[Vinny]

Legal Statement:

This game is using the D&D 3.5 Player Hand Book, and DM Handbook. Both are produced by Wizards of the Coast.

"DUNE" is a registered copyright and trademark which is owned by The Herbert Limited Partnership.

Pictures are taken and modified from the Dune 2000 game and from Blade Runner, both by Westwood Studio.

--------------

This is Dune. Land of sand. The planet Arrakis, the beating heart of the Imperium, has become a treacherous land for those too weak to tame it. From the wasteland of sand and rock, the Spice Melange, the blood that fuels mankind, is harvested.

A series of political conflict has resulted in the sovereignity of Dune, which had belonged to House Harknonnen, to be challenged. The Emperor has issued a challenge to keep this conflict from engulfing the rest of the Imperium. Three Houses will gain their own territory on Dune. From this, the House that harvests the most spice shall gain the planet as its own. From Caladan, the water world, the Atreides come forth to claim their key to their destined glory. Heralding from their ice-covered planet, the shadowy Cartel of House Ordos has schemed and bribed its way into the challenge. With smuggled technology and contraband weaponry, House Ordos enters the conflict. Lastly, the Harknonnens of Giedy Prime, enraged by losing their sovereignity over Arrakis, has request troops to fortify their position on the planet.

But the hands of Faith and Destiny has not yet embraced Paul Atreides, the boy that would one day rule mankind, but rest upon the shoulders of brave souls.

Heroic and courageous souls who would pave the way for the God-Emperor of Dune.

[Vinny]

The large Atreides dropship landed on Bandar Spaceport, sending up billowing clouds of dust and sand. The massive blast door swiveled down. Three dozen Atreides soldiers began marching out from the ship's cargo hold, rallying and assembling a few feet away from the landing pad. As the last trooper cleared the landing zone, two lone shapes appeared, walking down the ramp and into the scorching heat of Dune.

Nearby, standing next to a military truck, were two men who wore the trappings of the Arrakean natives. The truck driver, a young Atreides officer, looked out onto the landing pad and pointed to the two figures walking out from the dropship.

"Here they are. I think those are the guys we were told to meet. Why don't you go and greet them. I'll get the truck started up." he said to the two Fremen.

OOC- Just for clarification: Sebastien and Caleb are the two lone shapes. Araore and Chaylyn are the two Fremen.

[deflagratio]

Caleb shouldered his tan backpack and cleared the ramp. As he takes his first breath of the desert air he feels the moisture escape his body. Caleb wraps a linen cloth across his mouth to keep out the sand and to try and save some of the moisture. His weatherworn sand colored cloak flabs a little in the not pleasant breeze as he looks at his companion and says. "Hope your ready mate. This planet will sooner cut away all your flesh as it will make you rich. By the way, the name's Caleb."
On a belt around his waist a regular fighting knife and a odd curved knife rest comforably in their scabbards. His green eyes have a strange glowing blue around the inside which he casts around the surrounds. His gaze falls on the fremen and the hairs on his neck stand up.

[Chuza]

A tall lean figure approaches with the gentle violence of a large panther, wearing a leather outfit covering all of his body save for two deep violet eyes. In his hand a double bladed weapon is easily seen; the carriage of a pistol can be glimpsed from underneath his cloak.

In a heavily accented speach, "You are Caleb? My compatriat and I are here to escort you to your meeting; and we must hurry lest you lose your water needlessly."

[SOldcorn]

"Yeah this place looks to be a regular hellhole. Still don't plan on being here for long. just enough time to make some good money. I am Sebastian." Replies the tall man to Caleb.

[Durak]

The other fremen regards you coldly. You can clearly see the butt of his long rifle underneath his heavy cloak. Underneath his cloak you see a stillsuit, but that does not compare to the two curved knives attached to his sides, glittering cruelly in the sun.

Araore looks at the arrival of their "guests" suspiciously.
Great reduced to babysitters, probaly will die anyways. Oh well we shall add their water to ours.

Araore watches the strangers as Chaylyn speaks.

[deflagratio]

Caleb bows to the fremen and says, "It is an honor to meet the people of the sand. Please lead the way for I too do not wish to loose my water one way or another."
Caleb drinks from a litterjon he had under his cloak and offers a drink to the fremen.

[Chuza]

Either not noticing, or ignoring, the gesture, Chaylyn turns about and heads to the truck and waits.

More off worlders, bah. Perhaps they will kill Harkonnen before the worms take them

[deflagratio]

Caleb returned his water to where it hung from his backpack. With a nod to Sebastian, Caleb walked over to the truck and looked straight into the fremen's blue in blue eyes and asked, "Where are we off to then?"

[Durak]

Araore follows Chaylyn to the truck looks at him then at the offworlders and shakes his head and smiles at Chaylyn.

[Chuza]

"Araore and I are to take you to meet with the Mentat Hawat. He will have further instructions for you."

With an easy grace, in one fluid motion Chaylyn hops into the truck pulling his cloak hood over his head and settles in for the ride.

"Keep your eyes open for the Harkonnen pigs have been particularly active of late; and there seems to be something brewing in the air that carries a stench as foul as any Harkonnen."

[deflagratio]

Caleb threw is backpack into the truck and hopped in next to it. With a grin to the fremen he pulls out a pistol and checked the clip. With a deft movement Caleb slid the clip back and and cock the pistol before returning it to the holster on his belt. "Lets slaughter some Harkonnen then."

[Chuza]

"Allowing Mudir Nahya to choose the time and place for battle is the second surest way for you to let your water flow.

Better is to avoid battle and choose a time and place of our making."

[Froggy the Great]

The man sitting next to the driver of the truck is a hair short of six feet tall, with green eyes and sandy brown hair. He looks like he is in his early twenties, and is wearing the uniform of an Atriedes officer.

He turns around in his seat and gives Sebastian and Caleb a nod. "Welcome to Dune... Sebastian?. I saw what you did with that literjon, and it was a fine gesture. Be careful though, I've seen men killed for a few swallows of water. Folks here take water very seriously, it's like the soul, currency, and blood of the place."

He looks around. "Caleb is still wandering around by the dropship. Araore, Chalyn, did you not see him? He's the Dunesman over there." His tone is gentle and unprovoking as he points out the other man.

[Vinny]

"Alright, let's go..." the other officer said as he began to climb into the driver's seat.

The man looked into back of the open-topped truck, and you can see his eyebrow raise a bit.

"Alright, where's the other guy? We were told there's two of them..." he asked, as he looked at the lone shape of Caleb sitting there.

His gaze went to where the dropship landed, and surely enough, Sebastien was still standing there, waiting for something.

The officer shooked his head, then jumped down from the truck.

"Thomas, stay here..." he said as he walked off towards where the off-worlder mercenary stood.

OOC- The Fremen merely greeted Caleb, and Sebastien doesn't know you where his contact.