House Melech

A House Minor subservient to House Perko and through them to House Harkonnen.

Homeworld: Volod (though they refer to the planet as Suf'amasa "Journey's End")

House Type: Minor

Traits: Religious, Hatred of House Perko

Vassal to: House Harkonnen (by coercion)

Allies: none

Enemies: House Perko (they call them the traitors), House Anson (they are suspicious of the Ansons' use of technology)

Primary Domain: medicine and medical training (see the School of Amaroy)

Secondary Domain: theology and theological publishing (they have contracts to print the Orange Catholic Bible, the published four-volume version of the Azhar Book and other religious texts and treatises. The house no longer publishes The Ecclesiastical Qabbalah and the Qabbalistic Torah following the conclusion Heresy War. The two texts are now considered heretical and are banned. The fact that parts of the Orange Catholic Bible is derived from the same source as the Qabbalistic Torah is conveniently ignored.

The house must pay an annual tithe of soldiers to House Harkonnen.

House Roles

House Melech is a large extended family that dominates Basatine society. It is often said that the best way to get a senior posting is to have the surname "Melech".
There is a law that states that the head of House Melech and by extension the Malik of Basat must marry a Basatine. It is acceptable to have foreign (from other Volite continents or off-world) concubines. A legitimate heir must be born of Basatine mother and father, preferably with one of the parents being officially recognised as the consort of the ruler.

Ruler: Soloman Melech
Consort: Rebecca Malmuth-Melech
Heir: Khayim Melech
Advisor: Mendel Geffen
Chief Physician: Ishtar Beren-Melech (a graduate of the School of Aramoy)
Councillor and Patriarch: Avibram Maran (patriarch of the continent's religion)
Envoy: Kohen Melech (acts as liaison with House Harkonnen)
Marshall: Isaac Khayat
Scholar: Simon Geller
Spymaster: Elke Finkle
Swordmaster: Kehat Rabin-Melech (Khayim's bodyguard)
Treasurer: Levi Melech-Lieb
Warmaster: Rochel Lieb (responsible for assembling the annual tithes of soldiers and convicts)

The house rules over the continent of Basat on the planet Volod (or Suf'amasa as they call it).
The Melech family is deeply religious and rules as a strict theocracy.
House Melech suspects that House Perko has broken the tenets of the Butlerian Jihad. There is no evidence, just supposition, but this is not preventing it from spreading rumours. If evidence could be uncovered, so much the better.
Instead of recruiting and training soldiers to send to the Harkonnens, the Melechs train political and heretical prisoners to defend themselves and send them to fulfil the tithe. These are in addition to the Imperial Tithe.
School of Aramoy lacks the prestige of the Suk School but it is still a well-respected school of medicine and is a good second choice for those who failed to get into the Suk School. House Melech and the Commissariat Chaplaincy want to use the school to increase their influence on both the planet Suf'amasa and the wider Galaxy. The Melechs are particularly keen to build a relationship with House Atreides in the hope that they can shake off Harkonnen influence.