Stone burner
blinding atomic weapon
A stone burner was a particularly destructive weapon that released J-rays to dissolve eye tissue and blind every creature within its radius, while also capable of immense physical destruction. Powered by an atomic charge yet legally distinct from atomics, it was the weapon used to blind Emperor Paul Atreides.
The stone burner was a particularly destructive weapon capable of performing one of two tasks. Its first function was to release massive amounts of J-rays, a form of radiation that dissolved eye tissue and thereby blinded every creature within a certain radius. Its second was the general destruction of property. Powered by an atomic charge but classed apart from atomics, the stone burner was the weapon used in the attack that blinded Emperor Paul Atreides and his Fedaykin.
Function and technical description#
A stone burner could carry out one of two tasks. The first was the release of massive amounts of J-rays, a type of radiation that dissolved eye tissue and blinded all creatures within a certain radius. The second was general destruction of property. Once activated, the device set off an explosion that arced straight up and down. Its explosive yield depended both on those who set up the device and on the size of its power source. Should its operators wish it, a stone burner could explode down to the core of a planet, and the resulting sudden release of the world's inner magma would tear the planet apart.
Legal status#
Despite its power, the stone burner was not considered an atomic weapon, though its fuel source was atomic. The device worked by first detonating an atomic within itself and then collecting that energy to use for its other destructive tasks. Under the Great Convention, only Great Houses were permitted to possess atomics. As a consequence, a party outside a Great House could legally own a stone burner but could not possess its fuel. The Convention also forbade the use of weapons of mass destruction such as atomics and stone burners against humans directly, but there were occasions when the prohibition was circumvented or simply disobeyed.
Notable uses#
Emperor Paul Atreides was blinded by a stone burner during an attack on him and his Fedaykin. The attack killed neither Paul nor his men, but it left them all without sight. Earlier, when the Fremen were attacking Naraj during Muad'Dib's Second Crusade, the defenders of Naraj employed a stone burner to blind the attacking Fremen rather than to kill them. The legality of that action remained vague at best.
Frequently asked questions
- What is a stone burner in Dune?
- A stone burner was a particularly destructive weapon capable of performing one of two tasks. Its first function was to release massive amounts of J-rays, a form of radiation that dissolved eye tissue and blinded every creature within a certain radius, and its second was the general destruction of property.
- Was a stone burner considered an atomic weapon?
- Despite running on an atomic charge, the stone burner was not considered an atomic weapon. It worked by first detonating an atomic within itself and then collecting that energy for its other destructive tasks, so a party outside a Great House could legally own a stone burner but could not possess its fuel.
- How was Paul Atreides blinded?
- Emperor Paul Atreides was blinded by a stone burner during an attack on him and his Fedaykin. The attack killed neither Paul nor his men, but it left them all without sight.
- What could a large stone burner do to a planet?
- Once activated, a stone burner set off an explosion that arced straight up and down, with a yield depending on those who set it up and the size of its power source. Should its operators wish it, a stone burner could explode down to the core of a planet, and the resulting sudden release of the world's inner magma would tear the planet apart.
- Did anyone besides Paul's attackers use a stone burner?
- When the Fremen were attacking Naraj during Muad'Dib's Second Crusade, the defenders of Naraj employed a stone burner to blind the attacking Fremen rather than to kill them. The legality of that action remained vague at best, since the Great Convention forbade using such weapons against humans directly.
Sources
- WikiStone burner — Dune Wiki entry
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Related entries
Fedaykin
The Fedaykin were Fremen fighters of Arrakis, first the guerrillas of the Arrakis Revolt and then the personal death commandos of Paul Muad'Dib. By the time of his children they had become the elite of the Jihad army, before Alia Atreides dissolved them and the word returned to its old meaning.
Fremen
The Fremen were a culture of humans descended from the Zensunni Wanderers who made the desert planet Arrakis their home. Hardened by water scarcity and generations of persecution, they became the finest fighters in the Known Universe and the foot soldiers of Paul Atreides and his jihad.
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Paul Atreides
Paul Atreides was the last Duke of House Atreides and the prophet Muad'Dib of the Fremen. The long-awaited Kwisatz Haderach of the Bene Gesserit, he toppled Emperor Shaddam IV, founded the Atreides Empire, and unleashed a jihad across the Known Universe before walking blind into the desert.
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Bene Tleilax
The Bene Tleilax, more commonly called the Tleilaxu, were a secretive race of genetically altered humans whose mastery of the axolotl tanks gave them gholas, Face Dancers, and Twisted Mentats. Reviled across the Imperium, their genetic skill made them a necessary evil that no power could do without.
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Dominic Vernius
Dominic Vernius was the penultimate true Earl of House Vernius and ruler of Ix. A decorated military ally of the Emperor turned bitter renegade after marrying the imperial concubine Shando Balut, he lost his House to a Tleilaxu invasion and died detonating a stone burner against Sardaukar on Arrakis.
Last conspiracy against Muad'Dib
The last conspiracy against Muad'Dib was the alliance formed in 10208 AG to bring down the Padishah Emperor Paul Atreides. It ended with the blinded Emperor walking into the desert and the regency of his sister Alia.
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