Bronso of Ix/XD



Bronso Vernius (b. 10175 AG) was an Ixian historian and author of Analysis of History.

He was detained by Muad'dib's Qizarate priests charged with heresy - saying that "Paul Atreides lost something essential to his humanity before he could become Muad'Dib".

His death-cell interview suggests that he was to be executed, however excerpts from Analysis of History places him alive after Muad'dib goes into the desert.

He was the son of Tessia Vernius, adopted by her husband Prince Rhombur Vernius.

Parentage of Bronso (Vernius)
Rhombur discovered that his mother, Lady Shando Vernius, had conceived an illegitimate child with the Emperor Elrood Corrino IX, when she was the Emperor's concubine. The child, now grown, was named Tyros Reffa, had been found out by Shaddam Corrino IV as his half-brother; as well as half-brother to Rhombur. To prevent any claims on the Imperial throne, Shaddam had Reffa falsely imprisoned. The Ixian ambassador Cammur Pilru visited Tyros and stole away with a DNA sample. The DNA sample was used to conceive a child, Bronso, with Tessia; so that House Vernius would have a legal heir. The secret of Bronso's true parentage remained a secret for years.

War of Assassins of 10,187 AG
As House Vernius came to Caladan to attend the upcoming nuptials of Leto and who would have been his first wife, Ilesa Ecaz; Rhombur, Tessia and their son Bronso attended the wedding in Cala City. Sadly, Hundro Moritani decided to seek his revenge against House Ecaz on that day, and both Ilesa and her father's Swordmaster bodyguard perished.

During the night in Castle Caladan, Bronso's good friend Paul Atreides and himself were readied to be attacked by disguised House Harkonnen/House Moritani assassins during the middle of the night as they slept. Paul and Bronso awoke as the assassins approached Paul's bedroom, and the duo surprised and attacked the assassins first, and disbaled the attempted murderers before they struck. The assassins committed suicide before they could be questioned. Bronso returned home to Ix with his parents Rhombur and Tessia a few short days later, as Paul and Duncan Idaho fled to Caladan's sparsely populated Eastern Continent.

Tessia Struck
In 10,188 AG, Jessica and Paul visited Ix so that Paul could spend time as an exchange student in Vernii City, just as his father had done decades earlier. To Jessica's dismay, while there, the Bene Gesserit guilt-caster Stokia and three other Sisters visited Tessia Vernius. They demanded that Tessia produce more children for the Gesserit breeding program, which Tessia refused. Unbeknownst to Jessica, Stokia used her psychic powers to put Tessia into a comatose trance, which rendered Tessia helpless. {C}Rhombur was unable to help his poor wife, and Dr. Yueh could do nothing to help her, who began to waste away. The Sisterhood demanded that Tessia be take with them to Wallach IX, where they would nurse her and take care of her. In grief, Rhombur let them to take his wife away.

Bronso Story
Later that day, Rhombur decided to tell his son, Bronso Vernius, that he was the artificially conceived son of Tyros Reffa. Bronso, who was 11 years old, reacted poorly and encouraged Paul to run away with him off-world. Paul, under the oath to Duke Leto "to protect Bronso", accompanied him.

Death of Rhombur
A few days later, House Atreides received information that both arrived first to Chusuk, and now could be found on Balut with a Jongleur performing group. When Jessica and the rest of the searchers from House Atreides and House Vernius arrived on Balut, they found both Bronso and Paul well treated by the performing group. The Jongleur group was to give a performance in honor of the Governor of Balut's upcoming marriage in the planet's famed Theater of Shards. Paul was able to figure that an assassination attempt was planned.

Paul saved the life of the planetary Governor Alra Kio, but when Rhombur pushed Balut's leader out of the way, the intense sound blast hit him, and ravaged his body. All present recoiled in horror as Rhombus died, and Bronso cradled his dying father.

Just before Rhombur died, he whispered his last words to his son, "Is Paul safe?" Deeply hurt that his father did not speak of him or his mother while dying, Bronso cast Jessica and the rest of House Atreides out of his life for the next 12 years. The Atreides returned to Caladan.

Later life
He was detained by Muad'dib's Qizarate priests charged with heresy - saying that "Paul Atreides lost something essential to his humanity before he could become Muad'Dib".

His death-cell interview suggests that he was to be executed, however excerpts from Analysis of History places him alive after Muad'dib goes into the desert.

Rise of Bronso
In a secret meeting, Paul arranged to meet his mother and the now restored realtionship with Bronso on the planet Ix. Suddenly Paul stepped out of the shadows, to explain to his mother the role of the Jihad.

Paul explained to Jessica that he had to sterilize those worlds, because the people that had looked upon him as some type of Messiah, have to learn the kind of tyranny that false messianic hopes could foster. After seeing his atrocities, mankind never would trust in one human for a type of salvation again. He calmly explained that he planned to sterilize even more worlds, but was secretly evacuating the populace of each world to limit the number of deaths. He also told her about Bronso's secret mission—to write diatribes and publications about Paul's failings.

Over the next few years, as Bronso published and distributed writings about Paul's faults; the Qizarate, Alia, and the Fremen wanted Bronso captured and punished. Bronso eventually was captured, and put into Paul's secure prison on Dune. Paul secretly dismissed the guards and opened the cell, allowing his friend to escape.

After Paul went into the desert, Regent Alia, not knowing that Bronso was following Paul's request, started hunting him in earnest, even going so far as writing an insulting manifesto and distributing it as if it came from Bronso in order to rile the populace.

Bronso, along with his jongleur friends, sneaked into the Wallach IX Mother School and rescued his mother Tessia from the hands of the Bene Gesserit. He asked Jessica to hide her on Caladan.

Thanks to a tip from the Bene Gesserit, Bronso was soon captured by Duncan Idaho and Gurney Halleck, despite Gurney's best efforts to derail the investigation. After his second capture, Bronso once against found himself in a death-cell, this time sentenced to die by being put into a death-still alive. While visiting him, Jessica offered to kill him quickly and painlessly with a gom jabbar, but Bronso refused, claiming that his execution will be his final, and greatest, performance.

During his execution, Jessica used a piece of Ixian technology to communicate with Bronso and provide him some comfort, as his body's water was slowly being drained, quickly teaching him some Bene Gesserit skills for blocking pain. After Bronso was no more, Jessica suggested that Alia, Duncan, Irulan, and Gurney drink some of his water. While Alia took that as a moment of triumph, Jessica silently toasted Bronso's sacrifice. The rest of his water was distributed to the higher-ranking Qizarate priests.

Appearances

 * Paul of Dune
 * Dune Messiah
 * The Winds of Dune