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This article refers to elements from Original Dune Pages for this subject as it appears in other canons:
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Murbella was a promising young Honored Matre who was captured by the Bene Gesserit and trained in the ways of the Sisterhood - eventually surviving the Spice Agony and becoming a Reverend Mother. Following a prolonged war that decimated the forces and leadership on both sides, she later became both Mother Superior and Great Honored Matre, uniting the bitter enemies under one banner.
Biography
Early Life
Murbella was raised as an Honored Matre from an early age. She was deemed to be a trainee of particular promise when it was revealed that she possessed physical and mental abilities far above average. Among these abilities were almost unimaginable reflexes, which ran independent of her central nervous system. As was common of females of Honoured Matre heritage, she also possessed the ability to amplify sexual ecstasy to near unimaginable levels.
Capture
During a stay in the city of Ysai, Murbella captured a Duncan Idaho ghola and attempted to imprint the Bene Gesserit loyalist. However, thanks to powerful abilities the Tleilaxu have secretly built into him, he was able to partially resist her, and instead imprint himself onto her psyche. Thus the pair became sexually addicted to one another.
When the pair later fell under the custody of the Bene Gesserit, the Sisterhood made good use of Idaho's new-found abilities (and addiction to Murbella) to extract some information from the vulnerable young Honored Matre, and later start her training as one of their own.
Training
Later, as the Honored Matre attacks intensified, Duncan Idaho and Murbella were living together in continued confinement on Chapterhouse. The intense sexual bond created by their mutual imprinting in has made them somewhat reluctant lovers.
Darwi Odrade, the new Leader of the Sisterhood, had decided to accelerate Murbella's training as a Bene Gesserit, despite some's belief in the organization that she intended to steal their secrets and escape back to the Honored Matres, who are now based near Junction, and have just completely conquered Gammu.
Murbella's training with the Bene Gesserit was protracted and often confrontational. However, their shrewd methods such as "word weapons" to undermine her earlier Matre identity, and use of her bond with Idaho enabled them to slowly turn her to their collective will. During this entire period, Murbella provided the Sisterhood with four daughters, uniting the genetics of Idaho and the Honored Matres into a powerful combination. As time went by, Murbella understood fully that she was an admirer of and wanted to be Bene Gesserit, and began to see her former Matres as ignorant. The words of her initiation are repeated with an emphasis on Bene Gesserit.
Finally it was decided that Murbella was ready to become a Reverend Mother. Odrade relaxed the strictures, and for the first time ever, a man — Duncan — is allowed to watch a spice ceremony. Duncan was filled with trepidation, first because he feared Murbella would not survive the ritual, and second because he wondered whether she would still love him after going through such a life changing experience. Odrade watched with equal trepidation because Murbella was vital to her plan to deal with the Honored Matres, and to reform the Sisterhood. Odrade believed that the Bene Gesserit made a mistake in fearing emotion, and that in order to evolve, the Bene Gesserit must learn to accept emotions. Murbella, Odrade is pleased to find, took and survived the hard path to becoming a Reverend Mother.
Murbella went through a manic phase after becoming a Reverend Mother, and her feelings for Duncan were not the same — a fact that worries Odrade as much as Duncan. Whether it is a temporary effect of the experience or a permanent one was unknown.
Union of the Bene Gesserit and the Honored Matres
Odrade called a Convocation (a meeting of all the Bene Gesserit), and announced her plan to attack the Honored Matres on Junction. She told them that this attack would be led by Supreme Bashar Miles Teg. She also announced candidates to succeed her as Mother Superior, those being Sheeana Brugh and Murbella, and shared with them before she left.
The attack seemed headed for failure, and Murbella ordered a withdrawal, attempting to save as much of the Bene Gesserit force as she could. Odrade had already planned a contingency for the potential failure of the Bene Gesserit attack; she left Murbella instructions for a desperate gamble to attempt in a potential last stand situation. Murbella piloted a small craft down to the surface, announcing herself as an Honored Matre who has managed to escape the Bene Gesserit in the confusion of war. She claimed that she wants to share all of the Gesserit secrets that she had learned. When she arrived on the planet, she immediately announced her intentions by killing an overeager Honored Matre with a blinding speed enhanced by Bene Gesserit training. This demonstrated that she was faster than any Honored Matre before her, as she had successfully fused the best abilities of both organizations.
Murbella was taken to the newest Great Honored Matre, Logno, and immediately declared herself hostile. Logno could not help herself and attacked; Murbella killed her and many of her allies. Odrade was killed in the melee, but before Odrade died, Murbella shared with Odrade and took charge of the Honored Matres, who were awed by her physical prowess and her ability to see into Other Memory.
Murbella's ascension to the leadership of the Honored Matres and, by necessity, the Bene Gesserit as well, was not accepted as victory by all of the Sisterhood. Some felt that she would suborn the spirit of the Bene Gesserit and many worried that her plan of merging the two orders into a New Sisterhood was doomed to failure. Some then decided to escape, notably Sheeana, who had a vision of her own. They invited Duncan Idaho and Miles Teg to join them and all fled Chapterhouse in a giant no-ship, with its previous passengers, Tleilaxu Master Scytale and the Jews of Gammu, still aboard. Murbella recognized their plan, but too late to stop them; she might have opted to permit it anyway, as Duncan's departure solved many problems for her new role as leader.
| Preceded by Darwi Odrade |
Mother Superior of the Bene Gesserit 15240 AG |
Succeeded by None |
| Preceded by Logno |
Great Honored Matre of the Honored Matres 15240 AG |
Succeeded by None |