House Vernius

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House Vernius is a fictional noble family from the Dune universe created by Frank Herbert. They are featured in the Prelude to Dune prequel trilogy by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson.

According to Dune: House Atreides, the family crest of House Vernius is a purple-and-copper helix.

1 History of House Vernius
2 Vernius family tree

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

[edit] History of House Vernius

At the time of the Prelude to Dune series, House Vernius is one of the great houses of the Imperium, the feudal interstellar empire that forms the backdrop to the Dune novels. This house is the ruling power on the planet Ix. The main industry on Ix is the production of machines that continuously test the bounds of the precepts set down by the Butlerian Jihad. The rival of House Vernius is House Richese, which also specializes in machinery, but doesn't create controversial machinery. The strongest ally of House Vernius is House Atreides; their friendship began when the Earl Dominic Vernius and Duke Paulus Atreides fought together in the Ecaz Revolt around 10,130 A.G.

Dominic Vernius had been a military ally to Padishah Emperor Elrood Corrino IX in the Ecazi rebellion, around the time Elrood's concubine Shando Balut gave birth to the Emperor's illegitimate son (who was named Tyros Reffa, and secretly adopted by House Taligari). Dominic and Shando subsequently fell in love; tired of Shando but not knowing of her relationship with Dominic, Elrood granted her request to be released from his service. Dominic and Shando were soon married in 10,138 A.G., and Elrood was furious. Domic and Shando would later have two children together, Rhombur and Kailea.

Years later in 10,154 A.G., Elrood was coaxed by Tleilaxu Master Ajidica to fund a research program on artificial spice, called Project Amal. House Vernius' homeworld of Ix seemed the perfect location, owing to the presence of science pavilions and the substantial income from their Spacing Guild heighliner production. Elrood had no qualms about displacing and possibly destroying Dominic and his family, whom he felt had humiliated him.

The Tleilaxu were able to create an uprising in the suboid working class, which quickly overwhelmed the complacent Vernius forces. House Vernius went renegade, and the two heirs to the Vernius fief escaped due to a small rescue contingent created by Duke Paulus. Prince Rhombur Vernius sent limited aid to the resistance on Ix, but the presence of the Emperor's Sardaukar made any assistance difficult to render. Dominic went into hiding on the planet Arrakis, but was discovered by Sardaukar. The base he was residing at was assaulted, and in order to take down as many Sardaukar down with him as he could, he ignited a stone burner, a forbidden atomic weapon that he was planning to use to destroy the planet Kaitain, location of the Imperial throne. The Lady Shando was hunted down by the Sardaukar and brutally executed on Bela Tegeuse. Eventually, Earl Rhombur began to show more of an interest in aiding his people. His sister Kailea Vernius became the concubine of Duke Leto Atreides and bore the Duke an heir, Victor. The Duke hoped to secure a political marriage, and so was unable to wed Kailea and secure her son's place as an heir. An assassination attempt on the Duke devised by Kailea inadvertently killed Victor, and severely injured both Duke Leto and Rhombur Vernius. Though Rhombur survived, his body was rendered an almost lifeless lump. Kailea killed herself after hearing the news of her son's death.

Suk Doctor Wellington Yueh was hired by Duke Leto to give Rhombur Vernius cybernetic body part replacements. After recovering, he was able to draft a plan for re-taking his lost homeworld, relying upon the Atreides army and the downtrodden Ixians. The Tleilaxu quickly failed in their defense and lost all of their research on the artificial spice. The Ixian ambassador was able to preserve a sperm sample from Rhombur's dead half-brother Tyros Reffa and secure an heir for the recovered House Vernius.

In Dune: House Atreides it is mentioned that certain Monet and Gauguin paintings are owned by House Vernius, and hang in the Grand Palais at Ix.