92
Projectile Weapons: 92, 94
Stunners: 92
​

​

 

[EmpressJosephine]

Josephine Marìus

Josephine
Countess suo jure of House Marìus
Ruler of the Planet Molyvis

Josephine Marìus, born 10,121 AG, is the eldest child of the late Count Nicholas of Molyvis, who died 10,139 AG. As our story begins, her sister Mischelle has recently assassinated their younger brother, Count Karl. Josephine plans to travel secretly to the Imperial Capital on Kaitain to root out who was ultimately behind this plot to try to bring down her family.

 

[EmpressJosephine]

The Planet Molyvis

The Planet Molyvis

• Population: 812,072,000.
• Capital: Volida.
• Ruling House: Marìus.
• Major Exports: Minerals; Rare Earths; Exotic Ceramics.

​

 

[JawnKarTurr]

Joab

Joab is a mercenary soldier skilled in the ways of war moreover perhaps the even more dangerous ways of court. The illegitimate son of a low ranking noble and a courtesan well known for her beauty as well as intelligence. He had few options so he took up the sword, and for most of his life he's been in the service of House Ordos. He spent a great deal of time on planet Ishkal a gather place for house sponsored mercenaries and smugglers. After an internal shift in power within House Ordos thanks largely to their own paranoia Joab has found himself without a patron. He arrives at the capital low on funds and with few prospects as he searches for a new master to serve.

 

[Hard_Rom]

Twisted Mentat

http://media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/1d/a4/3b/1da43bc2b8ca51cc9764c90c2d30f7f4.jpg

Pathir al-Qid

A native of Ecaz orphaned during the Ecaz Rebellion is sent to be trained as a mentat. This after being seen as a genius cheops player even as a child. His resentment to House Atreides and Vernius made him unruly and hateful. Eventually expelled from the order and finished his training as a Tleilaxu Twisted-Mentat. He is a Generalist and expert swordsman (an Advisor Mentat-Assassin would work for a much richer house than House Marius). Heavy melange and sapho user.

 

[Hard_Rom]

Due to lazgun/shield interactions are shields banned in capital? Can't take away Sardaukar lazguns but can deprive civvies of shields. Or just within palace?

 

[EmpressJosephine]

Due to lazgun/shield interactions are shields banned in capital? Can't take away Sardaukar lazguns but can deprive civvies of shields. Or just within palace?

It would have to be at least in the capital city surrounding the palace, and maybe another 100 km beyond the city limits. Doesn't that make sense?

 

[Hard_Rom]

100k is a bit much. The interaction is somewhat random in intensity. Can be small explosion or rival a small nuke. A stone burner covers only a few kilometers with radiation. As long as the palace is not in danger it's just regular people who would die not royals.

I would think the Emperor always has a shield though. Maybe not turned on. Maybe ban would be on lazguns? I think I read a reference to Sardaukar with lazguns showing a lack of respect for non-combatant casualties due to possible shield interactions.

How about just within Corrinth itself? If we do leave city, I want to use a shield.

I have not read House: Corrino. Where shields used on Kaitain or in Corrinth?

Shields are cool! But use as assassination WMD is too easy.

 

[EmpressJosephine]

100k is a bit much. The interaction is somewhat random in intensity. Can be small explosion or rival a small nuke. A stone burner covers only a few kilometers with radiation. As long as the palace is not in danger it's just regular people who would die not royals.

I would think the Emperor always has a shield though. Maybe not turned on. Maybe ban would be on lazguns? I think I read a reference to Sardaukar with lazguns showing a lack of respect for non-combatant casualties due to possible shield interactions.

How about just within Corrinth itself? If we do leave city, I want to use a shield.

I have not read House: Corrino. Where shields used on Kaitain or in Corrinth?

Shields are cool! But use as assassination WMD is too easy.

I bow to your logic.

 

[JawnKarTurr]

I'll go with that. Shields are interesting tools and strategically a game changer. The security of the state above all else though.

 

[Hard_Rom]

Are we waiting on more characters?

 

[EmpressJosephine]

Are we waiting on more characters?

I was waiting for JawnKarTurr to post.

 

[JawnKarTurr]

Wait no longer

https://youtu.be/P00nkOosoeg

 

[EmpressJosephine]

https://youtu.be/P00nkOosoeg

Hooray!

And I love your new signature!!!

 

[EmpressJosephine]

The capital city of Kaitain, and thus the whole Empire, is named Corrinth (and at least one of our characters is starting out there).

Here is some information on the city, including a variety of places potentially to set some actions and interactions.

 

[Hard_Rom]

The forms must be obeyed...

WAR OF ASSASSINS
A term used to describe a large scale use of professional assassins in a feud between two great houses of the Landsraad in the Old Imperium (the pre-Atreides Imperium). Atomic weapons were outlawed by the Great Convention and shields nullified projectile weapons and nonnuclear explosives. Hence the Great Houses were obliged to resort to treachery and professional assassination in order to carry on their perennial vendettas. All Great Houses customarily hired a master assassin — usually one with Mentat training in logic and the traditional Mentat distrust of emotion — to oversee the defenses of the family household, supervise the house's corps of assassins, and in some cases to command units of troops or mercenaries. Their function was therefore both offensive and defensive. Consequently a "war of assassins" between two great houses often took on the appearance of a Cheops game between two grand masters. However, some great barons or dukes, like Duke Leto Atreides, although relying on the advice of their chief assassin, may be said to have managed — or mismanaged —their own campaigns.

An outright war of assassins always required, under the Great Convention, a formal declaration of intent to be filed with the Imperial Court, the offices of the Guild, and the Secretary of the Landsraad. Imperial judges were appointed to monitor the conflict and particularly to observe any instances where innocent bystanders might be harmed. Such actions did not always ensure the safety of non-combatants, nor a fair treatment of the two houses involved, for the
emperor was seldom completely disinterested in the conflict. But the observation made the feuding houses wary of harming or even involving outsiders.

The Assassin's Handbook is a book on murder, used mainly in a War of Assassins.

In the fifth millennium, Protector Kelal Djordjevich appointed a committee (5345 AG-5348 AG) of nine professionals (mentats and master assassins) employed by the Great Houses, including the Imperial representative Count Otho Fenring. The professional were to discuss the theory and practice of legalized murder under the rules of the Great Convention and the conditions defined by the Guild Peace. Later the Handbook was ratified by the Landsraad (5359 AG), by which time several of the authors themselves had become victims of the vicissitudes of their profession.

This expanded Handbook was widely circulated and read during the Imperium, held in high regard by mercenaries and master assassins employed by the Great Houses including the Emperor. The Handbook was also used by several training schools for professional assassins

The manual was divided in four large parts. It was written in a style that was often trenchant and sometimes characterized by a rich sense of irony. A frequent metaphor in the Handbook is that of the Cheops master, and the authors seemed to regard the art of assassination as a profession rather like that of the grand master of Cheops.

First part
The first part was dealing with poisons, like the original version of the book. The various possibilities of chaumurky and basilia receive the greatest attention, kriminon and other poisons valued because of their swift action, and their ability to be disguised

Second part
This section devoted itself to the discussion of conventional weapons, primarily swords and lasguns, and their functional advantages and disadvantages for the assassin.

Third part
A detailed analysis of the odds for success in given situations where the assassin might be expected to perform his work. The best strategies are evaluated (such as in the instance for murdering guests at a formal dinner), as well as the methods of avoiding swift reprisal.

Much space was given to the problems of infiltrating a ducal palace or launching attacks at public events and ceremonies, especially sporting events.

Fourth part
Here are presented professional standards and rules of prudence.

The rules of the Great Convention and the code of kanly are provided, with numerous suggestions of how these might be circumvented or turned to the advantage of the assassin.

This section also presented the conventions and ritual formulas involved in a War of Assassins, from the formal declaration of intent with the Imperial Registrar and the Landsraad Secretariat to the final moment when victory was declared for one side or the other. The Handbook, however, seemed to imply that even such formal wars were best carried out on a small scale and waged with subtlety by experts, rather than becoming engagements involving large groups of soldiers.

A frequent metaphor in the Handbook is that of the Cheops master, and the authors seemed to regard the art of assassination as a profession rather like that of the grand master of Cheops.

A final note at the end of the Handbook concerned the assassin's need for self-protection. An advice is given to learn much of his employer's private crimes, and to store the information in places beyond his reach, with provisions that would allow it to become public in the event of his own death. The assassin was also warned to make himself as valuable as possible to his master, yet never to believe himself irreplaceable.

Most important, the Handbook advised the assassin to respect his profession and to avoid the temptations of political ambition or personal involvement in his work. Many famous assassins found the first easy enough, but most of them were hardly able to avoid the second pitfall.

 

[Hard_Rom]

Mentat Handbook...

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.

The Mentat adept was capable of achieving remarkable inferential linkages and gestalten spasms of pure insight, but usually only when deep in a Mental-trance. Some allege that the so-called Mentat-trance was merely a dramatic device used to make the Mentat appear more impressive But the subjective reports of scores of Mentats and the objective evidence of hundreds of studies all point to the authenticity of the trance. The eyes glazed, the voice-intonation flattened and awareness appeared to be turned inward.

Perhaps because of their apparent need to rely on this isolating trance-state for higher percentages of accuracy, Mentats historically failed as leaders. No significant Mentat succeeding as an entrepreneur, a politician or a soldier. Some have even argued that Paul Muad'Dib himself was partly unsuccessful because he tried too often to approach complex social and political problems only as a Mentat. But he never officially studied in an Order-approved program. Leadership is a matter of temperament, not reasoning ability and the effective leader must often make intuitive decisions in the absence of complete data. Mentats-human computers-are trained to avoid such judgments when at all possible and a good leader acts because a decision must be made; a Mentat delays because a decision should not be made

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 individuals, such as Piter de Vries, were able to compute trends free of any ethical restraints or limitations.

Twisted Mentats were Mentats who originated from the planet Tleilax.

The ghola-Mentat Duncan Idaho suggested that the "twisting" was a "hoax" maintained by the Tleilaxu. Potentially the twisted mentats were expelled pupils from legitimate schools, forced out for not living up the schools ideals then recruited by the Tleilax and re-trained to emphasise the negative sides of their personalities. According to Idaho, the twisting was very fragile, and twisted Mentats still maintained their own selfdom and dignity, refusing to be absolutely controlled by the Great Houses that bought them.

Generalist was one of the Mentat major ranks. They appeared haughty and pedantic who overcame the naive literalism of the junior orders by "bringing to decision making a healthy common sense". In achieving awareness of the "broad sweep of what is happening in his universe" the Generalist risked believing himself supreme in his encyclopedic store of knowledge.

Generalists were expected to possess broad and accurate knowledge of at least 94.75% of everything occurring in "his universe"; this knowledge, joined to the confidence-building Mentat training, led many to annoy their comrades with an overblown sense of superiority.

The Mentat Handbook warned that principles of expertise can change, that no one can catalogue all knowledge, and that the Generalist was himself part of the set of phenomena to be learned. But even with these caveats, Generalists were very difficult people to work with.

Mentats above the Hypothesist rank are banned from official Cheops Tourneys for obvious reasons.

Sapho Addiction
Addiction to Sapho, an energizing liquid extracted from Ecaz plants, was a trap to which Simulationists both in training and in the field were most susceptible. Although Sapho amplified speculation and extrapolation, it subjected its users to unpredictable outbursts of emotion or long periods of passivity. The Mentat-addict's lethargy led him to neglect the constant updating of information upon which his accuracy depended. A measurable falling-off in reliability was a better indicator of Sapho addiction than its physical signs — ruby-colored lips, a reddening of the skin — which could be concealed. Rehabilitation was possible, but relapses into the habit were frequent.

 

[JawnKarTurr]

The capital city of Kaitain, and thus the whole Empire, is named Corrinth (and at least one of our characters is starting out there).

Here is some information on the city, including a variety of places potentially to set some actions and interactions.

Thanks I will give it a read...very helpful stuff.

 

[Hard_Rom]

Cheops

Cheops

Cheops is a nine-level pyramid chess game with the double object of putting the queen piece at the apex and the opponent's king in check.

Cheops is a game of intellectual skill, demanding an alert mind and a high order of concentration. It is played throughout the Old Imperium, although in some remote parts it has few devotees. The game, "Little Chess," employing only a 64-squared monoplane, has flourished as a game for children, although adults
occasionally engage in it as well. It is now believed that Cheops developed from Little Chess. Haral Khal's thesis that Little Chess is merely a simplification of Cheops is generally discredited. The name "Cheops" is not that of the inventor of the game as is sometimes supposed. Molot rai Karen has suggested in his History of Architectural Form (Bolchef: Collegium Tarno) that Cheops was a prehistoric builder of monumental pyramids of unknown function, although his native planet has not, at this writing, been determined.

Modern play dates from the career of Engar O'Mahl (9696-9770). In his day, reversionary attacks, never previously employed, became a standard part of the game. Triangulation and eclipses date from his period as well. In fact, the semicheck is the only major development since his time. For the past century or a little more, controversy has raged over the relative merits of the old-fashioned "formational" play and the later "linear" play. Many masters try to effect a compromise between the two, producing what they call the "eclectic" style. The real test of any style lies in the play, however, and so far linear play wins most master tourneys, while informal or casual play is usually formational. Several types of erroneous play are usually found among beginners. The commonest is undoubtedly excessive verticality. Morogan frequently entertained onlookers with amusing demonstrations of this weakness, and some of his traps are memorized early by every learner of the game. Other common errors are underposting the Queen, premature eclipse, and allowing the opponent to control two contra-diagonals. Even the great Garan Akbar committed a premature eclipse and thereby lost a Great Tourney when he was at the height of his skill.

Players who have won at least one tourney are termed "master players," and are enrolled as members of the Cheops Guild which conducts all tourneys and ranks the masters. Areal, regional, and zonal tourneys are held fairly frequently, but the Great Tourneys are held only once in every ten standard years. The Great Tourneys are limited to the highest ranking Worldmasters, and all qualified players must compete.

 

[Hard_Rom]

I'm a HUGE fan of the first three original books. Read them till they fell apart. Have read the Machine Crusade/Butlerian Jihad series but not the House Atreides/Harkonnen/Corrino yet. Read God Emperor, Heretics and Chapterhouse.

Movie sucked ass but TV miniseries was good even with cheap effects.

I think both males are in Corrinth looking for work. Pithar hanging around space port and Joab at local gaming house taverns.

 

[Hard_Rom]

A Short History...

The Butlerian Jihad is a conflict taking place over 11,000 years in the future (and over 10,000 years before the events of Dune) which results in the total destruction of virtually all forms of "computers, thinking machines, and conscious robots." With the prohibition "Thou shalt not make a machine in the likeness of a human mind," the creation of even the simplest thinking machines is outlawed and made taboo, which has a profound influence on the socio-political and technological development of humanity.

The Jihad was a war between humans and the sentient machines they had created, who rise up and nearly destroy humanity. The series explains that humanity had become entirely complacent and dependent upon thinking machines; recognizing this weakness, a group of ambitious, militant humans calling themselves the Titans use this widespread reliance on machine intelligence to seize control of the entire universe. Their reign lasts for a century; eventually they give too much access and power to the AI program Omnius, which usurps control from the Titans themselves. Seeing no value in human life, the thinking machines—now including armies of robot soldiers and other aggressive machines—dominate and enslave nearly all of humanity in the universe for 900 years, until a jihad is ignited. This crusade against the machines lasts for nearly a century, with much loss of human life but ultimately ending in human victory.

The ancient Battle of Corrin spawns the Padishah Emperors of House Corrino, who rule the known universe for millennia by controlling the brutally efficient military force known as the Imperial Sardaukar. Ten thousand years later, one balance to Imperial power is the assembly of noble houses called the Landsraad, which enforces the Great Convention's ban on the use of atomics against human targets. Though the power of the Corrinos is unrivaled by any individual House, they are in constant competition with each other for political power and stakes in the omnipresent CHOAM company, a directorship which controls the wealth of the entire Old Empire. The third primary power in the universe is the Spacing Guild, which monopolizes interstellar travel and banking. Mutated Guild Navigators use the spice drug melange to successfully navigate "folded space" and safely guide enormous heighliner starships from planet to planet instantaneously.

The matriarchal Bene Gesserit possess almost superhuman physical, sensory, and deductive powers developed through years of physical and mental conditioning. While positioning themselves to "serve" humanity, the Bene Gesserit pursue their goal to better the human race by subtly and secretly guiding and manipulating the affairs of others to serve their own purposes. "Human computers" known as Mentats have been developed and perfected to replace the capacity for logical analysis lost through the prohibition of computers. Through specific training, they learn to enter a heightened mental state in which they can perform complex logical computations that are superior to those of the ancient thinking machines. The patriarchal Bene Tleilax, or Tleilaxu, are amoral merchants who traffic in biological and genetically engineered products such as artificial eyes, "twisted" Mentats, and gholas. Finally, the Ixians produce cutting-edge technology that seemingly complies with (but pushes the boundaries of) the prohibitions against thinking machines. The Ixians are very secretive, not only to protect their valuable hold on the industry but also to hide any methods or inventions that may breach the anti-thinking machine protocols.

 

[JawnKarTurr]

Most helpful and interesting information.
https://youtu.be/z7FcJwg6OkA
https://youtu.be/-hFfzR6BEFs

 

[Hard_Rom]

The Great Convention

The Great Convention
(by having your sister murder your brother, your enemies violated GC clauses, almost any reprisal you do is sanctionable)

There were clauses which forbade assassination of one family member by another (a timehonored means of gaining advancement) or of any noble by one of inferior rank not recognized as an assassin. While the penalties attached could not completely deter such killings, they were at least severe enough to minimize them. For those with more personal reasons for fighting, the Convention devoted twenty-five pages to kanly, or vendetta; again, a Judge of the Rite was appointed and rigid rules regarding procedures and choices of weaponry were given. In a War of Assassins, fixed small numbers of soldiers or assassins fought but in kanly, the head of the House met another personally.

(the Emperor always has an interest, even inheritance taxes!)
... all power was held as a grant from the emperor. While these grants were to Houses, the emperor reserved the right to approve choices of heirs. The hereditary rights of the Great Houses, then, were not unrestricted. Though the emperor would normally approve the choice of heir by a Great House, as long as local law had been obeyed, he was not bound to do so. Houses which he felt might be contemplating actions of which he might disapprove were often reminded of his veto. By natural extension of this power, the emperor also had the right to approve or disapprove any change of power over any planet, whether occasioned by heredity, war or other cause. In each of these cases, the change of fief-holder was supervised by an official called a "Judge of the Change."

 

[EmpressJosephine]

The Great Convention
(by having your sister murder your brother, your enemies violated GC clauses, almost any reprisal you do is sanctionable)....

"Sanction" is one of those odd words in English that has two, contradictory meanings. For now, I just need to know if it was acceptable that I had my sister executed.

(the Emperor always has an interest, even inheritance taxes!)
... all power was held as a grant from the emperor. While these grants were to Houses, the emperor reserved the right to approve choices of heirs. The hereditary rights of the Great Houses, then, were not unrestricted. Though the emperor would normally approve the choice of heir by a Great House, as long as local law had been obeyed, he was not bound to do so. Houses which he felt might be contemplating actions of which he might disapprove were often reminded of his veto. By natural extension of this power, the emperor also had the right to approve or disapprove any change of power over any planet, whether occasioned by heredity, war or other cause. In each of these cases, the change of fief-holder was supervised by an official called a "Judge of the Change."

This gives me an official reason to be on Kaitain, i.e., to receive imperial sanction for my position as Countess suo jure.



* * *

Thank you, Rom, by the way, for posting all that information above. I have indexed it. If you think I neglected anything in doing so, please let me know.

 

[Hard_Rom]

Due to your enemies violating the Great Convention, you may now do almost as you wish. Technically you bring forth a Bill of Particulars to the Landsraad. As a victim of an undeclared War of Assassins or kanly (?) and your sister being used as the instrument of your brother's death, it is conceivable to have the Emperor order his Sardaukar to punish your enemies for you. You will be compensated with some of the assets of your enemy.

You can declare legally a WOA to take vengeance or kanly if personally good with a sword or knife.

As the head of House Marius, even with a Judge of the Change in place, you can officially come to Kaitain to sit in on any Landsraad sessions. Typically a larger house would have a representative. But a smaller house may take advantage of political perks and spend lots of time at the capital. Expenses incurred conducting your duties in the Landsraad are tax deductible.

You can plead the Emperor's protection as an innocent women wronged. Or openly demand heads.

Your sister, older or younger? Lawyer could argue her death warrant signed by a younger heir. Your brother must have had a Mentat. Died with your brother? Running home world?

A lot of this stuff is quite medieval feudalist. As a high-born women, you may not have choice of husband. There is a tax you can pay that will allow you to wed as you choose, "the "incident" of marriage, to be paid by an heiress for the right to choose her own husband". If you were the younger sister it is conceivable to have the Emperor use you and give your hand in marriage to a favourite, "marriage among the members of Houses Major cannot be construed otherwise than as a political and economic merger, and as such is under the direct jurisdiction of our Sublime Padishah Emperor himself".