Dune: Adventures in the Imperium

This is the background information I created for my campaign, set in Frank Herbert's Dune Universe, using Modiphius' 2d20 system, Dune: Adventures in the Imperium.

Bethedash System

The Bethedash system is located in the Small Sagittarius Star Cloud (Messier 24, IC 4715 and Delle Caustiche) in the Sagittarius-Carina spiral arm of the Milky Way. Nearby is the Omega Nebula (Messier 17 - a H II star-forming region).

Sala'sham

Sala'sham is an airless rock, the closest planet to Bethedash star. There are signs of mining and industry on the surface but they were abandoned centuries ago.

Hulit

House Perko uses planet Hulit to experiment with terraforming processes. It is a dry desert world. Some water was added by cometary impacts delivered in collaboration with House Anson.

Hulit Research Station orbits the planet. The Perkos bought it from and operate it in co-operation with House Anson. The Spacing Guild has an interest in the planet maintaining a permanent presence on the station.

Volod

Volod is the primary inhabited planet in the Bethedash system. It was previously called Suf'amasa, a name still used in Basat. It is ruled over by four Houses minor, Melech, Haider, Perko and the PCs' house, each controlling one continent. House Perko dominates with the support of House Harkonnen.
House Perko distributes melange, on behalf of the Harkonnens, in the Small Sagittarrius Star Cloud.

There are four continents...

Basat ruled by House Melech

Dopin-Nam ruled by House Haider

Pozemskory ruled by House Perko

The fourth continent and House will be created by the players.

'Himnets

Himnets is properly written with an apostrophe at the beginning but this is usually omitted outside of Basat. It is a frigid world with a thin atmosphere. The Spacing Guild has found evidence of terraforming attempts that were abandoned or failed. Subterranean Paraterraformed habitats also lie abandoned. Little is known about the history of the planet.

The planet is abandoned with no House controlling it.

Outer System

The population mines asteroids, moons and comets for resources, and builds interplanetary space craft and space stations.

House Anson loosely controls the outer system.

Timeline

1,000 BG - Royal chemist, Yanshuph Ashkoko, discovers melange on Arrakis. 

Ca. 700 BG - Anti-computer pogroms.

201 BG - Start of the Butlerian Jihad.

108 BG - End of the Butlerian Jihad. Now, only Richese and Ix possess high technology, and the capability of understanding and manufacturing it.

Ca. 98 BG - Foundation of the Bene Gesserit.

88 BG - Battle of Corrin. Foundation of the Corrino Empire. Sheuset Costin I becomes the first Padishah Emperor.

84 BG - Norma Cevna makes the first melange-guided interstellar journey, thus becoming the first navigator.

80 BG - Gilbertus Albans founds the Order of Mentats.

50 BG - the Commission of Ecumenical Translators begins compiling the Orange Catholic Bible.

56 BG - The CET publishes the newly completed Orange Catholic Bible.

1 BG/1 AG - foundation of the Spacing Guild, which monopolises interstellar space travel.

1st Century AG - Foundation of CHOAM. The exact date of the founding is unknown. Some argue it was just before the foundation of the Space Guild.

By 9,000 AG - The Founding Pilgrims land on a new planet in the Small Sagittarius Star Cloud and settle permanently. They name their new world Suf'amasa (Journey's End). They found the Basatine theocracy.
Less credibly, House Perko claims to have created the founding colony. This version of history is not supported by the Spacing Guild. No reliable records exist of the arrival of the Perkos nor of the House's founding.

9,245 AG - The Missionaria Protectiva arrives on Suf'amasa to plant their Panoplia Propheticus into the local population.

9,247 AG - Foundation of the Bene Maidens on Suf'amasa. They learn from the Bene Gesserit and study the four volume Azhar Book.

9,256 AG - The Missionaria Protectiva leaves Suf'amasa, never to return. It is unrecorded in Bene Gesserit records why they left before completing their mission. The Bene Maidens become the Daughters of the Wise Women and are recognised as a religious order by the Council of Exarchs.

Ca. 9,260 AG - House Perko increases in influence and will become the most powerful House on Suf'amasa. The name of the planet gradually changes to Volod.

9,817 AG - renowned healer, Sharon Gadot, sets up the Basatine School of Medicine. This eventually becomes the School of Aramoy. Its backwater status prevents it from gaining prestige in the wider Imperium.

10,110 AG - The Heresy War in Basat breaks out. The dominant Orange Catholics rise up to drive out the minority Eccesiastic Qabbalists.

10,111 AG - House Harkonnen gains stewardship of Arrakis, holding the planet in quasi-fief under a CHOAM contract to harvest melange.

10,112 AG - The end of the Heresy War. No Qabbalists remain in Basat; they were killed, forcibly converted to Orange Catholicism or exiled to other continents.

10,121 AG - Vladimir III attempts to stop the Basatine imperial tithe. It results in the deaths of twenty one guards at Fiolova Space Port. The Sardaukar use them for a blood ritual. Many more are injured. The Sardaukar kidnap three hundred civilian Pozemskorites. They are never seen again, their fate unknown. Vladimir capitulates. The Emperor receives a letter of protest. No reply is received.

10,123 AG - Vladimir III orders the Pozemskorite invasion of Dopin-Nam.

10,125 AG - A defeated Pozemskory withdraws from Dopin-Nam. Assassins murder Vladimir III. Vladimir's younger brother, Lech XII, succeeds as head of House Perko. A law is passed removing Vladmir's descendants from succession.
In an attempt to rebuild his House's prestige, Lech XII negotiates with House Harkonnen. Houses Perko and Harkonnen draw up a contract with CHOAM for House Perko to distribute melange in the Small Sagittarius Star Cloud. The other Houses on Volod receive a quota. House Harkonnen installs a siridar-ambassador on Volod to look after their interests.
House Harkonnen ratifies Perko as a House Minor in the Lansraad. It also creates House Haider to govern Dopin-Nam, against the wishes of the Perkos.

10,156 AG - Elrood IX succumbs to chaumurky. His son succeeds as Shaddam IV to become the eighty first Padishah Emperor. The rumoured assassin is Count Hasimir Fenring, Shaddam's childhood friend.

10,171 AG - House Harkonnen renegotiates the terms of the melange contracts on Volod. The Volite Houses pay reduced fiscal taxes to House Harkonnen. The reduction in money is replaced with an annual tithe of soldiers. CHOAM does nothing to interfere and ratifies the contract.

10,181 AG - A new Harkonnen siridar-ambassador, Olivia Merrick, arrives on Volod.