Beyond the House Troopers actively engaged in the ongoing War of Assassins between House Atreides and House Harkonnen, deserters from that war are among the most dangerous and desperate villains haunting the arid landscapes of Arrakis.
While these renegades are relentlessly hunted by their former military formations and rarely leave hiding, it’s important to recognize that even the lowest deserter possesses basic training in combat and ambush tactics. More seasoned veterans may have even fled from the officer ranks of their former Great Houses and possess advanced training as swordsmen or hand-gunners.
Unfortunately, their reputation as battle-hardened fighters has only increased the appeal of deserters as targets for the trophy-taking set. Scrapbooks of dried-skin swatches with military ink and severed ring fingers have become increasingly popular with collectors.
However, as tempting as these trophies may seem, we strongly advise inexperienced or unaccompanied young adventurers to steer clear of grabens and other dark places without gunship or heavy-weapon support.