This is a list of in-universe rumors—pieces of gossip, heresy, or conspiratorial chatter—that would circulate among the various populations of the four worlds.
Imperial Court & Landsraad:
The Spice Hoarding Plot: It's whispered that the Spacing Guild isn't truly reliant on the Spice to navigate; they merely claim they are to maintain their irreplaceable monopoly. They have a secret, synthetic substitute hidden on a remote, unmapped world.
The Emperor's True Ancestry: The Corrino lineage is rumored to be tainted. Not by Harkonnen blood, but by a long-dead, outcast Bene Gesserit sister who secretly bred a line of mental defectives to weaken the Golden Lion Throne from within.
A Tleilaxu Ghola of Shaddam IV: A popular but terrifying rumor in the noble houses is that the Tleilaxu did manage to create a ghola of the exiled Emperor Shaddam IV, and that he is being aged rapidly, awaiting the moment to challenge the Atreides reign with the backing of a desperate, defeated Great House.
The Cost of the Great War: The official death toll of Paul Atreides' Jihad is grossly underestimated. They say the true number is not 61 billion, but closer to 100 billion—a figure the Bene Gesserit and the Guild hide to prevent a complete collapse of Imperial society.
Fremen Sietches & Spice Camps:
The Water Hoard of the Deep Desert: It is said that certain old, secretive sietches in the most inaccessible parts of Arrakis have found a massive, untapped underground water lens—enough to green a continent—and are keeping it secret, waiting for the true Lisan al-Gaib to claim it.
Lady Jessica's Treason: Some orthodox Fremen whisper that Lady Jessica deliberately manipulated Paul and the prophecies, that she knew the real consequences of his birth and allowed the Jihad to happen only to solidify her own bloodline's power.
Worm-Riding Secrets: An extreme minority of deep-desert Fedaykin believe that the largest Shai-Hulud are sentient beings and that the true trick to riding them is not rhythm, but a form of telepathic communication—a form of "sand-speech" only the desert-born can learn.
Earth Federation/Space Colonies:
The Psycho-Frame Sabotage: During the Second Neo-Zeon War, the real reason the Psycho-Frame resonated so wildly during the Axis Shock was not Amuro or Char's Newtype power, but a secret Zeon sleeper virus embedded in the components that activated only on a critical Newtype spike.
The Return of the Zabi Legacy: A pervasive rumor among Zeon remnants is that a final, true Zabi heir—hidden as a colony noble or even a low-ranking Federation officer—is alive and preparing to unite Neo-Zeon for a fourth, definitive uprising.
Gundam's Dark Purpose: It’s muttered in space dockyards that the Federation keeps manufacturing new Gundams not to fight Zeon, but to provide a consistent, necessary threat that justifies their massive, oppressive budget and control over the colonies. The wars are a stage play.
The White Base Crew's Fate: The rumor persists that none of the original White Base crew truly died naturally. They were all either quietly 'retired' (assassinated) by the Federation military or the Titans to prevent them from becoming anti-war symbols.
Zeon/Remnants:
Char Aznable's Final Ghos: Some Neo-Zeon fanatics believe Char didn't die at Axis. He faked his death, achieved a higher level of Newtype ascension, and now quietly moves between the stars in a black-and-red mobile suit, observing humanity's struggle until they are "ready."
Colony Drop Contingency: A chilling piece of chatter in the Sleeves is that a half-dozen defunct colonies scattered across the Earth-Moon orbit are secretly rigged with nuclear thrusters—a final, absolute "Dark History" contingency set up by the original Zabi family.
The Great Houses & Temple:
Vivec's Prisoner: The Tribunal Temple swears Vivec is merely "away," but the talk in the taverns of Vivec City is that he is imprisoned beneath the city, not by Dagoth Ur, but by Azura herself, trapped in his own Ministry of Truth—and that the falling rock is a sign of his struggle.
The Sixth House's Survival: Though the Blight is gone, unsettling rumors suggest that the Ashlanders and desperate traders have sighted "corprus beasts" and "ash monsters" far south of Vvardenfell, meaning Dagoth Ur’s cult survived the Nerevarine and has simply moved to the mainland, waiting to strike at a vulnerable Tamriel.
The Nerevarine's True Betrayal: House Hlaalu spies claim the Nerevarine didn't actually sail West for adventure. They were executed by the Empire for refusing to renounce the Tribunal, and the official story is a fabrication to keep the Dunmer compliant.
The Origin of Ashlanders: A dark secret whispered by xenophobic House Dunmer is that the Ashlanders are not true descendants of the Chimer, but were cursed by the Tribunal—or perhaps Lorkhan himself—for an ancient, forgotten act of treachery before the Tribunal's rise.
Common Folk & Outlanders:
Silt Strider Sentience: Guards on duty near Gnisis swear the Silt Striders—the giant, insect-like transports—speak to their drivers not through magic, but through a language of deep, resonating vibrations, and that they silently judge every passenger.
Skooma's Divine Ingredient: The real kick in the illegal drug Skooma, say the street peddlers in Balmora, isn't moon sugar—it's crushed Dwemer Metal stolen from the ruins, which is why the Empire is so eager to confiscate it and keep the secret for themselves.
City of Baldur's Gate & High Society:
The Grand Duke's Double: The Grand Duke Ulder Ravengard who returned from Avernus isn't the real Duke. It's a Doppelgänger (or a complex Infernal construct) placed by the Absolute cult to prepare the city for a less dramatic takeover, believing the real one was lost in the Hells.
Nine-Fingers' Puppet Master: The rumors persist that Nine-Fingers Keene, the notorious guild leader, is simply a charismatic face for the Shadow Thieves. The true power is an ancient, immortal Mind Flayer Elder Brain hidden deep beneath the city's sewers, using the thieves as its hands.
The Return of the Bhaalspawn: Despite the events of the past, secretive cultists of the Dead Three whisper that one, final Bhaalspawn still walks the Sword Coast—one who has mastered the taint of the Lord of Murder and has now become the true Absolute power.
Elminster's True Age: The Sage of Shadowdale isn't just an old man; he is a literal piece of the goddess Mystra who took mortal form. His true age is impossible to calculate, and the only way to kill him is to destroy all magic in the entire multiverse.
Taverns & Adventurers' Camps:
Boo's True Nature: Everyone knows Minsc's hamster, Boo, is special, but the secret is that Boo is not a miniature giant space hamster. He's an exiled, tiny-form Celestial being, possibly an agent of a forgotten god of heroism, who is bound to Minsc's chaotic-good nature.
The Nautiloid's Cargo: The crashed Mind Flayer vessel wasn't just carrying tadpole-infected prisoners; the true, secret cargo was a single, perfected artifact—a weapon of utter domination—and the parasites are just a distraction while the Absolute searches for the real prize.