Character Creation

We're attempting to decide all of that.

One possibility is that House Heslin is operating in Carthag like a business. The only house that holds a fief on Arrakis is House Harkonnen, and under them vassal houses. But that doesn't mean other factions aren't present, they just don't rule anything.

I'm good with Nascent too - I'll go and change my vote

I like the water merchant angle too.

Okay the next bit has a bunch of options.A secondary domain is an area that the House is known for but is not their main source of income. However, it is still lucrative. The House is considered a serious contender in this arena of business, but is far from controlling a monopoly. They are vying with several other Houses in their attempts to make it a primary domain and the competition may be exceptionally fierce.

This means that a primary domain is a narrative aid to explain what your House really does, but a secondary domain shows where the House is in conflict and what business direction it is moving in.

probably not much locally grown on Arrakis. The farming would be VERY different there - maybe mushrooms or lichen, only found in certain places? They make specific mention of drinking coffee, so I have to assume coffee beans are a thing - Duke Leto drank some in the first book, though I can't remember if its mentioned before or after he's on Arrakis.

Import/export of crops could certainly be a thing, though, and could definitley give ties to water merchants. Imagine the wealth in growing a tomato on Arrakis, and how much the rich gluttons in House Harkonnen would pay for them to be locally sourced.

I saw a reference to root crops but not much else for food being grown there. Most of it seems to be imported. Maybe coffee beans could be grown along with succulents.

Maybe a combination of both. Root crops for trade?

Wiki- For arid climates: Fleshy-leaved succulents, small desert wildflowers, and shrubs and trees with waxy, leathery, fuzzy, or very small leaves all thrive in hot, dry environments. These plants use a variety of methods to conserve water.

I do like the idea of farming and engineering something like a tomato! Then this could tie in with the water merchant idea.

It is largely unknown how the Fremen survive, but most food on Arrakis is imported and sold in markets, including street food. Various planetary cultures have their own sections where you can buy food from home.

What little native vegetation there is is mostly poisonous to humans.

Can we cheat on canon a bit or is that frowned upon and would we even want to? If not, I'd probably pick science, and how to optimize water extraction.

Optimizing evaporation or sequestration of water beneath the sand similar to the sandtrout or storing it within plants and aquifers in the sietches after being captured.

I am not as well-read on all the Dune lore as the rest of you so I could be writing gibberish.

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That sounds entirely reasonable to me. Access to water is a central concern, and there are even water taxes. No doubt there is a strong need for water management and recovery technologies.