Bitep Velo

Bitep circa 1,990 BG

## Overview

Bitep Velo was a male Sorn'Yzri noble, who was notable for founding House Velo and paving much of the groundwork of Velosorni culture. His story was infamous among scholars by 301 AG, having being born into royality in the Kingdom of the Seven Sendahs before vicious rivalries broke out between his other two siblings - his younger brother, Ankh Zeri and sister Thar. Bitep was of a more hostile, power hungry demeanour compared to his siblings, but whose conviction was evidently inherited by his mysterious father, and final official Sultan of the Kingdom of the Seven Sendahs, Cheops the Glorious. Of Bitep, far more was known through the scrolls which documented the ideas he brought to the region that would become Velosorn, but first the eastern reach of Sorn'Yzra. His life and journey was similarly well documented, being tumultuous and epic. Much like his brother and sister, he was the subject of intense scholarly study and debate around The Continent by 301 AG, being the seminal figure in spreading Velo cultural traditions of revenge, sport and conviction to seek power. These were encapsulated in his then unique interpretation of the Kingdom of the Seven Sendah's sacred religion of Sendan, where later in his life, he picked the teachings of only one of its seven dieities - Enso. Bitep was considered by some scholars to be the last ruler of the Kingdom of the Seven Sendahs, as he temporarily ruled along side his father when debilitated - though was technically not ever referred to as sultan in any inscriptions. Later, he was officially Sultan but was argued by many to wield no real power due to his negative perception among his subjects. In any case, details regarding his father's true mental state or responsibility for the happenings in the waning years of the ancient kingdom were scarce.

## Biography

### Early life

Bitep was the eldest child of Sultan Cheops the Glorious, Sultan of the Kingdom of the Seven Denahs. He and his father grew close, with Bitep reportedly frequently asking questions about what it was like to rule as Sultan. As with his other siblings however, his relationhsip with his father was somewhat marred by his strict adherence to the Sendan religion, asking of the children to learn in exquisite detail scripture and the qualities of the seven Sendahs. He had no desire to learn any more than what he liked about the religion - that of the god, Enso. Enso, the god of power, striving and efficiency enticed Bitep's hunger for power he began to harbour.

### Rivalry begins

By the time the others had entered their early teens, Bitep, being 3 years older, had already set his sights on his father's role. As his siblings began to become set in their religious convictions, Bitep began yet further distanced from them, arguing with his sister that she knew all scripture but understood none, and was too weak to come to any convictions of her own. With Ankh, he felt particularly bitter - he had decided to abandon the seven Sandahs altogether and instead formulated his own theory where qualities in the world were typified by a realm which contained the purest form of those qualities. Bitep thought this to be far fetched, idealistic and an insult to the religion of Sendan. Fundamentally, they disagreed with how best to interpret Sendan, and as such how to organise their kingdom's entire culture. This people bore out irreconciable differences between the three siblings.

### First taste of power

In the waning years of his father's rule, had had grown increasingly frail, with not much being known to scholars of the period beyond this. Thus, speculation was scattered as to how conscious Cheops was when he invited his son to rule along side him. However, it was well documented that these few years saw rapid decline in the kingdom, which led many to speculate that the actions and orders of Bitep himself were the reason for the chaos. Living standards were known to have fallen rapidly, with decisions being made to benefit Bitep's own family at the expense of others. However, Bitep became enthralled in his interpretation of the religion, and by this point, justified his actions to be in the service of a more important plan.

### Sultan of the Kingdom of the Seven Sandahs

When his frail Sultan-father died in 2,001 BG, Bitep inherited the kingdom and its riches - including its largest, most prosperous and most ancient city, Thebos. Having seemingly secured all he had ever wanted, it was generally thought that Bitep became very underwhelmed, with the practicalities of acting as the new Sultan catching him off guard. At least according to one reading of his rule, this shock came as he could no longer use his father as a scapegoat for disarray he was responsible for. Angered, annoyed and disappointed that his culture, subjects and family were unable to see his truth of Sendan as he saw it, he became entirely driven by resentfulness and began to set a plan in motion which would see him prepare to abandon the city and kingdom to flee to the eastern reach, beyond the Kingdom of the Seven Sendah's borders. This plan was thought to have been kept secret from his two siblings, who by now were becoming increasingly disdainful of their brother to the point that he suspected an overthrow any time soon.

On one fateful night in 1,999 BG, Bitep and his younger brother began to argue about their differences once again, but this time Ankh released all his frustrations he had been bottling up for months, resulting in a tumultuous spat between the two brothers. As the argument was about to reach an ugly conclusion, Thar, their sister, broke up the argument. Bitep swiftly exiled his siblings from the kingdom, ordering them never to return. To his anger however, his guards refused to escort them out. Nonetheless, his siblings decided to leave on their own volition, declaring that they had been planning to leave anyway. Sure enough, Thar and Ankh left and parted with Bitep. Knowing they were unaware of his intention to leave the kingdom himself, Bitep left Thebos with some riches to bring to the east in the Sands of Umzica. As Bitep was leaving, a ferocious sandstorm, the likes of which had hitherto never been recorded began to devastate the ancient bustling city of Thebos. Bitep, having narrowly escaped, was seen by many scholars to have escaped a horrifying fate; the storm was estimated by some to have lasted an entire year - a divine involvement to many. In any case, Bitep was able to reach the people to the east shortly after, perfectly primed to marshal his own forces to overwhelm his two siblings who presumed him to be dead.

### Exile to the eastern reach and rise

Bitep saw his arrival in what would become Velosorn as an opportunity. This opportunity would allow him to forge a new society, a new culture which adhered to the teachings of Enso and his variation of Sendan. Bitep was thought to have spent a few years rallying people in the ravaged kingdom, which scholars agreed to have had been characterised by tribal warfare prior to Bitep's arrival. With an unrivalled vision and conviction to his interpretation, he was able to unify vast communities, and fashioned a new identity in the process. Henceforth, he was known to go by Bitep Velo, with 'Velo' roughly translating as 'dedication to Enso' or 'devotee of Enso'. The city of Ensorinu, ancient by 301 AG, began construction during this time, its outer walls and settlements beginning to build up as House Velo was formerly established. Bitep created a narrative of blasphemy, moral perversions and sacrilege against the people his brother and sister had established to the south-west and east respectively. This acted as a call to arms; his self proclaimed kingdom 'Velosorn' began to amass an army with Bitep as its leader and ruler.

### War of the Three

In 1,994 BG, now 27 years old, Bitep had neared the completion of the establishment of House Velo's forces, intent on protecting values that the Sendani deity of Enso embodied and the new, self-proclaimed (but unrecognised) kingdom of Velosorn. Bitep knew that both his brother and his sister, who was rallying various houses in the Jia Peninsula, had learned of the build-up of his forces. Bitep had his sights first on his brother in his newly built city of Tiz'Axea, a city Bitep was known to have in his sights from the very beginning for the symbolism it would offer of his Enso-Sendanism triumphing over Ankh's New Sendan. As Thar and Ankh planned to work together to repel the threat from Bitep, he began to march towards Tiz'Axea. In 1,993 BG, the war officially began when Bitep's forces broke through the Oppidan Delta and began to march towards Ankh's new and prized capital. Ankh's forces crushed Bitep's attack after a few days of battle in Sands of Chamzeq. It was unknown where the majority of the fighting occurred by 301 AG, owing to the everchanging nature of the desert sands. Angered, Bitep then turned to the Jia archipelago and the clans which Thar had roused. After losing his final push to Thar due to being vastly outnumbered and outmanoeuvred, Bitep agreed to surrender and begin talks. For the first time in years, the three siblings met once more, this time to reconcile. After meeting in Ensorinu, the kingdom of Sorn'Yzra was officially formed, uniting the two Reaches of the region, with its capital being Tiz'Axea, to Bitep's dissatisfaction.

### Later life

Though dissatisfied with the outcome of the war, Bitep judged it unwise to linger over the defeat, fearing such an act would stunt the growth of Enso-Sendanism and his broader cultural project in what was now the eastern reach of Sorn'Yzra. He met few times with his brother and sister, but when he did, they were all able to put their past differences aside. Even still, it was clear to scholars by 301 AG that Bitep had not forgotten the defeat and fundamental differences in values, which was reflected in the culture he was now fostering in Velosorn. Ever the underdog in the western-eastern reach relation, he and his population were forced to bottle these somewhat resentful feelings up for another time. In any case, the remainder of Bitep's rule was most prominently known for seeing a substantial architectural revolution, with hundreds of sporting arenas being built in recognition of the reach's newfound competitive culture of talent through Sendu racing and riding, as well as physical contests. The plethora of new activities greatly invigorated the population and shifted their focus away from the defeat they had suffered in the War of the Three. By the time of Bitep's death at the age of 59 in 1,962 BG, he was widely celebrated in the kingdom and cemented the influence of House Velo such that, even by 301 AG, it remained the dominant house in the area which eventually became Velosorn. Indeed, a notable aspect to his legacy were various separatist movements shortly after the Unified Retaliation, collaborating with Clan Kazadi to realise Bitep's dream of a kingdom of Velosorn. Additionally, Bitep and subsequent heads of House Velo wore red on their person to symbolise the sacrifice of their people in the War of Three, a tradition that persisted to 301 AG.