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COMPREHENSIVE READ-ALONG
ATLA AU LORE TIMELINE
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PROLOGUE

Sozin's Comet
AU TALE




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NEAR WULONG FOREST, EARTH KINGDOM
100 A.G


"Even with all that power...you are weak!"

Snarling, Ozai pounced.
The world slowed to a crawl as the young air nomad let the earth speak to him. Pillars of angled rock tore up from the ground, trapping the Fire Lord's flaming wrists in an instant. His knees soon followed, buckling underneath him. A searing gust of wind provided the perfect opening. Within moments, the boy's bruised, bloody hands were firmly in position. Eyes closing, the rich, rumbling words of the lion turtle rushed through his veins. There and then, in an ethereal, terrifying feat of power, the gates blew open. And out came the most powerful energy known to man: the human soul.

Raw fury gripped the tyrant as he watched the Avatar's soul pierce the heavens. When the temptation came for his soul, there would be no resistance. The earth shook and split like thunder. Deafening energies of spirits flowed and ebbed and crashed and battered against each other, fighting for dominion. On and on it went; an endless barrage, a lifetime of anger, hatred, pride and poison. The skies soon bled into rays of black, swallowing all but a flickering, ephemeral shade of blue.

Finally, the air stilled. Ozai collapsed, eyes bloodied and blackened heart beating no more. The Avatar collapsed onto his knees as well, blood dripping from his many wounds. Slowly, the glow of arrows decorating his body began to fade. Only his arrowhead remained bright. No amount of words, actions, or tears would make it falter. The body was cold as ice, a sign of separation. Flesh and spirit were no longer one.

Aang was gone.


 
THE FIRE NATION: AFTER THE HUNDRED YEAR WAR

The Fire Nation
AFTER THE HUNDRED YEAR WAR




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THE WAR OF HEIRS
104 A.G - 109 A.G

Fire Lord Ozai was dead, but peace was far from guaranteed. In his place, a crisis of succession sparked between his surviving children, Zuko and Azula.

At first, in an effort to stave off further conflict, due to their tender age and to satisfy adherents of the old regime, both siblings were crowned as co-rulers in the year following the disappearance of the Avatar. However, three shaky years into their joint reign, a thwarted assassination attempt on Zuko's life quickly served to shatter that fragile illusion of unity. As a result, an official civil war sparked between siblings, dividing the Fire Nation for five troubling years.

The crisis fractured the nation's army and the land in two; from the highest-ranking general to the lowliest of citizens, it was impossible not to choose a side. Both factions, eventually becoming known as Zuko's Reformists and Azula's Loyalists, battled across various Fire Nation cities, accusing one another of being the pretender. Finally, after one last decisive Agni Kai, Zuko defeated his sister, but nonetheless, was unable to kill her. Instead, on the first day of the new year of 110 A.G, she was permanently banished with what few loyal oathmen she had left, consisting of old regime ex-generals and scattered Dai Li agents. Worst of all, her daughter, an infant of only three years, was forced to stay behind to be raised alongside Zuko's own as insurance and punishment.

POST CIVIL WAR
110 A.G - 124 A.G (PRESENT DAY)

"A hundred years of fighting has left the world scarred and divided. But if we, as a nation, get back on the right path, we can begin a new era of love and peace."
โ€• Fire Lord Zuko, 110 A.G

Zuko had meant those words. The Avatar was gone; it was left to him to restore the balance and harmony in the world. The Fire Nation had done many wrongs and it was his duty to right them, no matter the cost.

Period of Reformation
From the very beginning of his reign, even as far back as being co-ruler with Azula, Zuko pushed for the liberation of all war prisoners. These efforts began slowly, but when he got full power the efforts increased and largely succeeded. As a result, many were liberated and able to go home. It was praised and applauded by many as the first true step toward redemption. Other major reforms included lifting the propaganda veil off of the education system. People of the Fire Nation started to learn what it meant to be part of the world and not just a part of the Fire Nation. To that end, many citizens worked where they could to repair some damage inflicted by the war. As a result of Zuko's reforms, Fire Nation inventors contacted Earth Kingdom colleagues to collaborate for the first time in over a century; scholars strove to recover lost history and eliminated deceitful propaganda long taught in school texts. Mutual trade with the Water Tribes boomed, helping stabilize the Fire Nation's pauperized coffers after decades of overblown military spending.

The Treaty of Imperial City, 110 A.G
To further commit to the cause of repairing the world for the sins of the Fire Nation, Zuko attended a Tri-Nation council with other world leaders. Despite significant opposition in his court and in his nation, he signed a document ensuring that hefty sums straight out of the Fire Nation's pocket would be delivered to the other two nations, all in name of reparation and reconstruction.

The Fire Nation Colonies
The colonies had long been a point of both pride and prejudice for the Fire Nation. Pride for the land, status, and resources they brought and prejudice thanks to the proximity of the Fire Nation's oldest and staunchest enemy, the Earth Kingdom.

The Earth King moved first. Not long after the Tri-Nation Council, demands from the Earth Kingdom came swiftly, detailing the urgent responsibility of Zuko to remove his colonies off of Earthbender land. In the year 112 A.G, Zuko then entered into negotiations with King Kuei. Despite Zuko's goodwill and willingness to cooperate, the same could not be said for Kuei. Fire Nation resentment wafted off him and his royal procession and it quickly became clear that if a decision was not reached right then, the Earth King would take matters into his own hands.

Within that year, decisive moves were made. The newer colonies were easier to immigrate back to the motherland. However, tensions and problems arose when it came to the older colonies. Established early into the war, the roots of these colonies ran deep. Interracial marriage, despite its taboo status, was common and mixed families had been living there for generations at this point, making extradition back to the Home Islands a near impossible task.

Yet the Earth King's disdain was not his to share alone. Since the conclusion of the Hundred Year War, prejudice against the Fire Nation still burned something fierce. Zuko was faced with two choices: forcibly remove all of his colonies from Earth Kingdom land and face rebellion, or peacefully give up authority from afar and let the colonies be subsumed and assimilated by the Earth King.

If only to prevent another war, the risk of an entire people losing touch with their birth culture, traditions, and even freedom to use their bending ability was one Zuko was willing to make. As a result, in the latter year of 112 A.G, the three major colonies of Yu Dao, Boat Bottom and Hu Xin were declared part of the Earth Kingdom, a move seen in present-day by some as rightful restoration and many others as abandonment.


 
THE EARTH KINGDOM: AFTER THE HUNDRED YEAR WAR

The Earth Kingdom
AFTER THE HUNDRED YEAR WAR




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THE LIBERATION OF BA SING SE
104 A.G - 109 A.G

"Earth is the element of substance. The people of the Earth Kingdom are diverse and strong. They are persistent and enduring."
โ€• Iroh, 99 A.G

Ba Sing Se was one of the final theaters of battle in the Hundred Year War. After Fire Lord Ozai's death, the Earth Kingdom's capital remained under Fire Nation control, largely due to the co-ruling influence of Azula. In 104 A.G., civil war having ignited between the siblings, the secretive Order of the White Lotus led by Grand Lotus Iroh, covertly infiltrated the great city. Engaging in guerrilla warfare against the occupying Fire Nation forces, they faced resistance from Azula's Loyalists. It wasn't until 109 A.G. that Iroh, persevering through years of conflict, ultimately liberated the city in the name of the Earth King and dealt a severe blow to Azula's campaign. Following this great victory and the official conclusion of his niece and nephew's civil war the next year, Iroh was privately granted full citizenship and freedom to live as he pleased with his ever-popular tea shop, the Jasmine Dragon in the Upper Ring.

Many, however, were not so fortunate. The battle had lefts its scars behind; whole blocks were decimated or badly damaged, leaving a number of citizens without homes. No longer a beneficiary of the Fire Nation, food shortages, crime and protests quickly became common among the lower classes in the Lower and Middle Rings as the newly enlightened Earth King and his near-nonexistent administration took a good few years to shape up to the circumstances.

The Dai Li
Long Feng was long gone. That meant that the most elite force in the Earth Kingdom had no head and was ready to bolt whichever which way. Following the Liberation, most in his court (which was not very many) advised King Kuei to disband the corrupted force immediately. But Kuei, who was eager to be his own man for the first time in years, did not listen. As was the trend, his plan was to reform the force and use their talents to help rebuild and enforce the city, which was descending into a fair bit of chaos. He dealt with the worst of the agents by way of punishment or death, but the plan remained: reform the younger others and expand the force with fresh blood. His efforts largely succeeded and the new elite force was renamed the Jing Wei.

When news came of Zuko's triumph in the final Agni Kai and Azula's subsequent banishment in 110 A.G, searches stretched far and wide, but ultimately returned fruitless. But not entirely pointless...


THE EARTH RESTORATION ACTS
110 A.G - 124 A.G (PRESENT DAY)

After having been so woefully oblivious for so long about the war, King Kuei set his sights on learning and rectifying the consequences of his ignorance. Thanks to reports brought back from the searches for Azula, the King learned that the situation was much worse than he thought: hundreds of villages were conquered and suppressed by the old Fire Nation regime. Land, freedom, and resources stolen from the hands and mouths of earth benders for decades. The very dignity of the Earth Kingdom had been violated, all in the name of Fire Nation conquest. There was only one way to restore it.

The Earth Restoration Acts (T.E.R.A)
The Earth Restoration Acts began as a single letter, sent promptly to Fire Lord Zuko shortly after the Tri-Nation Council and the signing of the Treaty of Imperial City in 110 A.G. Since then, it has morphed into a flurry of bills and new laws, facilitating important milestones like the acceptance of Imperial City reparation sums, the return of hundreds of Earth Kingdom war prisoners, and the reacquisition of Earth Kingdom land and resources from now-former Fire Nation colonies.

With the newly reformed Jing Wei enforcing the law, the reunification of families and ex-war prisoners, and the gradual reconversion of former Fire Nation colonies, a revitalization of the economy was ushered in, with Ba Sing Se at the helm. Citizens in the Middle and Upper Rings enjoyed a level of luxury unseen since the beginning of the war, skewing the already significant wealth gap between the higher classes and the Lower Ring. Ba Sing Se especially saw a rise of academies being founded to teach earthbending. The most prominent of these was Toph Beifong's Metalbending Conservatory, which was highly coveted due to its novelty, the complex nature of the bending, and Toph's reputation as a master earthbender, nobility, and relation to the Avatar. Post-war theater, circuses and the arts flourished as well; wartime plays and artworks depicting Earthbender tenacity, sacrifice, tragedy, and romance in the face of Fire Nation oppression were wildly popular. Comedic skits depicting and ridiculing the enemy were also quite appealing, feeding into the blatant and pervasive anti-Fire Nation sentiment across the kingdom.

The Fire Nation Colony Clause, 112 - 124 A.G (present day)
For King Kuei, all of the problems of his kingdom were terribly yet perfectly crystallized in the forms of the Fire Nation colonies. They were a product of the war, a pestilence he had let thrive on Earth Kingdom soil for too long. Following months of delicate negotiations, Fire Lord Zuko officially relinquished control over the older colonies in 112 A.G., gifting King Kuei the freedom at long last to implement his assimilation plan.

The Path to Citizenship
All former Fire Nation citizens were expected to acquire full Earth Kingdom citizenship, though this has often been described as a long, painful process with no true guarantee if it will get all the way through to the King for his stamp of approval. Most good and profitable jobs require either extreme goodwill, full citizenship or both. Full citizenship also allows the Earth Kingdom state to recognize earthbender and firebender marriage as legitimate. Children born into these marriages are recognized as full citizens.

But what is reality like without full citizenship?


THE DARK SIDE OF RESTORATION
112 A.G - 124 A.G (PRESENT DAY)

Under the purview of King Kueiโ€™s Council of Five, Head General Han and his lackadaisical right-hand man Lieutenant Sung maintain control of the most populated colony: the Hu Xin Provinces. General Khieu maintains control of the mountainous Yu Dao, while the largest landmassed colony of Boat Bottom is in the hands of Generals Duanmu and Yiwen. An estimated seventy or more percent of the colonial population across the three colonies do not possess or are in terminal waiting lists for citizenship. There is also a hierarchical nature to it; the less Fire Nation blood within you, the โ€˜easierโ€™ it is perceived to acquire. In larger metropolitan areas where they work, full and half-blooded Fire Nation colonials are required to either wear or carry around a special sunset-orange fabric pin in the shape of an Atlas poppy. Carrying identification papers and the pin is essential, as failure results in fines or physical discipline by Earth Kingdom patrols. Non-citizens face denial of services from Kingโ€™s businesses, hindering economic growth and pushing some colonies into dark trades, like most infamously the Seedy Merchantsโ€™ Pier near the Mo Ce Sea in the Hu Xin Provinces.

Firebending
Under the T.E.R.A Acts, firebending is expressly forbidden in public areas, no matter the case or context. Fire Nation cultural items and symbolism is not allowed in public or in the home. Both these rules are known to be enforced more loosely in the rural countryside and in some towns where enough bribes have been given. Punishments can range from fines, prison time for up to three years, or in more severe casesโ€”forget-me-nots, where the guilty are thrown into earthbent holes in the ground, or rock-binding, a Prometheus style of penalty where offenders are chained against the sides of cliffs, mountains or spires of rock and left to the mercy of the elements.

Lake Laogai Underground Labor Camps
With the fall of the Dai Li and Long Feng's nefarious brain-washing conspiracy, the facility under Lake Laogai was put back into the hands of its rightful ruler. The Jing Wei, under the King's command, seized control and scrapped the prison, building a deeper, more secretive labyrinth of labor camps underneath it. These subterranean camps became the designated punishment for Fire Nation colonial criminals, conspirators, and critics of T.E.R.A law. In the meantime on the surface, Lake Laogai transformed into a premier beach destination for both citizens and the elite, boasting first-rate resorts and attracting hundreds of annual visitors.

In stark contrast, the Serpent's Pass' surface serves as the primary expedited route for transporting hundreds of camp laborers annually. Yet, whispers of a secret second passage persistโ€”a convoluted underground tunnel carved through Serpent rock, leading directly to Lake Laogai. Through this hidden path, rumors suggest that as many as a thousand more unfortunate souls are compelled to navigate the dark and damp conditions enforced by the oppressive Jing Wei each year. While Earth Kingdom law technically allows for protests, the scope is severely limited in the colonies. Dissenters often find their family members, friends, or colleagues vanishing into thin air for days following such demonstrations. Later, these missing individuals are revealed to have been deemed guilty of conspiring against earthbender peace by Jing Wei operatives. Labor camp sentences vary, ranging from mere months to extended periods of several years, leaving the accused to endure the harsh reality of underwater labor in Lake Laogai's depths until the day they are forcibly ejected from underground, forgetting how they got there and how to firebend, ultimately left to find their own way back home.

Deportation
Standing as a significant blemish on the colonial way of life, generations of families have found themselves uprooted and thrust into an unfamiliar homeland, causing the separation of many mixed-bending families. This grim reality is enforced by King Kuei's dual instruments of powerโ€”deportation as his right hand scepter and labor camps as his left hand flail. This fate primarily befalls Fire Nation colonial figures deemed 'too prominent' to be confined to camps discreetly. National security serves as the official pretext for deportation, as the Earth Kingdom justifies its actions by framing them as necessary to prevent potential threats. Kuei's Court officials cite historical grievances and the fear of a resurgence of Fire Nation aggression.

Discriminatory laws worsen the situation for Fire Nation colonials, using the judicial system to breed bias and deny fair trials. Overcrowded camps drive the pragmatic decision to deport individuals back to the Fire Nation when space is limited. Amid the oppressive legal framework, some law enforcement elements grapple with moral dilemmas. Fueled by conscience and empathy, certain individuals refuse complicity in the unjust treatment of Fire Nation colonials. Others engage in secret acts of resistance; warning and aiding Fire Nation Colonials, forming alliances with resistance movements, sharing information to undermine the entrenched deportation policies, all at their own great risk.

The Silver Tongue of Propaganda
"There are no labor camps under Lake Laogai."
โ€” common saying

In the Earth Kingdom, King Kuei's propaganda machine plays a pivotal role in shaping the narrative around the treatment of Fire Nation colonies. The messaging disseminated through various channels aims to downplay the struggles of the colonies, maintain an illusion of unity, and justify the oppressive measures imposed by the Earth Kingdom.

Entertainment, particularly theater, serves as a powerful tool to craft a distorted image of life in the colonies. Productions are carefully curated to depict the colonies as thriving under Earth Kingdom rule, emphasizing purported benefits and minimizing the hardships faced by the Fire Nation inhabitants. This narrative manipulation creates a false sense of contentment and obscures the harsh realities of discrimination and subjugation.

Public events and celebrations showcase carefully selected aspects of life in the colonies, presenting a facade of prosperity and order. King Kuei's propaganda orchestrates these events to highlight apparent cooperation between Fire Nation and Earth Kingdom citizens, creating an illusion of harmonious coexistence. This portrayal conveniently overlooks the systemic discrimination, lack of representation, and economic disparities faced by the Fire Nation populace. Historical narratives are selectively rewritten to depict the Fire Nation colonies as willingly integrated and grateful for Earth Kingdom rule. Any instances of resistance or dissent are either omitted or distorted to fit the narrative of a benevolent Earth Kingdom overseeing grateful and cooperative colonies.

Oddly enough, authorities don't actively impede investigative efforts into the old, supposedly scrapped prison facility beneath Lake Laogai. It is true that the old Laogai facilities are abandoned, and individuals attempting to uncover the truth face little obstruction. However, the discouragement stems not from official interference but the inherent dangers associated with exploring the subterranean labyrinth. Reports of constant "rumblings" and the shifting of tectonic plates in the area pose significant risks to life, providing an alternative explanation for the hesitance to delve into the remnants of Lake Laogai's dark past.


 
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THE WATER TRIBES: AFTER THE HUNDRED YEAR WAR

The Water Tribes
AFTER THE HUNDRED YEAR WAR




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THE ELEMENT OF CHANGE
100 A.G - 124 A.G (PRESENT DAY)


"Water is the element of change. The people of the Water Tribes are capable of adapting to many things. They have a sense of community and love that holds them together through anything."
โ€•Iroh, 99 A.G

At the end of the Hundred Year War, civil war broke out in the Fire Nation, while food shortages, riots, and crime spread throughout the Earth Kingdom. Yet, true to their element, the Northern Water Tribe went with the changing of tides and somehow flourished. Agna Qe'la, its shining ice capital, steadily began to revert its strictly isolationist nature and open its ports again, reestablishing trade routes and dominating the waters. As if to make up for lost time, Sokka reunited with his father, joining him on many sea-faring adventures, before finally settling down and marrying Suki of Kyoshi Island, who also often accompanied him on their adventures. They made their home in the Northern Water Tribe where Sokka thrived. Bonded through their fondness of the late, great Princess Yue, Sokka and the Northern Tribe Chieftain Arnook steadily built a lasting partnership that would see him climbing the ranks of the Northern Tribe's military and spearheading many efforts to steer it to prosperity and simultaneously bring glory back to his native Southern Water Tribe. However, as time passed, despite the instrumental role she played in slowly reversing the Tribe's incredibly chauvinistic tribal ways, the culture shock, the remoteness and the realization that this would never truly be home proved, for Suki, to be the final straw that broke the badgermole's back. After three years of marriage, the pair amicably separated, remaining the best of friends and exchanging letters regularly to this day.

THE SOUTHERN RECONSTRUCTION PROJECT
102 A.G - 124 A.G (PRESENT DAY)

There was no denying the reality: the fortune of one tribe meant misfortune of the other. The Southern Water Tribe was in shambles. For decades, entire villages were robbed of healthy waterbenders, raided endlessly, and reduced to mere encampments of old women and children. Thanks to a lack of resources and stability, even small mercies like the return of surviving Southern war prisoners cast long shadows. There was no thriving economy to speak of, no grand capital city of ice to boast of, no proper military to enforce the law, and no one to give proper help to the poor traumatized souls experiencing a new kind of phenomenon: post-traumatic bending disorderยน.

But that was all about to change.

The first change was a change in Head Chieftain. Despite his age and old wartime injury acting up all over again, Hakoda was elected in the spring of 102 A.G. Under his leadership, in collaboration with the Northern Tribe chief, what had begun as a small band of waterbenders and healers inspired by the heroic actions of the Avatar after the last Fire Nation siege on the Northern ice capital Agna Qe'la, has since grown into one of the largest humanitarian efforts in history: the Southern Reconstruction Project.

Sadly though, it wasn't meant to last. Two years into his role, Hakoda succumbed to illness and infection, leaving behind his grieving yet determined daughter Katara to press for candidacy. Since the passing of the Avatar, Katara had come back home, taking it upon herself to care, preserve and reteach her people their sacred southern form of water bending. Most importantly, despite protests, she took it upon herself to care and seek out a cure for Aang. Much like how the siblings had found him all those years ago, Katara had encased him in ice.

Yet unlike with Hakoda, this time the choice was not so easy nor obvious. Others were also vying for the position of Head Chieftain. One man in particular, a former Fire Nation war prisoner named Gilak, stood out from the rest. A fervent believer in the notion that the high and mighty Northern Water Tribe had abandoned them during the war, he was a well-known opposer of all Northern influence in the Southern Reconstruction Project, fearing that the North would only use the opportunity to subsume its sister tribe. Despite garnering not an insignificant amount of support, in the end, Katara won the majority. Under her leadership, the Southern Reconstruction Project resumed in full force. Gilak meanwhile, continued to be a thorn in Katara's side, persisting as a figurehead of opposition to any and all Northern influence in the Southern Reconstruction Project. Fueled by his deep-seated resentment towards the Northern Water Tribe, he vehemently opposed Katara's leadership, considering her collaboration with the North a betrayal. Despite not securing the role of Head Chieftain, Gilak remained a potent force of dissent, rallying those who shared his anti-Northern sentiments. His continuous resistance poses a challenge to Katara's vision of unity and cooperation, regularly using his band of misfits to disrupt the ongoing efforts to rebuild and strengthen the Southern Water Tribe.

Period of Modernization (104 A.G - present day)
Since the fall of the old Fire Nation regime, the Northern Water Tribe has enjoyed an era of peacetime and prosperity. Sokka, with his influential ties to Zuko, King Kuei, his Southern Chieftain father, and later his sister Katara, played a crucial role in fostering this growth. His efforts resulted in transparent trade agreements with Fire Lord Zuko, mediation of the renowned Treaty during the Tri-Nation Council of 110 A.G, the establishment of a tribal pact with the late Southern Chieftain Hakoda to safeguard Air Bison Island, and active participation in the Southern Reconstruction Project. Despite these accomplishments, the Northern Chieftain's grasp on authority weakened due to one singular fact: the absence of an heir since the death of his beloved Princess Yue. This lack of successor has long fueled speculation and uncertainty among his council of Northern sub-chieftains, brimming beneath the acclaimed achievements that Sokka and Chieftain Arnook's diplomatic and strategic prowess has brought to the Northern Water Tribe.

Meanwhile, together with her brother Sokka, her former waterbending teacher Master Pakku, Zuko with his reparation sums, Toph with her metal-bending students, and the occasional helping hand of King Kuei, Katara founded the ever-growing Southern capital city of Umiakยฒ. During this time, Katara, to the chagrin of Sokka, struck up a rather tumultuous relationship with the infamous rogue Jet, whose brush with death at the brain-washing hand of Long Feng led to deep-rooted psychological issues that continues to plague their marriage. Sokka meanwhile, discovered new love with a Northern Water Tribe woman named Malina, a pioneering female engineer; the first of her kind in the North Pole. Alongside her non-bending engineer brother, Maliq, they became the backbone and the driving force behind the Northern Tribe's contribution to the Southern Reconstruction Project.

Despite all these new developments, Katara never failed to watch over Aang, spending as much time in the day as she could by his side. Throughout the years, it has become a tradition for Katara, the old gang and their children to come to visit Umiak every year and travel to the Iceberg, to commemorate the boy that had united them all together in the first place... hoping, waiting, and praying for the day their dear friend returns.

Future of the Northern Water Tribe
Soon after Sokka and his new Northern love, Malina welcomed their first child, whispers spread that Chieftain Arnook considered naming Sokka his adoptive son and presumptive heir to the Northern Water Tribe throne. Sure enough, when the offer came, encouragement to accept came from all sides; his sister, his wife, their children and most importantly, the people of the Northern Tribe themselves. The people, recognizing Sokka's unwavering dedication and contributions to the Tribe, eagerly embraced the idea. However, the potential shift in leadership was not the only development taking place within the Northern Water Tribe; thanks to the proposal, Sokka, Malina, and their children found themselves at the center of secret discussions about a potential unified government. Talks of a joint governance that could bridge the long-standing gap between the two tribes, which had broken apart thanks to the Hundred Year War. The whispers of unity grew louder as recently, earlier in the present year, Malina and Maliq made a groundbreaking discovery in the South Pole โ€“ vast and rich oil deposits which could fuel economic prosperity for generations to come. This news has so far been kept secret from Katara, creating a delicate situation that could potentially strain their familial and diplomatic ties...

ยน Post-traumatic bending disorder: a psychological and physiological condition in which those afflicted experience trauma-based intrusive flashbacks and memories related to their bending abilities, sudden difficulty using their bending skills, heightened anxiety associated with bending, and even a complete aversion to using their bending altogether.

ยฒ Umiak: traditional Southern Water Tribe boat made from animal skins, bone and wood (inspired by the real life Inuit). Katara and Sokka were in an umiak when they first discovered Aang.



 
THE AIR TEMPLES: AFTER THE HUNDRED YEAR WAR

The Air Temples
AFTER THE HUNDRED YEAR WAR




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GHOSTS OF A NATION
100 A.G - 124 A.G (PRESENT DAY)


"Air is the element of freedom. The Air Nomads detached themselves from worldly concerns and found peace and freedom."
โ€• Iroh, 99 A.G

Since the conclusion of the Hundred Year War, the Air Temples have remained in solemn, breath-taking ruin. Zuko, in the beginning of his co-reign with his sister, made efforts to spearhead a preservation project for the Avatar's old home, the Southern Air Temple. This undertaking aimed not only at the protection of the Temples from treasure hunters or restoration of the architecture, but also extended to salvaging Air Nomad artifacts, lost scrolls, and other cultural treasures pillaged over the years.

To fund and fuel the ambitious preservation project of the Air Temples, then co-ruling Fire Lord Zuko sought collaboration with the Water Tribes and the Earth Kingdom, enlisting manpower and financial support from both nations. The endeavor initially garnered widespread support. However, the project faced a severe setback following an attempted assassination orchestrated by Azula, diverting resources and focus to address internal strife within the Fire Nation. The subsequent civil war, lasting until the close of the decade, consumed the siblings' attention and strained the nation's resources. Azula's defeat and permanent exile in 110 A.G. marked the end of the civil conflict, allowing Zuko to reassume sole rulership and the Air Temple preservation project.

Despite his earnest commitment to cultural preservation, financial constraints and opposition from the majority of his subjects compelled Zuko to reluctantly abandon the preservation project two years into its implementation. The difficult decision reflected the delicate balance between preserving cultural heritage and addressing the pressing practical concerns of his people.

One Man's Treasure
In the wake of Fire Lord Zuko's abandoned preservation project for the Air Temples, a sinister undercurrent began to surface within the Fire Nation and beyond. The decline of state-backed efforts paved the way for a resurgence of treasure hunting and black-market activities focused on Air Nomad artifacts. Exploiting the temples' vulnerable, breath-taking ruins, unscrupulous individuals sought to capitalize on the rich cultural treasures hidden within. As rumors spread of Zuko's faltering commitment to cultural preservation, these illicit activities gained momentum.

The demand for Air Nomad artifacts, lost scrolls, and relics soared in the black market, attracting a network of clandestine dealers and collectors eager to capitalize on the newly unregulated trade. Shadowy figures roamed the ruins, pilfering the remnants of Air Nomad history to satisfy a burgeoning market hungry for exotic and forbidden goods. Throughout the years, an influx of malevolent energy has slowly dominated, inviting dark spirits to infest the once-sacred sites.

The Discovery of Wild Air Bison, 101 A.G
During one of their sea-faring adventures, Sokka and his father, Hakoda stumbled upon a remote, mountainous island nestled between the Northern and Southern poles. To their utter awe, they discovered a thriving herd of wild air bison. Recognizing the personal and ecological significance of this extraordinary find, Sokka and Hakoda decided to take it upon themselves to protect and domesticate the bison, establishing the island as a sacred site. Katara, enthralled by the discovery, wholeheartedly supported the cause, urging both Water Tribes to become stewards of the island.

The Water Tribes, both Northern and Southern, forged an agreement to jointly safeguard the island and its precious inhabitants. They built outposts, stationed skilled waterbenders to watch over the air bison, and ensured the island remained untouched by commercial interests. However, they faced intermittent raids by the elusive Sky Pirates of the North. These airship-equipped pirates sought to capitalize on the valuable air bison, capturing them for various purposes such as trade, labor, and, most significantly, as living engines to enhance the capabilities of their modified airships.

Amidst these challenges, Appa, Aang's loyal companion, found a mate and began a family on the island. Aang on the other hand, preserved within an iceberg fashioned by Katara herself, was moved from the Southern Pole to the island and hidden in a specially-marked cavern in the mountains. Each year, the old gang and their families gather there to commemorate his legacy.

ยน Air Bison Lifespan : It is a well-known fact that the bigger the animal, the longer they live. Normal bison live up to about 25 years, but due to Air Bison's superior size, they have roughly double that lifespan. Appa was 106 years old when he and Aang were first discovered and at the time of this RP, the ol' boy will be 30 years old.


 
THE FACTIONS
THE FACTIONS
 
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DARK SPIRITS: AFTER THE HUNDRED YEAR WAR

Dark Spirits
AFTER THE HUNDRED YEAR WAR




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The Hundred Year War contributed to the resurgence of dark spirits, as the global conflict caused more than a few spirits to turn dark. Following the Air Nomad Genocide, dark spirits began to inhabit deserted areas that previously had spiritual significance to the Air Nomads, including areas of meditation in forests located near the air temples.

In the years following the Avatar's disappearance, Azula and Zuko's civil war, the steady swell of industrialization and the resulting neglect of spiritual traditions, have birthed a rapid reemergence of dark spirits across all nations. While in the Northern Tribe dark spirits exist as smaller pockets roaming the tundras, most roam and ravage the South Pole in the form of a torrential blizzard known as the Everstorm, attacking individuals and settlements who attempted to journey through the storm. The capital city of Umiak has yet to witness or experience the Everstorm, but reports nonetheless still flow in. In both tribes there have also been reports of dark spirits lurking in the seas surrounding the regions, and incidents of attacks on ships in the waters near the Southern Water Tribe especially increasing as of late.

In the Earth Kingdom, reports of attacks from dark spirits on villages have also increased, as did reports of many mountain ranges being 'haunted' or 'possessed' by bands of dark spirits. In the last three years, a new rumour of dark spirits 'possessing' people themselves have begun to surface, though to the general pragmatic, unspiritual Earth Kingdom public, not very believed or confirmed.

Thanks to the civil war, some of the Fire Nation's smaller islands, both habited and inhabited, have experienced increased dark spirit activity, some inhabited islands going as far as to be assumed as fully 'bedeviled'. Though these are often taken as sailors' half-truths and stories. The same, however, cannot be said for the former Fire Nation colonies. Most reports of attacks on villages come from their side in the Earth Kingdom, which are often ignored or suppressed by King Kuei and his administration, in the interest of 'keeping the King's peace' and helped along by the status quo of colonials being second-class citizens. Other than the South Pole, dark spirits have manifested the most in the colonial regions thanks to the tension and resentment between colonials, both Fire Nation and Earth Kingdom-born as well as other foreign-born such as Water Tribes people, and the King's Army, sent there to reinforce colonial law.

He Who Knows Ten Thousand Things
Following the end of the Hundred Year War and the Avatar's disappearance, Wan Shi Tong was boiling with bitterness and betrayal. His closest spirits whispered tales that the sparks of another human war were being lit, this time fire against fire. The Great Owl was furious; it was clear that burrowing his precious library underground would no longer suffice. For too long, the mortal world had been unbalanced, off-course. For too long, Wan Shi Tong had tolerated the humans' poisonous cycle of conflict, for too long he had let himself weaken and humour a boy who thought he could save the world from itself.

Once it was known that Wan Shi Tong would abandon the mortal realm and its inhabitants, a good number of Knowledge Seekers in the Owl's ranks rebelled fiercely. But like the nighttime star against the mighty Sun, the insurrection burned away quickly to nothing. No matter, the Great Owl had thought. A new generation of fox spirits will take their places. A cleansing of the old world, blank slates that would only ever know of the mortal realm from afar, caring for his precious and vast collection not as Knowledge Seekers, but Knowledge Keepers. A new sect of spirit foxes that will only ever know the confines of the Library and never venture out into the mortal realm, charged with guarding and maintaining the Owl's vast archives...


DARK SPIRIT DIRECTORY
GENERAL FACTS

Dark spirits are entities that have become unbalanced due to the influence of the spirit of darkness and chaos, Vaatu, reemerging into and roaming the mortal world since the days of Avatar Wan.

โ€ข Most possess intangible, chaotic, shadow-like bodies.
โ€ข Are known to stretch limbs and form additional appendages.
โ€ข Can appear and dissipate at will.
โ€ข Are able to move at varying speeds and are affected by stimuli and bending in their own unique ways.
โ€ข They are attracted to spiritual energy both dark and light, as well as negative energy in their environment.
โ€ข When multiple of the same type of spirit are together, they are able to contort and fuse together to become larger and more powerful spirits or shift into more convenient forms.


DARK SPIRIT INDEX
AU & CANON









Dark spider spirit
In both the Spirit and the mortal worlds, the dark spider spirit is an entity that resides in hollow trees and caves from which they hunt, luring prey toward them by swinging their luminescent antenna. They are usually the size of small dogs and manifest the most in the Earth Kingdom. Their most deadly quality is their ability to contract and expand their sizes (with a cap limit of 3 times), reaching heights & widths upwards of 7 feet. Their bite, residing in their whip-like antenna, produces a paralyzing but not fatal effect. Upon discovering people in the mortal world, their souls are consumed. In the Spirit World, the dark spirit spider will catch and toss people into the Fog of Lost Souls.









Yวng yร n spirit
Large, ape-like beasts whose name roughly translates to shadowblazer, the Yวng yร n are one of the more commonly reported dark spirits that manifest and contaminate the Water Tribe tundras, as well as some cold mountainous regions in the Earth Kingdom. Their kind is rare in the Spirit World, but in the mortal realm they make up most of the Everstorm, a blizzard-like cluster of dark spirits lurking near the Southern spirit portal. Their most frightening qualities are their strength and ability to produce multiple limbs at a time.
BวŽi chว spirit
The BวŽi chว are canine-like entities that, when touched by the spirit of Vaatu, manifest all across the nations, particularly in and around ruins. They have a tendency to fuse together and travel as a pack-all-in-one, earning their local translated name as Hundred Tooth Hounds. Heartbreakingly, very few know their true origins: that they are in fact the corrupted spirits of past Knowledge Seekers.


Kemurikage
More legend than anything else, the Kemurikage were said to have originally been the spirits of grieving mothers of Ancient Fire Nation. Haunting the warlord Toz, who terrorized their village and abducted their children for refusing to pay tribute. For centuries, it is said they in turn terrorized warlords like Toz, up until the unification of the Fire Nation Islands under the first Fire Lord.


โˆ† GM'S NOTE โˆ†
This index will continually be updated as the roleplay progresses, as players are free to make up their own spirits, submit them for review & potentially see them in-action in IC!



 

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