Elrood Corrino IX/XD

"Blood is thicker than water, but politics is even thicker than blood."

- Elrood IX, Memoirs of Imperial Rule



Elrood Corrino IX (9999 AG - 10156 AG) was the 80th and penultimate Padishah Emperor in the Corrino Dynasty. He succumbed to chaumurky and was succeeded by his son, Shaddam Corrino IV.

Marriages and Heirs
Elrood was the son of Fondil Corrino III, and ascended to the Golden Lion Throne at the age of nineteen. During his reign of 138 years, Elrood married into many royal houses.

In 10019 AG he married Barbara Mutelli, with whom he initially had a daughter named Wensicia, and a son named Elliott.

When his son was only a year old, Elrood murdered him, after which Barbara went insane. However, Elrood continued to impregnate her repeatedly, and placed the fertilized embryos in storage for later use, should he need them. Barbara died in 10026 AG, and Elrood subsequently married Yvette Hagal in 10036 AG, with whom he had three daughters: Crystane, Tara and Edwina (who later married Count Ilban Richese).

Yvette died in 10075 AG, and in 10079 AG Elrood married Alexandra Ecaz. She gave birth to the Crown Prince Fafnir, but disappeared in 10098 AG. After a fruitless marriage to Habla of Hassika V in 10100 AG, Elrood used one of Barbara Mutelli's frozen embryos and impregnated Habla. She gave birth to his third son, Shaddam, who never knew that his genetic mother was Barbara.

Ecazi Revolt
In 10130 AG, Elrood had to cope with the Ecazi Rebellions, where Duke Paulus Atreides and Earl Dominic Vernius fought on his side and a great friendship started with those men.

Following his triumph in the Ecazi Revolt, Elrood threw a grand gala on Kaitain to celebrate his great victory and to reward his greatest heroes.

At this celebration, Earl Vernius first met one of Elrood's concubines, Shando Balut and the two fell in love. Soon after, Shando gave birth to an illegitimate son of Vernius, Tyros Reffa who was given for adoption to House Taligari. After months of pleading, Shando was released from service in the royal harem and free to marry Vernius.

When Elrood learned of this he was furious; believing that he had been betrayed by his champion and that Lady Shando would reveal embarrassing secrets about the emperor. This suspicion that was mostly unfounded, but Shando did reveal that he had the nickname "Roody". This is a nickname that Dominic would later use around him, which made him enraged.

Elrood's jealousy and hatred would simmer for decades.

Later rule
In his later years, Elrood had a skeletal body and long-nailed fingertips.

In 10153 AG he granted the siridar-governorship of Arrakis to House Harkonnen. He also created the title "Imperial Planetologist of Arrakis", and appointed Pardot Kynes to find out exactly how the spice melange was created. Sometime later, Hasimir Fenring conspiring with Shaddam, poisoned Elrood with N'kee hoping that his friend would become Emperor in a few years. N'kee would evolve into chaumurky as Elrood drank spice beer.

Eventually, in meeting set up by Fenring, whom Hasimir convinced Elrood was by chance; the Tleilaxu master, Hidar Fen Ajidica, gave Elrood the opportunity to destroy the loyal Ixian lord and his wife. In 10154 AG Elrood authorized the Tleilaxu takeover of the planet IX, and allowed them to create a suboid revolt, which drove House Vernius from their long-held fief. Once these events occurred, Elrood allowed Ajidica to establish the Project Amal program to create synthetic melange, so as to remove the Empire's dependency on Arrakis and exclusively control spice production himself.

His long rule ended in 10156 AG by the n'kee administered to him 3 years earlier.

To avoid a Suk autopsy which would have revealed the chaumurky, Crown Prince Shaddam had Elrood’s body “erroneously” cremated and his remains misplaced in the Imperial Necropolis. His bloodline continued on through Paul Atreides, Ghanima Atreides, and her countless descendants.

The frequently discredited Pirate History of Corrino related the curious story that Fenring was responsible for his death.

Trivia

 * Elrood was originally mentioned only briefly in the appendices of the original Dune novel by Frank Herbert.
 * While the appendices mention chaumurky, suggesting a well-known fact, his death in Dune: House Atreides is portrayed as discrete and undetectable.

Appearances

 * Dune - Mentioned only
 * Dune: House Atreides - First appearance
 * Dune: House Harkonnen - Mentioned only
 * Dune: House Corrino - Mentioned only