House Vernius

Expanded Dune

This article or section refers to elements from Expanded Dune.

House Vernius
Status	House Major
Symbol	Helix
Army	Regular Great House
Uniform	Silver & White
Colors	Purple, Copper, Silver & White
Homeworld	Ix and several other unidentified planets
Ruling Title	Earl

A relatively young great house, House Vernius was only a few centuries old by the time the Leto Atreides I became Duke of their Faufreluches ally, House Atreides. A fire red ruby ring from Hagal was the sign of their Earl.

House Vernius specialized in technological innovations. After an intense economic war with House Richese, they won the right to manufacture the lucrative Heighliners for the Spacing Guild.

Reign under Earl Dominic Vernius

While still a young man, Dominic Vernius lent Ixian forces to the Padishah Emperor Elrood IX. It is during this time that he met and befriended Duke Paulus Atreides of Caladan. As a reward for his loyal service, the Emperor had expanded House Vernius' fief to include several more planets.

After the war, Dominic acquired Lady Shando from Emperor Elrood, and earned his undying enmity. They had two children, Rhombur and Kailea Vernius.

Fall

Years later, the family welcomed the young Duke Leto Atreides, the only firstborn son of the Duke Paulus Atreides to their home planet Ix to study politics with their son, Prince Rhombur. They also hoped for a perfect match between him and their daughter, Princess Kailea.

By that time, House Vernius came up with a new Heighliner design with more capacity. Since Imperial tax was based on the number of flights rather than on the amount of cargo; the Heighliner redesign resulted in fewer flights and a substantial reduction in income for House Corrino.  This provoked once more Elrood IX's wrath. The Emperor threatened to break the agreement with the Landsraad and proceed with an inspection to Ix to investigate whether Ixian scientists develop illegal thinking machines in violation of the Butlerian Jihad and repression against his suboidworking class. In 10,153 AG the still vengeful emperor sponsored a suboid revolt against the leaders of Ix and a Tleilaxu invasion with assistance from the Emperor. House Vernius was forced to go renegade while Sardaukar forces landed on Ix, and proceeded to VerniiCity to "keep the peace". The Ixian ambassador Cammar Pilru attempted to garner Landsraad support in retaking Ix, but the Tleilaxu accused the Ixians of creating thinking machines, therefore justifying their acts. Because Ix's internal affairs were completely closed off to the rest of the empire, there was no open knowledge of the Sardaukar presence. In fact, it is noted by some that the Empire's strength seemed to wane, and that they were promoting more officers than they were getting recruits. This was because the soldiers stationed on Ix were off the books. It was similar in many respects to the tactics used against the Atreides, which should be expected as both perpetrated by the same man.

The Vernius children were secretly sent to Caladan under the protection and care of Paulus Atreides. Lady Shando was hunted down and executed by Sardaukar forces on Bela Tegeuse, while Dominic hid on Arrakis with some loyal men. Eventually he was caught, and he detonated a stone burner, ending his life.

The Caladan Affair

Over time, Kailea and Leto eventually fell in love and bore their son, Victor Atreides.

Over the years this situation caused bitterness to Kailea, and letting herself be manipulated by her Lady-in-waiting Chiara, began plotting against Leto. She believed that if Leto died, then House Atreides could be claimed by Victor, with herself as Regent. Kailea and Chiara arranged to obtain a bomb and planted it aboard the skyclipper airship that Leto would use to visit the planet's Western Continent. As results of the explosion, Victor was killed, Rhombur horribly maimed, and Leto survived relatively unscathed.

Kailea, after realizing that Chiara was a Harkonnen spy, killed her and then committed suicide by jumping off the balcony of Castle Caladan.

Return to Ix

As a result of his brush with death, and at the urging of Tessia, Rhombur overcame his complacency regarding the occupation of his home planet and contrived a plan along with Leto and Duncan Idaho to retake Ix from the Bene Tleilax. Along with support from House Atreides and C'tair Pilru on Ix, Rhombur was able to retake the planet. After almost 25 years, Gurney Halleck and Prince Rhombur Vernius returned to Ix to conjure a rebellion to help the soon to arrive Atreides forces to liberate the planet. After a brief but bloody battle with the Sardaukar, the allied forces were victorious, and Prince Rhombur went to the Landsraad to formally restore House Vernius. He ascended, and became Earl Rhombur Vernius of Ix.

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.

Behind the Scenes

Continuity issues

The Frank Herbert novels make no mention of a Great House ruling Ix. Indeed, the ruling body of Ix is only referred to once in Dune Messiah, where it is mentioned that Ix is ruled by a confederacy. The inhabitants and rulers of Ix are only ever referred to as "Ixians" and not members/subjects of House Vernius. In the Frank Herbert novel God Emperor of Dune, a Bene Gesserit analysis of various power brokers in the known universe have Ix listed as a separate entity from Great Houses of the Landsraad.

Their absence in the original novels is retroactively explained by the fact that the House was greatly weakened; and the planet is gradually being taken over by technocrats and the "technocracy".

Images

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Appearances

• Dune: House Atreides
• Dune: House Harkonnen
• Dune: House Corrino
• Paul of Dune
• The Winds of Dune