House Harkonnen

House Harkonnen is one of the most powerful of the Houses Major in the Landsraad. They are also the wealthiest. These two facts are not disconnected. For several generations, House Harkonnen has held the Imperial appointment to govern the planet Arrakis, sole source of the geriatric spice Melange. At this point in the time-line, few people know the true importance of the Spice -- the Spacing Guild closely guards the use of if by their navigators to fold space, making near-instantaneous space travel across vast distances possible; the Bene Gesserit similarly do not betray their use of it to create the Water of Life to open the lives of their ancestors to Reverend Mothers. To most people, Spice is merely an awesomely valuable drug used to prolong life and buy power. For the Harkonnens, their control over Spice production on Arrakis has afforded them the opportunity to build an impressive stockpile of Spice, and stuff their coffers with riches that boggle the minds of even their most influential Landsraad cousins.

Where some lead through trust and generosity, the Harkonnen legacy is based on terror and manipulation. Citizens under Harkonnen rule are treated little better than the slaves forced into service to the House.

The home planet of the Harkonnens is Giedi Prime, a filthy place choked by the smog of massive industrial plants manned by legions of impoverished, exploited workers. Looming in the capital city of Harko is the blue palace of the House ruler, Siridar-Baron Vladimir Harkonnen. The Baron is a disgusting man, bloated by extravagance into a gruesome parody of a normal human. He is so fat, his incredible bulk could not possibly be supported by human leg muscles and movement is only made possible for him by a special harness outfitted with numerous anti-gravity suspensor units that carry most of his mass. His tastes range from sick to disgusting by most standards, with his day-to-day business of plotting against his Noble Landsraad neighbors broken only by an unending procession of specially prepared young slave boys who walk fearfully into the Emperor's rumpus room, but leave as quiet as only the dead can be as they are carried out. As brutish inside as he appears on the surface, Baron Harkonnen is considered by most to be a blemish on the face of the universe, yet few would dare say so to his face and hope to survive. The only ones who could dream of it would be the Emperor himself, Vladimir's cousins Feyd-Rautha and "The Beast" Rabban, or his Mentat-Assassin, Piter de Vries.

At this point, Feyd is but a child, and unofficial heir to the Barony. Rabban, a young man, already shows signs of being perhaps the only one capable of exceeding his uncle pure amorality. Piter is the product of the sinister Bene Tleilaxu, grown specially for the Baron to be a twisted Mentat capable of pure logic and unspeakable perversions. Only a brilliantly distorted mind such as Piter's could satisfy the unique demands of the Harkonnens, and his expensive tastes and ego-maniacal lack of respect are tolerated only because of his usefulness to the House and the exorbitant cost to replace him.

Rarely, if ever does the Baron leave his palace on Giedi Prime, trusting his top servants to carry out the dreary business of dealing with the concerns on the Imperial seat of power: the planet Kaitain. For all real purposes, the Harkonnen House is run by Piter, who speaks to nobility and commoners alike as the Baron's official spokesperson, while Rabban does as he pleases. Both can normally be found skulking around the bizarre architectural wonder of the House Harkonnen Estate on Arrakis -- a series of domes joined together around the central arena dome thrusting up from which is the 300 meter tall phallic-shaped tower. Many visitors to the Harkonnen Estate or Embassy on Kaitain frequently leave disgusted by the decorations and architecture, which pay homage to the sexual and violent perversions of the inhabitants. Yet the Harkonnen Estate is still frequently visited by all manner of individuals, normally to take in the spectacle of the public gladiatorial displays in the arena, or to visit the legendary Harkonnen slave pits and be attended to by one of the highly skilled, well-trained slaves.

The other members of House Harkonnen inhabiting Kaitain and rallying under the ram's head insignia of their Baron include the silver-tongued Diplomats; the elite staff of the House Suk doctor, Warmaster, and Swordmaster; the well-trained soldiers and guards maintaining security; and the various skilled slaves kept around to fight in the gladiatorial arena, serve high ranking House staff, or entertain visiting guests. As can be expected in a House run on fear and obedience, there tends to be as much back-stabbing, plotting, and manipulating done inside the House against other House members in an effort to rise in status under the Baron as is done by the House against other Houses to rise in status within the Imperium. Assassination is an accepted and respected means of advancement within House Harkonnen, as long as the target is chosen well and the path to moving up is prepared beforehand.

Although not well-liked by other Houses, the Harkonnens are not without their allies. House Major Moritani, whom the Harkonnens supported in their recent victorious War of Assassins against House Ginaz, and House Major Wikkheiser are among the most steady Harkonnen supporters. Other "friends" are normally bought or otherwise obtained when needed. On the other side of the blade are the Harkonnen's sworn enemies: House Atreides, at this time still a rising force in the Landsraad. For the most part, the dealings of House Harkonnen with other Houses can be characterized as brutishly forceful as they often resort to merely using their enormous wealth to buy what support they need. Yet always under the surface, visible to only the most careful observers, the subtle and cunning manipulations of the wicked Harkonnen minds can be seen at work.

Life within House Harkonnen is not for the weak and squeamish. Only those with a cruel heart, a devious mind, and a taste for the slightly perverse could truly belong among such villains. There is only one alternative for those who do not fit in, or who fail to serve the Baron as he desires: death.