Renatus Tellions' life is certainly one of the most remarkable occurrence's to have graced the world, let alone Tellia. Born from nothing, he established himself as the emperor and eventual eponym of an entire continent. But how did so unlikely a hero ascend to the Sovereign throne?
Renatus Tellion, insofar as anyone knows, had a uncharacteristically unremarkable childhood. He was born in 1589 B.F. to a woman of the Alitessrani tribe, Dalia Tellion. He retained his mother's name, being a bastard child of the Alitesrani's chief, Corvus Manen. That, in itself, seemingly the only interesting tidbit about young Renatus, was extremely common within the tribe. Corvus was known to be infamously promiscuous, and Dalia was just another in a long line of flings for him. He had dozens of children strung out across the sands, very few of them being in any part intentional.
Renatus is said to have been trained in the ways of the wild at a young age (foraging and the like), in order to prepare for an exceedingly banal life within the caravan, much in his mother's footsteps and his father's shadow. However, even at a young age Renatus had what others saw as unrealistic aspirations. He sought to be the chief's heir, a man whose only potential memory of Renatus was his conception.
The baton of Alitesrani chiefhood was passed first and foremost by favoritism. This was most often what occurred, a painless transition of power to the most beloved heir. However, in a case like that of Renatus' father, a challlenge, if not challenges, to the proverbial throne was inevitable. In such a situation, the challenger and the desired heir would take to a ritual combat, with the winner being granted the title of chief.
The case of Corvus Manen's succession, due to its unprecedented number of challengers, was made into an event in itself. A tournament was to be held in the summer of 1570 B.F., with all willing chief candidates participating. However, in retrospect, it is likely many of the participants were not even necessarily related to Manen, as almost anyone who bore a vague resemblance to the man and was willing to fight was granted entry.
In what many considered to be a complete upset, Renatus was able to make it to the finals of the tournament. Beating out many of the brutish, large warriors who seem to have been waiting for the occasion for 30 years was a fit, but by no means brawny Renatus, just shy of 20. Many of the Alitessrani people began to believe that there was actually a significant chance of him winning the entire thing altogether.
Facing off against the favorite in the tournament in the finals, Titus Marian, Renatus would pull the biggest upset possible. Titus, having Renatus pinned to the ground and disarmed, began to appeal to the crowd, becoming distracted. As he began his speech, however, Renatus would quickly seize the spare dagger from Titus own belt and impale him in the heart. Titus last words were reportedly witnessed to have been "As chief,".
As Chief of the Alitessrani, Renatus was far more ambitious than his father had been. He quickly became well known for his uncompromising attitude towards diplomacy with the other tribes, and outright distaste of the colonies. It seemed as if from the moment of his elevation to chiefhood, he was testing the waters. He would encroach closer and closer onto colonial territory while they fought between themselves.
Eventually, making appeals to the Chiefs of many smaller tribes, Renatus would manage to assemble a fighting force about half as large as that of the major colonies. Utilizing similar tactics to those he would later utilize in the Reclamation, he would see great success in his continued conquest of smaller colonies. This would only attract more and more tribes, eventually forming into the famous coalition and precursor to the Tellian Empire.