Dungeons of Dune (Act 1)

Summary

Gom Jabbar: A Dune Podcast – Episode Summary

Episode Title: Dungeons of Dune (Act 1)

Release Date: April 25, 2025

"Gom Jabbar: A Dune Podcast" by Lore Party Media serves as an extensive guide to the expansive Dune universe, catering to both seasoned enthusiasts and newcomers. In the episode "Dungeons of Dune (Act 1)," hosts Abu and Leo embark on a thrilling Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) adventure set within the intricate backdrop of Frank Herbert's iconic saga. This summary delves into the episode's key discussions, character introductions, pivotal moments, and insightful conclusions, enriched with notable quotes and timestamps for enhanced engagement.

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1. Introduction to the Adventure

The episode kicks off with Abu and Leo setting the stage for their D&D session, blending elements of the Dune universe with classic tabletop role-playing dynamics.

• Abu: "Today on the show, we're rolling for initiative and expecting a critical success." [00:00]

Abu emphasizes high expectations, drawing a parallel between D&D mechanics and the unpredictability of outcomes, setting an adventurous tone.

• Leo: "Welcome to Gom Jabbar, your guide to the iconic world of Dune..." [00:12]

Leo introduces the podcast's mission to explore Dune's themes, philosophies, and characters through various media adaptations, establishing the episode's focus on a D&D adventure.

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2. Character Introductions

Razik Prozidy (Played by Leo)

Razik is a rugged smuggler from Chusik, now working under the Tuics on Arrakis. His backstory reflects a journey from failed musical aspirations to a life of smuggling, driven by a desire to prove his worth.

• Razik: "I'm a smuggler. I'm working under the Tuics on Arrakis. It's a rough life, but it's mine." [07:46]

Razik's narrative showcases his resilience and adaptability in the harsh desert environment, highlighting his connections and motivations.

Ziggy Circa (Played by Abu)

Ziggy serves as a souk doctor for House Borjean, specializing in holistic and herbal medicines. His background reveals a blend of competence and unconventional methods, tempered by a lack of higher-level Imperial Conditioning.

• Ziggy: "I'm a souk doctor in the employ of House Borjean, and thus I am the personal physician to Lord Benedict Borgin and his family." [11:38]

Ziggy's character intertwines medical expertise with personal quirks, adding depth to his role within the House Borjean dynamic.

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3. Setting the Scene: House Borjean's Predicament

Noah, the Dungeon Master, provides a rich backdrop for the adventure, situating it in the tumultuous period between "Dune" and "Dune Messiah."

• Noah: "Our adventure today takes place on a small detour alongside the Golden Path..." [17:03]

House Borjean, once prosperous through a specialty wine business, now grapples with drought and famine caused by overuse of water resources. This environmental crisis underscores their desperation and sets the stage for potential rebellion against Emperor Paul Atreides.

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4. The D&D Adventure Unfolds

Initial Conflict and Suspicion

Abu's character, Ziggy, attempts to eavesdrop on a covert Bene Gesserit meeting, uncovering sinister plans to disrupt the Atreides' control over spice distribution.

• Abu: "All right, Noah, before you lead us on today's wonderful adventure, can you, for the uninitiated, briefly explain..." [05:02]

This scene introduces critical plot elements, including the Bene Gesserit's resistance and the overarching conflict involving the control of spice melange.

Critical Failure and Aftermath

In a tense moment, a messenger succumbs to poison, forcing Ziggy to act, albeit unsuccessfully, highlighting the dangers of their opposition.

• Noah: "After a number of compressions, you hear a sickening snap of one of the ribs. This individual has long since gone limp..." [35:35]

Ziggy's failed attempt to save the poisoned messenger leads to heightened suspicion from Lady Borjean, propelling the narrative forward.

Joining the Journey to Arrakis

Following the assassination attempt, Ziggy is compelled to accompany Lord Benedict Borgin on a mission to Arrakis, setting the characters on a path fraught with peril and intrigue.

• Ziggy: "I would be honored to travel to Arrakis in service of you and the Lord." [39:22]

This commitment marks the beginning of their adventurous quest, intertwining their fates with the larger political landscape of the Dune universe.

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5. Surviving the Storm: A Test of Resilience

As the characters approach Arrakis, a Coriolis storm wreaks havoc, testing their survival skills and the strength of their partnership.

• Abu: "Do you see that over there? A worm? Do you see a worm?" [62:06]

The ensuing chaos forces Razik and Ziggy to navigate the storm's fury, relying on their abilities and resourcefulness to survive.

Key Moments Amidst the Storm

• Razik's Stealth and Intelligence:

  • "I rolled a 14 on the die and my character has a stealth skill bonus of plus six. So that equals a total of 20." [26:32]

  Razik's adeptness at stealth allows him to gather crucial intelligence, revealing underlying tensions within House Borjean.

• Ziggy's Critical Role:

  • "I know that you're wearing some sort of clothing... and so I kind of bundle up myself." [72:38]

  Despite setbacks, Ziggy's medical expertise remains pivotal, ensuring Lord Benedict's well-being amidst the turmoil.

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6. Climactic Cliffhanger

The episode culminates in a dramatic survival scenario where Razik sustains injuries while Ziggy remains unharmed. Separated by the storm, their fates intertwine with unseen allies and emerging threats.

• Noah: "As the storm rages, fate has drawn you together. This meeting with this new emperor and the dissenting houses..." [85:13]

This unresolved tension sets the stage for Act 2, promising further developments in their quest and deeper explorations of the Dune universe's complexities.

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7. Notable Quotes

Throughout the episode, several moments stand out, capturing the essence of the adventure and character dynamics:

• Abu on High Expectations:

  "Today on the show, we're rolling for initiative and expecting a critical success." [00:00]

• Razik's Resilience:

  "I'm a smuggler... It's a rough life, but it's mine." [07:46]

• Ziggy's Professionalism:

  "I was compelled to come to his aid... Is everything okay?" [36:34]

• Noah on Plot Development:

  "If this tenuous alliance between the Bene Gesserit Guild and the disgruntled Landsraad is successful..." [56:26]

• Climactic Survival:

  "As the storm rages, fate has drawn you together. This meeting with this new emperor and the dissenting houses..." [85:13]

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Conclusion

"Dungeons of Dune (Act 1)" offers a captivating blend of D&D storytelling within the richly textured world of Dune. Through detailed character development, immersive plotlines, and dynamic interactions, Abu and Leo guide listeners through a narrative that intertwines personal quests with grandiose political machinations. As the episode concludes with a tantalizing cliffhanger, audiences are left eagerly anticipating Act 2, where the threads of destiny, survival, and power will further unravel within this epic universe.

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This summary captures the essence of "Dungeons of Dune (Act 1)" by highlighting key moments, character arcs, and thematic elements, ensuring that both avid fans and newcomers can appreciate the depth and excitement of the episode.

Transcript

[Abu]

Today on the show, we're rolling for initiative and expecting a critical success. Like I always say, Leo, set your expectations high and the dice will never let you down. That's how D and D works, right?

[Leo]

Yeah, I think so. I think if you just hope things will work out just violently, they will. Welcome to Gom Jabbar, your guide to the iconic world of Dune. We'll be exploring the themes, philosophies and characters found in the sandy depths of this vast universe. From Frank Herbert's groundbreaking novels to the adaptations on film and tv. My name is Leo.

[Abu]

And my name's Abu.

[Leo]

Oh. And today on the show, we have different names. We have different names that we're going to get to in a little bit. We're playing Dungeons and Dragons. We're doing it.

[Abu]

Yeah.

[Leo]

Dungeons and Drunkens.

[Abu]

That's right.

[Leo]

Before we get too far into it, let's take care of our housekeeping. Let's roll a nat 20 on making shout Out Mapes proud. Starting off with our spoiler warning, we are setting this adventure in the 12 year gap between Dune and Dune Messiah by Frank Herbert. So to be safe today, make sure you have read at Beast the first two books of Dune and Dune Messiah. And if you've read those two books, you've passed your constitution saving throw or something. And you didn't die listening to this episode.

[Abu]

Also, a huge shout out to our Kwisatz Haderach level patrons. Up top. As always, Daniel Dion, Seth Reddin, Greer. Folks. Oh, my goodness. Our gratefulness knows no bounds. There's no die in the world that could roll a number high enough to explain how grateful we are for your support. But of course, our heartfelt thank yous extend to all of our patrons at all levels who do truly build the foundation upon which today's adventure will commence.

[Leo]

Indeed. And listen, if you are not in a place to become a monthly supporter on Patreon, you can also support us. You can support what we do here with a one time tip at. Buy me a spice Coffee. Buy me a coffee. And that link is in the show notes. Of course, we appreciate any amount you can do to support us in what we do.

[Abu]

That's right. Okay, housekeeping, out of the way. Here is the game plan for today's episode, folks. First, we are going to begin today by explaining the basics of what D and D is. For the uninitiated, we'll be joined by our dungeon master, Noah. Then we'll introduce our characters. Leo, you and I have built our custom characters for this adventure. Original characters in The Dune universe. Very exciting. And then finally, our dungeon master, Noah will lead us through the first act of today's adventure and this story. So before we dive into all of that, let's take a quick break, but don't go anywhere, folks. When we come back, we'll be joined by Noah, and we will begin our Dungeons and Dragons adventure. I think you're on mute.

[Noah]

Workday starting to sound the same. I think you're on mute.

[Abu]

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[Noah]

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[Leo]

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[Noah]

See you first on Food Network Stream.

[Leo]

Next day on Max. Welcome back, everybody. Hope you enjoyed your break. Let's pass it over to Noah now. Hey, Noah. Welcome to the show, guys.

[Noah]

I am honored to be here. Thank you for having me. And thank you for that huge package of spice you sent me. I have taken it, and I foresee an excellent episode ahead of us.

[Abu]

There we go.

[Leo]

This person dunes.

[Noah]

Yeah, I dune. Oh, I spice.

[Leo]

Oh, I spice. Oh, I spice.

[Abu]

Oh, good, good. We sent you only our good stuff, you know.

[Noah]

Thank you. I could tell. I could tell.

[Abu]

All right, Noah, before you lead us on today's wonderful adventure, can you, for the uninitiated, which I kind of include myself in that as well, I have very minimal experience with D and D. Can you briefly explain for any listeners who are newcomers who have never played D and D, what D and D is, how it's played, and how our adventure in this episode today will go.

[Noah]

I can absolutely do that. I like the. I will use the voice and I will implement the rules to this game into your minds, listeners. So get ready.

[Abu]

Perfect.

[Noah]

If you've never played Dungeons and Dragons or D and D as it is so often called, it is basically a game of improvisation and dice rolling. So gambling, really the dungeon master. Me, I play as the world. I act as the arbiter of the game's rules. I give descriptions of the characters and locations, and I keep track of what's going on in the background as well as the motivations for every character to advance the story and to provide meaningful plot hooks for the characters. Meanwhile, the players, in this case Abu and Leo, have characters that they role play as interacting with the world by making choices to achieve their goals. Whenever someone makes a choice, or if a choice is forced upon them, we roll a die to determine the outcome of said choice. So in most cases, we roll a 20 sided die, or a D20, as you might hear us call it, adding any bonuses that the characters to see if that total equals or beats the difficulty class I have in my head as the dm. If they hit that number or beat it, they succeed and things go as well as they possibly could have given the circumstances. If they fail, well, consequences will unfold. So the higher the number, the better the roll in most cases.

[Abu]

I, for one, hate consequences, trying to avoid them.

[Noah]

You know, I like to say I hate consequences, but I. I have become addicted to them, like my addiction to spice, because they. Ooh. We will see some really juicy consequences come up, I think, from what you two have created.

[Abu]

Ooh. All right, Noah, thank you for that. D&D 101. Before the adventure today begins in earnest, I think we should also do some character intros. So, Leo, you came up with an original character. You gave your character a backstory. I did the same. Let's intro our characters and then, Noah, perhaps you can just sort of set the stage of where, when, how our story will take place before we jump into it. So, Leo, let's kick it off with you. Tell us about your character.

[Leo]

I'm realizing now it would have been very funny if I just said Leo to Atreides and just dropped the T. That would have been so much better than anything else I could have done. But it's okay. Yeah, it's nice to meet you all. My name is Razik Prozidy. The name's Rozik. I'm a smuggler. I'm working under the tuics on Arrakis. It's a rough life, but it's mine. And I'm proud of how far I've come. I'm originally from Chusik, though I originally hail from Gurney Halleck's. Kind of made some waves recently from my planet. Pretty good, I guess. I'm from his planet. He's older than me. But back in Chusik, I'm from this village, small village, known for a type of folk music. And I've always loved making music, but I found that I was really bad at that kind of music. I was really bad at that particular type. And I think if, when I was younger, if I'd been more kind of emotionally intelligent and in touch with just the reality that you have to find your own way in this world. I probably would have found my own style, but I was young, dumb and reckless. So I felt like a failure. I felt like I was a failure at the only thing I was supposed to be good at. I rebelled against it all. I dropped out of the trade school. Major flunk there. And then I went to Junction first chance I got. So it was on Junction where I decided to go to Arrakis. Because it's the harshest planet I can go to. If I can prove myself on that planet, well, maybe I've got some worth after all. Right, little Ol Razak? If I can make it there, as they once said, you could make it anywhere. I can make it most other places as well, perhaps. Especially if I have loans from mom and dad. Dad. So I went to Arrakis, worked a hodgepodge of jobs, you know, working at bars, moving shipments, you know, loading, unloading trucks, that sort of thing. Eventually ended up spiced harvesting. Once I. Once I got acclimated to the heat and, you know, I was. I was just desperate to prove myself, you know. During that time I did make friends, a couple of. Couple of buddies. And someone introduced me, one of my friends introduced me to one of Stammen Tuic's kids. So one of the Tuics. And smuggling, it turns out, is a lot more dangerous, but there's a lot more variety to the jobs. Spice harvesting is also super dangerous. So ultimately, I've really enjoyed smuggling. And honestly, because the houses miner that are paying the smuggling fees are so desperate to get what I have off planet. There's a lot of protection and broadly it's not too bad. It's not too, too dangerous. To wrap up my introduction. I am in my 30s now and I realize it probably was a mistake to drop out of music school the way I did. But at the end of the day, I'm now earning enough money through smuggling that I'm able to send some money through some wired accounts back home. I think one day when I have like, enough, I'm not really sure what that means, but when I have enough, I will, I'll go home and kind of make amends with my. My family and, you know, Arrakis has changed a lot since Paul and the Fremen took over. I saw the exchange of those uncreased Jordans in person. It was crazy. It was insane. But in the grand scheme of things, I'm good at what I do. I've made some Solid friends. Well, maybe not friends, but like, acquaintances. And I'm confident that whatever happens in this adventure, I've got what it takes.

[Noah]

Nice.

[Leo]

That's me.

[Abu]

And you're in your 30s now, so you're also probably considering running a marathon and or going back to grad school.

[Leo]

It's true. And I have back pain and knee pain. Being in my 30s, that doesn't change.

[Noah]

If you're taking spice like those. Those benchmarks are still there.

[Leo]

Throughout your 30s, you get back pain and knee pain into your 120s. That's what spice gets you. Well, that's me. Razik. Razik Prozidy. What about you? Abu.

[Abu]

Allow me to introduce myself. I am Ziggy Circa. I am a souk doctor in the employ of House Borjean, and thus I am the personal physician to Lord Benedict Borgin and his family. He's the current head of the house.

[Leo]

Sweet.

[Abu]

This is honestly a pretty cozy gig. I have had this gig since I graduated from the Sook school of medicine eight years ago. So I'm in my late 20s now. I graduated, like, I'll be honest, like, very middle of my class. Like, I was. The C's get degrees. Souk doctor of my class. I'm just not the academic type. It was whatever. As far as the current skills I have and why I got this job, I have level one imperial conditioning, so I can't be compelled to take a human life. But I don't have level 2 Imperial Conditioning, which means I am not, like, particularly loyal to House. For Gene. I just work for them and I can't kill anyone.

[Leo]

They couldn't afford level two, huh?

[Abu]

They couldn't afford level two. They're not a major, House.

[Noah]

They couldn't. It's tough times for House Porgin.

[Leo]

For House Porgin, they're like, yeah, this doctor's pretty great. He won't kill you. Probably.

[Noah]

The bar is low.

[Abu]

The bar is quite low. As far as my other skills, what else is on my cv? I am pretty decent at the art of Phi Kai, which is the souk version of prana bindu. It's kind of like prana bindu.

[Leo]

Light, less calories. Yeah.

[Abu]

I also know the deadly skill of haki, which is this souk skill to be able to instantly stop my own heart and end my own life, given the situation required it.

[Leo]

Buddy, that sounds real useful. How often do you pull that trick out? Every night at drinking?

[Noah]

Never.

[Abu]

And I certainly don't intend to. I can't guarantee I even went to all the harkey classes. I kind of know it theoretically.

[Leo]

Guys, guys, watch the. Put your drinks down. Watch this.

[Noah]

It's really a one trick pony sort of thing. Literally, you do it the one time, it's awesome.

[Leo]

But then if you did it again, it'd be beating a dead horse is.

[Abu]

What they would say. Exactly. As far as my. My classwork went, you know, I was, like, pretty bad in my classes, like anatomy, physiology, immunology. But I will say I absolutely crushed it in botany and herbal medicines.

[Leo]

Okay.

[Abu]

And in fact, this is kind of what got me in trouble in school a lot and why my grades were so bad. I have this penchant for preferring the more quirky holistic treatments over the scientifically proven stuff. So, for example, when Lord Benedict has a headache, I, you know, I smack that Ixine ibuprofen out of his hands. I'm like, you don't need that shit, sir. Let me just brew you up some fogwood tea instead. It's an old, old recipe passed down for generations. It's gonna fix you right up.

[Leo]

Yeah. Your headache will last for two to four hours. And you're like, that's the normal headache, regular headache time.

[Abu]

And then it'll just fade in time. This is normal, Lord Benedict.

[Leo]

In six to 10 business days, you won't have a headache anymore.

[Abu]

Get that ibuprofen out of here.

[Leo]

Worst. Doctor.

[Abu]

As far as what my social life was like, what was I like as a student? I was quite sociable, you know, like, I preferred spending time in the greenhouses again, around the, like, herbal medicines. I loved hosting a dinner party. You know, I love having friends and family over. I didn't love going to class so much as we've already established. My parents are upper middle class, like, white collar workers. You know, I. We never really wanted for anything in our lives. I was very well taken care of. And in fact, our family has inherited a nice bit of money because of a particularly unique family history. So I don't like sharing this. Often. I don't like to boast about this or anything, but it turns out I am a very, very distant, like, cousin or something of the legendary Dr. Faison Suk himself.

[Leo]

Whoa. Okay.

[Abu]

And, you know, I get annoyed when people say this, but, like, my friends and family have teased me that, like, my life is kind of easy. Due to that fact, you know, I've been able to kind of coast through life. I coasted through school. I got into this cozy gig at House Porgine. It's whatever, you know, I don't talk about this a lot. I don't like to flaunt it. And I certainly only use my connection to the legendary Dr. Seok when I like. Absolutely need to, you know, in a pinch, of course. Get out of. Get out of something here and there or when I need to.

[Leo]

Forgot your ID at home? Yeah. Need to get into the bar.

[Abu]

Exactly.

[Noah]

See that name on that medical building over there? I kind of know them a little bit.

[Leo]

Do you know who I am? I can stop my heart, guys.

[Abu]

So that's a little bit about me. Ziggy circa the Souk Doctor for House Porchy.

[Noah]

Welcome. Welcome to both of you. Our adventure today takes place on a small detour alongside the Golden Path, if you will. So let us tell you a story. A story set in our universe, but far, far in the future, when humanity has left their Terran home and scattered itself amongst the stars. Connected through a powerful substance known as spice melange. Which when ingested, gifted users prescience glimpses of a future allowing for navigation in a vast and dangerous universe. All of that was thrown into chaos in the past decade when a young Lord Paul of the fallen House Atreides, radicalized the oppressed Fremen people of Arrakis, the sole world able to supply this spice, paralyzing its distribution and usurping the previous emperor by taking his daughter's hand in marriage. Since then, a holy war launched in the Atreides name has led to violence across the galaxy. Worlds stripped of life, continents salted, cultures obliterated. The Houses that have opposed this new emperor, Paul Atreides, this Muad'dib are losing. And at the start of this chapter of humanity's grand story, we find ourselves in the halls of one of these houses who oppose him. The relatively unknown House Miner, House Borgin. Moderately wealthy due to their once burgeoning specialty wine business, they have fallen on hard times in this new imperium, mostly because of their own actions. In a desperate bid to produce more of their signature wine to compete with with spice laden beverages, they have drained their planet's fresh water supplies, leading to drought, crop loss and famine. Despite the House's demands, Paul Atreides has refused to commit any terraforming efforts to fix this issue, as they are currently engaging in the terraforming of Arrakis for the Fremen people leading this once beautiful temperate world to become arid and angry, its ruler desperate.

[Abu]

Ooh, wow. Okay, Leo.

[Leo]

Yeah, sounds like California.

[Noah]

To get in this.

[Abu]

Get into. Yeah.

[Leo]

I'm like, okay, I should change the names. Yeah, okay.

[Abu]

Yeah, right?

[Leo]

And on this planet There's a freeway called pch. And when you drive this freeway, it's a beautiful view of the ocean.

[Abu]

Beautiful.

[Noah]

In the capital city of Alarin.

[Abu]

Gavin Newsom.

[Leo]

Ally Lord Gavin. No.

[Noah]

Damn. I have to do some rewrites. Hold up.

[Abu]

That was a wonderful intro, Noah. I'm very excited to jump into this setting and to jump into this story. Folks, let's take another quick break. Don't go anywhere. When we come back, we're doing it. We're setting off on our adventure. We'll see you in a minute. This episode is brought to you by State Farm. You might say all kinds of stuff when things go wrong, but these are the words you really need to remember. Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there. They've got options to fit your unique insurance needs. Meaning you can talk to your agent to choose the coverage you need. Have coverage options to protect the things you value most. File a claim right on the State Farm mobile app and even reach a real person when you need to talk to someone. Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there.

[Noah]

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[Leo]

Welcome back everybody. We are back on planet Borgin with House Borjean. Take it away, Noah.

[Noah]

Thank you. Thank you. House Borgine's antiquity inspired palace sits amongst rolling hills of failing grape crops, the paragon of fading influence. Once beautiful and now worn and in need of maintenance. We find a small plain room tucked into this ornate Renaissance column lined hall manor. A long scarlet examination bed along the wall covered in well meaning proverbs of peace and health and medical diagrams. A messy olive wood desk with jarred herbs, salves and other questionable substances. On the shelves above, a spread of holistic medicine. Some tested, some less tested. This is the office of the family soup doctor, Dr. Ziggy Circa. Charged with ensuring the health and wellness of House Borjean Ziggy, or should I say doctor, you are here with this young lord Benedict Tarquin Borjean. A pale waifish boy of a man. And yes, he is a man, but he is incredibly sheltered. Just upon first look you see slight chin and button nose, wearing tight fitted red and gold diamond pattern waistcoat woven in expensive Fiber. Tight white leggings tucked into his polished black loafers that match his almost Venetian style bonnet encrusted in rubies upon his head, a red feather poking from it. He's inherited his title recently after his father passed away under mysterious circumstances. Circumstances that, as a souk doctor, you were immediately able to diagnose, even without an autopsy, as a successful assassination attempt. With poison. Though the matriarch of House Borjean, the Bene Gesserit Lady Beatrix Borgine, insisted that you stick to your herbs and poultice. So for the most part, you have turned away from that and focused on caring for this new lord.

[Leo]

Thank God you're only a little bit loyal. You're just like, well, all right.

[Noah]

Oh, my boss is dead. Okay, well, I'm still hired. Okay, great. I will continue to work then.

[Leo]

No questions asked.

[Noah]

You see, this young lord sits upon this examination table, kicking his matchstick. Legs bright, perfectly coiffed dark hair. Oh, Dr. Serka. I do hope that this journey to Arrakis goes well. Do you think that the lowly, lowly Fremen will let me ride the worms? I want to ride the worms.

[Abu]

I don't recommend you ride any. We can talk about it. We can talk about it when we get there. I think this will do you good. I hear Arrakis is a tough planet. But, you know, you're a tough kid, a tough lord. And I think, yes, indeed, it will do us both good to experience a new planet.

[Noah]

I could use a good of sun.

[Abu]

Yes, frankly, you could.

[Noah]

But so pale.

[Abu]

So, so pale. And you know, I will. I'll brew up some sunscreen for you. You know, side effects are just like potential rash, stroke, death. But everything else.

[Noah]

Like all the other ones. Yes, all of the other medicines.

[Abu]

Yeah, naturally. But no, much like the other. But that comes with the territory, right? When you want the best medicines and the most organic medicines, you might die. So I'll whip you up some sunscreen. I think it'll be a great time, Lord. I'm looking forward to it.

[Noah]

Mother says that I will someday be Duke of this Dust World. What an honor it would be for you to serve as my doctor.

[Abu]

Yes, I simply would be honored to continue serving as your doctor. And we can talk about compensation once you become Duke.

[Noah]

Yes, of course. Probably the same amount as you currently make, correct? Yeah, exactly what I was hoping you would say. And as he continues to kind of babble. Boom. That's in writing. As he continues to babble on excitedly, you begin to think of those words and what he said there about him being the duke of this Dust World. You recall overhearing the reason for this sudden journey earlier, when you happened upon a meeting that you were perhaps not supposed to be aware of. You remember making your way through the quiet, dimly lit halls of Palace Borgin when you passed by the curtained parlor of the Bene Gesserit mother of Lord Benedict and heard distorted voices. Ixian technology. This cone of silence obscuring a chamber's conversation. You remember having an opportunity. The way that the field was placed, the way that the curtains are angled. You could in theory listen in on this conversation and enter into this cone based on the placement. Do you remember? Did you decide to listen in? Or did you turn your head and look away as you have in the past?

[Abu]

Oh, yeah. No, no, absolutely. I snuck, right? I attempted to sneak right into that cone. I had to hear what was going on.

[Noah]

All right. Well, let's do our first roll then. Why don't you give me a stealth check? You're gonna roll the D20, the 20 sided die and you're gonna add your stealth skills bonus.

[Abu]

Got it? Okay, I'm gonna roll my D20. All right. I rolled a 14 on the die and my character has a stealth skill bonus of plus six. So that equals a total of 20.

[Noah]

We call that a dirty 20, a dusty 20 here in the duniverse, if you will. So, okay. With a 20, you remember carefully approaching the velveteen curtain and peeking through this distortive sonic wall that garbles their speech to get a glimpse of the lady of this house. This stunning lean woman with olive skin and dark eyes and thick black hair. She's much different than her son. She has all of the elegance and poise of a Bene Gesserit. She wears the dark robes of the Sisterhood to obscure much of her form and countenance, though you know that there is a sneer plastered beneath upon her striking features. She is joined by a strange, unfamiliar figure wearing simple white robes that are almost like lab coat. Like in design, they have a high collar and white fabric. The two of them standing in this lavish, if not garish chamber, this mysterious off world, are tilting their head and speaking in a strange, almost robotic sort of voice. Well, so long as the Atreides control the soul flow of spice Choam and the guild must bend to his will. This odd being, this humming, this sounds like a distrans, a message hidden within this servant. Normally this is not something done to a person, but it looks like the technology that is normally used to imbue messages secretly into creatures has been used on a person and robbing them of their dignity to turn them into a messenger. A secret messenger for whomever they are representing. You recall Lady Borgine leaning back into her gilded throne of ivy, eyeing them with a cryptic expression. As your masters know, House Borjin refuses to bow to this zealot, Muad'dib. The Sisterhood is patient. We have waited for centuries. And we will wait longer to outlast any mortal ruler once this Paul Atreides has fallen. My son. You see the distrans? This strange individual shakes their head. If he is allowed to continue damming the river, he will leave us parched like the Fremen who worship him. We cannot risk patience. The Bene Gesserit are not alone in their resistance. Many efforts are being made to break the dam. We have been working to create conditions to disrupt the Atreides monopoly. Lady Borjean's eyes widen. Beneath the cloth. An alternative has been found. The sinister messenger smiles this wicked, nasty smile that sent shivers down your spine. Though attempts to find alternatives have been thwarted, a new method will soon be tested. The Emperor has invited all houses of the Landsraad to his palace in Arrakeen to negotiate peace. Perhaps an offer to convert enemies to his religion of violence. With your guidance, the young lord can join these talks as proof of your house's innocence. While one of their so called little makers is retrieved. The lady's jaw drops. Ziggy, give me a history or a medicine check.

[Abu]

Alright. Do I get to choose which of those two checks?

[Noah]

Yes. Depending on which you choose, you will get different information, so you only choose one. The DC is going to be the same. It's going to be an 11. So you hit an 11 or higher, you'll get whatever information is available based on that check.

[Abu]

Okay, I'm going to do between medicine or history. Because of my albeit mediocre souk training, I still get a plus six to medicine. So I'm going to do a medicine check and try and get a sense of what's going on in this meeting. All right. From the dice roll. Woo. I got a whopping 16 on the dice roll. Plus 6 from my medicine scale gives me a 22.

[Noah]

You are rolling hotter than the sands of Dune, my friend. Excellent work. That is a wildly high check. And I think that it makes sense that you would roll high on this. Even though you may not be as well studied as some of your peers, many are familiar with the incredible substances that have been founded on Dune. And you recall Learning about a poisonous blue liquid that is used by the Bene Gesserit. You've heard that those who lack training upon ingesting this liquid die. But those who survived, who could transform this poison into something more powerful, have unlocked abilities within them. And you think of how snake's venom can be used to be changed to be medication for hypertension, to treat diabetes, for pain management. Natural cures have a huge potential benefit. And your mind begins to work about how this little maker, this small sandworm that they spend, because that is what they are talking about, could be used to create new medicine that you could pioneer. If the family Borgine decides to agree to this task, you could perhaps get access to said sandworm, maybe extract the Water of Life that is used. You may not know the details of what happens to that sandworm and et cetera, et cetera, but your eyes sparkle with the potential of unlocking new medicine.

[Abu]

Wow. I could finally, finally have a breakthrough on that hemorrhoid cream I've been working on. Ooh.

[Noah]

No one is talking about the use of the Water of Life for hemorrhoids. No one's talking about it. And we need to be talking about it.

[Leo]

Short sighted fools thinking only of extending.

[Noah]

Life, traveling great distances.

[Leo]

Oh, pshaw, boring.

[Noah]

You begin to tap your chin and think of the fantastical uses of this poison. As the distrance continues, spice must flow and choam will follow its current. Your house need not settle for minor status. Greatness comes from risk. Perhaps your world and its southern deserts would make a good home for one of these little makers. You need not speak your decision. Permit me to leave and we will understand your wish to remain a victim of the Atreides machinations. The lady ponders for a moment, then smiles. What kind of host would I be if I sent you away? Please stay. And with that you watched as the figure nodded without emotion in and bit down on something in their mouth, suddenly grabbing their throat. Eyes wide as they begin to foam and bubble from their lips. The sight forced you to stifle a gasp, as this messenger was clearly compelled to self sacrifice, just as you would be if you were threatening the lives of another being. It straightens up and slumps over, falling to the ground.

[Abu]

Oh my God.

[Noah]

What do you do?

[Abu]

I am compelled by my training to rush forward and do what I can for this individual. I reveal myself to the lady and rush forward in a panic and attempt to examine the individual who just fell over.

[Noah]

You rush into this room. She is. She's immediately. Oh, completely shocked by your appearance. As you rush in and begin to do chest compressions on this clearly dying man.

[Abu]

Give me 1, 2, 3.

[Leo]

It's to the rhythm of staying alive.

[Noah]

Staying alive, staying alive. I can't believe that song has been passed down for generations.

[Leo]

Still taught in sue school.

[Noah]

Give me an actual medicine check. I mean, technically, you're making an effort here. It's a sincere effort, so go ahead. I'm gonna say it's a DC21 to stabilize this individual as their dying from poison.

[Abu]

Okay, medicine check. I'm rolling my D20.

[Leo]

Oh. Oh, no.

[Abu]

So I have rolled a meager five on my die roll. And even with my plus six bonus for my medicine, that only equals 11.

[Leo]

What a track record, this doctor. What a track record. Right when it matters, sneaking around 27.

[Abu]

Saving a life five, flashbacks to sophomore year. Wow.

[Noah]

After a number of compressions, you hear a sickening snap of one of the ribs. This individual has long since gone limp and faded from this mortal coil. And as you sigh and lean back, your awareness is brought back to the fact that you have clearly revealed yourself to be listening into a Bene Gesserit conversation with this foreign representative who is trying to incite some sort of rebellion.

[Abu]

Milady. Doctor, I'm so, so sorry to interrupt. I was passing by and the minute I looked over, this man collapsed. I, as a professional, as a souk doctor, I was compelled to come to his aid. Is everything okay? What's happening here?

[Noah]

I'm going to need you to roll a deception check to try and convince her that you are telling the truth.

[Leo]

That you.

[Noah]

Oh, I only just saw this.

[Abu]

Yeah, okay, I will. I will preface this by saying thanks to my souk training and some of the loyalty that's like low level loyalty that's baked into souk training, I have a minus one on deception, so whatever I roll is going to use. Okay, D20 rolling now. Let's see. Okay, I rolled an 11 on the die minus one for my deception, which.

[Noah]

Gives me a 10 with a 17 on her insight check.

[Abu]

Oh, no.

[Noah]

Plus the insanely high bonus that you would assume a Bene Gesserit does get. She eyes you from her throne looking down her nose at you, Doctor.

[Abu]

Oh, God. Yes, my lady.

[Leo]

Classic television, is it? Oh, God, oh, God, oh God.

[Noah]

This is like Yzma and Krunk in the Emperor's new groove right now.

[Leo]

Oh, God, oh God, oh God. I think she knows.

[Noah]

I appreciate you putting your very valuable skills to work upon our guest. How much of that did you actually hear? Be honest.

[Abu]

You know, I didn't hear anything important at all, my lady. And what I did hear, my lips are sealed. I am a loyal employee of this house. I am your personal physician. My lady. I'm the personal physicians of the Lord. It simply is not in my nature to reveal what I heard today.

[Noah]

What little I heard today internally, you know, that she's thinking, God, why didn't we pay for that second tier conditioning?

[Abu]

Right, the tier two conditioning.

[Noah]

Yeah. It's just like, why, why didn't. Why did the previous Lord not invest more in this.

[Leo]

This fucking ivory throne? But we can't afford a doctor who can fucking lie.

[Noah]

You work very hard, doctor. You've provide many wonderful services to our family and to my son. Perhaps you would like to join us on our journey to Arrakis.

[Abu]

Oh, to the deadly desert planet of Arrakis.

[Leo]

Yes.

[Noah]

In fact, I would love if you kept a close eye on the young lord. If you stayed by his side. And who knows, maybe you'll find time to take an extended vacation there. If you like it.

[Abu]

Milady, I would be honored to travel to Arrakis in service of you and the Lord. I would be honored.

[Noah]

Yes, you would.

[Abu]

And I have been wondering when my next vacation would be. This is a wonderful idea. You can count me in.

[Noah]

Yes, I'm sure I can. You will have quite a wonderful time. It's quite like our world, in fact. And someday our world will be quite like theirs. You will join the young lord. And who knows, if I'm satisfied by your performance there, maybe that vacation can turn into retirement.

[Abu]

I would love nothing more than.

[Noah]

Wait.

[Leo]

Stop your heart. Stop your heart.

[Noah]

No, no, no. Don't do it. Don't do it. Don't do the heart stopping.

[Abu]

Don't do it. Stop it.

[Noah]

You can almost tell she's about to use the voice on you to keep you from doing that. Right. And as you are thinking of this potential death sentence that she is giving you here, as you have essentially, how can I say, confirmed, that you are aware of what her plan is and are now a loose end that she will very clearly tie up when the time has come.

[Abu]

Yes, I have recognized in this moment how much I have royally fucked up. I'm feeling completely backed into a corner, and I feel I have no choice but to go to Arrakis and do my best to weasel out of this plan once I'm there.

[Noah]

And as you're thinking of that, you are shaken from this memory as Lord Benedict hops from his examination bed in the present. Dr. Serka, are you listening? I've Been talking this whole time and now my throat is very sore and I have no idea why.

[Abu]

Oh, oh, not, not to worry, not to worry, my lord. I'm sure I have.

[Noah]

Oh, never mind, never mind. I'll use some of my pocket wine. The newest idea, wine for children. A completely untapped market.

[Abu]

Where did you. Okay, it comes in one of those applesauce packets.

[Noah]

And as he slurps this. We are pulled from this scene by the sound of a baliset, its nine strings vibrating under the calloused fingers of a shady figure on a far off world. Heat radiates from the fine yellow orange sands of Arrakis, of Dune, hidden on the edge of a dark stone outcropping that overlooks the sea of desert extending in every direction. A small cavern turned base camp is nestled out of Atreides sights. Leaning against the cave wall by the entrance, we see. Well, Leo, would you like to introduce and sort of describe what your character's doing here? Maybe tell us a little about the music he's playing.

[Leo]

Yeah, so I'm enjoying the view. Well, it's too hot to be outside, so we're killing some time between smuggle runs. Playing a bit on my ballast set. You know, I think in those quiet moments, the guys, the guys I'm out with, you know, helpful, helpful for them to kind of whittle away the time. So I'm plucking away. It's an old tune that I remember from childhood. I don't know, maybe a friend wrote it or something. My mom used to sing something like that. But it's a tune I love to bring to mind. The comfort of home and this planet. I miss.

[Noah]

The notes resonate off of the stone as you think of those you left behind on a far off world.

[Leo]

Yeah.

[Noah]

And you are interrupted when shadow comes into your peripheral, leading you to look up from your instrument to see Leshad Dalik, a member of the Salagos, the smugglers you're running with. He's not much older than you. He wears a simple dark gray form fitting still suit with a warm sand colored cloak to camouflage his hood down. His deep blue eyes of a bod, a sign of spice addiction, almost sparkling with madness. The whiteless eyes are stark against the little of his dusty tan skin that you can see a scar stretch stretching across the bridge of his bent off center nose. He is a loathsome figure, one of the roughest you've run with in your years working the desert. And he's just one of those guys who's constantly looking for Someone to belittle for his own amusement. And as you look up to him, he goes, boo. Do you know Free Worm?

[Leo]

Hey, listen, God, how are you doing?

[Noah]

Come on, come on. You gotta know some, like, good music, right?

[Leo]

I think I know a pretty good lullaby if you're looking for a midday nap. Otherwise, it's a big cave. You can find another nook to hang out in.

[Noah]

His eyes grow dark as he locks with yours. And another member of the smugglers, this squat man with the bandage over his left eye from. From a recent injury you know to be Chalak Olib, lumbers over, smiling at his friend's provocations. Yeah, I think you should play Free Worm too. You see, Leshad, like, looks at him and is just like, dude, shut up, dude. And before either one of them can continue, the leader of your group speaks up from deeper inside the cavern. If you're so keen on worms, why don't you take a long walk off a short rock by the desert's edge? You look past these two and see that their taunting has been interrupted by Kivi Vori Tuek, another smuggler deputized by her father, the legendary smuggler Stavan Tuek charged to lead the Sylagos. An old friend introduced you to her years ago. She's a no bullshit, tough commander with a smug edge, leading through action, not simply words. And I would say the two of you have grown close since you have arrived here. You can define that as you would like. But she, out of everyone here, respects the work you do, respects the privacy that you know when you're playing and lets you have your space. And she is focused more about making money above all else. She calls out to the remaining smugglers, enjoying their spice laden food just a dozen feet deeper into. Listen up, everybody. They begin to gather. Do you join?

[Leo]

Yeah. I put the balliset aside or I reshoulder it, put it back on my back and I saunter over and hear what she has to say.

[Noah]

You join her as they all do, glow globes illuminating the inside of this cavern. This is it. The job to end all jobs. If we get this one right, we'll be swimming in solaris like Shai Hulud in his sea of sand. Nods and mutters of excited greed begin to echo around you. Your mind begins to race. Rarely does Keavey speak about a job with such certainty. She's cautious. But there's something about her today that says she's ready for this new chapter, this final job success of a magnitude like what she's describing could allow you to send so much more money home. It could even buy you a way back off world and provide you with a new life.

[Leo]

Yeah, maybe this is it.

[Noah]

Kivi smiles seeing the hungry look in your eyes. Our customer is looking to purchase and transport an exotic pet off of Arrakis. One that is quite rare and quite dangerous. You've heard rumors of the powers of be trying to attempt maneuvers like this before. It's not really your business. You try not to invest in what's going on on this higher tier. You're just trying to survive. Yeah, but something about what she's saying does pique your interest. What kind of exotic pet could someone risk bringing off world? And why would they task you with it? And I think it occurs to you that she is referring to sandworms and she is specifically referring to taking a little maker from the Fremen. What do you think is going through your mind right now?

[Leo]

Well, Keavey has always been very level headed and she's not one to rush into a plan half baked. So I'm wondering if she has contacts with the Fremen. I've heard maybe that they, I mean they certainly. We've heard legend of them riding the worms, so they might have knowledge about how to capture them. But I'm curious, I'm curious where this plan begins and ends. Is it just greed for her? Has she been blown away by some high Solaris count? Or does she have a practical plan to get this done? Because honestly, sounds like catching a tornado in a bag. You know it's not going to work.

[Noah]

Why don't you give me an insight check to see how she is actually feeling beneath all of this. All right, your first roll. Here we go.

[Leo]

Oh, okay. I rolled an 8. I guess I'm still thinking about the fucking jerks who interrupted my playing. And I have a plus two on inside, so that brings me to an impressive 10. Hold your applause.

[Noah]

A nice even 10. Very balanced of you. I think that it's hot.

[Leo]

All right, it's hot. I'm distracted.

[Noah]

It's really hot. All right. Really hot. And that makes it hard to focus sometimes. And I think that it starts to occur to you that this is a seemingly difficult task. But she's always been serious with you guys. She always speaks straight. She doesn't bullshit you. She is always realistic about what's going to be the outcome of it. And she's very even. She always makes sure that everyone gets exact pay what they've earned based on the work. If she's this excited, and she's claiming it's going to be one last job. I think that you either fully believe her or you think that she needs it to be for some reason, but you don't have enough insight into the situation to fully understand, like, why she would need it to be like this for some reason. Okay. As you are thinking this, she begins to lay out the plan. She pulls out a device that blinks on it, revealing a map of the region and the terrain that you will have to navigate. We'll make our way the long way around this stretch of desert to the formation not far from Arrakeen, using storm as cover. According to the old maps, there's a structure within the stone. An old structure Fremen once used to store young worms for their sacred ceremonies there. We will infiltrate the facility, extract the pat and bring it to our guild contact, call sign Vitis, in the spaceports of Arrakeen. Does anyone have any questions, any concerns?

[Leo]

I kind of tip my chin up and try to catch her eye. And does she notice me as I kind of nod her way nonchalantly?

[Noah]

She catches your eye and she gives you a nod if you wish to speak. She seems to be allowing.

[Leo]

Sounds like a pretty risky plan. You confident we're going to be able to do this, Kibi?

[Noah]

Great risk comes great reward. You know how difficult things have been under this new emperor. You know how much he and his Fedayken are cracking down on operations. We need this to be what it is. And it will be what it is.

[Leo]

All right, you've got my. You've got my help.

[Noah]

Give me a persuasion check. I want to see how she interprets your questioning.

[Leo]

All right. Oh, so I rolled a three.

[Noah]

Okay.

[Leo]

Clearly the head nod had some underlying vibes. I do have a plus four persuasion, which brings me to an impressive seven Holter applause.

[Noah]

She smiles in a way that makes you think that she's not necessarily pleased by your questioning. Shakes her head. Ra's, you've given us. You've given us a lot to think about. When we divide things up equally, I think that we'll consider that in full.

[Leo]

You're the boss, Kivi.

[Noah]

She gives you a nod. You look around this rough gang of smugglers, all eyeing the two of you. The tension between you. You are a strong, stoic figure in this group who has worked hard to get where you are. And you questioning her does send a ripple of, you know, lack of confidence to them, even though they are still convinced by her and her promise of money. And you want to be convinced by her, too. She's been a decent. I mean, she's been a decent ally and a good leader. And you think that, you know, she's being a little intense right now, but, hey, life is tough here on Arrakis. You can't risk waiting and waiting and waiting for the opportunity, especially if one does happen to pop up. And so with that, she gives you a nod, then looks at the rest. We leave at dusk. So ready, up. And you watch as people begin to rise and gather their things. What's going through Rahok's mind right now as he's about to go on this one last job?

[Leo]

Well, I'm still absolutely nervous. Again, going off the beaten path. The sort of, like, unique mission of trying to capture a tornado in a bag, so to speak, is risky, but the opportunity to get home is undeniably, really tempting. I trust Keavey. I trust that she at least has some idea of a plan. And I'm just kind of relying on myself. I'm like, you know, maybe. Maybe things will shake out and Leshed won't make it, Talaq won't make it. My day will be brighter for it. If they get trimmed from the tree, they get trimmed from the share. But at the end of the day, my goal is to help. My goal is to help Keavey succeed. And I. And I'm sort of hoping that she doesn't. That she doesn't doubt that I'm gonna be there 100% to make sure that I survive. And that also does mean making sure the mission is as successful as possible. That's what I'm thinking about as I'm getting my stuff together.

[Noah]

You have these thoughts running through your mind. You look over at your bullies, for lack of a better word, Leshad and Shalak, and you see them messing with another one of the smugglers and laughing to each other. And then you look over to KV and she's looking at them, rolls her eyes and looks back at you. And we fast forward a bit. As you gather your things and dusk begins to arrive, you grab your garb and enter into this old, refurbished, disguised ornithopter. Everyone getting into their own vehicles that are nestled amongst the dark rock that your base is hidden within. And they all begin to vibrate and hover into the sky, flying off over the sands. As the sun sets in the distance, we cut to orbit above Arrakis, space folding and bending to allow for the massive Guild highliners to arrive. Now these ships are beyond comparison in size, a sort of elongated Ovoid shape, utilizing this powerful scientific phenomenon known as the Holtzman Effect to bring a multitude of vessels to this orange red world of Arrakis. And as we enter into orbit, we see Coriolis storms raging. These massive dust storms that can reach hundreds of kilometers or miles depending on which world you are listening to this from, raging across the desert. If this tenuous alliance between the Bene Gesserit Guild and the disgruntled Landsraad is successful, this holy war of the tyrant Paul Atreides can end and the spice will flow once more.

[Abu]

Wow. What an amazing start to our journey. Noah, this has been incredible. Let's pause here folks, before we continue this story and things come to a head on Arrakis. Let's take another quick break. Don't go anywhere. Ziggy and Rossic's story continues after this. This episode is brought to you by Chevy Silverado. When it's time for you to ditch the blacktop and head off road, do it in a truck that says no to nothing. The Chevy Silverado trail boss get the rugged capability of its Z71 suspension and 2 inch factory lift. Plus improve impressive torque and towing capacity thanks to an available Duramax 3 liter turbo diesel engine where other trucks call it quits. You'll just be getting started. Visit chevy.com to learn more. All right, welcome back, folks. Let's continue our story and pick up right where we left off. House Borjene's forces are making their arrival on Arrakis. Noah, back to you.

[Noah]

House Sporgine's vessels begin to enter atmosphere. Flames burning around them as they descend towards the dark side of this planet. On path to the spaceports of the capital Arrakeen, the seat of power for Emperor Paul Muad'dib Atreides rising from the mountainous outcropping in the distance. Shield wall partially destroyed by the use of atomics. You and the young lord admiring the view from the observation deck as your vessels angle their descent and the sun nears its descent. Flashes of lightning in the storm swirling across the surface. What is going through your mind, Ziggy, as you approach? What could be your doom?

[Abu]

I'm certainly nervous and yet I'm in awe. I'm in awe at the arid, barren beauty of this planet that I've heard so much about. This is a legendary planet within this imperium, and I never thought I'd see it with my own eyes. And here I am watching dusk settle and the awe inspiring keep of the Emperor. Off in the distance, the largest building I'VE certainly ever seen in my lifetime. I'm in awe. I'm nervous. I'm a little jittery because of that drink I had earlier.

[Noah]

The young lord standing beside you has his hands on his hips, looks a bit confused.

[Abu]

Where are all the worms, oh young lord? I don't think they don't come this close to the city. We're going to be landing in the city.

[Noah]

So boring, Mama. As he's complaining again, we cut back over to you, Rashawk, as you ride in this ornithopter, perhaps plucking your ballastet once more, swooping over the dunes towards the city as well. This looks location marked is hidden along the shield wall's rocks. It is outside it is a temple that has been long forgotten or at least long unused by the people, since obviously there is a difference between the city Fremen and the Fremen of the desert. Both of your paths are finally on the verge of intersecting. Your life has led to this moment. Before we go forward, can both of you give me a perception check? Difficulty class 12H. Perhaps a bit distracted by your baliset.

[Leo]

It's so hot. It's. I need to stress, even in the.

[Noah]

Dusk.

[Leo]

It'S so hot. And the ornith, it's moving a lot, you know, loud in the.

[Noah]

Or so loud.

[Abu]

How could you perceive anything, Frank?

[Leo]

Perceiving bit barely myself, let alone whatever else is going on. I rolled a five and that's. You know, what with perception, that's a. That's a seven. Hold your.

[Noah]

Okay, well done. I'm. I'm finding it difficult to hold my applause, by the way.

[Leo]

I'm rolling so strong. Just you wait. When I go to chest compress someone, I'm gonna fucking roll a 27.

[Abu]

I, on the other hand, have rolled a 15. And I have a bonus on perception of plus three.

[Leo]

So 18 in total related to saving a life. Rolling high as always.

[Noah]

Always. Well, well, well, Razak, you are. It's hot. It's hot.

[Leo]

So goddamn hot.

[Noah]

So hot. And it doesn't help that like while you're flying, the shot is doing that really annoying thing of like trying to get your attention and say something to you when it's impossible to hear. And so he's like kind of fucking with you using that and just being like, just like talking gibberish. And you're like, I'm sorry, like, I can't hear you. And it's causing a bit of commotion in the back here as he's like, come on. And like, gives you a playful Shove on the shoulder, knocking you into the side of the ornithopter and it shakes a little bit. And we cut back over to you, Ziggy, and you. As your ships are now above the desert themselves, you look off. You're mere miles from the Arrakeen port. Soon the young lord's attention will be held and you will get a moment's peace. And then you notice the shadow that extends the length of the horizon. The Coriolis storm is approaching with quite a bit of speed. Faster than you think. People are anticipating, my young lord. Yes, Doctor?

[Abu]

Do you see that over there?

[Noah]

A worm? Do you see a worm? Where he shoves you?

[Leo]

Where?

[Noah]

Where's the worm?

[Abu]

No, there's no worm. Where's your mom? Is your mom here somewhere?

[Noah]

Mama? Oh, she's. She's in a different vessel. She's. She sent us in this one. Okay.

[Abu]

All right, maybe we should. I'm just a little bit concerned. I'm just a doctor, but there seems to be a storm off in the distance. I'm wondering if it's heading our way. You know, are we able to contact the bridge, my lord? Do you have, like, a speed dial?

[Noah]

Oh, speed dial, yes. Ah, yes. Begins to pull empty juice boxes of Childline that he's trying to mark out his pockets. The winds are the first things to arrive, growing ever stronger as they batter both of your ships like a shockwave. Then the gargantuan clouds of sand begin to roll upon you. You desperately go in search for some sort of helmsman. You try and make your way to the bridge, but already the ship is shaking and shuddering. As you stop up the stairs and grip one of the handrails and begin to pull yourself, you see? Benedict begins to follow. Doctor, where are you going? I want to see the bridge.

[Abu]

Just keep up. Come on, Lord. Come on, my lord, we gotta get to the bridge.

[Noah]

You're running up to the bridge and you're going to look for anyone who can try and signal to this.

[Abu]

Helmsman. Helmsman.

[Noah]

Red lights begin to flash. Sirens begin to sound.

[Abu]

Oh, Lord. It's okay. It's this.

[Noah]

It doesn't feel normal. When do I get the feeling that you're lying to me? Keep up.

[Abu]

Keep up.

[Noah]

You hear an explosion rumble through the craft. One of the engines, now lodged with sand, begins to sputter and burst with flames. And mirroring that very similarly, Kivi grips a handhold as the ornithopter begins to spin. And she reaches out to you and screams, if we're separated, make your way to the Foothills. I'm not leaving Solaris on the table. Benedict curls to you. Ziggy, shield me with your body.

[Abu]

Just hold on tight. My lord.

[Noah]

The storm is upon you now. Dunes away from each other. But blinded by the Coriolis that has engulfed you, your vehicles shake and sputter and spin out explosions rocketing through them. I need you both to give me dexterity saving throws. And Ziggy, you're gonna roll with advantage because you succeeded on that perception check earlier.

[Abu]

Excellent.

[Noah]

So you're gonna roll twice and you can take the higher of the two rolls and then you add the dexterity saving throw number that should be in a little box above your abilities.

[Leo]

Hey. Ok. All right, here we go.

[Abu]

There you go.

[Leo]

I rolled a 19 and I have a dexterity of negative one, so that's.

[Noah]

An 18 you are gonna pass. That is a success. You're gonna take half damage from whatever this fall is. Oh, good, Ziggy, what did you get?

[Abu]

My first die I rolled was a 4, but the second die I rolled 20.

[Noah]

A natural 20.

[Abu]

Natural 20.

[Noah]

You are going to avoid all damage here. I have a little custom rule with natural twenties, which is that if you roll success on a save, it means you avoid all the effects you miraculously. Perhaps it is because you are shielding the young lord, perhaps it is because you're so aware of your body and how it functions and how what you need to do to maneuver yourself to do a safe cushioning. But as your two ships split screen crash and sputter and explode on the dunes, you miraculously manage to avoid all damage.

[Abu]

Tuck and roll, tuck and roll. My lord.

[Noah]

Rasak, you are going to take a decent amount of damage, but it is half. So I rolled a total of 17 damage, but half craft. We're gonna round down with that. You're only gonna take eight damage.

[Leo]

Okay, so I'll bring myself down to 30 hit points.

[Noah]

All right.

[Leo]

Ow.

[Noah]

Incredible. Incredible.

[Leo]

Okay, voice actor folks, right here. VOICE actor that's what it sounds like when you get hurt.

[Noah]

Now that's voice acting.

[Leo]

Now that's what.

[Noah]

Explosions muffled by the monstrous storm raging around you. When you both open your eyes, you hear only the wind roaring through the wreckage. You scramble to cover your vulnerabilities as the storm continues to rage. If we again imagine a split screen here, the two of you crawling to your feet. You, Ziggy, miraculously unharmed, maybe a little sore, but not anything that you think would maintain or like cause any long term damage. Razhak, you definitely scratched and bleeding, probably a slight char on your face from flames that are flickering near you as you shield yourself and stumble out taking shelter. You hear nothing but the roar of this storm. The screams of your fallen comrades, distant, if not entirely muted. Scattered fate, unknown survivors. If existing completely lost to you, what do you do?

[Leo]

I'm going to try calling out for Keavey. I hope she's okay. So it's kind of looking around the wreckage. Also, if any of my personal belongings kind of got scattered as I hit the sand, making sure I get those. But.

[Noah]

Keevi, Keevi, you out there screaming for your leader and friend. You begin to look for your things. Give me an investigation check, okay.

[Leo]

Shit, it's so hot. Have I mentioned how goddamn hot it is? Fuck me, it is. I rolled a two and that. I have a. I have it in my investor. It's a plus one, so that's a three. Hold your applause.

[Noah]

I'm gonna say that you're searching through the debris, the sand blinding you, tearing at your skin. I mean, Coriolis storms are a death sentence. You cannot be out in one of these. You absolutely need to be finding shelter in some capacity. I will say that you do look around any of the weapons, or let's say if you have, for the sake of argument, you probably have some sort of healing substances, like some sort of spice bandages and stuff like that to heal wounds. All of that gone. Your weapon currently unavailable to you.

[Abu]

Okay.

[Noah]

I will say though, that though scratched, you do find your baliset buried in the sand.

[Leo]

Oh, sweet. Good, good, good, good.

[Noah]

Still managed to survive. Even all nine strings are intact. And I will also say that unfortunately, rolling that low means you do not find a still tent, which, you know, that these ornithopters were packed with, you know, all the things you need for survival. So you have your still suit, which means you are okay for, you know, water supply in terms of like, being able to rehearse, use your own body's fluids. But you are unfortunately without a lot of the necessary things you need to survive long term. Cutting over to you, Ziggy. You find yourself unharmed. You look around, you hear a call from nearby. Doctor, Doctor. You see stumbling through the sands holding his finger. Lord Benedict Borgin. Doctor, my finger, it was scratched in the fall. I may faint.

[Abu]

Let me see, let me see, let me see.

[Noah]

The damage presents his finger to you. It's the tiniest little cut. It's actually a miracle that he's so uninjured as well. Your Nat20 saving him from having to roll, period.

[Abu]

It hurts, my lord. I think you'll be Okay. I have some ointment in my bag. I'll put it on later. But we need to get out of this storm. We need to find. We need to find the others. We need to get to safety. You'll be okay. Trust me. Just stay with me.

[Noah]

I do. I trust you with my whole heart. And I need you to roll a survival check for me to see how well you can figure out, you know, I mean, you didn't necessarily come here with a bunch of supplies, but perhaps you can find some with this check. Okay.

[Abu]

All right, Roll. Excellent. I rolled a 12 on the die, but I have a very high survival bonus. I get a plus six. All those herbal medicines and time in the greenhouses helping me here. So. 18.

[Noah]

18. I'm going to say that's going to double as a perception check for you as well, because you are looking for supplies, and you are looking for things that can serve you as some sort of shelter. And as you are shielding the young lord and looking around at the wreckage, it's scattered and half submerged in some of these orange dunes. As the sand continues to blind you, you do manage to find shelter. So you will be able to, like, duck into what looks to be a part of the craft that is lodged into the ground, but in. In a way that is blocking the winds and the sand itself. I. I will say that maybe that doesn't. You don't find a still tent, but you do hear something. A muffled shout a little bit further, just past one of these dunes, just beyond where your shelter is. You hear Rahzak's shout of Kyiv just muffled in the distance.

[Abu]

Milord. Milord, come here. Get under the shelter. Milord. We need to protect ourselves from these winds.

[Noah]

Yes.

[Abu]

Let me think, Let me think. Jesus Christ.

[Leo]

Wait.

[Abu]

Do you hear that? Is that some. That could be. M'lady. M'lady. Borjean.

[Noah]

Mama. Ma. Ma.

[Abu]

Helmsman.

[Noah]

Helmsman.

[Abu]

My lord. Stay here. Stay here. I'm gonna see if I can find your mother out there. Don't go anywhere.

[Noah]

I don't need much convincing. I hate doing things. Zaru immediately sits down in shelter.

[Abu]

All right, So I. I kind of get ready to go back out into the storm. The winds are fierce, but I. I'm wearing some sort of clothing, I. I assume. And so I kind of bundle up myself.

[Leo]

Yes.

[Noah]

I think you were equipped enough to know that you need, like, heavy clothing, protective clothing. I don't necessarily know if you guys would have had a still suit, but I think that you would understand the importance of finding shelter and avoiding being on the he heat.

[Abu]

So, excellent, excellent. So. So I kind of put my hood up and I'm yelling. I'm yelling as loud as I can for Lady Borjan, for the helmsman, for the. For the attendants, anyone from house borne, anyone else who might have survived to the crash. As I make my way toward the echo of a voice, I'm hearing Rak.

[Noah]

You injured, stumbling through the wreckage, calling out to your allies, finding none begin to. You see some figure moving through the sands in the distance up ahead of you. What do you do?

[Leo]

I call out, keavey, is that you? Please don't be Leshed. Please don't be Talaq.

[Noah]

And you do hear those voices. Ziggy?

[Abu]

Hello, M'lady, it's Ziggy. Did anyone else survive? Where are you?

[Leo]

I'm not a lady. I'm not sure you're looking for. I'm sorry.

[Abu]

Okay.

[Leo]

Who are you? Identify yourself.

[Abu]

I'm the. I'm the Doctor. I have Lord. Lord Benedict is safe. I have him. Who are you?

[Leo]

I think I will choose not to answer and just ignore what is clearly not important to my goal, which is smuggling the worm and getting to the worm. So.

[Abu]

Hey, are you listening?

[Leo]

So. So as that's happening, is there. Can I look for shelter? Is there like room for like to get away from the winds first?

[Noah]

Why don't you both give me constitution savings throws since you're now officially out in the storm and you are definitely getting like buffeted by these winds and this sand. Okay, going to roll that D20 and add your con save.

[Leo]

I rolled a 15 with a plus two constitution. That's up to a 17.

[Noah]

I think that tracks. You're wearing a still suit. You already know how dangerous these storms are, so you're shelting yourself as much as you can moving down these dunes looking for anything helpful instead of another liability that an individual can be.

[Abu]

Yeah, I rolled a 17 and I have a plus one constitution. So 18 total.

[Noah]

All right.

[Leo]

You invincible doctor in the goddamn universe.

[Noah]

Can'T save someone's life, but also can't die.

[Abu]

I've been coasting my whole life. It pays to be related to the famous is Dr. Z.

[Leo]

The wind is tearing through your skin and bone and you go, excuse me, excuse me. Do you know actually who I'm related to? The wind's like, oh, I'm sorry.

[Noah]

Screaming into 800 mph winds like the flesh normally would be torn off your body. Yeah, you both are surviving, at least for now. You Razak begin to see smoke in the storm ahead of You. You recognize that there must. There must have been another ships crashing here. It's not just you and your smugglers who were on their way to Arrakeen or wherever these people were. You assume Arrakeen, but you know that they likely have been dealt the same fate as you. And you recognize that perhaps if you can't find resources of your own here, you could find something by their damage ships. As meanwhile, Doctor, you are watching Rahsak shadow, like, ignore you and begin to kind of move sort of around you in a maneuver, not necessarily away or opposite, but kind of like, all right, I'm gonna avoid you and go towards where my allies could potentially be.

[Abu]

Hey, my guy.

[Leo]

Yeah. I hope you find your lady. Good luck.

[Abu]

Hey. I start chasing after. After the shadow. I'm trying to get in contact with. With anybody. I'm alone out here, so I start chasing after him. Hey, we should work together. I need your help. Lord Benedict is back there. Do you know a way out of the store? Hey, I have shelter.

[Noah]

Ras Hawk, give me a history check right now. All right, will that D20 add the history skill and maybe you recognize the house or the name.

[Leo]

I rolled a 12 with a plus one. That's a 13.

[Noah]

I'll say that you're frequently dealing with house miner, so you do know a lot of them. You recall news of a new lord taking over House Borjene named Benedict? And I'll even go as far as saying that you clock back to the call sign that was given you by Kirk TV in that meeting just earlier today. She said, call sign vitis, which you know, is the long forgotten language of Latin's root for grape, which is the.

[Leo]

Grapes, the wine house.

[Noah]

So you suddenly start connecting these dots. This wasn't just some sort of, like, trading vessel or, you know, opposing gang of smugglers. Like, these are people, people with money that may be linked to the job that you were on.

[Leo]

Okay, so I. I stop and I turn and I go. You said you have equipment?

[Abu]

Yeah, we have shelter back here. The Lord is safe. It's just me. Have you seen anyone else?

[Leo]

Before he even finishes that 10 sentence sentence, I'm walking in the direction of their ship. I guess at him, but like, kind of not at him, just like off to the sideline, little missing him by like a foot or two is the trajectory.

[Noah]

Doctor, this man approaches you, and it looks like he's going to, like, actually start speaking to you and then continues past you back where you just.

[Abu]

The. Is this guy. Hey, hey. I start following him. I'm like, kind of tailing him as he's be lining back toward the ship and I'm jabbering away, I'm trying to. Hey, do you know how to get out? We need to get out of the storm, man. Who are you? Are you. Were you from the other ship? Are you one of the house attendants?

[Leo]

Sure. So you said. Which house is this? Which house?

[Abu]

I mean, they would have signed your paychecks, right? It says House Maurine right on the paychecks.

[Leo]

Yeah, I suppose it does. Okay, yeah. So, yeah, I'm here to help. I'm here to.

[Abu]

Okay, great, great. Okay.

[Leo]

I'm here to help.

[Abu]

Yeah, we have shelter back here. The Lord is. He's a little scratched up. He thinks it's worse than it actually is. He's fine. And we just crashed here. You look like a professional. You know what you're doing. We need to get out of the storm. We should work together.

[Leo]

Yeah, sure. Okay. Yeah.

[Abu]

I'm a doctor. I'm a professional as well.

[Leo]

All right.

[Noah]

Ralslok, give me a deception check.

[Leo]

Okay, I rolled a four, but I have. I know, but I do have plus six deception, so that brings it to a ten. Hold your applause.

[Noah]

Yeah, I will say that's low enough to incite an insight check from you, Doctor. Why don't you give me an insight check? See if you. You can suss out that there's something else going on behind the eyes of this stranger who, you know, I mean, it's a big house, maybe it's a house minor, but there's a lot of people who work for you. Don't meet everybody.

[Abu]

All right, I've rolled a 12, and I have plus six insight, so 18.

[Noah]

You have never seen this individual before? Based on the wear, based on the stillsuit, this person seems to be local. And as you watch him continue ahead of you into the little wreckage that you have managed to survive from, you see, the young Lord pops out one of the locals quickly. We must do one of their native dances. He begins to do the sandwalk and go. I am very well versed in your ways, Lord.

[Abu]

Lord, stay where you are.

[Leo]

I glance at the child who's dancing, and I say, hi, kid. And then I walk past him and I start looking for anything I can bring with me that will improve my survivability. Like, still tense or any kind of weapon, anything. As the child is dancing.

[Noah]

So handsome and disrespectful. I love it.

[Abu]

I rush over to the Lord and kind of make sure he's standing behind me because now I'm growing suspicious. What's your name? Hey man, what's your name?

[Leo]

Do you have stil tents or like what? What do you have? Do you like wine? Looking for Stilton Cernyga wine?

[Noah]

Yes. You like wine? I brought some safe for children, sort of.

[Leo]

Okay, baseline. Don't drink wine in the desert. You are going to die so much faster. Why am I explaining this to you? Do you have still tents? Do you have weapons? Do you have anything?

[Abu]

No. We crashed just like you did. This is all we have, I guess. We have this child wine and what we have on us and in our pockets.

[Leo]

And child wine.

[Abu]

Don't worry about the child wine.

[Noah]

Child wine?

[Leo]

No, I'm curious about the child wine.

[Noah]

It's fine wine for children.

[Leo]

How old are you?

[Noah]

An untapped mug.

[Abu]

Should we maybe get out of the storm?

[Noah]

And as you are talking the storm is getting worse. I am going to need one more constitution saving throw. If you do not get out of it or find some sort of shelter soon, you will be in trouble.

[Leo]

Okay. I rolled a 19 with plus two constitution. Brings me to a 21.

[Noah]

Excellent. You pass.

[Abu]

I on the other hand have rolled a five with plus one constitution, meaning total of six.

[Noah]

You are going to take 10 damage, Ziggy, as this storm is now like officially tearing at your skin. It is intense enough and you do not nearly have as much protection as this stranger who you have discovered does do.

[Leo]

I see that he's. Well, I heard that. Okay, you clearly don't have any equipment. You clearly don't have anything. I need. We need to get out of this storm. You need to get out of this. I'm getting out of this storm as soon as possible.

[Abu]

Agree?

[Leo]

Sure. And we're going to look for a place. Is there anything nearby? Can I see anything in the, in the, in the swirling Coriolis as the.

[Noah]

Sand continues to pile higher as it shifted around in this massive storm, you do see that part of this ship that has crashed here has landed in such a way that you can kind of in the same way that like, you know, an airplane's wing like is kind of hollow, right? Like there is a like place to go in and do maintenance. Part of the ship has crashed and in tearing off, you see that you can crawl inside of it and take cover. Now it may not satisfy that like you know, supply needs of like food and like weaponry and stuff like that, but it certainly will keep you covered for the next like, like the night while the storm passes. If you bunker down.

[Leo]

Now, having seen that I am Going to. I'll say. Listen, I recommend you take shelter as quickly as possible. The storm's only going to get worse. I'm going to be right over here. And then I. I get down and I shimmy into the wing and try to kind of get. Get all bundled up and comfort as comfortable as can be.

[Noah]

Don't mind if I do. Lord Benedict also begins to slide in. Come, Doctor. One of the locals has sewn us shelter.

[Leo]

Okay, don't. Not so close.

[Noah]

Shift over. We must make room for the Doctor.

[Abu]

I. I also shimmy in. It's getting real tight quarters in here.

[Leo]

Don't touch the palisade.

[Abu]

Okay. But I make sure to settle in between this stranger and my lord.

[Noah]

You do so, and the two of you bunker down for the evening. As the storm rages, fate has drawn you together. This meeting with this new emperor and the dissenting houses, the timeline of this heretical heist, the storm. Storm's rapid arrival. Destiny has brought you to this point, and now you must find out what steps lie ahead of you on this path.

[Leo]

Okay. All right. We just met, and we are in bed together, as it were. And the Lord. Oh, my gosh. The Lord.

[Noah]

Like grapes in a bundle.

[Leo]

Peas in a pod.

[Abu]

That's right.

[Leo]

Peas in a snuggly little pod. Well, what an excellent beginning to the journey. Very fun. I really wish I could roll higher than. Like, a six would be wonderful.

[Abu]

The dice not really in your favor.

[Noah]

The dice are being hostile today. Like the dunes of Rex.

[Leo]

Oh, you know, it's the environment I'm used to. I'm used to low throws. Hopefully I'm getting the bad ones out of the way, and the next it'll all be I'll be nat 20. Well, dear listeners, we have act two on the horizon. We are cuddled up in a wing with many adventures to continue to have. But that's where we're gonna leave it for today.

[Abu]

And for you folks who just can't wait to find out what's next for the young lord and Ziggy and Razak, you can head on over to Noah's podcast. Try not to die. We'll have links in the show notes below. Act 2, episode 2 is already out over on that feed, so go check that out and jump ahead in the timeline, folks.

[Leo]

Yeah. Now, before we let you go, dear listener, we want to remind you of some ways to support the show and keep in touch with us.

[Abu]

That's right. As always, the two best ways to support Gom jabbar is to one, become a patron patreon.com gom jabbar you get ad free episodes plus a plethora of other great benefits. The other great way to support the show is to check out some Dune themed swag on our merch store gom jabbarshop.com all of those links will be.

[Leo]

In the show notes indeed. And we love to hear from you. So send us an email gomjabbarpodcastmail.com Send us your thoughts, your questions. If you were to name a character in the Dune universe, what planet are you from? What's your name? What's your backstory? What's the hook? Why do we care? Tell us. And who knows, if you get us that information soon enough, maybe we could even incorporate it into some future adventure.

[Noah]

Absolutely.

[Leo]

Work done for us. We love it. So yeah, email us gomjabarpodcastmail.com try to roll a 20 on that compositional saving throw or something.

[Abu]

That's right. Noah, thank you for the great start to our adventure. We'll see you in the next episode. We'll see for Act 2.

[Noah]

See you there.

[Abu]

Well friends, there is no real ending. It's just the place where you stop the recording. But this podcast is always one step beyond logic. So help spread the word of Wa and leave us a review on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. And be sure to check out the other shows on the Lore Party podcast network on moreparty.com you can also follow us on Twitter and Instagram at Lore Party. And of course, we're also on YouTube. Thank you you so much for listening. And remember, whoever controls the podcast controls the universe. We'll see you on the golden path.