Rhombur Vernius
Earl of Ix
Rhombur Vernius was the last true Earl of Ix, a lifelong friend of Duke Leto Atreides who survived an assassination attempt through cybernetic reconstruction, retook his occupied homeworld, and died shielding a planetary governor on Balut.
Earl Rhombur Vernius was the last true Earl of the planet Ix before the rise of the Ixian Confederacy. Born to the Great House Vernius, he was a lifelong friend of Duke Leto Atreides and an ally of House Atreides through the wars of his age.
Early life and exile#
As a member of the Great House Vernius, Rhombur grew up with his family in the underground cities of Ix. In his youth the family welcomed the young Duke Leto Atreides, the firstborn of Duke Paulus Atreides, who came to Ix to study politics alongside Rhombur, and they hoped for a match between Leto and Rhombur's sister, Princess Kailea. Soon afterward the planet was overthrown by Imperial Sardaukar and the Bene Tleilax, and Rhombur fled with Kailea and Leto to Caladan, where they lived as refugees. When he and Leto traveled to Wallach IX to choose mates, Rhombur took as concubine a Bene Gesserit acolyte named Tessia, who won his heart at their first meeting.
Reconstruction and the retaking of Ix#
A failed assassination attempt against Leto by Kailea left Rhombur maimed nearly to death. Through the efforts of the Suk doctor Wellington Yueh he was saved by extensive cybernetics, though the work left him unable to father children. The brush with death, and the urging of Tessia, broke his earlier complacency about the occupation of his homeworld. Together with Leto and the Swordmaster Duncan Idaho, and supported by the resistance figure C'tair Pilru on Ix, he planned and carried out the counterattack that retook the planet.
The War of Assassins and the loss of Tessia#
House Vernius traveled to Caladan for the wedding of Leto and Ilesa Ecaz, daughter of Archduke Armand Ecaz. When Viscount Hundro Moritani's plot turned the ceremony into bloodshed, assassins came in the night for Paul and Rhombur's son Bronso; the two boys surprised and disabled the attackers, who then took their own lives. House Vernius returned to Ix as the War of Assassins of 10187 AG unfolded, and Rhombur later appeared with reinforcements at the siege of Ritka that destroyed House Moritani.
In 10188 AG, while Jessica and Paul visited Ix, the Bene Gesserit Sister Stokia and three others came to Tessia demanding more children for the breeding program. When Tessia refused, Stokia used her powers to lock her into a comatose trance from which neither Rhombur nor Doctor Yueh could rouse her. As she wasted away, the Sisterhood took her to Wallach IX to nurse her, and a grieving Rhombur let his wife go.
Death on Balut#
Rhombur told his son Bronso that the boy had been artificially conceived from Tyros Reffa, and the eleven-year-old reacted badly and persuaded Paul to flee off-world with him. The Atreides searchers traced the boys through Chusuk to Balut, where they had fallen in with a Jongleur performing troupe due to give a show at the planet's Theater of Shards in honor of the marriage of Governor Alra Kio. Paul deduced that an assassination of the governor was planned; as Paul saved Kio, Rhombur pushed the leader clear, but an intense sound blast struck the Earl and ravaged his body. He died as Bronso cradled him, his final words a whispered question, "Is Paul safe?" Bronso, wounded by the answer, cast Jessica and House Atreides out of his life for the next twelve years.
Frequently asked questions
- Who was Rhombur Vernius?
- Rhombur Vernius was the last true Earl of the planet Ix before the rise of the Ixian Confederacy. Born to the Great House Vernius, he was a lifelong friend of Duke Leto Atreides and an ally of House Atreides.
- How did Rhombur Vernius come to be rebuilt with cybernetics?
- A failed assassination attempt against Leto by Rhombur's sister Kailea left Rhombur maimed nearly to death. The Suk doctor Wellington Yueh saved him through extensive cybernetics, though the work left him unable to father children.
- How did Rhombur Vernius retake Ix?
- After his brush with death and the urging of his concubine Tessia broke his earlier complacency, Rhombur planned and carried out the counterattack on his occupied homeworld. He worked together with Leto and the Swordmaster Duncan Idaho, supported by the resistance figure C'tair Pilru on Ix.
- What happened to Tessia, Rhombur's concubine?
- In 10188 AG, the Bene Gesserit Sister Stokia and three others demanded more children from Tessia for the breeding program, and when she refused, Stokia used her powers to lock her into a comatose trance. Neither Rhombur nor Doctor Yueh could rouse her, and as she wasted away the Sisterhood took her to Wallach IX to nurse her while a grieving Rhombur let his wife go.
- How did Rhombur Vernius die?
- In 10188 AG, on Balut, Rhombur pushed the planetary governor's leader clear of an assassination attempt, but an intense sound blast struck the Earl and ravaged his body. He died as his son Bronso cradled him, his final words a whispered question, "Is Paul safe?"
Gallery
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Sources
- WikiRhombur Vernius — Dune Wiki entry
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Tessia Vernius, born Tessia Yasco al-Reill, was a Bene Gesserit Sister who became the beloved concubine and later wife of Earl Rhombur Vernius. She was a source of strength through the fall and restoration of House Vernius before the Sisterhood forced her into a comatose trance and carried her away.
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Victor Atreides was the first son of Duke Leto Atreides I and his concubine Kailea Vernius, born on Caladan after the fall of House Vernius. He was killed at the age of six in a skyclipper explosion engineered by his own mother, and his death indirectly led to the conception of Paul Atreides.
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