House Vernius
Encyclopedia
House Vernius is a fictional noble family from the Dune universe
created by Frank Herbert
. They are featured in the prequel
series Prelude to Dune
(1999-2001) and Heroes of Dune (2008-present) by Brian Herbert
and Kevin J. Anderson
.
According to Dune: House Atreides
, the family crest of House Vernius is a purple-and-copper helix
.
. The main industry on Ix is the production of machines that continuously test the bounds of the precepts set down by the Butlerian Jihad
. The rival of House Vernius is House Richese
, which also specializes in machinery, but doesn't create controversial machinery. The strongest ally of House Vernius is House Atreides
; their friendship had begun when Earl Dominic Vernius and Duke Paulus Atreides had fought together in the Ecaz Revolt around 10,130 A.G.
Elrood Corrino IX in the Ecazi rebellion, around the time one of Elrood's concubines
Shando Balut had given birth to the Emperor's illegitimate son (who is named Tyros Reffa, and secretly adopted by House Taligari). Dominic and Shando subsequently fall in love; tired of Shando but not knowing of her relationship with Dominic, Elrood grants her request to be released from his service. Dominic and Shando are soon married in 10,138 A.G., and Elrood is furious, "paranoid about what bedroom secrets Shando might be sharing with her husband." Dominic and Shando would later have two children together, Rhombur and Kailea.
Shando is described as "Small-boned and petite," with "a fragile porcelain-doll appearance." Of her it is noted that "Her finely chiseled features, delicately pointed nose, and creamy skin suffused her appearance with a regal beauty that would have shone through even the most drab of garments. She looked slight and delicate at first glance, but carried a toughness and resilience about her.
(1999-2001), House Vernius welcomes the young Leto Atreides I
, son of Paulus, to Ix to study politics with Dominic and Shando's son Prince Rhombur. They also hope for a match between Leto and their daughter, Kailea. Years later in 10,154 A.G., Elrood is coaxed by Tleilaxu
Master Ajidica to fund a research program on artificial spice, called Project Amal. House Vernius' homeworld of Ix seems the perfect location, owing to the presence of science pavilions and the substantial income from their Spacing Guild
heighliner production. Elrood has no qualms about displacing and possibly destroying Dominic and his family, whom he feels had humiliated him. The Tleilaxu are able to create an uprising in the suboid working class, which quickly overwhelms the complacent Vernius forces. House Vernius go "renegade," and the two heirs to the Vernius fief escape due to a small rescue contingent created by Paulus, who grants them sanctuary on Caladan
with House Atreides.
Shando is eventually located on Bela Tegeuse by the Sardaukar and brutally executed. Rhombur sends limited aid to the resistance on Ix, but the presence of the Emperor's Sardaukar
makes any assistance difficult to render. Dominic goes into hiding on the planets Arrakis
and Salusa Secundus
, but is discovered on Arrakis by Sardaukar. The base he is residing at is assaulted, and in order to take down as many Sardaukar with him as he can, he ignites a stone burner, a forbidden atomic weapon that he had been planning to use to destroy the planet Kaitain
, location of the Imperial throne. Eventually, Rhombur begins to show more of an interest in aiding his people. His sister Kailea Vernius becomes the concubine of Leto, now Duke Atreides, and bears him an heir, Victor. The Duke hopes to secure a political marriage, and so is unable to wed Kailea and secure her son's place as an heir. An assassination attempt on the Duke devised by Kailea inadvertently kills Victor, and severely injures both Leto and her brother Rhombur. Though Rhombur survives, his body is rendered an almost lifeless lump. Kailea kills herself after hearing the news of her son's death.
Suk Doctor Wellington Yueh
is hired by Leto to give Rhombur Vernius cybernetic
body part replacements. After recovering, Rhombur is able to draft a plan for re-taking his lost homeworld, relying upon the Atreides army and the downtrodden Ixians. The Tleilaxu quickly fail in their defense and lose all of their research on the artificial spice. The Ixian ambassador is able to preserve a sperm sample from Rhombur's dead half-brother, Tyros Reffa, to secure an heir for the recovered House Vernius.
In Dune: House Atreides it is mentioned that certain Monet
and Gauguin
paintings are owned by House Vernius, and hang in the Grand Palais at Ix.
(2008), Rhombur and Tessia attend Leto's wedding to Ilesa of Ecaz with their "copper-haired" son Bronso, the biological child of Tessia and Tyros Reffa. An adult Bronso is later quoted via epigraph
, commenting on Leto's influence on his son Paul Atreides
. The next novel, The Winds of Dune
(2009), explores the friendship of Paul and Bronso.
Dune universe
Dune is a science fiction franchise which originated with the 1965 novel Dune by Frank Herbert. Considered by many to be the greatest science fiction novel of all time, Dune is frequently cited as the best-selling science fiction novel in history...
created by Frank Herbert
Frank Herbert
Franklin Patrick Herbert, Jr. was a critically acclaimed and commercially successful American science fiction author. Although a short story author, he is best known for his novels, most notably Dune and its five sequels...
. They are featured in the prequel
Prequel
A prequel is a work that supplements a previously completed one, and has an earlier time setting.The widely recognized term was a 20th-century neologism, and a portmanteau from pre- and sequel...
series Prelude to Dune
Prelude to Dune
Prelude to Dune is a prequel trilogy of novels written by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson, set in Frank Herbert's Dune universe....
(1999-2001) and Heroes of Dune (2008-present) by Brian Herbert
Brian Herbert
Brian Patrick Herbert is an American author who lives in Washington state. He is the elder son of science fiction author Frank Herbert....
and Kevin J. Anderson
Kevin J. Anderson
Kevin J. Anderson is an American science fiction author with over forty bestsellers. He has written spin-off novels for Star Wars, StarCraft, Titan A.E., and The X-Files, and with Brian Herbert is the co-author of the Dune prequels...
.
According to Dune: House Atreides
Dune: House Atreides
Dune: House Atreides is a 1999 science fiction novel by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson, set in the fictional Dune universe created by Frank Herbert. It is the first book in the Prelude to Dune prequel trilogy, which takes place before the events of Frank Herbert's celebrated 1965 novel Dune...
, the family crest of House Vernius is a purple-and-copper helix
Helix
A helix is a type of smooth space curve, i.e. a curve in three-dimensional space. It has the property that the tangent line at any point makes a constant angle with a fixed line called the axis. Examples of helixes are coil springs and the handrails of spiral staircases. A "filled-in" helix – for...
.
History
At the time of the Prelude to Dune series, House Vernius is one of the great houses of the Imperium, the feudal interstellar empire that forms the backdrop to the Dune novels. This house is the ruling power on the planet IxIx (Dune)
Ix is a fictional planet featured in the Dune series of science fiction novels written by Frank Herbert, and derivative works. In Dune it is noted that Ix is classed with the planet Richese as "supreme in machine culture," and that Ixian solido projectors "are commonly considered the best." In...
. The main industry on Ix is the production of machines that continuously test the bounds of the precepts set down by the Butlerian Jihad
Butlerian Jihad
The Butlerian Jihad is an event in the back-story of Frank Herbert's fictional Dune universe. Occurring over 10,000 years before the events chronicled in his 1965 novel Dune, this jihad leads to the outlawing of certain technologies, primarily "thinking machines", a collective term for computers...
. The rival of House Vernius is House Richese
House Richese
House Richese is a fictional noble family from the Dune universe created by Frank Herbert. Their homeworld is the planet Richese, which is described thus in the glossary of Dune:- The family :...
, which also specializes in machinery, but doesn't create controversial machinery. The strongest ally of House Vernius is House Atreides
House Atreides
House Atreides is a fictional noble family from the Dune universe created by Frank Herbert. One of the Great Houses of the feudal interstellar empire known as the Imperium, its members play a role in every novel in the series. It is suggested within the series that the root of the Atreides line...
; their friendship had begun when Earl Dominic Vernius and Duke Paulus Atreides had fought together in the Ecaz Revolt around 10,130 A.G.
Back-story
Dominic Vernius had been a military ally to 80th Padishah EmperorPadishah Emperor
Padishah Emperor is the title given to the hereditary rulers of the Old Empire in the science fiction Dune universe created by Frank Herbert.-Original series:...
Elrood Corrino IX in the Ecazi rebellion, around the time one of Elrood's concubines
Concubinage
Concubinage is the state of a woman or man in an ongoing, usually matrimonially oriented, relationship with somebody to whom they cannot be married, often because of a difference in social status or economic condition.-Concubinage:...
Shando Balut had given birth to the Emperor's illegitimate son (who is named Tyros Reffa, and secretly adopted by House Taligari). Dominic and Shando subsequently fall in love; tired of Shando but not knowing of her relationship with Dominic, Elrood grants her request to be released from his service. Dominic and Shando are soon married in 10,138 A.G., and Elrood is furious, "paranoid about what bedroom secrets Shando might be sharing with her husband." Dominic and Shando would later have two children together, Rhombur and Kailea.
Shando is described as "Small-boned and petite," with "a fragile porcelain-doll appearance." Of her it is noted that "Her finely chiseled features, delicately pointed nose, and creamy skin suffused her appearance with a regal beauty that would have shone through even the most drab of garments. She looked slight and delicate at first glance, but carried a toughness and resilience about her.
Prelude to Dune
In the Brian Herbert/Kevin J. Anderson Prelude to Dune trilogyTrilogy
A trilogy is a set of three works of art that are connected, and that can be seen either as a single work or as three individual works. They are commonly found in literature, film, or video games...
(1999-2001), House Vernius welcomes the young Leto Atreides I
Leto Atreides I
Duke Leto Atreides I is a fictional character in the Dune universe created by Frank Herbert. He features in the novel Dune by Frank Herbert and in the Prelude to Dune prequel trilogy by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson....
, son of Paulus, to Ix to study politics with Dominic and Shando's son Prince Rhombur. They also hope for a match between Leto and their daughter, Kailea. Years later in 10,154 A.G., Elrood is coaxed by Tleilaxu
Bene Tleilax
The Bene Tleilax or Tleilaxu are an extremely xenophobic and isolationist society in Frank Herbert's science fiction Dune universe. Genetic manipulators who traffic in biological products such as artificial eyes, gholas, and "twisted" Mentats, the Tleilaxu are a major power in the Imperium...
Master Ajidica to fund a research program on artificial spice, called Project Amal. House Vernius' homeworld of Ix seems the perfect location, owing to the presence of science pavilions and the substantial income from their Spacing Guild
Spacing Guild
The Spacing Guild is an organization in Frank Herbert's science fiction Dune universe. With its monopoly on interstellar travel and banking, the Guild is a balance of power against the Padishah Emperor and the assembled noble Houses of the Landsraad...
heighliner production. Elrood has no qualms about displacing and possibly destroying Dominic and his family, whom he feels had humiliated him. The Tleilaxu are able to create an uprising in the suboid working class, which quickly overwhelms the complacent Vernius forces. House Vernius go "renegade," and the two heirs to the Vernius fief escape due to a small rescue contingent created by Paulus, who grants them sanctuary on Caladan
Caladan
Caladan is a fictional planet in the Dune universe created by Frank Herbert, first mentioned in the 1965 novel Dune.-Overview:Caladan, the third planet of Delta Pavonis, is the ancestral fiefdom of House Atreides, who have ruled it for twenty-six generations, from the ancient Castle Caladan...
with House Atreides.
Shando is eventually located on Bela Tegeuse by the Sardaukar and brutally executed. Rhombur sends limited aid to the resistance on Ix, but the presence of the Emperor's Sardaukar
Sardaukar
The Sardaukar are a fictional fanatical army from Frank Herbert's Dune universe, primarily featured in the 1965 science fiction novel Dune, as well as Brian Herbert and Kevin J...
makes any assistance difficult to render. Dominic goes into hiding on the planets Arrakis
Arrakis
Arrakis — informally known as Dune and later called Rakis — is a fictional desert planet featured in the Dune series of novels by Frank Herbert. Herbert's first novel in the series, 1965's Dune, is popularly considered one of the greatest science fiction novels of all time, and it is...
and Salusa Secundus
Salusa Secundus
Salusa Secundus is a fictional planet appearing in Frank Herbert's Dune universe. With harsh conditions rivaling those of the desert planet Arrakis, Salusa is used as the Imperial Prison Planet, and is one of two planets on which shigawire is grown .-Dune:In "Terminology of the Imperium," the...
, but is discovered on Arrakis by Sardaukar. The base he is residing at is assaulted, and in order to take down as many Sardaukar with him as he can, he ignites a stone burner, a forbidden atomic weapon that he had been planning to use to destroy the planet Kaitain
Kaitain (Dune)
Kaitain is a fictional planet in the Dune universe created by Frank Herbert.In Herbert's 1965 novel Dune, it is mentioned briefly as the seat of power of Padishah Emperor Shaddam Corrino IV, the Royal Court being previously located on the planet Salusa Secundus.The Prelude to Dune prequel trilogy ...
, location of the Imperial throne. Eventually, Rhombur begins to show more of an interest in aiding his people. His sister Kailea Vernius becomes the concubine of Leto, now Duke Atreides, and bears him an heir, Victor. The Duke hopes to secure a political marriage, and so is unable to wed Kailea and secure her son's place as an heir. An assassination attempt on the Duke devised by Kailea inadvertently kills Victor, and severely injures both Leto and her brother Rhombur. Though Rhombur survives, his body is rendered an almost lifeless lump. Kailea kills herself after hearing the news of her son's death.
Suk Doctor Wellington Yueh
Wellington Yueh
Dr. Wellington Yueh is a fictional character in the Dune universe created by Frank Herbert. He is primarily featured in the 1965 novel Dune, but also appears in the Prelude to Dune prequel trilogy by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson...
is hired by Leto to give Rhombur Vernius cybernetic
Cyborg
A cyborg is a being with both biological and artificial parts. The term was coined in 1960 when Manfred Clynes and Nathan S. Kline used it in an article about the advantages of self-regulating human-machine systems in outer space. D. S...
body part replacements. After recovering, Rhombur is able to draft a plan for re-taking his lost homeworld, relying upon the Atreides army and the downtrodden Ixians. The Tleilaxu quickly fail in their defense and lose all of their research on the artificial spice. The Ixian ambassador is able to preserve a sperm sample from Rhombur's dead half-brother, Tyros Reffa, to secure an heir for the recovered House Vernius.
In Dune: House Atreides it is mentioned that certain Monet
Claude Monet
Claude Monet was a founder of French impressionist painting, and the most consistent and prolific practitioner of the movement's philosophy of expressing one's perceptions before nature, especially as applied to plein-air landscape painting. . Retrieved 6 January 2007...
and Gauguin
Paul Gauguin
Eugène Henri Paul Gauguin was a leading French Post-Impressionist artist. He was an important figure in the Symbolist movement as a painter, sculptor, print-maker, ceramist, and writer...
paintings are owned by House Vernius, and hang in the Grand Palais at Ix.
Heroes of Dune
In the Brian Herbert/Kevin J. Anderson interquel Paul of DunePaul of Dune
Heroes of Dune is a planned interquel tetralogy of novels by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson set in the Dune universe created by Frank Herbert. The potential series was initially referred to as Paul of Dune by the authors as early as 2004....
(2008), Rhombur and Tessia attend Leto's wedding to Ilesa of Ecaz with their "copper-haired" son Bronso, the biological child of Tessia and Tyros Reffa. An adult Bronso is later quoted via epigraph
Epigraph (literature)
In literature, an epigraph is a phrase, quotation, or poem that is set at the beginning of a document or component. The epigraph may serve as a preface, as a summary, as a counter-example, or to link the work to a wider literary canon, either to invite comparison or to enlist a conventional...
, commenting on Leto's influence on his son Paul Atreides
Paul Atreides
Paul Atreides is a fictional character in the Dune universe created by Frank Herbert. Paul is a prominent character in the first two novels in the series, Dune and Dune Messiah , and returns in Children of Dune . The character is brought back as two different gholas in the Brian Herbert/Kevin J...
. The next novel, The Winds of Dune
The Winds of Dune
The Winds of Dune is a science fiction novel written by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson, set in the Dune universe created by Frank Herbert. Released on August 4, 2009, it is the second book in the Heroes of Dune interquel tetralogy and chronicles events between Frank Herbert's Dune Messiah and...
(2009), explores the friendship of Paul and Bronso.