Post by Landsraad Communication Bureau on Nov 16, 2017 10:35:02 GMT
"The basis of any argument is language. If you are a master of a language your opponent only poorly grasps then you have already won before the first word is spoken." - Bene Gesserit Azhar Book
Approved Method of War: A term used loosely to mean any way of solving a conflict that does not involve the large scale use of military forces and or mitigates damage to non-combatants.
Arrakis: A desert planet with no naturally occurring liquid water. It is the only known organic source of the Spice Melange which the Imperium is dependent upon.
Atomics: Banned weaponry which has the power to destroy entire cities. In spite of its ban many of the more ancient houses and entities have hidden stockpiles of these weapons as a last ditch resort.
Axlotl Tank: The machine by which the Tlielaxu grow gholas, clones, and perfect replacements of damaged organs for customers of the Imperium. The nature of an Axlotl Tank and its method of operation are closely guarded secrets of the Bene Tleilax.
Bashar: Command rank equivalent to a Colonel.
Battalion: 1000 persons pressed into military service, usually soldiers with varying degrees of training but occasionally smugglers, Suboids, and even criminals or slaves.
Bene Gesserit: A Sisterhood who have trained their bodies to such an extent as to have control over their muscles, minds, and metabolic processes. The ultimate in spies and teachers they are respected and mistrusted in equal measure by the Empire at large. They are one of the Great Schools of Thought.
Bene Tlielax: See Tlielaxu.
Burseg: Command rank equivalent to a Brigadier General.
Business of the Empire: A business that has grown large enough to control an entire planet and to market its wares to the Empire.
Carryall: A heavy lifting flier capable of vertical take off and landing most often seen on Arrakis with Siridar and Smuggler Harvesting Operations.
Crown Prince: The chosen successor of the current Emperor. Currently defunct.
Combine Honnete Ober Advancer Mercantilles (CHOAM): A galactic development corporation owned in whole by the three legs of The Tripod and responsible for developing new worlds, regulating trade, and overseeing the economic health of the Imperium.
Clone: An exact genetic copy of a living person grown from harvested cells. Clones are created in Axlotl Tanks and are one of the goods the Tlielaxu sell.
Dune: See Arrakis.
Emperor: The title of the head of Imperial House Corrino. The Emperor is recognized to be the most powerful single human alive. Currently defunct.
Empire (the): See Imperium.
Faufreluches (the): The system of peerage that exists in the Empire as a whole and the understanding of where people of various ranks and levels of elevation exist in that hierarchy.
Fremen: Native inhabitants of Arrakis that worship sandworms and are hostile to all off-worlders.
Frigate: Vessel owned by an entity that docks with a Heighliner for purposes of travel. Protected by The Guild Peace.
Ghola: An exact genetic copy of a dead person grown from harvested cells. Gholas are created in Axlotl Tanks and are one of the goods the Tliexlau sell.
Great House: The highest level of achievement for any noble house of the Landsraad Great Houses control multiple planets, several CHOAM contracts, command militaries in the tens or even hundreds of thousands, and represent wealthiest, most prestigious men and women of the Empire. Great Houses are members of the Landsraad.
Great School of Thought: One of the very few entities that retain some kernel of ancient knowledge from before the formation of the Imperium. These institutions only still exist because they offer unique skills available no where else.
Guild (the): See Spacing Guild.
Guild Peace (the): Document which lays out several rules that all users of Guild services agree to abide by, the most important of which being no violence is allowed between rival entities while on a Heighliner.
Harvester: A machine that functions like a giant vacuum to suck up spice laced sand, filter out the sand, and then store the melange until it can be returned for processing by a Carryall.
Heighliner: Massive cargo vessel constructed to the specifications of the Spacing Guild for use in operation of their transport routes. Heighliners vary in size but are typically several kilometers long.
Holtzmann Effect (the): When a lasgun's beam interacts with a shield it creates an explosion that is near atomic level and if in sufficient enough size could destroy entire continents. It is because of this effect lasgun/shield interactions are strictly forbidden by Imperial Law.
Holtzmann Engines: Massive proprietary engines on Heighliners that Navigators of the Spacing Guild use to fold space so as to allow faster than light travel to be practical.
Imperial House: The dominant wing of House Corrino is referred to as "The Imperial House" and includes the current Emperor and his immediate descendants. The Imperial House rules from Kaitain and through a combination of military power and control of CHOAM maintains a position of dominance.
Imperium (the): A widely used term to describe the Imperium of Man, which is all the Houses of the Landsraad, House Corrino, Schools of Thought, Businesses, and the furthest reaches of the Spacing Guild combined. Currently defuct.
Ix: One of the two technocracies known for its training machines and underground cities.
Kaitain: The seat of the Imperial House and capitol of the Imperium.
Kanly: A duel fought between chosen champions of two warring entities to determine the outcome of the conflict. One of the two approved methods of war.
Kindjal: A blade commonly used in dueling roughly the length of an adult male's forearm and hand combined.
Landsraad (The Federated Houses of the): A combination of all the houses large and small which make up the Imperium. Collectively they represent the equal of The Spacing Guild and Imperial House with their diversity giving them strength.
Lasgun: A weapon that fires a laser beam, good at melting armor and flesh in equal measure. Susceptible to the Holtzmann Effect.
Legion: 10 battalions.
Minor House: Most Houses of the Imperium are Minor Houses who represent holders of small collections of or even single worlds. These are the masses who pay the bulk of tithes but who hold less power than their cousins in the Great Houses. Intelligent and lucky Minor Houses hope to ascend to Great House status one day. They are members of the Landsraad.
Melange: The Spice Melange is the single most valuable commodity in existence and has one source, Arrakis. The constant struggle to mine, refine, and control the spice is the engine for much of Imperial politics and is never ending. The life and consciousness extending capabilities of spice as well as its portable size once refined has allowed it to become the commodity by which all others are weighed.
Metal Eyes: Replacements made for organic eyes which allow vision in all manners of scenarios as well as allowing different modes of vision such as infrared and night vision. This is one of the goods sold by the Tlielaxu.
Navigator: Employee of The Spacing Guild, the appearance and powers of which are closely hidden, that is capable of plotting safe courses through foldspace for Heighliners. Also capable of prescience.
Ornithopter: A 1-4 person flying machine (depending on model) that achieves flight by flapping mechanical wings much like a bird would. They are the preferred method of atmospheric flight in the Imperium.
Regional House: The smallest of Houses who are either new to politics or have fallen far. In either case they control a single world and often less than that, under the watchful supervision of a Minor or Great House. Regional Houses regularly either show the skill and aptitude to advance to Minor House or collapse entirely.
Republic (the): A widely used term to describe the Age of the Republic, which is the rule of the the Houses of the Landsraad over House Corrino, Schools of Thought, Businesses, and the furthest reaches of the Spacing Guild combined
Reverend Mother: A woman initiated in the highest mysteries of the Bene Gesserit.
Richese: The other technocracy of the Imperium known for its powerful mirrors and for being pioneers in las-weaponry.
Sandworm: A vicious beast of the planet Arrakis worshipped by the Fremen and linked to melange in a way poorly understood by the Imperium. The are utterly hostile to all non-native life and being several kilometers in size have been known to devour entire harvesting operations and unwary travelers whole.
Sardaukar: The elite terror troops of House Corrino. Their training is superior to that of any other entity but the method by which House Corrino achieves the high level of physical and mental conditioning present in Sardaukar is a closely guarded secret. Their numbers and equipment are greatly reduced in the Age of the Republic.
Sietch: One of the desert communities the Fremen operate from outside of Imperial law.
Siridar: The recognized owner of a planet.
Shield: An energy barrier formed by overlapping layers of energy produced from a stationary generator. It slows projectiles enough to render them less lethal. Susceptible to the Holtzmann Effect.
Solaris: The currency of the Empire as backed by the Spacing Guild, CHOAM, and Imperial House.
Spacing Guild (the): The Spacing Guild is a mega-company which holds a legal monopoly over all foldspace travel through their massive Heighliners. Their Navigators, the nature of whom is a closely guarded secret, use proprietary Holtzmann Engines to create rifts in space which allow faster than light travel to be safely, possible. They remain concerned first and foremost with spice income staying constant and second with solari. They are one of the Great Schools of Thought.
Spice (the): See Melange.
Suboid: Worker sub-class of Ix. Bred to be strong but not very intelligent they are crucial to the economy of Ix and in times of dire need can be pressed into military service as cannon fodder.
Sysselraad (the): A junior arm of The Landsraad which organizes the Regional Houses into blocks allowed one collective vote each.
Tripod (the): The Tripod refers to the balance of power where the Imperial House of Corrino, the Federated Houses of the Landsraad, and The Spacing Guild all hold equal, power which balances and places pressure upon the other two legs. So long as the power of the three legs relative to each other stays equal there is stability. The tripod has been upended in the Age of the Republic. The long term effects of this change are unknown.
Tlielaxu (the): A group of xenophobic religious fanatics who revile and require the Imperium in equal measure. The attitude is mutual with their gholas, clones, metal eyes, and organ replacements highly sought after if not their company. They are one of the Great Schools of Thought.
War of Assassins: Conflict fought using espionage and deceit against an enemy entity with minimal damage to civilians allowed. One of the two approved methods of war.
Approved Method of War: A term used loosely to mean any way of solving a conflict that does not involve the large scale use of military forces and or mitigates damage to non-combatants.
Arrakis: A desert planet with no naturally occurring liquid water. It is the only known organic source of the Spice Melange which the Imperium is dependent upon.
Atomics: Banned weaponry which has the power to destroy entire cities. In spite of its ban many of the more ancient houses and entities have hidden stockpiles of these weapons as a last ditch resort.
Axlotl Tank: The machine by which the Tlielaxu grow gholas, clones, and perfect replacements of damaged organs for customers of the Imperium. The nature of an Axlotl Tank and its method of operation are closely guarded secrets of the Bene Tleilax.
Bashar: Command rank equivalent to a Colonel.
Battalion: 1000 persons pressed into military service, usually soldiers with varying degrees of training but occasionally smugglers, Suboids, and even criminals or slaves.
Bene Gesserit: A Sisterhood who have trained their bodies to such an extent as to have control over their muscles, minds, and metabolic processes. The ultimate in spies and teachers they are respected and mistrusted in equal measure by the Empire at large. They are one of the Great Schools of Thought.
Bene Tlielax: See Tlielaxu.
Burseg: Command rank equivalent to a Brigadier General.
Business of the Empire: A business that has grown large enough to control an entire planet and to market its wares to the Empire.
Carryall: A heavy lifting flier capable of vertical take off and landing most often seen on Arrakis with Siridar and Smuggler Harvesting Operations.
Crown Prince: The chosen successor of the current Emperor. Currently defunct.
Combine Honnete Ober Advancer Mercantilles (CHOAM): A galactic development corporation owned in whole by the three legs of The Tripod and responsible for developing new worlds, regulating trade, and overseeing the economic health of the Imperium.
Clone: An exact genetic copy of a living person grown from harvested cells. Clones are created in Axlotl Tanks and are one of the goods the Tlielaxu sell.
Dune: See Arrakis.
Emperor: The title of the head of Imperial House Corrino. The Emperor is recognized to be the most powerful single human alive. Currently defunct.
Empire (the): See Imperium.
Faufreluches (the): The system of peerage that exists in the Empire as a whole and the understanding of where people of various ranks and levels of elevation exist in that hierarchy.
Fremen: Native inhabitants of Arrakis that worship sandworms and are hostile to all off-worlders.
Frigate: Vessel owned by an entity that docks with a Heighliner for purposes of travel. Protected by The Guild Peace.
Ghola: An exact genetic copy of a dead person grown from harvested cells. Gholas are created in Axlotl Tanks and are one of the goods the Tliexlau sell.
Great House: The highest level of achievement for any noble house of the Landsraad Great Houses control multiple planets, several CHOAM contracts, command militaries in the tens or even hundreds of thousands, and represent wealthiest, most prestigious men and women of the Empire. Great Houses are members of the Landsraad.
Great School of Thought: One of the very few entities that retain some kernel of ancient knowledge from before the formation of the Imperium. These institutions only still exist because they offer unique skills available no where else.
Guild (the): See Spacing Guild.
Guild Peace (the): Document which lays out several rules that all users of Guild services agree to abide by, the most important of which being no violence is allowed between rival entities while on a Heighliner.
Harvester: A machine that functions like a giant vacuum to suck up spice laced sand, filter out the sand, and then store the melange until it can be returned for processing by a Carryall.
Heighliner: Massive cargo vessel constructed to the specifications of the Spacing Guild for use in operation of their transport routes. Heighliners vary in size but are typically several kilometers long.
Holtzmann Effect (the): When a lasgun's beam interacts with a shield it creates an explosion that is near atomic level and if in sufficient enough size could destroy entire continents. It is because of this effect lasgun/shield interactions are strictly forbidden by Imperial Law.
Holtzmann Engines: Massive proprietary engines on Heighliners that Navigators of the Spacing Guild use to fold space so as to allow faster than light travel to be practical.
Imperial House: The dominant wing of House Corrino is referred to as "The Imperial House" and includes the current Emperor and his immediate descendants. The Imperial House rules from Kaitain and through a combination of military power and control of CHOAM maintains a position of dominance.
Imperium (the): A widely used term to describe the Imperium of Man, which is all the Houses of the Landsraad, House Corrino, Schools of Thought, Businesses, and the furthest reaches of the Spacing Guild combined. Currently defuct.
Ix: One of the two technocracies known for its training machines and underground cities.
Kaitain: The seat of the Imperial House and capitol of the Imperium.
Kanly: A duel fought between chosen champions of two warring entities to determine the outcome of the conflict. One of the two approved methods of war.
Kindjal: A blade commonly used in dueling roughly the length of an adult male's forearm and hand combined.
Landsraad (The Federated Houses of the): A combination of all the houses large and small which make up the Imperium. Collectively they represent the equal of The Spacing Guild and Imperial House with their diversity giving them strength.
Lasgun: A weapon that fires a laser beam, good at melting armor and flesh in equal measure. Susceptible to the Holtzmann Effect.
Legion: 10 battalions.
Minor House: Most Houses of the Imperium are Minor Houses who represent holders of small collections of or even single worlds. These are the masses who pay the bulk of tithes but who hold less power than their cousins in the Great Houses. Intelligent and lucky Minor Houses hope to ascend to Great House status one day. They are members of the Landsraad.
Melange: The Spice Melange is the single most valuable commodity in existence and has one source, Arrakis. The constant struggle to mine, refine, and control the spice is the engine for much of Imperial politics and is never ending. The life and consciousness extending capabilities of spice as well as its portable size once refined has allowed it to become the commodity by which all others are weighed.
Metal Eyes: Replacements made for organic eyes which allow vision in all manners of scenarios as well as allowing different modes of vision such as infrared and night vision. This is one of the goods sold by the Tlielaxu.
Navigator: Employee of The Spacing Guild, the appearance and powers of which are closely hidden, that is capable of plotting safe courses through foldspace for Heighliners. Also capable of prescience.
Ornithopter: A 1-4 person flying machine (depending on model) that achieves flight by flapping mechanical wings much like a bird would. They are the preferred method of atmospheric flight in the Imperium.
Regional House: The smallest of Houses who are either new to politics or have fallen far. In either case they control a single world and often less than that, under the watchful supervision of a Minor or Great House. Regional Houses regularly either show the skill and aptitude to advance to Minor House or collapse entirely.
Republic (the): A widely used term to describe the Age of the Republic, which is the rule of the the Houses of the Landsraad over House Corrino, Schools of Thought, Businesses, and the furthest reaches of the Spacing Guild combined
Reverend Mother: A woman initiated in the highest mysteries of the Bene Gesserit.
Richese: The other technocracy of the Imperium known for its powerful mirrors and for being pioneers in las-weaponry.
Sandworm: A vicious beast of the planet Arrakis worshipped by the Fremen and linked to melange in a way poorly understood by the Imperium. The are utterly hostile to all non-native life and being several kilometers in size have been known to devour entire harvesting operations and unwary travelers whole.
Sardaukar: The elite terror troops of House Corrino. Their training is superior to that of any other entity but the method by which House Corrino achieves the high level of physical and mental conditioning present in Sardaukar is a closely guarded secret. Their numbers and equipment are greatly reduced in the Age of the Republic.
Sietch: One of the desert communities the Fremen operate from outside of Imperial law.
Siridar: The recognized owner of a planet.
Shield: An energy barrier formed by overlapping layers of energy produced from a stationary generator. It slows projectiles enough to render them less lethal. Susceptible to the Holtzmann Effect.
Solaris: The currency of the Empire as backed by the Spacing Guild, CHOAM, and Imperial House.
Spacing Guild (the): The Spacing Guild is a mega-company which holds a legal monopoly over all foldspace travel through their massive Heighliners. Their Navigators, the nature of whom is a closely guarded secret, use proprietary Holtzmann Engines to create rifts in space which allow faster than light travel to be safely, possible. They remain concerned first and foremost with spice income staying constant and second with solari. They are one of the Great Schools of Thought.
Spice (the): See Melange.
Suboid: Worker sub-class of Ix. Bred to be strong but not very intelligent they are crucial to the economy of Ix and in times of dire need can be pressed into military service as cannon fodder.
Sysselraad (the): A junior arm of The Landsraad which organizes the Regional Houses into blocks allowed one collective vote each.
Tripod (the): The Tripod refers to the balance of power where the Imperial House of Corrino, the Federated Houses of the Landsraad, and The Spacing Guild all hold equal, power which balances and places pressure upon the other two legs. So long as the power of the three legs relative to each other stays equal there is stability. The tripod has been upended in the Age of the Republic. The long term effects of this change are unknown.
Tlielaxu (the): A group of xenophobic religious fanatics who revile and require the Imperium in equal measure. The attitude is mutual with their gholas, clones, metal eyes, and organ replacements highly sought after if not their company. They are one of the Great Schools of Thought.
War of Assassins: Conflict fought using espionage and deceit against an enemy entity with minimal damage to civilians allowed. One of the two approved methods of war.