Rhon
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/* Creation of Rhon psions */
'''Rhon''' refers to the group of [[psions]] from the [[Ruby Dynasty]] who can create/manage the [[Kyle Web]], in [[Catherine Asaro]]'s novels regarding the [[Skolian Empire|Saga of the Skolian Empire]].
Rhon psions, also being sometimes called '''[[Ruby Dynasty|Ruby psions]]''' because they descend from the ancient [[Ruby Empire]], are the strongest [[Psion (Saga of the Skolian empire)|psions]] with a [[Psion (Saga of the Skolian empire)#KAB rating|Kyle rating]] so high as to be unmeasureable numerically.
The Rhon got their name after Skolian geneticist '''Hezahr Rhon''', who first successfully isolated the alleles that combine to create a Ruby psion. Dr. Rhon is generally believed to be creator of the Rhon psions. This is however just a Skolian propaganda meant to hide the true origins of the Rhon, which are not very pleasant.
==The Rhon project==
When [[Skolian Empire|Skolians]] returned to space, millennia after the fall of their original civilization the [[Ruby Empire]], they discovered the [[Kyle Web#Locks|Locks]]. To be operational, Locks require extremely powerful [[Psion (Saga of the Skolian empire)|psions]], with highest [[Psion (Saga of the Skolian empire)#KAB rating|Kyle rating]] possible. Psions with such a high Kyle rating were however already all extinct at that time, thus first attempts to create them in a laboratory were undertaken soon.
A part of these pursuits was the Rhon project lead by the prominent geneticist Hezahr Rhon. The initial project of Dr. Rhon was actually undertaken to prevent the suffering of [[psion (Saga of the Skolian empire)|psions]] by attempting to modify their brains so they wouldn't receive the pain of others. The attempt took a nightmarish turn for worse, and spawned a race of human beings whose [[Psion (Saga of the Skolian empire)#Kyle organs|KAB and KEB]] organs are hardwired to interpret pain signals from normal telepaths as orgasmic pleasure called ''transcendence''. When he realized what his creations were, Dr. Rhon wanted to destroy them; but they murdered him first and destroyed his work.
As a result there arose a race of people known as [[Eubians#Aristos|Aristos]] whose members are the ultimate anti-empaths, sadists utterly devoid of compassion save for a few exceptions (Corbal Xir, [[Tarquine Iquar]], [[Jaibriol III|Jaibriol Qox III]]). The [[Eubians#Aristos|Aristo]] nature is characterized not only by their cruelty but also by power-hunger and sense of [[superiority]]. Their leader '''Eube Qox''', founded the [[Eubians|Eubian Concord]] and his descendants presently rule it.
==Creation of Rhon psions==
Due to their need for transcendence [[Eubians#Aristos|Aristos]] started to breed [[Psion (Saga of the Skolian empire)|psions]], using them as pleasure slaves, so called [[Eubians#Providers|providers]]. Their main goal was to produce an extremely strong psion, the "ultimate provider" (the stronger psionic abilities, the stronger pain signals a psion produces while tortured and the greater pleasure an Aristo experiences).
The first actual Rhon [[Psion (Saga of the Skolian empire)|psions]] were a pair of siblings meant to be bred to each other to found a pre-eminent line of [[Eubians#Providers|providers]]. They were created from genetic samples of long dead members of the once so powerful [[Ruby Empire]]'s ruling caste, who were known for their great empathic and telepathic abilities. The male half of the pair, name unknown, suicided upon realizing his intended purpose. The female half of the pair, '''Lahaylia Selei''', killed her captors and escaped.
Lahaylia then founded the [[Skolian Empire|Skolian Imperialate]] using the power of the [[Kyle Web#Locks|Locks]] to create the [[Kyle Web|psiberweb]]. The [[Kyle Web|psiberweb]] is a form of [[ansible]], or faster-than-light communications network, that Lahaylia could use to tie her country's government and economy together and to coordinate military movements with a speed and finesse that the [[Eubians|Traders]] could not possibly match. Later Lahaylia discovered a natural Rhon from a nearly dead race of Ruby colonists, named '''Jarac Skolia''', and took him as her consort. Together they acted as Keys to the [[Kyle Web|psiberweb]], Lahaylia being the Assembly Key and Jarac the Military Key.
The Rhon project therefore indirectly created the initial modern [[Ruby Dynasty|Rhon family]], whose history has since been plagued by forced marriages, numerous birth defects, war, and other tragedies.
* At a later point in history, the Aristo emperor Jaibriol Qox I used genetic engineering to sire an heir on a provider who would carry Rhon genes [[heterozygous]]ly. The plan was to create an Aristo emperor who would have the psionic power of the Rhon (secretly, due to psions being regarded as subhuman). The next emperor, Ur Qox, then had a son with another provider which resulted in Jaibriol Qox II being a Rhon psion. He escaped and married [[Sauscony_Lahaylia_Valdoria_Skolia|Soz Valdoria]], thereby providing a new source of genes to the inbred Ruby Dynasty.
All members of the Rhon are allowed to use the name '''Skolia'''. The ruling family of the Rhon are the '''Selei''', members of whom order the succession to the Ruby Throne, upon which sits the Ruby Pharaoh, titular head of the [[Skolian Empire]]. The Ruby Throne is also synonymous with the [[Kyle Web|psiberweb]] term of Assembly Key, as the Pharaoh rules through coordinating the Assembly's communications throughout the [[Skolian Empire]].
==Usage in modern Skolian Empire==
Rhon can act as Keys to the [[Kyle Web|psiberweb]]. A Key is a [[Psion (Saga of the Skolian empire)|psion]] who engages a [[Kyle Web#Locks|Lock]] to obtain the ability to create and maintain [[Kyle Web|psiberweb]] links. The [[Kyle Web#Locks|Locks]] can support a limited number of Keys. This limit is determined by a [[Kyle space|psiberspace]] law equivalent to the [[Pauli Exclusion Principle]], in that no more than one personality of a specific type can be joined to the [[Kyle Web#Locks|Locks]] at any given time.
Rhon psions that "join" the [[Kyle Web#Locks|Locks]] are considered members of the [[Kyle Web#Triad|Dyad]] or [[Kyle Web#Triad|Triad]], depending on the context of the novel in the series. A Dyad is formed by two complementary personalities, and a Triad is formed by three such. The Dyad or the Triad when acting together forms the full executive authority that governs the [[Skolian Empire]] together with an elected parliament, the Assembly.
The different Keys that can exist, (depending which time period the particular novel occurs in), are the Assembly Key, the Military Key, and the Web Key. Each of these Keys has a line succession that is hereditary, though all the members of the [[Ruby Dynasty|Skolia family]] are in each of the lines at various points due to issues of [[consanguinity]].
===Assembly Key===
The personality powering the '''Assembly Key''' is required to have a peerless intellect and a piercing analytical mind. Therefore the person who is the Assembly Key takes the [[sobriquet]] of the "Mind of Skolia", or the style of Ruby Pharaoh, with at least the executive powers of chief-of-state. The Selei branch of the Rhon produces the Assembly Key with following line of succession: ''Lahaylia'', then ''[[Dyhianna Selei|Dyhianna]]'', with ''[[Taquinil Selei|Taquinil]]'' the designated successor.
===Military Key===
The personality powering the '''Military Key''' is required to be robust, ruthless, agile, forceful, and uncompromising. Therefore the person who is the Military Key takes the [[sobriquet]] of the "Fist of Skolia", or the style of Imperator, with the executive power of commander-in-chief of all armed forces in the [[Skolian Empire|Imperialate]]. The Skolia branch of the Rhon produces the Military Key: ''Jarac'', ''Kurj'', ''Althor Valdoria Skolia'', ''Sauscony Valdoria Skolia'', and ''[[Kelricson Garlin Valdoria Skolia|Kelric Valdoria Skolia]]''. Jarac's daughter [[Roca Skolia]] was mentioned as an emergency alternative choice, as while she does not have the military skills she has a personality more similar to Jarac than to any of the other Rhon.
===Web Key===
The personality powering the '''Web Key''' is not required to have any great intellectual or organization skill, merely large amounts of willpower and emotional strength. The person who is the Web Key takes the [[sobriquet]] of the "Heart of Skolia". No style presently obtains to the Web Key, however that person does have the de-facto executive power to parley on behalf of the Imperialate (in practice devolving from the executive power of the Ruby Pharaoh). The only one so far who has ever been the Web Key was ''[[Eldrinson Althor Valdoria]]'', consort of [[Roca Skolia]].
== See also ==
[[Catherine Asaro]]
[[Category:Saga of the Skolian empire]]