Jineev Jihad

This is a resource page for The Jineev Jihad, a mini-campaign using the Burning Sands: Jihad supplement to Burning Wheel. Burning Sands: Jihad is based on the Dune novels by Frank Herbert. Some resources for that game are here.

Rules and character generation

• When generating characters, take a look at the Belief Workshop on the Burning Wheel wiki.

• Take a look at the BW forum threads on rules modifications for Fight! and why the Madhi doesn't just cut off the spice supply.

• Taking a leaf out of what I've gleaned from Burning Empires, all characters must have a relationship with someone on the planet and a relationship with someone on the opposing side (both these requirements can be fulfilled by the same relationship). Additional relationships are unrestricted and encouraged.

• Again inspired by Burning Empire, each PC must have at least one Belief focussed on the jihad and at least one that represents a personal goal.

• To help naming your characters, here's a list of masculine and feminine arabic names (for Fremen) and some Mandarin given names (for the Konsoosh nobles).

Basic background

• The Zensunni faith isn't well-explored in either the novels or the Burning Sands: Jihad supplement. I've put up some notes on the religion.

• There's also some notes on how and why Zensunnism spreads across the Empire.

• As the characters are all Jihadis, I've put up some notes on Jihad, Qitaal, and when they're justified.

• Finally, a Burning Sands: Jihad / Dune glossary

The world of Jineev

Physical description

Jineev is an earth-sized planet that orbits rather close to a hot, bright star. As a result, most of the planet is covered with an extremely hot, sterile desert. Life is only possible in the temperate and polar regions. Even here, the land is covered in thick, hot, humid jungle. Water is present as innumerable swamps, lakes and rivers, rather than any bodies large enough to be called seas, let alone oceans. The jungle covers all the habitable land, including to the peaks of the numerous, tall mountains. Within the jungle, there are ruins, both ancient and modern, overgrown by the jungle.

The only breaks in the blanket of trees are the large, luxurious and finely manicured estates of House Konoosh. These estates are also the only major population centres on the planet: there are no independent cities or towns.

The Nobles: House Konsoosh

The rulers of Jineev are House Konsoosh, a Major House that specialise in diplomacy and mediation. Their ancient ancestor was Confucius. All members of House Konsoosh are extremely well-mannered, discrete, and sensitive to the nuances of the social setting they are in. They strive for a well-ordered society with everyone in the place, knowing their duty, and performing it flawlessly. "Faufreluches" is a watchword of the Konsooshes.

Known only to the upper aristocracy is the story of how House Konsoosh came to be on Jineev: they took it in a genocidal war against the indigenous inhabitants. Some of them escaped, and House Konsoosh is wary of them returning.

House Konsoosh has worked hard over centuries to make themselves trusted and unimpechible neutral parties in any disagreements between various Houses. Jineev is a place of retreat where representatives of Houses in dispute can gather and, under the facilitation of Konsoosh, resolve their differences in luxurious surroundings. House Konsoosh boast that they will never leave a feud unresolved: if agreement cannot be reached by negotiation, they provide arenas for duels where matters can be settled finally.

The integrity and neutrality of Konsoosh has also led many other Houses to store their caches of Spice, cash, objets d'art, and other such items. The value of these caches is rumoured to be astronomical.

House Konsoosh is resisting Maud'Dib's jihad both to preserve their position of freedom, luxury, and influence. They also want to maintain their position in order to preserve the income they generate from their services. However, they are canny and have not yet taken actions that could be construed as oppression of the Zensunni missionaries that have arrived on the planet.

Noble allies

There are two other significant groups on Jineev.

One is the Bene Gesserit. They are mostly employed to act as Truthsayers, verifying the veracity of what people say during negotiations. However, since the rise of the Fremen jihad, they have become more interested in the ancient Zensunni temples on the planet (see below).

The other group on Jineev is the rump of House Harkonnen. Down on their luck, they have been employed by House Konsoosh to provide military protection in these times of trouble and strife.

The populace

Almost all the people on Jineev live as servants and workers in the noble's estates. There are no large population centres outside the estates. However, some of the estates are large, with staffs of tens of thousands, many living in outlying towns away from the main manors. The nobles keep the villagers mostly ignorant of events in the wider galaxy; this, combined with the rigid social stratification (even among the commoners) means that most people are resigned to their lot, if they aren't actually content.

What troublemakers cannot be re-educated into productive members of society are exiled from the estates into the inimicable jungle outside. This is generally a death sentence, but some people do survive in the wilderness. These exiles have formed their own villages in the jungles and survive at a neolithic level with subsistence, slash-and-burn agriculture.

Why Jineev in important

Jineev is important to the Qizarate for two reasons. The first is the obvious one: Jineev is a rich planet. Taking it will fill the coffers of the Qizarate. Perhaps more importantly, taking control of a neutral meeting ground beween noble houses will give the jihadis great, albeit subtle, influence over the wider galaxy.

A more important reason is lurking in the genetic memories of the Bene Gesserit and Fremen Reverend Mothers. Unknown to everyone else (including House Konsoosh), Jineev is one of the lost planets on the Zensunni migration. The genetic memories reveal a large Zensunni temple somewhere on the planet, which holds a large burial ground and documents cataloguing the Zensunni lineages. The Zensunni were forced off Jineev when the pregenitors of House Konsoosh took it over.

If the Bene Gesserit could locate and control this site, they could use the material and information contained within it to gain great insight into the Fremen bloodlines. This would allow the Bene Gesserit to tailor their psychological techniques specifically to the Fremen, thus allowing them to control the Fremen.

Obviously, this cannot be allowed to happen. The jihad must find and control this site before the Bene Gesserit can take control of it.