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Bumi was not born a Prince of Omashu, instead being the illegitimate son of King Inda IV and a court jester. In his youth he was a friend of Avatar Aang before the latter's disappearance. His trademark eccentric behavior developed during this time, often playing pranks on his family. However he would unexpectedly become heir apparent the year after the Air Nomad Genocide, as his legitimate brother Inda was killed as part of the Delegation of Reckoning, forcing Bumi to become the new heir.

Bumi would prove himself a powerful bender, helping give Fire Lord Sozin his first major defeat at Mu Bay, holding the landing off long enough with a combination of Earth Bending and interpretive dance for the Southern Fleet to destroy the Fire Lord’s fleet. This victory would ensure that for nearly the entire war, the Southern Earth Kingdom would remain free of occupation. Shortly thereafter Inda IV died in his sleep, and Bumi donned the crown of Omashu. Which he replaced with some antlers because “it looked way cooler.”

Bumi’s role in the early stages of the war was largely limited to supplying the vast armies of the North From the relatively secure south, and keeping the south inline. Many Kings of Omashu would have taken the opportunity to either declare independence from Ba Sing Se, or even allied with the Fire Lord to get even with their old rivals. But Bumi would hear none of it, famously ordering the construction of a mail chute from his throne room to the dungeons so that any defeatist advisors could be swiftly imprisoned.

The Rise of Azulon saw new challenges for Bumi. Omashu was forced to watch helplessly as her stalwart ally the Southern Water Tribe, was slowly dismembered by the Fire Nation. With the retreat South of the Tribesmen, the Fire Navy earned free reign over the seas, exposing much of the Earth Kingdom to raiding. Here Bumi’s diplomacy shone through. Despite his occasionally odd tactics (asking for “honest opinions of my hair” as tribute, trading gum for rock candy) the King of Omashu forged a powerful coalition in the south, bankrolled by rich families such as the Beifongs. Bumi stands out as one of the few Earth Kingdom leaders to have genuinely friendly relations with the sandbenders, whom he called “the only sane people on the planet” and “surprisingly good at cooking sunfishwhale, what with living in the desert and all”.

Bumi initially had good relations with the Earth Kings, sending support and men to aid in their desperate battles for control of the North. However as the Zheng Dynasty declined relations deteriorated. Newer kings feared Bumi’s Earth Bending skill, and thought he coveted the throne. To be fair, some did whisper that Bumi  was the only king worth the name, particularly as the Fire Nation crept closer to Ba Sing Se. Bumi spurned all such talk, dutifully sending his tribute, although he did not help matters by sending pranks “in the hopes that I can get the Dai Li to laugh.”

The late stages of the War saw Bumi forced again to face combat personally, although he no longer could face armies alone. The Fire Nation broke out of the colonies and swamped the Earth Kingdom. The regency of King Kuei essentially ended any central direction of the war effort, and the Earth Kingdom fractured badly. Bumi played little role in the Defense of Ba Sing Se, although his presence on the Fire Nation’s Southern Flank did divert some troops from Iroh’s campaign.

Bumi was now the only person alive who remembered the war’s beginning.

Bumi would briefly host the Avatar on his way to the North Pole, then would face the Army of the Great Divide as it marched South on Omashu. Controversially he would surrender the city and himself without a fight, fearing mass casualties from an urban fight. He would spend his time imprisoned needling his captors with bad jokes. When the time came they were either so endeared that they surrendered without a flight or fled in terror.

However the Omashu Army was nonetheless able to withdraw in good order, and supplied many of the forces used on the Day of Black Sun. That same day, Bumi was able to escape his confinement and single handedly evict the Fire Nation from his city. He called it "a nice bit of exercise" and "very fun." This action seriously disrupted Fire Nation supply lines and prevented a total occupation of the South.

Bumi made his way North, likely via his contacts in the Order of the White Lotus, and joined the Order outside of Ba Sing Se. There he played a key role in the reconquest of the city, backing the renthronement of Kuei.

There is some dispute about whether Bumi used spiritual means to extend his life or whether he was just really old. When asked he replied "why not both?" And then laughed far too much. In any event, his health began to fade after the end of the war. He found time to become a great patron of Metalbending, infamously disguising himself as a child to get into the first classes offered by Toph Beifong.

Bumi never married ("I'm a king, if I want some cake I can get some cake without all the the trouble of getting married") and so obviously there was significant concern over who would succeed him. To put these fears to rest he organized a city wide scavenger hunt to select an heir, which was won by a cobbler named Mochee. Bumi would spend his last few years training Mochee in the arts of Earth Bending, ruling, and pie throwing.

King Bumi of Omashu would die aged 121 in 109, after the longest reign of any known monarch. His funeral was attended by all the world leaders, who got to witness a funeral procession designed by Bumi himself.  There were bad puns, good puns, sing a longs and heartfelt goodbyes. And at the end everyone got a gift bag filled with rock candy.

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The Siege of Ba Sing Se was a pivotal moment in the Hundred Year War, being the largest purely land battle of the entire War. The early 90s AG had been dominated by Crown Prince Iroh’s continued success in the Northern Earth Kingdom. In late 92 he successfully forded the Dashe River and established a lasting presence there, the farthest East the Fire Armies had pushed via land alone. Winter and a lack of supplies prevented his further advance, but already the Dragon of the West was planning a new great offensive. 

Most of 93 was spent convincing Azulon that Ba Sing Se could in fact be taken, and then assembling the force needed to besiege and capture the Great City. By 94 the so-called “Army of the Dashe” was ready, 750,000 strong. It swept aside a half-hearted defense at Ni, and soon enveloped the walls of Ba Sing Se.  

The Earth Kingdom’s response was, as was by now typical, disjointed and inefficient. Former Regent Long Feng maintained control over King Kuei and failed to provide direction to the men or allow his skilled Dai Li agents to fight. Had he maintained control of the city, it likely would have fallen. However just days before the encirclement of the City was complete, Guanyu Ye, and his 10,000 veteran soldiers from Chu who had marched and sailed at record speed, slipped into the city. Long Feng and the Dai Li would maintain control of the palace and the King, but Ye would effectively turn the palace into a prison. Food and water were sent in, and Ye was unwilling to put up a fight as of yet, but no orders were allowed out. The quixotic siege within a siege would last for the duration of the siege. 

Ye set to work manning the walls of Ba Sing Se, drafting many men as he could into service, although most would serve on the inner walls. The General settled in for a long siege. He placed future Council of Five members General How and Sung in charge of the Two Internal Armies. The pair alternated keeping order in the city and acting as reserves for the forces on the wall. Ye had not wanted to appoint Bo Yang as Commander of the Outer Wall, but felt he needed some sort of sop to the Incumbent Council of Five, who were lending tacit support to his quasi-usurpation of Long Feng. This would prove disastrous. 

Iroh severely underestimated the defensibility of Ba Sing Se, despite its fearsome reputation. As with most would-be conquerors, he did not realize the extent to which the walls around the agriculture ring made the city invulnerable to a simple starve-and-wait siege. After several months of skirmishing along the walls, General Ye famously ordered a great feast sent to the Fire Nation headquarters, in honor of General Iroh’s birthday, which infuriated the Crown Prince into action. 

Control over the siege works was given to Masumi, Lady of Pyre and Master Engineer. 9 great towers were constructed in hopes of gaining control of the wall. They were subject to much sabotage from Earth Kingdom forces, but eventually the spires of metal and wood were rolled into place. Fierce fighting erupted on the battlements, and several times it seemed as if victory was close at hand. But How and Sung acquitted themselves well in plugging any breaches, even as Yang proved himself a liability, prone to defeatism and overcoution. 

The coming of winter provided a welcome respite for the forces of the Earth Kingdom, as rust and rot necessitated substantial repairs to the great towers. The attacks resumed with a greater ferocity come spring, but still the Great Walls did not fall. Wave after wave of Fire Nation men went to their deaths. Meanwhile the food situation began to grow grim. The land just outside of Ba Sing Se is not fertile, and the army was stretching their supply lines. 

However on the Autumn Equinox of 95, the Great General Guanyu Ye was killed defending a guard post atop the wall, leaving the frankly incompetent General Yang in command of the city. Meanwhile, Fire Nation catapults were burning the crops of the agricultural ring. Eager to take advantage of this Iroh and Infantry Commander Kanji made a daring plan. 

The Fire Nation attack came in a place between where the towers had been. Fire, stones, tanks, and the Crown Prince’s own lightning were thrown at the wall in great numbers. Finally, after over a year, a breach was made large enough that it could not easily be bent shut. But the Fire Nation did not have control of it yet. For nearly two months Iroh fought How and Sung for control of the breach, before finally taking control. Yang, despondent, surrendered the entire Outer Wall on the spot, despite How’s far better plan to create a makeshift second line. 

Tragedy soon struck for the Crown Prince. His only son, Lu Ten had been placed in charge of the cavalry, despite his youth and inexperience, and had been itching for action for the entire siege. He led a charge into the agricultural ring, only to find that How had not abandoned it entirely. Sources differ on how he died. Fire Nation accounts insist he saved his entire unit from destruction with his death. Earth Kingdom songs tell of an inglorious demise in a cowpig sty. 

Whatever the cause Iroh descended into a fury and burned his way to the Inner Walls. When he saw that they were just as tall and strong as the Outer Wall, he wept. 

Much has been argued about why the Crown Prince withdrew. Traditional accounts cite grief over his son’s death. Later histories, more skeptical of assigning causality to one thing, explain it by saying that the Fire Nation simply did not have the men or resources to besiege the Inner Wall. Ba Sing Se would no longer have access to the agricultural ring, but the Fire Nation could get little out of the burning landscape. Attrition rates were high and morale was low, despite the recent victores. Indeed, the Fire Nation was not able to hold even Iroh’s prior conquests after they withdrew from Ba Sing Se. Still, Iroh had overcome greater odds before, but it seems Lu Ten’s death sapped him of his famed ingenuity.

The impact of the failed siege was massive. Although militarily it did not turn the tides, the Fire Nation was again at the gates of Ba Sing Se within five years, it did prolong the war enough for Avatar Aang to return. Internally it shook up Fire Nation politics, resulting in the rise of Ozai to power. And inside Ba Sing Se How and Sung made the fateful decision to ally with Long Feng, allowing him out of the palace, in exchange for Royal Appointments to the Council of Five. Thus, despite his lack of notability during the Siege, Long Feng remained in control of Ba Sing Se. Fear of a repeat of General Ye’s seizure of power are likely what caused him to institute a ban on the discussion of the war. 

One final note: When Princess Azula took control of Ba Sing Se in 100, and ordered the Dai Li to bring down the walls, they did so (without orders) at the exact spot where Iroh had breached them. 

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Many advanced forms of bending have murky origins. Bloodbending seems to have been developed independently at least twice. And despite increasing evidence that late 300s/early 200s BG bandit Xu Ping An invented the form, the Fire Nation still insists lightning generation was developed by the Royal Family. However no such ambiguity exists with metalbending.

Long thought to be impossible, Metalbending was developed by Toph Beifong while in captivity in 100 AG, by bounty hunters working for her family. She would continue to utilize and refine the form throughout the remainder of the Hundred Year War.

The from draws heavy influences from Beifong’s own personal style, which was a combination of forms popular in her hometown of Gaoling and moves she learned from studying the movement of Badgermoles (which closely resembled Archaic Earthbending). Technically speaking it is the impurities in the metal being bent, and different levels of refinement pose different challenges for a metalbender. In addition only roughly 30% of earthbenders can metalbend, although the reasons for this remain unclear.

Following the War Beifong embarked on her famous feud with the Great Sages of Ba Sing Se, who refused to recognize her accomplishment as she had not passed any sort of Earthbending exam, and was in fact unable to do so due to her inability to complete the written section. However Beifong was not deterred, and many prospective students, including future Chancellor Ho Tun, saw the obvious benefits. It was King Bumi of Omashu who provided funds for the first Metalbending academy, which would later become the site of the city of Zaofu.

The center of metalbending shifted to Republic City with Beifong, whose metalbending students formed the core of the new police force to the point where the two became synonymous. Her later work showed specialization of the form for policing. After Beifong’s abrupt retirement in 143, her two daughters would become the premier innovators of metalbending.

The elder daughter, Lin Beifong would continue her mother’s later work in Republic City. Republic city metalbending is a direct, forceful art, focused on practicality above else. Most developments are made on the fly, often without a formal name. Influences from other bending forms common in the city are rampant. Even taking into account police training, there is little formal record keeping of the Republic City style.

In contrast Suyin Beifong’s Zaofu School is a deliberate effort to earn metalbending the kind of respect that other forms of bending receive. An emphasis is placed on the beauty of the form, and the possibilities it creates. Each new technique is rigorously recorded, and accompanied by philosophical principles, unlike the slapdash Republic City style. It should not be mistaken as impractical however, Zaofu Metalbenders formed the core of Kuvira’s Army of Unification and proved their power.

Counter-metalbending tactics typically consist of several types. There are of course, other types of bending. Some Metalbenders have been known to neglect traditional earthbending styles, leaving them weak on that front, although others are masters of earthbending as well. Chi-blocking and electric gloves can also be used, although many Metalbenders use shielding. Finally metal refined past a certain point becomes unbendable. All such metal has been termed “Platinum” although any refined metal works and using true platinum for this purpose is actually quite rare.

Since its creation metalbending has undoubtedly changed the world. Construction has become far more rapid. Anti-earthbending tactics perfected over generations became worthless overnight. The form’s development has been rapid, and several proto-schools have been developed outside the wider Beifong Family. It remains to be seen just how far metalbending will go. 

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In the late summer of 0 AG, all of the Air Nomads, typically dispersed far and wide across the world, returned to the Air Temples for the great Kurultai. Every 10 years the Air Nomads gathered to discuss and debate the management of their nation, in particular selecting new Abbots for the Temples. This year was especially special, as the Great Comet would bless the skies during the Kurultai. Perhaps this was a good omen, and help the abbots of the Southern Temple find the Avatar before word got out that he was missing.

It was not a good omen.

The Fire Nation struck with speed and fury. Powered by the comet they reached the temples with ease, and burned or chased off all of the bison. Then they set to the grisly work of commiting the Genocide. The grisly details are a story for another day, but suffice to say the once proud Air Nomads were reduced to a single boy, frozen in an iceberg.

The Earth Kings and Chiefs of the Water Tribes were not always paragons of morality, but they were horrified by the attacks. They sent a Delegation to the Caldera, demanding an explanation. The High Chief of the North’s second son, several prominent Southern Leaders, the Grand Chancellor of Ba Sing Se, and the crown prince of Omashu all joined this delegation. And all perished in fire.

Sozin promised a quick and easy war, over before the next Avatar was of age. The Water Tribes were divided and the Earth Kingdom had always teetered on the edge of chaos. Similarly the “Allies” as they came to be known, thought they needed to hold out until the new Water Avatar (who would hopefully not be another Kuruk) could be found and trained. Twenty years at most, they said.

The Fire Nation initially made landings in the Northwestern Earth Kingdom, near earlier sites of attempted colonization. Their new metal ships and well trained crews, along with a sluggish mobilization from High Chief Tuuq allowed them to establish beachheads. Attacks in the South were repelled by Omashu and the Southern Tribes, including a major defeat for Sozin himself at Mu. For now, the fight remained in the North.

The early years were characterized by back and forth warfare, mostly in what is now the United Republic of Nations. The Fire Nation controlled the sea lanes to their landing areas, but little else. Sozin’s old age limited his effectiveness as a leader, whereas King Yahui proved a vigorous leader, able to contain the Fire Nation advances. High Chief Tuuq, despite some early missteps, was able to find a balance between creating a unified Water Tribe war effort and not alienating the sometimes proud Southern Chiefs. Several times during the early years, it seemed as though the Fire Nation might be expelled from the Earth Kingdom, notably after the Battle of Tao when Sozin supposedly seriously considered surging for peace. But the Fire Nation held.

However, at the same time it was becoming apparent that the Water Tribes were not in possession of the next Avatar. Despite frenzied efforts from Sages at the North and South Poles, no one could find them. The traditional scrying method was not producing any results whatsoever. Fear began to spread through the allies that Avatar Roku (or the then-unknown Air Avatar) had not been reborn for any reason. Hope sprang eternal in the Fire Nation that this was the case.

The 20s AG were a time of continued stagnation on the front, but important changes were happening internally, as all of the nations received a new leader in a five year time span. Tuuq died in 19, and was succeeded by his nephew Anik as High Chief. Anik was a competent administrator, and a decent tactician, but proved ill-equipped to inspire confidence. He was high handed, provoking dissent from both Southerners and some of the more independent minded Northern Clans, resulting in an at times dangerous lack of coordination among the allied fleets.

In 20 AG Sozin passed away in his sleep, trawling the seas searching for the Avatar. His son Azulon ascended to the throne. Azulon was ruthless and cunning, and a soldier by education unlike his brother. He was perhaps the first man to anticipate the possible length of the war, and made long-term plans accordingly. In war he was aggressive.

Yahui’s untimely death following a fall from his Ostrichhorse in 24 would prove disastrous for the allies in the long term. His son Kun was a drunkard who cared more for women than for fighting a war to preserve his kingdom. Initially he at least made an effort, but as time went on he became less and less engaged with day to day affairs.

Azulon adopted an aggressive posture towards the enemy, favoring bold attacks and massed assaults. In this he proved largely successful. By the late 30s the Fire Nation felt secure enough to begin a formal colonization process in the Earth Kingdom, as the front had been pushed far enough inland that civilian colonies would not be immediately threatened.

Meanwhile he promoted newer, bolder, captains into the Fire Navy and began attacking the Water Tribes in the Polar Seas, even raiding the homelands of the tribes. The battles were fierce and back and forth. To defeat waterbenders at sea is a difficult thing, even for the pride of the Fire Navy, and the seas remained a battleground.

Around this time it became apparent that the Avatar was not going to return anytime soon. Fire Nation propaganda stated that Agni had judged the Avatar unworthy and so had prevented his rebirth. Allied forces alternated between panicked denials and accusing the Fire Nation’s ambitions as having imbalanced the world so much the Avatar spirit had withdrawn from the world.

In the year 42 Anik passed away from what is believed to be stomach cancer, a reoccurring bane of Northern Water Tribe leader, and was replaced by his son Nilak. Nilak was a powerful bender, but with little mind for proper tactics. He wished the respond with boldness to Azulon’s boldness, but lacked the skills to back him up in such a fight. The Water Tribe’s fleet was smashed several times under his personal command, including at the crucial Battle of Whaleantelope Strait in 44, where the Fire Lord personally commanded the Fire Navy to victory over both the Northern and Southern fleets. The Fire Navy was now the most powerful force on the waves, although the days of unparalleled dominance were yet to come.

For a while the competent commanders Yahui had promoted were able to keep the Earth Kingdom’s ship afloat, so to speak. But they aged and died with time, and Kun simply did not care enough to replace them carefully. Soon the Earth Kingdom was backed against two great rivers, the Dashe in the north, and the Jiantau further south.

In 51 Nilak was killed in battle, the only world leader who died in such a way save the Abbots killed in the Genocide. His advisers had suggested not attacking several Fire Nation ships at once, but the hot headed chief did not listen and perished for his trouble. His younger brother, Illuq, succeeded him and took a far more conservative approach to the war. The Water Tribes, he announced in 57, would no longer undertake any offensives. Instead they would defend their homelands and that alone

Accusations of cowardice were quick to follow. Even the normally apathetic King Kun sent angry messages. The strategy was, in truth, ill-advised. It totally conceded the seas to the enemy, and left both Water Tribes open to direct raids, which would have disastrous consequences for the South in particular. In addition the Fire Nation could now harry the Earth Kingdom forces beyond the western seas. The realities of logistics prevented anything more than seizing some islands, and occasional raids, but it still stretched the Kingdom’s forces even further.

The decision also inevitably cut the Southern Water Tribe off from the North. The long growing separation of the two had actually been halted by the war initially, since military operations demanded unity. But within a few years of the withdrawal orders, contact had been lost. The Southern Chiefs met in an assembly to select a new Commander-in-Chief. This was not an easy task, as the various tribes of the South were quite defensive of their independence. The chiefdom of the North was as much about keeping power far far away as much as it was about respect for the ancient lineages. Eventually however, the tribes selected Tuktu, Chief of the Aput Tribe, as war leader “until such a time as contact was restored”. Tuktu fought well, but the Southern Tribe was not as well suited to defense as their Northern cousins, and soon the Tribe was collapsing. The Fire Nation Policy of kidnapping or killing any waterbenders they found entered full swing.

In 62, Earth King Kun died aged 67, surrounded by women and wine. His son Jie took the throne. Initially this was met with celebration, particularly when Jie removed several incompetent generals, and ordered a new strategy of aggression against the Fire Nation. However his replacements were little better, and as Crown Prince Iroh, Dragon of the West, proved himself perhaps the most capable general of the war, Jie’s strategy proved inept. In addition, he revealed himself to be a terrible ruler. His father had been lazy and weak, but amiable nonetheless. Jie was cruel in a way that crossed the line into madness. Men were boiled alive for insulting him. Failed generals were thrown to the eelhounds.

The Fire Nation thus secured control of all the land behind the Dashe and Jiantau, and soon two great armies were dispatched in 71. Across the Huang went Iroh and General Zhizo was sent across the Jiantau. Iroh would fight a long and hard in the Mountains, having to face Earthbenders in their natural element. Zhizo meanwhile, faced General Tian and proved woefully unprepared. Tian completely obliterated the Fire Nation army both themes Zhizo tried to ford the Jiantau.

This, however, raised the ire of King Jie, who grew paranoid about Tian’s ambitions, fearing a coup was in the works. In 73 he summoned Tian to Ba Sing Se to face trial for his ‘treason.’ However when he arrived, Jie had been killed by an impromptu alliance of the Dai Li, Council of 5, and Palace Guards, and the Crown was offered to Tian, who accepted. Debate still rages about just how much General Tian was involved in this conspiracy. He of course claimed ignorance and issued reprimands to the killers, but at the same time issued no substantive punishments and reportedly was wholly unsurprised when he entered the city to claims of “Hail King Tian!”

After his coronation Tian would cross the Huang River and fight Prince Iroh amongst the great mountains of the north. Military historians consider this brief window the period of finest generalship in the war,a flurry of manoeuvre and counter-manoeuvre dominated by two generals at the top of their prowess. A grudging respect was formed between the two, and the two would even occasionally exchange tea recipes.

In 75 Tuktu of the Southern Water Tribe was captured by the Fire Nation in a daring nighttime raid led by Commander Jeong Jeong who was later promoted to Admrial for his efforts. Tuktu eventually died in prison in 98 after years of mistreatment. His removal fractured the already precarious unity of the South Water Tribe. The following years would see the once proud nation reduced to a string of villages desperately fighting raids, and see Waterbending nearly eradicated around the South Pole.

The late 70s would also see a change in leadership in the North, as Illuq was succeeded by his non-bender son Arnook. Arnook would mostly follow his father’s example, battering down the hatches in the north to make his tribe an unappealing target for the Fire Nation.

However the duel of armies between Iroh and Tian could not continue forever. Azulon, feeling Iroh needed proper training to become Fire Lord and perhaps fearful that losing the close fought campaign might discredit his favored son, recalled Iroh to the Fire Nation. This was a marked departure from his traditional strategy of aggression. It had might have been a disaster for the Fire Nation, had Tian not suddenly died a few months later in 79. Officially a spideradder bit is too blame, although some suspect fowl play from ambitious officials.

Tian left behind a 4 year-old son, Kuei, and the the various generals and Sages of the Earth Kingdom naturally squabbled over the regency. Eventually it was agreed that the new head of the Dai Li, Long Feng, would be regent as it was generally agreed he had no ambition. This was a mistake.

Long Feng did have a limited scale of ambition, wanting only control over Ba Sing Se, and focused more on preventing any General from replicating Tian’s feat. To this end he gave more discretion to local officials, while limiting the influence of the Council of 5.

Somewhat surprisingly, this worked well initially, and Long Feng continued the policy as he retained control over Kuei long after the regency officially ended. Over the course of his brief reign Tian had encouraged the promotion of commanders who took the initiative and struck hard and fast. Increased familiarity with Fire Nation technology was also a boon.

The 80s were a time of renewed vigor for the Earth Kingdom. General Ye in the South continued to stymie the Fire Nation’s efforts to reach Omashu. Meanwhile renewed offenses in the North led to the reversal of many of Iroh’s gains. By 92, there was serious talk of crossing the rivers again, and taking the fight to the colonies. Thus Azulon redispatched Iroh.

Crossing the Dashe and Jiantau however would require more coordination between riverine and army forces, and the lack of a central authority to coordinate them severely hampered any efforts. Fire Nation commanders in the South began using the same roving terror tactics that had worked against the Southern Water Tribe, preventing any force from assembling. Meanwhile Iroh again entered the Northern Mountains, and found that with Tian dead he no longer had a worthy opponent. Within a few years, he had completely occupied the territory between the Dashe and the Huang Rivers.

He then famously crossed the Huang in 94 and besieged Ba Sing Se for 600 Days. General Ye made an equally daring march and barely beat Iroh to the city, temporarily displacing Long Feng as master of the capital, although the Dai Li head maintained control of Kuei. Ye would perish during the seige, and Iroh would take the outer wall. However the death of his son and supply issues would eventually lead to his withdrawal without conquering Ba Sing Se.

This retreat, and Iroh’s long mourning period for his son, opened the door for his younger brother Ozai to take the throne when Azulon died in 95. Much controversy surrounds the death of the Fire Lord. Some claim Ozai or his wife Ursa poisoned Azulon, others point out that Azulon was 95 years old. Most however dismiss Ozai’s claim that Azulon declared him heir on his deathbed.

The demoralizing retreat from Ba Sing Se and the suspicious succession of Ozai might have provided an opportunity for the Earth Kingdom, had Long Feng not remained in control of Ba Sing Se. His temporary loss of control during the Siege had sent him deeper into paranoia. He now officially banned any discussion of the war inside the city, and further devolved powers to local leaders to prevent any more challenges. He also ceased giving any sort of orders, leaving the Earth Kingdom’s forces rudderless. This allowed for more expansive Fire Nation raiding, and a rapid string of successes for the newly crowned Fire Lord Ozai.

Early efforts were focused on the South, where a new push south of the Jiantau was accompanied by ambitious landings for the sea, which proved a deadly combination. Even in areas where occupation proved impossible, raiding was a powerful weapon for the Fire Lord’s army.

In 93 a Fire Nation raid aimed at further eliminating waterbending in the Southern Water Tribe occured. This alone would not bear noting, save for the impact this raid would have. Firstly it failed to actually kill the Waterbender in question, Katara, future wife of Avatar Aang and master of her element in her own right, instead killing her mother. Her father, Chief Hakoda, was understandably enraged. He spent the next four years traveling to the various Southern Water Tribes and urging them to action. By 97 he had, mostly through his sheer charisma, reassembled the shattered coalition. It was greatly understrength, and possessed no waterbenders, but was filled with competent sailors and seasoned warriors.

Hakoda made the bold decision to abandon the South completely and head to the Earth Kingdom, where he reasoned the war would be won or lost. They would spend most of their days guarding River mouths from Fire Nation raids in coordination with local Earth Kingdom authorities.

By 99 the Fire Nation was making advances back across the Huang, abilit at a slower pace than under Iroh, and were beginning a series of campaigns aimed at encircling Omashu. Most experts predicted victory would come soon, especially with the comet returning, although how Ozai planned to break Ba Sing Se remained unknown.

Then everything changed when the Avatar returned.

The Avatar’s impact on the war was largely physiological, inspiring fiercer resistance in the hopes of buying him enough time to master the elements. He also occasionally disrupted enemy supply lines, although this seems to be largely incidental to his training.

There were, of course key exceptions.

In early 100, Admiral Zhao tracked the Avatar to the Northern Water tribe and took the opportunity to make the long delayed assault to break the Northerners, just as previous Admirals had broken the South. However this plan backfired when Zhao killed the moon spirit, causing the Avatar to merge with the Ocean Spirit. Zhao was killed and the Fire Navy suffered its worst defeat in 200 years. This defeat more or less prevented any further water based offensives for the duritation of the War. It also roused the Northern Water Tribe from its extended period of isolation. Small aid missions were sent although conveniently by the time any substantial force was assembled the war was finished.

Aang aimed to continue his training in Omashu, only to find the city captured after the surrender of King Bumi. However Bumi was, as ever, playing the long game and the Fire Nation found itself expending more men occupying the region then it had invading it, largely because the Omashu Army had never been totally defeated in battle and was able to start guerrilla activity. The Avatar continued on his quest from here, eventually finding an earthbending teacher in unoccupied Gaoling.

Eventually circumstances that would take too long to explain brought the Avatar to Ba Sing Se, concurrently with a Fire Nation assault based around a large drilling apparatus. Having once again reached the walls, the Fire Nation intended a more direct approach rather than a siege. Had Aang not personally intervened, it is likely that attack would have succeeded. Had the operation included war balloon support as initially planned it probably would have succeeded regardless of Aang’s presence. However military politics had recently led to the war balloon/airship project moving to the Navy, and Minister Qin was unwilling to share the glory.

This defeat was not altogether disastrous however, as Princess Azula and Prince Zuko were able to seize Ba Sing Se weeks later in a coup aided by the Dai Li. Avatar Aang barely escaped with his life, along with King Kuei who was finally alerted to the war existing.

The Avatar’s next move was his most direct effort to win the war yet. A coalition of various Earth Kingdom forces, notably Omashu Units, and the Southern Water Tribe attempted to seize control of the Fire Nation Capital, both harbor and caldera, taking advantage of a solar eclipse occuring over the Fire Nation. However the Fire Nation forces has been forewarned and was able to hold off long enough to secure victory and capture the majority of the invasion force. Aang was able to escape, and would gain a firebending teacher in the process as Prince Zuko would defect to his side shortly thereafter.

The Eclipse also passed over the Southern Earth Kingdom, where it was used to much greater effect by King Bumi to liberate Omashu. This, and other guerrilla activity, was rapidly making the Fire Nation’s recent advances untenable. Azulon had possessed the administrative skills to manage the growing empire, whereas Ozai did not. Rather than address this personal failing, he resolved to commit mass genocide.

His plan was to use the power of the incoming comet to burn the Earth Kingdom to ashes. Although the sheer scale of geography and population precluded a repeat of the Air Nomad Genocide, Ozai hoped that he could destroy any organization that the Earth Kingdom had, reducing the Kingdom to a scattering of scarred nomadic bands, enabling the colonization of the entire region.

While Ozai plotted, his brother Iroh, Dragon of the West did so as well. Iroh had been imprisoned following the capture of Ba Sing Se, but had escaped during the eclipse. He assembled, for the first time publicly, the Order of the White Lotus, with the intent of restoring Kuei to the throne. King Bumi arrived to aid the endeavor, along with Master Pakku and the only significant Northern Water Tribe contingent of the late war. Iroh was joined by a contingent of Fire Nation defectors including Jeong Jeong and Master Swordsmith Piandao. The attack was soon aided by a largely spontaneous uprising of Earthbenders inside Ba Sing Se and succeeded in seizing the city.

Meanwhile the Avatar faced the Fire Lord in single combat and, after a hard fought battle in the Wulong Forest, managed to strip Ozai of his bending. Meanwhile his companions (save Zuko and Katara) were able to disrupt and destroy Ozai’s airship fleet. Other fleets were still able to do substantial damage, before being recalled by orders from the capital.

Said orders were the result of the dramatic Agni Kai between Zuko and Azula, which Zuko won, after which Azula was restrained by Katara. Zuko immediately claimed the throne then sent out orders to stop the attacks and withdraw from the Earth Kingdom.

Spariodic fighting would continue for some time, withdrawing the Fire Army took months and many Earth Kingdom forces were unwilling to let them leave unbloodied. And there were inevitable mutinies from more fanatical Fire Nation soldiers. Despite this the Day of the Comet is considered the end of the Hundred Year War, literally a hundred years since the war began.

There would be crises to follow. Fights over the colonies and over reparations. Internal battles in every nation. But the world has never seen such long lasting brutality since the war ended, and hopefully it never will again.

Chapter Text

Fire Lord Chaeryu had two sons.

Well, he likely had many more. Chaeryu was infamously generous with his pleasures, and no doubt there were many sons and daughters of unmarried (and perhaps married) commoners quietly given a stipend to live far away from court.

But he had two sons that could not so easily be dismissed. There was Chaejin, son of Huazo. Huazo was the prize daughter of Saowon Clan, a powerful force in the outlying islands. Chaejin possessed several attributes that seemed to make him an ideal heir, aside from being the eldest son. He inherited his father’s self confidence and stature, and while “Chaejin” and “Chaeryu” sounding similar may seem trivial to modern audiences it carried powerful symbolic significance.

Chaejin was not, however, legitimate.

Huazo was booted as a potential bride soon after she discovered her pregnancy (but before she informed the Fire Lord) and was replaced by Sulan. Sulan was a scion of the Keohso Clan. Although still on an outlying island, the Keohso were much more closely linked to the Capital. Sulan died giving birth to the Fire Lord’s official heir, Zoryu, and Chaeryu would never marry again.

Zoryu was much smaller than his father, and was far less accomplished in feats of Fire Bending, despite personal tutoring from Hei-Ran former headmistress of the Royal Academy. He was quite well learned, an excellent administrator, and even capable of great political strategies. However for the latter he needed time. When thrown into situations where an immediate response was needed, Zoryu had an unfortunate tendency to panic.

After a few years at court Chaejin and his mother were packed up and sent back to Ma’inka Island. Eventually, of course, Chaeryu died, and Zoryu became Fire Lord. The Saowon Clan, ambitious for Chaejin, used their influence amongst the Fire Sages to make Chaejin the official representative of the Sages at Court. This had the bonus of making him very difficult to remove.

Chaejin almost immediately began to undermine his brother, gathering support with the aid of his mother’s clan. Poor harvests and a variety of bad omens undermined Zoryu’s authority, although he still retained the support of the Keohso Clan. Court was swiftly divided. Chaejin’s supporters wore Camilla Crest of the Saowon, while the Fire Lords’s party wore his mother’s Peony. Soon tensions were running high, and war seemed on the horizon.

Things came to a head in 295. Avatar Kyoshi arrived for a royal festival, and was sucked into the political maelstrom. This was followed by an attack by Yun, the Earthbender who had been falsely proclaimed as the Avatar before Kyoshi had been properly identified. Yun’s main target was initially Hei-Ran, his supposed Fire Bending tutor. Hei-Ran was also representing her own Sei’naka Clan

Kyoshi and some close companions withdrew from the Capital, while riots flared up all across the Fire Nation. After a few days away, an another near fatal attack on Hei-Ran by Yun, the Avatar and company returned to the Cladera, with Kyoshi apparently having discovered some new information.

And then…

Well. There are three stories.

The first is the one widely reported at the time. Kyoshi had discovered evidence that Yun was conspiring with the Saowon Clan to destabilize the Fire Nation, and promptly apprehended Chaejin and his mother for incentivizing riots. Upon hearing this Zoryu swiftly found and apprehended Yun. Support for the Saowon collapsed upon discovery that they were working with foreigners. However, at the insistence of the Avatar and the mercy of the Fire Lord, no mass executions took place. The Saowon were confined to their home island. The conflict was termed the Camellia-Peony War by the Fire Lord, for the symbols of the leading clans involved. This has the benefit of being close to the source, although there are some questions. Why would Kyoshi, not terribly well known for her mercy, want the Saowon spared? And why would Zoryu, who was known for his at times frosty relations with the Avatar, listen? And it does hew towards the traditional portrayal of Avatar-Fire Lord Relations, one of professional harmony rather than one saving the other.

Under the reign of Fire Lord Sozin, history was rewritten. Claiming “new evidence” had arisen, Fire Nation propaganda changed course. In this version Zoryu takes center stage, apprehending both Yun and the Saowon Clan. Kyoshi is portrayed as an incompetent, a dangerously violent loose canon who nearly ruined everything, only made somewhat respectable by her Fire Nation allies. Evidence provided for this includes Kyoshi misidentifying Chaejin as Zoryu and a supposedly botched interrogation of the Saowon Clan. And, since no self respecting Fire Lord would do anything different, all the traitors are executed. In addition, the event was renamed as the “Floral Crisis'' as no war actually took place. This change in title is the only bit of historiography to last, as the story reeks of anti-Avatar propaganda.

Finally there are Oral Traditions on Kyoshi Island that tell yet another tale. Here, Yun’s preference for the Saowon Clan was a personal effort to derail Kyoshi’s Avatarhood and open up a line of attack on Hei-Ran, and that leading Saowon members were in fact totally unaware of his actions. The “Yun” captured was in fact an imposter produced by Zoryu who used it as an opportunity to defeat his rivals. The real Yun in fact remained at large until being slain by Kyoshi a few months later. A riveting tale, although how much of it is the result of years of local legend is unclear.

As for the truth, none but the spirits know.

Chapter Text

200 AG was many things. A time of reflection about a century of rapid industrialization. A solemn remembrance of those lost in the Air Nomad Genocide, buoyed by the return of the Air Nation. A time of remembering for those lost in the century of war. A time of mass protests demanding yet more reparations from the Fire Nation. A time of fear that Fire Bending extremists might use the return of the “Peace Comet” (obviously it couldn’t be Sozin’s any more) for acts of terrorism. 

It was also a fantastic opportunity for the rich of Republic City to make a ton more money. 

While pro-bending, its offshoots, and rattanball remained the primer sports worldwide, one on one bending duels remained a popular mass spectator event. Earthbending duels were common in the former Earth Kingdom, while the Agni Kai had gone from an overly formalized system of conflict resolution, to a sport popular in both the Fire Nation and United Republic. 

There were three major Fire Bending titles available. The championship of the Annual Royal Firebending Academy Tournament. Held once a year, the tournament was centuries old and the traditional choice for determining the world's most powerful Fire Bender (although members of the Royal Family did not participate, often leaving the question open). Then there was the Agni Kai Circuit, which utilized a mainly lineal title system, wherein the current titleholder lost the title to whoever beat them. The AKC mainly worked to ensure competitive matches for titleholders, and held other matches to determine lower rankings. 

In the United Republic of Nations Circuit, things were a bit more complicated. A current champion losing in a random bout would not lose them the title, with it only being on the line in fights officially sanctioned by the URN Circuit. 

Obviously debates emerged as to which of the three titles held the most value, which champion was truly the greatest. By the late 190s, the Fire Nation considered the question settled. Ratana, son of a minor official from the Capital, had won the AKC Title in an upset in 197 and maintained it despite expectations. He also won back to back Royal Tournaments in 198 and 199, somewhat unusual but not unheard of for an outsider.  

In the URN Circuit Jingyi Kong was the dominant force in Agni Kai fights since 196, never letting an opponent go the distance. Her style was fast and agile to account for her somewhat smaller frame, a contrast to Ratana’s endurance based strategy for fighting. She was a major celebrity, starring in several movers and even doing a charity pro-bending match that featured the champions in the various dueling sports against the reigning champions. 

Naturally the idea of having these two champions fight was immensely appealing to fans, and the sports executives who would make a killing on it. And when better to host it than during the Great Comet, when firebending prowess would expand a hundredfold? It was practically an excuse to print Yuans. 

The AKC and URN Circuit quickly agreed to the deal, with plans to resplit the unified titles in a few months. The Royal Academy, of course, would never surrender their title to anyone but a tournament winner. The date was set. 

There was massive excitement about the fight and it soon became one of the premier events of the Day of the Comet, alongside various remembrance celebrations. It was moved from the Cabbage Corp Arena to the far more prestigious Pro-Bending Arena on the Republic City waterfront as demand for tickets went through the roof. 

The betting odds tilted towards Kong. Her aggressive style was thought to be more enhanced by the comet than Ratana’s defensive stances. In addition, in fights between Earthbending champions from URN and those from the ex-Earth Kingdom, URN fighters almost always won. But there was a substantial and vocal minority who supported Ratana’s prospects. 

The fight itself saw a massive crowd pack into the Pro-Bending arena, and they watched a great fight. 

Kong’s furious attacks were impressive to behold, powered by the sheer might of the comet. After the first round, the front rows were moved back for fear of burns. However Ratana’s defensive bending abilities were equally improved, and Kong’s soon found herself depleted after the first three rounds of fighting. However the sheer size of her flame left Ratana cautious in the final two rounds, and the Fire Nation man had expended quite a bit of energy himself. Thus, he focused mainly on counterattacks for the final two rounds. Had is not been for the comet enhanced bending, it probably would have been a dull fight. 

Royal style Agni Kais still went until someone yielded or first burn, but Circuit style had five rounds, after which a panel of judges decided a winner if no one had yielded or been knocked out. And it was the judges who would decide “The Clash of the Comet.”

Their unanimous declaration of Ratana as the winner provoked furious debate. He had been on the defensive for much of the match, and had never really seemed close to landing a knockout blow. Some accused the judges (two URN, one Fire Nation by the by) of being on the take. Others however pointed to Ratana’s superior composure by the end of the fight. He looked as if he could go another five rounds. Kong meanwhile, was clearly exhausted, barely able to stand on her own two feet.  

Thus, the three great titles of Fire Bending were United. At least for now. Tournament play is always unpredictable. And the URN Circuit requires champions to defend their title at least once a year, and Ratana admits he is unsure about whether he is willing to travel. 

The Clash of the Comet remains the most profitable sporting event in history, and helped rejuvenate interest in bending duels. Currently plans are underway for unified Water, Earth, and Air championships. 

Chapter Text

After the short but violent occupation of the Southern Water Tribe by Northern forces, it was universally agreed by the various Chieftains that the time had come for a formal split between the Water Tribes. For the majority of its history the South had acknowledged the Northern Chiefs as sovereign, but had largely done so because accepting a Northerner was better than accepting their neighbor. However the leadership of Hakoda, his son Sokka, and the rigors of war had created a Southern Identity. Unity had weakened with the death of Sokka and the subsequent power vacuum, but Northern Occupation that had been allowed by this disunity hammered home the need for a unified and independent South.

Ironically, it was a Northerner they selected as their first High Chief. Tonraq was in fact the brother of Unalaq who had recently invaded the South and then tried to destroy the world. However Tonraq was also Chief of the influential Uluriaq Tribe, by virtue of his marriage to Senna who was the daughter of the previous Chief. And, as father to the Avatar, he was well versed in international geopolitics and it was unlikely he would start a dynasty. He had also gained credibility leading the resistance to Unalaq.

Thus there was general agreement behind a Declaration of Independence and Proclaiming Tonraq as High Chief of the Southern Water Tribe. The devil, however, was in the details

Tonraq convened an assembly of Chiefs to write a formal Constitution for the Southern Water Tribe, held at Taqqiq Palace, but soon found there was substantial disagreement about the structure for the new Government.

Tonraq sought broad authority over all matters, drawing perhaps on the Northern Water Tribe he had otherwise abandoned. He agreed with the necessity of some sort of counterbalance to his power, likely a council of tribes. But he wanted the central government to have wide authority to levy taxes, develop infrastructure, and enforce laws. He acknowledged that his daughter was unlikely to succeed him as High Chief, but wished to maintain authority over his own succession. Opposing him was a more conservative faction, led by Chiefs Akiruk and Itkaktuk. They remained suspicious of any move towards centralization. They favored only limited powers to the High Chief, tempered by a Council of Tribes with powers to restrict him, and which would elect a new High Chief. True authority in most matters, however, would rest with the individual Tribes.

There was a small delegation of more radical Chiefs who favored the United Republic as a model. They were led by Suaktuk. They favored centralization, but wanted an elected Council restraining the authority of the High Chief, who would be subject to popular election, although only among hereditary Tribal Chiefs. This faction would achieve little at the Convention itself, but would play a key role in the fight for elected Tribal assemblies later on.

Ultimately outside events would detriment the course of the Convention. The Red Lotus Crisis began soon after the Convention began, and Tonraq was soon traveling the World with his daughter combating the issue. This was widely applauded at home, but left his faction leaderless. And with the radicals so small, the conservatives dominated the proceedings.

When Tonraq returned home he was presented with a fait accompli, and dealing with Korra’s injuries at the hands of the Red Lotus, did little to combat the Conservative Constitution.

The High Chief was given command of the newly unified Southern Forces and wide latitude to conduct foreign affairs. The central government was also given the right to levy tariffs for revenue, but no other taxation powers. Almost every other facet of government was left to the individual tribes. All treaties, declarations of war, and financial matters had to be ratified by a Council of Tribes. Each Tribe, regardless of size, received one representative appointed by the local Chief. The Council also had the right to elect a new High Chief when Tonraq died.

Despite its limited scope, the Southern Water Tribe Constitution was a major historical moment. It was the first written Constitution outside of the United Republic, and set the stage for greater cohesion inside the Southern Water Tribe. The Convention introduced many in the South to politics, and marked the start of a vibrant political scene.

Chapter Text

Princess Azula of the Fire Nation was the second child and only daughter of Fire Lord Ozai. Despite being quite young, she was a key figure in the later half of her father’s reign. 

Azula was born in 85 AG, daughter of the then Prince Ozai and his wife Ursa. She was, from the moment her studies began, considered a Fire Bending prodigy, far more so than her older brother Zuko. 

Upon her father’s ascension to the throne, Azula became a Princess, but also had to grapple with the sudden exile of her mother, Ursa. She continued her firebending studies, being a rare natural producer of blue flame. It is known she was close to future Fire Lady Mai of the Sei’Naka Clan as well as a woman identified only as Ty Lee.  

With her brother’s mutilation and banishment in 97, Azula became heir apparent to her father. She accordingly received a greater role in Fire Nation propaganda, being portrayed as an enforcer of Ozai’s will. Considering Ozai’s already dark reputation, this is a disturbing prospect indeed. However many scholars consider this no more than propaganda, and believe this was just Ozai setting up Azula’s uncontested succession. 

In 100 Azula was dispatched to capture her brother and uncle Iroh, accused of treason. When this failed she was placed in charge of the ongoing Fire Nation efforts to capture the Avatar. This was, after Aang had publicly returned, less of a wild redherringgoose chase then it had been before. But it was still not a command of any combat troops, nor an administrative role. Clearly, while he trusted her bending ability, Ozai did not want his daughter in a position of actual command. 

Azula’s movements during this period are as scattered as the Avatar she pursued. Various writings confirm she had a few confrontations with her brother as well. Eventually, however, she caught on to her lack of real power, and resolved to do something about it. 

She usurped control of the Drill attack on Ba Sing Se from War Minister Qin, but saw her efforts defeated by Avatar Aang. However she would not be denied for long. Disguising herself and some close allies she snuck into the city. She managed to strike up an alliance with Long Feng of the Dai Li. Long Feng was disturbed by the Earth King’s desire to resume an active role in the war. He struck a deal with Azula, granting her control of the Dai Li while he remained imprisoned. His understanding of the deal was that Ba Sing Se would become an independent country, loosely affiliated with the Fire Nation when all was said and done. 

Azula acted quickly, taking control of the city with ruthless force. Although no one has ever provided details, she seems to have severely injured Aang, removing a major obstacle to her power. She gained the support of her brother Zuko as well, ending his long exile, although only temporarily. She double crossed Long Feng and took direct control of Ba Sing Se for the Fire Nation. 

Her months in Ba Sing Se were likely the high point of Azula’s life. She ruled unopposed, with little oversight from her father or anyone else. She had done what her Uncle (whom she incidentally captured along with Ba Sing Se) could not and brought the Earth Kingdom to near total defeat. 

However her father, always paranoid, could not allow another, even a daughter, to hold such power. He recalled her and her brother from the Earth Kingdom and sent a more pliable man to rule on her stead. This likely delayed the massive uprising seen on the Day of the Comet by several months, as Azula’s rule had been unbearably harsh. Back home, Ozai further cut into her esteem by restoring Zuko as hier. 

At this point, Azula seems to have gone into a long stage of increasing mental illness. Psychobiographers remain unsure on the cause. Some of it may have been the inherent trauma of doing what she had done at age 14, some of it may have been inherited instability from her father’s line. Certainly further betrayals, Zuko joining the Avatar for good and then the admittedly murky circumstances that led to the imprisonment of future Fire Lady Mai, did not help Azula’s mental health. 

By the Day of the Comet Azula was deep into the throes of paranoia, even speaking against her father on occasion. He nonetheless promoted her to Fire Lord as part of his own accession to the “rank” of Phoenix King, although it is not clear how much power he intended her to wield in the event of victory. 

In any event, she was defeated before she could be crowned by Zuko, a setback that triggered a full mental breakdown. Incoherent at this stage, she was transferred to a mental asylum in the Fire Nation highlands, and subject to regular chi blocking to restrict her bending. 

The return of her mother Ursa to the Fire Nation in the 110s seems to have helped trigger a rebound in Azula’s mental health. In 123 she was released from the mental hospital and given space at the Royal Household. However she remained under heavy guard, as extremists tended to back her claim to the throne with Ozai stripped of his bending. This scrutiny, combined with disagreements with members of both Zuko and the Avatar’s inner circles, triggered a relapse and in 129 she was readmitted to the asylum. 

Her stay was shorter the second time and she was rereleased in 133. This time she was given her own estate on the small island of Sofina. While still observed, there was a less restrictive environment and she remained there for the rest of her life, save occasional visits to the Capital. In 164 her mental health again took a turn for the worse, although this time it was a byproduct of her failing physical health. In 165 she passed away aged 80. 

Azula is remembered as a great “what-if” by Fire Nation ultranationalists disappointed by Zuko’s reign. More mainstream histories paint her as Ozai’s somewhat less competent sidekick, although many contemporaries viewed her with equal fear. Residents of Sofinia remember her as their slightly odd and temperamental lady, but seemed to find her more a curiosity than a threat. 

Chapter Text

The Equalist Party was a revolutionary anti-bending party active in the United Republic of Nations from 161 to 170 AG. 

Non-bender activism has been present in the United Republic since before there had been a Republic and had only grown larger with the rise of industrialization. Various groups emerged opposing the status quo of bending representatives governing the city. The Equality League was probably the largest, focused on ending all distinctions. Initially limited to petitions, the League steadily radicalized against any and all bending use as the years went on There was the Community Defense Organization, formed in an attempt to protect non-benders from triads. They were largely unsuccessful in this endeavor, but still provided muscle for the early Equalists. Finally, there was the Reform Association, largely made up of wealthy elites who sought political autonomy for the Republic from the foreign powers that nominally guaranteed their independence. Initially, the Reform Association had both bending and non-bending members. But the bending members were able to gain influence with their money into the decision making of the various bending delegates, leaving the country de facto independent. Thus, the non-benders were left out to dry.

Into this blend stepped Noatak. Although a powerful water bender, Noatak had grown to hate bending as a result of a horrendous childhood at the hands of his father, notorious crime leader Yakone, who established the basic model still used by Triad leaders today. Noatak took the name Amon and began preaching a radical message, the elimination of bending entirely. Far more substantially, at least at first, was Amon muscling his way into control of the Tiger Flats Triad, the only major non-bending triad in the city. This provided him with links all across the city. Indeed, initially, even future opponents praised him for bringing respectability to the gangs. 

Although he had not yet revealed his, still not entirely understood, power to remove bending, from the minute Amon proclaimed the Equalist Party’s founding, it grew exponentially. First came members of the Community Defense Organizations, eager for more defense, and the most receptive to Amon’s less than peaceable methods. The Anti-Bending League soon followed, disenchanted with the prospect of reform, many members turned towards a radical vision.

Amon never did get a majority of the Reform League, or even a majority of its non-bending members. His talk of Revolution smacked of property damage to many wealthy. But his appeal to the middle class was more successful, and he made contacts in the upper echelons of High Society. These contacts gave him access to the technological genius and moral authority of Republic City’s most famous industrialist, Hiroshi Sato. And they gave the Equalists access to something even more powerful: yuans. Money would never again be an issue for the Equalists. 

The Equalist Coalition was extremely unwieldy. There were large segments of the urban poor, frustrated by their lot working day after day in factories. And then there were the men who owned those same factories. At every Equalist Party conference, there were long, continuous debates over what the post-revolution society would look like. 

The official banning of the Equalist Party in a 4-1 vote by the United Republic Council in 168 would both help and hurt the cause. On one hand, repression produced a backlash, and more recruits flooded into the Equalist Training Houses. On the other hand, poorer Equalists got the majority of the punishment and resented the ability of the wealthier members to avoid imprisonment. 

The only thing holding the Equalists together was Amon. The rapid rise to prominence of the party was attributed to his abilities. Via a combination of threats, lies, and centralizing power in the party to himself, Amon smoothed over differences. This also created a powerful cult of personality around Amon/Noatak. The Equalist Party was closely bound to his will. All major party events. From bending stripping ceremonies to the attack on the pro-bending final. All were centered around Amon and his face. Later Equalists figures would claim private opposition to the personality cult, although there is no contemporary evidence of this fact.

Shortly after the arrival of the Avatar in 170, the Equalist Party launched an effort to take control of the United Republic. Using Future Industries technology, the Equalists managed to take control of Republican City, destroying the United Forces Fleet as it arrived. However their support in the countryside had always been weak, and their control was limited outside of the city. 

Inside the city, Amon was revealed by Korra to be Noatak and a bender, which shattered the Cult of Personality instantly. The Equalist Revolution collapsed swiftly, some factions fought each other, others just melted away. Any remaining resistance was swept up by the arrival of United Forces Reinforcements. Noatak and Tarrlok would go missing but are now presumed dead. Hiroshi Sato was arrested trying to flee. 

Placing aside those who entered the criminal underworld, turning their training towards making a profit, the Equalists shattered into three main factions. The prosperous upper and middle-class types joined the National Equity League. The Equity League dropped calls for violent revolution, popular elections had come and the main grievances had disappeared. The Rich could now also be the Powerful. The working class had the Popular Equalist Party. This faction focused more on economic demands, and still occasionally riots to maintain influence, but have also seen entry into electoral politics. Finally, there is the rump Revolutionary Equalist Party, the only party that maintains “Amonism” as an official stance. They claim that reports of his waterbending are false and maintain that only the violent overthrow and destruction of bending can achieve equality. 

Attempts at reunification have been made, but have never amounted to anything, as the conditions and personalities that created the Equalists Party are long gone. But for many, the dream lives on. 

Chapter Text

Hakoda was born in 59 AG in the then-small village of Arjugaatchia in the Southern Water Tribe, son of Ataataga of the Allik Clan and Kanna, a refugee from the North leaving an arranged marriage, and one of the last connections before the Water Tribes were separates by the misfortunes of war. Ataataga was made chief of the clan when Hakoda was 6, and would serve with distinction during the wars against the Fire Nation, including as a ship captain on the raid that prompted the construction of the Great Gates of Azulon.

However the defining feature of Hakoda’s upbringing would not be victory, but grim defeat. The Southern Water Tribe became a poor target for Fire Nation raids, aimed specifically at kidnapping or killing Waterbenders. This in turn made it more difficult for Water Tribe ships to defeat the Fire Nation at sea, which in turn made raids easier for the Fire Nation. The beleaguered Earth Kingdom could offer little aid, while the Northern Water Tribe was able to escape the same fate, mainly by utterly abandoning their Southern cousins to their fate, a fact that caused no little resentment among Southerners. By the time Hakoda came of age War Chief Tuktu had been captured, to die in Fire Nation captivity.

The Southern Water Tribe, always fractious, shattered. Clans did not wind up in open war, but coordination was lost. No longer would united operations be undertaken. No longer would any attacks be made on the Fire Nation, or the Fire Fleet. Nor would there be any sort of coordinated defensive strategy, no forts on outlying islands as there once had been, no aid from neighboring clans in times of need. This, naturally, made the South even more easily targeted by the Fire Nation, and soon Water Benders were nearly completely eliminated.

Nonetheless, the Water Tribe trundled on, and the Allik Clan was no exception. Hakoda grew up the son of a Chief, although such distinctions meant less and less as the Tribe dwindled. His physical prowess was considered mediocre, especially compared to his best friend Bato. However his ingenuity was renowned, and his skill with traps was said to bring in as much meat as the greatest hunters of the tribe. He also became known for his memorization of ancient oral epics and his recitations to the tribe.

Hakoda also served as a warrior for his Clan and his Tribe, often manning the walls when Fire Nation raiders attacked his village. Hakoda’s knack for innovation again shone through, as his abilities to create booby traps and plan strategies to confuse and defeat the Fire Nation often proved successful. His willingness to share these strategies with other Clans endeared him to all across the South Pole. Hakoda’s ability to inspire his men to action and fight on was also widely known.

Hakoda would marry Kya, of the nearby Inikuk Clan in 83 AG, to much celebration, and many came from across the South to congratulate the happy couple. Even if many found his choice of jokes at his speech somewhat inappropriate. Kya and Hakoda would have two children, Sokka and Katara, both of whom would become famous in their own right. In 89 Ataataga died, and by general acclamation Hakoda succeeded him as chief, continuing to lead his men into battle against the Fire Nation, whose raids were becoming deadlier if more infrequent with the lack of Water Benders in many areas of the South.

There was, however a water bender in Arjugaatchia, Hakoda’s daughter Katara. Efforts were kept to maintain the secret, but word eventually leaked to the Fire Nation, who mounted a major raid on the tribe. The traitors who had sold the information to the Fire Nation were executed prior to the raid, in the traditional manner of being cast into an ice crevice. Given the events of the raid, this probably spared them a more gruesome demise.

The Raid of 94 was devastating to the Allik Clan in particular, with many homes destroyed and loved ones lost. For Hakoda personally the most devastating was the death of his beloved wife Kya, struck down by a fire bender while defending their daughter Katara. The Southern Raiders would eventually withdraw, as they always did, leaving a shell-shocked community and a grieving Chief.

However, Hakoda would not remain idle and spent much of the next few years traveling the South. Learning both about the Clans and the war, finding what information existed about the Fire Nation. He quickly came to several conclusions. Firstly, if united, the Southern Water Tribe could still play a key role in the war at sea. Secondly, the war would not be won in the South. The fate of the world rested in the great struggle between the Earth Kingdom and Fire Nation. Thus, he began to pitch a bold plan. The South should unite once more, and send her warriors North to fight. Fight the Fire Nation wherever possible and bring victory to the Earth King. Only then could the South be free. It was a bold plan. But Hakoda’s logic, reputation, and skill at public speaking would win him the support he needed.

Hakoda would claim surprise at being selected War Chief of the South for his expectation, but he in all likelihood expected this outcome. It was his plan, and as such it only made sense he would be given overall command of the fleet that departed the Southern Water Tribe in 97 AG.

The Fire Navy still patrolled the seas quite tightly, but Hakoda knew the waters well and weaved his way through the islands of the Southern Sea expertly to avoid being caught. It was only at the final moment when tracked by one Captain Zhao, Hakoda’s fleet was caught by Admiral Kaya’s Southern Fleet by Whale Tale island. Battle was briefly joined, and the Fire Navy seemed to be getting the better of it, but the wind shifted and Hakoda fled north. Fatefully, Kaya ignored Zhao’s begging and declined to leave his command area, allowing the Southerners to slip the noose.

Kaya might have expected the Home Fleet under Admiral Mizuho to intercept. But the prestigious Home Fleet was perhaps too prestigious for its own good. Ships that were impressive looking but outdated or impractical. Crews who were eager to be close to home and out of harm’s way rather than fighting, Officers who had achieved their positions via politics, not merit.

The Fire Nation had controlled the Mao Ce Sea, and the shipping lines between the home islands and the colonies for so long military escorts were hardly ever used. The home fleet sat in port most of the time. So there was plenty for Hakoda to raid. His men seized industrial products headed to the war front from the homeland, and they seized food and raw materials going from the colonies to the home islands. After years of being an afterthought, the “Water Tribe barbarian” returned to the forefront of Fire Nation propaganda.

Further disaster struck when Mizuho sortied in an attempt to defeat Hakoda. Hakoda hugged close to the shore, where the deeper Fire Nation ships had difficulty navigating and laid an ambush. The Third Battle of the Mao Ce Sea (the first two having been over half a century prior) was a devastating defeat for the Fire Nation. Hakoda would be forced to abandon his second in command Bato due to injury. He also failed to coordinate his campaign with any other anti-Fire Nation force and so little long term was gained, despite some delays as a result of shipping disruptions. However, for a time he truly ruled the waves.

Eventually, however, Admiral Kaya and the Southern Fleet would steam North, and Hakoda surmised that he could not defeat a battle-ready fleet. Thus, he turned North as well, sailing around the northwestern extremities of the Earth Kingdom, again benefiting from the mistakes of the Fire Navy. The Northern Fleet had not been informed that he was fleeing, and so was not positioned to stop him.

Hakoda might have continued North towards his Northern Cousins and found a safe harbor. But that may have given time for the Northern Fleet to pursue, Hakoda never entirely trusted Northerners, and he remained committed to his assumptions surrounding the Earth Kingdom guiding the fate of the war. However, he must have been seriously considering it, as the route he took would have made no sense otherwise.

Hakoda now turned back South for the first time, heading up the River Dashe in mid-98 AG. The River had been under Fire Nation control for some time now, despite being a key front earlier in the war, and so again Fire Nation forces were not particularly prepared. But guerrilla attacks by Earthbenders meant that the garrisons and towns lining the river were fairly experienced. So rather than a prolonged stay, Hakoda’s Dashe River campaign was more one long-running fight down the river, rather than a prolonged stay. Although Hakoda was able to inflict great damage, his own fleet was heavily mauled in the process, unable to escape to safe harbor or even over the horizon in the narrow confines of the River.

Hakoda exited the River into the Great Western Lake, which was also largely under Fire Nation control. Hakoda would seek to evade rather than confront the Fire Navy here, his men exhausted and somewhat demoralized. If their intended destination had been the Great Lakes the entire time, they muttered, they should have taken the shorter Jiantau Route inland, rather than circle the Earth Kingdom and take the longer and more treacherous Dashe. However, Hakoda remained broadly well-liked, in part because he always shared in the hardship of his men, there was never any serious talk of mutiny.

Hakoda would slip through the lake and into the last toeholds of Earth Kingdom control, where he was treated coolly. The Earth Kingdom had been fighting without allies for years now and were suspicious of offers of aid. He was ordered to proceed to the more secure Great Eastern Lake, than travel by land to Ba Sing Se to account for himself. However, this order was countermanded by Long Feng, who feared obvious foreigners in the capital would cause unnecessary excitement. Hakoda and his men were ordered to defend Chameleon Bay, at the other end of the Tuman River. Important yes, but not the main target of Fire Nation advances in the Earth Kingdom.

Hakoda would spend the next months impatiently defending Chameleon Bay. He turned the region into a fortress and picked fights with the otherwise uninterested Fire Nation forces. He was bored and felt he should be doing more, but felt bound to support the Earth Kingdom’s effort.

Hakoda had by this point heard that his two children, Sokka and Katara, were traveling with Avatar Aang, a fact of which he was quite proud once he was convinced of its veracity. However, in early 100 AG, he would finally see his son, who had learned of his location in Ba Sing Se. Hakoda and Sokka would participate in a raid together, but the reunion would not last long as Sokka returned to Ba Sing Se to combat the coup unfolding there.

Alas, this would fail and the Earth Kingdom would fall. Hakoda’s position became untenable with the Fire Army advancing behind him and the Avatar unconscious. However, Sokka did reveal the intelligence regarding the impending Solar Eclipse and his plans for an invasion of the Fire Nation. Hakoda agreed to a modified invasion plan and ordered his fleet to scatter, with an assigned rendezvous point. Each section would pick up allies for the invasion. Swamp Water Benders. Fugitive inventors. A regiment of highly organized soldiers from Omashu.

Hakoda would initially escort the (unconscious) Avatar through the Great Lakes, aboard a captured and commandeered Fire Nation vessel. There were a few close calls, but Hakoda would keep the Avatar safe until Aang awoke and departed for the Fire Nation. This time, Hakoda would use the Jiantau River, much to the relief of his crew. Hakoda would spend the next months assembling allies and reuniting with his fleet, before reuniting with the Avatar, deep in the Fire Nation’s home waters, hiding his Water Tribe ships by disassembling them in the hulls of captured Fire Nation vessels until the Invasion came.

The Day of Black Sun, jointly developed by Hakoda and Sokka, was perhaps the boldest operation undertaken by the Allies during the Hundred Years War. Taking advantage of the natural loss of Fire Benders during a solar eclipse, Hakoda would lead a small strike force into the very heart of the Fire Nation Capital, a crippling decapitation that would end the war in one stroke.

Alas, it was not to be. The Fire Nation had advance warning of both the attack and the eclipse. So while the invasion was able to push all the way to the Royal Palace, it was unable to secure victory. Worse still Fire Nation air attacks destroyed the invasion’s fleet, rendering escape impossible. Only the Avatar and other children, including Sokka and Katara, were able to escape. Hakoda was captured, along with the entirety of his expedition, which ended in inglorious defeat.

It would take Hakoda several weeks to be identified as Hakoda since the Water Tribe prisoners refused to talk to their captors. But eventually guards eavesdropping identified Hakoda and shipped him off to the feared Boiling Rock, reserved for the most dangerous of the Fire Lord’s enemies.

This would prove fortuitous for Hakoda, as the day he arrived was the day his son Sokka, and the defecting Prince Zuko arrived to break him out, unaware that he had not been there already. Along with Suki, Sokka’s future wife and leader of the Kyoshi Warriors, and noted escape artist Chit Sang.

However once again his time with his family was short-lived, as an airship attack by Azula would separate him from the Avatar and his allies again. He and Chit Sang would be left leading an eclectic group of children for the final days of the war, leading a series of minor raids on lands surrounding the Western Air Temple before hunkering down on the day of Sozin’s Comet.

Afterward, he would receive word via a very confused messenger Hawk, that the war had been won, that Ozai had been defeated. He was picked up by the Avatar personally shortly after and deposited, to his shock, in extremely comfortable quarters in the Fire Nation Royal Palace. Hakoda thus became the only world leader to personally witness the coronation of Fire Lord Zuko, and the formal declaration of peace.

The end of the war technically meant that Hakoda’s status as War Chief was irrelevant, and he was now merely the Chieftain of the Allik Clan. However all of the other Chieftains had grown accustomed to obeying Hakoda, and his reputation was extremely high. In addition, his children's close relationship with the Avatar and Prince Zuko meant he was rightly regarded as the best man to conduct Diplomacy. For the rest of his life, Hakoda was recognized as the de facto leader of the Southern Water Tribe.

Hakoda would be the first leader to formally exchange letters of peace with Fire Lord Zuko, and the first to negotiate the, still very controversial in all nations, reparations payments from the Fire Nation to its enemies during the war. Hakoda would then travel to the North, a guest of Chief Arnook for the Northern Water Tribe’s victory feast. That the Northern Water Tribe had little to do with the victory was not lost on Hakoda, and he was in fact subject to several insults. This culminated in his famous “Rung Speech” where he attacked the Northern Water Tribe for failing to fight in the war and highlighted the differences between the North and South. Hakoda would depart the North soon after the speech, which is seen as an important step in the development of Southern consciousness.

Hakoda would, after years abroad, finally return to the Southern Water Tribe and his home village of Arjugaatchia. He would oversee the reconstruction of the city, funded by payments from the Fire Nation as well as the belated investment of the North. Hakoda’s presence, the Avatar’s frequent visits, and Arjugaatchia geographic position would combine to make the village into a town and, eventually, into the premier city of the Southern Water Tribe. Walls were raised, permanent ice buildings were raised. Hidden and captured Waterbenders returned to the South, along with Northern immigrants, and restored the ancient arts.

Hakoda would always strive to keep the North at arm's length, but generally remained on fair terms with them, and now had to deal with a northerner, Pakku, as a step-father. It was Hakoda who welcomed the leaders of the world to Arjugaatchia in 105 for the Southern Peace Conference, the final round of agreements ending the 100 Year War.

With the death of King Bumi in 109 and Arnook’s death in 113, Hakoda became, aged only 54 became the Grand Old Man of international politics. Hakoda would help mediate the formation of the United Republic of Nations, appointing his son Sokka as the first Southern delegate to the Council. He would accept Southern trusteeship over lands previously under the Southern and Eastern Air Temples.

Hakoda’s leadership at home was more limited. Although his stature abroad was unquestioned, Southern Chieftains were zealously protective of their rights to rule their clan and their lands. Hakoda maintained his unquestioned leadership by never attempting to impose on anyone. In the Allik lands, he pursued a program of fairly moderate industrialization, importing modern machinery and starting some Southern resource extraction but working to preserve sacred sites. Hakoda would introduce the first Clan Council in the South, inspired by his son’s work in the United Republic. The Council was purely advisory and appointed by Hakoda but still represented a step forward.

Hakoda’s final years would be spent fending off attempts by the Northern Water Tribe to impose authority over the South. Hakoda’s attempts were successful because most Chieftains agreed with him and the rest of the world liked him far more than his Northern counterparts. He would be able to dote on his three grandchildren from his daughter Katara. In 129, his health taking a turn for the worse, he recalled Sokka from Republic City to prepare him to become Chieftain, which most observers felt should have occurred years earlier.

Hakoda died aged 71 in 130 in the same place he had been born, surrounded by his extended family. His funeral would be attended by all the Chieftains of the South, the Avatar, the Earth King, the Chief of the Northern Water Tribe, and the Fire Lord. He was the last man prior to Avatar Aang to have all the world leaders present for his funeral.

Hakoda’s successor as Chieftain of the Allik Clan had always been accepted by all to be his son Sokka, and Sokka also inherited Hakoda’s status as the unofficial leader of the entire Southern Water Tribe. Sokka’s intelligence, experience, fame, closeness with the Avatar, and general skill allowed him to slide into a near-identical role as his father.

Hakoda’s role in history has always been somewhat overshadowed by that of his children, both companions of the Avatar and both key figures in their own rights. But his leadership during the war is not to be dismissed, nor is the fact that he, as much as his children, ensured the Southern Water Tribe would gain a sterling reputation in the post-war world. Lasting political stability would not outlast Sokka, but Hakoda is one of the few people in history who could say he united the Southern Water Tribe towards a higher purpose.

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Traditionally, each Air Temple was governed by a council of Elders who appointed a managing Abbot or Abbess and disciplinarians for their temple. They held nominal authority over all who originated from their temple, although this was rarely used, the temples oftern trying to avoid worldly affairs whenever possible. That said, in the mountains surrounding the temple, independent communities did emerge, taking protection and spiritual guidance from the Air Nomads, often offering alms and food in return. Every 10 years every air Nomad hold return to their Home Temple for the Kurultais, where all great matters of Airbending were discussed. Unfortunately the last Kurultais coincided with Sozin’s Comet.

Fire Nation soldiers would clear most of the mountains of their non-bending occupants while killing the Airbenders, but often withdrew  afterwards. The mountains remained a place of refuge for those fleeing the war. For a hundred years no real government ruled.

After the War, it was generally agreed that the lands of the Temples should return to the Airbenders. Of which only one remained. Avatar Aang would establish certain standards for upkeep but would otherwise let nearby Earth Kingdom, Water Tribe, and even Fire Nation authorities manage the situations around the temples. However with the growth of the Air Acolyte movement, operation of the temples returned to their control, and settlement increased under the. Ague authority of the Air Acolytes and Avatar Aang’s remaining family, most notably Tenzin.

Following Harmonic Convergence the population of Air Benders exploded, and many would arrive in the temples and settle the land, while many others joined the Air Nation for training and for good works missions, but did not fully abandon their old lives or nations.

Tenzin would codify this division with the Floral Proclamation, which outlined a new form of Government for the Air Nation. No one had explicitly given Tenzin the authority to do this, but no one challenged this either. For the temple lands that were settled, he established the “Worldly Lands” government, which handled administration, justice, and trade policies for those areas. All residents, regardless of bending status, can vote there. For Air Benders in particular there is a series of interlocking councils, global versions of the old temple councils, governing the rules of engagement for intervention, mastery accreditation, and other matters regarding the Nation’s global reach.

Uniting these two halves was the Abbot-General (General referring to the general authority of the Abbot, not a military title), the “political, spiritual, and diplomatic” head of the Air Nation. The Abbot-General sits on several key councils on the Airbending Side of Government and is in charge of representing the Nation diplomatically, as well as leading Airbenders during times of crisis. The authority is more limited for the Worldly Lands Government, having some limited veto powers and the ability to appoint ministers, although only with the support of the Congress.

Tenzin was more or less unilaterally acclaimed the first Abbot-General, but future officeholders will be nominated by the Council of Wisdom (responsible for many appointments inside the Air Nation) and approved by the Congress of Worldly Lands.

Tenzin has held the position since it’s inception and has generally been well regarded. However recently more and more of his mental and physical abilities have begun to slip. His daughter Jinora has been assuming many of his public roles. This de facto regency may continue until his death, or be he may resign during a lucid moment. Either way Jinora is widely considered his natural successor, although some express concerns about a de facto dynasty emerging. 

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6 years before the Air Nomad Genocide, a Monk of the Northern Air Temple, Dorjee, published a work entitled “The Eight Wonders of The World,” outlining what he considered the Eight greatest things created by humans. Dorjee was well traveled even by Air Nomad standards, and held a slightly unorthodox position. While he still of course believed in living in harmony with nature and the spirits he also considered human achievement an important spiritual factor. Dorjee chose two human constructions from each of the four nations, trying to balence internally as well. Dorjee would be killed at the Northern Air Temple during the Genocide, but his work would survive.

Taking the work along the Avatar cycle, Dorjee began with his native Air Nomads, specifically the Western Air Temple. All of the Air Temples were triumphs of engineering and art, fantastic temples built in near inaccessible places. However Dorjee singled out the inverted pagodas of the West as the most impressive of the temples. Seemly defying gravity, it is certainly a sight to destroyed. The Temple was damaged during the Genocide and again during battles as the Fire Nation chased Avatar, but now has an Air Bender population once more.

Perhaps showing a bit of provincialism, Dorjee’s second choice was the Library of Infinite Tomes, located at the Northern Air Temple. Carved out of the mountain upon which the Air Temple sits, the Library was commissioned by the great scholar Dakpa, who aimed to collect every work ever written. An impressive intellectual pursuit, but since the excavation was accomplished without any Earth bending it was also an architectural one. Sadly the library was burned by Sozin during the Genocide, and any excavation halted when the Red Lotus incident caused the wider collapse of the Temple.

The Northern Water Tribe has always had beautiful buildings dotting their capital. But a major artistic push during the 500s BG created the famously beautiful White City, the beating heart of the Water Tribe for centuries. It has been damaged by war, and occasional melts, but the power of water bending can always bring it back, more beautiful than ever. To have the honor of bending a building in the White City is the highest honor a Water bender can have.

Dorjee, a pacifist Air Nomad, was appalled by the purpose of Utjitunnik, which was a massive fortress. However even he was forced to acknowledge the awe it inspired. Carved from a massive glacier the winding halls of the fort served as the most powerful string point defending the Southern Water Tribe. Created by the order of Nuniq, who ordered that her headquarters be unassailable. And so it would prove. The labyrinth of narrow hallways, pit traps, and bitter cold would be near impossible to assail, even it had not been defended by Water benders surrounded by ice. The Fire Nation spend decades trying to assault it, and only served to lose countless men. In the end it would be nature, not humans, who brought it low. A massive Earthquake caused a sudden collapse that even the water benders were unable to stop. Thousands were entombed, much to the glee of the Fire Lord.

In a more peaceable spirit, there was the Great Shrine of Makapu. Earth King Xuefeng and Ostrich King Chunho seemed poised for a violent war in 324 BG. But then a massive butterflybird spirit flew over them, moving them both to tears with ethereal colors, or so the legends say. The two Kings arranged a marriage alliance and decided to erect a monument to the occasion, near the city of Makapu. A massive stone pillar was the central feature, surrounded by statues of butterflybirds, in turn surrounded by elaborate buildings and altars. It remained a sacred place. But not so sacred that the Fire Nation would not attack it when an Earth Kingdom Army entrenched itself in the shrine.

There have been walls around Ba Sing Se since the area has been inhabited. However the Famous concentric Walls, those that made the city truly impossible to take were an innovation of the Bilei Dynasty of the 2600s. Their particular innovation was the immense Outer Wall, which encircled an agricultural zone, rendering the city impervious to siege. The Walls have only been breached thrice, and the city has only even fallen due to internal machinations. The breach formed by the Red Lotus had not been rebuilt, instead being reformed into a giant gate.

The mountainous interiors of the Fire Islands are infamously difficult to pass, but are generally small in area and population. The Capital Island is the exception with a dense population across a wide region. Travel however remind difficult. The Firelords of the time declines to aid, so the Clan Lords in the 450s took the matter upon themselves. Joseun, one of the greatest engineers in the world, was brought in to build what remains perhaps the greatest road system in the world. Uniform width, paved stone going up, down and around all through the hills. Stairs and ramps and tunnels, all with a lasting stature. Satomobiles can drive on most sections without any trouble.

Avatar Szeto is no doubt the most famous son of the town of Sanya in the Eastern Fire Nation, and local pride ran strong. A mass collection was taken up to have the famed sculptor Zheng make a memorial. The form chosen was a giant statue, one of the tallest ever constructed. It was justly famous for its size and detail, with a great podium commemorating elements of the Avatar’s life. Sozin was violently opposed to Avatardom, and so ordered the statue defaced and replaced with his own image. This provoked riots in Sanya. An attempt was made by Fire Lord Zuko to tear down the Sozin statue, which provoked riots in Sanya. Things remained in Limbo until 180 AG when funds were allocated to restore Szeto’s visage.

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Future Industries is one of the largest corporate entities in the world, with trillions of Yuan's flowing as a direct result of its existence. With fingers in the pie of virtually every sector of the economy, no company encapsulates the triumphs, and the tragedies, of modern life quite like Future Industries.

The Sato family, owners of Future Industries, can trace a lineage back to Fire Nation colonists during the early 100 years war. Like many first wave migrants, however, they assimilated too much into Earth Kingdom customs for the liking of many, and so fell into disfavor. Satos could be found on both sides of the lines during the final stages of the war, although the ownership of Future Industries claims descent from those fighting against the Fire Lord. However this did not bring the family much prosperity initially. The upheavals of the United Republic's creation removed the family from their original farm to the growing Republic City.

It was here that Hiroshi Sato was born. He received only minimal education, but always a keen intelligence as well. He tinkered with bits and pieces of machines he could find, and idolized non-benders who were advancing the world. Later in life he would donate a statue of Chief Sokka to the Southern Water Tribe Cultural center.

Sato's skill with a wrench and keen mind, along with his persuasiveness earned him a job as a mechanic at Hu & Sons, a firm that created mechanical carts to move goods within factories. Sato impressed the titiutalar Hu, and became close with the owner. So close that he apparently earned resentment from the titiutilar sons. Nonetheless, he was able to convince Hu to invest in his new idea.

Self powered motor carriages had existed, but never in many particularly large capacity. But Sato's new business, grandiosity called Future Motors, aimed to change that. Sato employed state-of-the art assembly lines and aggressive marketing tactics to make his name the name to know. And it worked, soon even competing products were being termed Satomobiles.

Sato would quickly buy out Hu’s shares in Future Transport. And then buy out Hu & Sons entirely, the first of his many, many acquisitions over the course of his career.

It was in his second major acquisition that introduced him to likely his most important, and certainly most intimate, partner of his career: Yasuko Park. Park was an attorney working for Kyoto Motors, negotiating the terms of Sato’s acquisition of the company. Sato was impressed by Park’s technical expertise and maintained contact with her after the purchase completed and she moved to Koi Bank. Soon romance blossomed, and shortly after the wedding Hoshi Sato moved to Future Transport where she would remain an integral part of the business for years to come.

Shortly after his marriage Sato became frustrated with the quality of steel being supplied to his company, and so bought his first steel mill, and then bought his first mine, before opening his first auto repair shop. In recognition of this shift, Future Motors became Future Industries.

Soon the Satos were producing their own electricity for their factories from both coal and lightning benders. And soon they had a surplus to sell across the United Republic.

And it just kept growing. Contracts for city vehicles became commonplace. And then Sato entered the train business, quickly becoming a dominant force nationwide, although more in construction than management. No one even knew Future Industries had even entered the airship market until a contract was announced for police airships by Sato and the Council.

With so much money circling around, Future Industries became a major engine of the economy, and the Satos moved to capitalize on this fact. Future Industries Financial had started as a credit union for employees, but was turned into one of the largest banks in the world, providing investment into a variety of areas, and being used as leverage to expand Future Industries.

Mining operations were expanded into pretty much every metal, and Future Industries was among the first to produce metal bending-resistant product. Future Industries also developed its own ship lines for use in distributing its products and acquiring materials.

Even outside the direct Future Industries brand, the company had substantial interests. Future Industries was a major shareholder in the Healthy Hearts Hotel chain, Republic City Broadcasting, and Mitsumi Sake. The Satos were easily among the wealthiest families on the planet, and the closest thing the United Republic had to Royalty. Hiroshi was proudly the first billionaire in history.

However all this wealth brough limited influence, as the United Republic was still governed by appointees from outside nations. This fact was of substantial frustration to the non-bending Satos.

This frustration turned to rage with the tragic and sudden death of Yaskuko Sato in 158 AG during an attempted robbery at the family mansion. Despite a million yuan reward, no suspect was ever even apprehended, let alone convicted.

Hiroshi would then drift into the orbit of the growing Equalist movement, and eventually become its most prominent leader besides Amon himself. Sato definitely became the main financier and technical expert in the abortive revolution. Bribes were made with Future Industries money to keep investigations off of the equalists tails.

The Equalist connection was indeed profitable for the company all things considered. Future Industries Financial was the central laundering point for all Equalist funds, while technical advancements made for weaponry could be applied elsewhere. In addition the muscle of the Equalist Party ensured that Union activity was muscled out of Future Industries.

Eventually, of course, the truth was discovered. In this case by Avatar Korra and the Republic City Police. Hiroshi escaped, but his daughter and heir Asami refused to join the Equalists, leaving her in charge of the company.

The defeat of the Equalists brought an end to Future Industries' involvement in active treason, but the beginning of a tumultuous time for the company. Investigators tore into every nook and cranny of the company, each new day bringing new revelations about the ties between the company and the now discredited Amon. Most of the experienced leadership resigned or were outright arrested.

Asami Sato, meanwhile, was forced to take drastic measures to save the company. Most of the shipping concern was sold to Varrock International. Banking efforts mostly ground to a halt. Sales plummeted in response to Hiroshi's actions. Sato was widely seen as in over her head during these early months, with her concessions to workers seen as over generous, although in the long term this would keep talent in the company.

However there were some fundamental assets to the company. It was still the biggest name around, and maintained a larger production capacity than its rivals. And, quite frankly, Future Industries products were still the best in the business.

However the short term issues nearly doomed the company. Triads who had been forced back by the equalists were muscling into Future Industries factories, causing issues when Sato defiantly refused to pay protection money. Failed shipments to the Southern Water Tribe proved to exhaust the last of the company's cash reserves, and Future Industries was forced into a merger with Varrick International Shipping.

However not everything was as it seemed. Many of the issues that had befallen Future Industries were revealed to have been orchestrated by Varrick himself. This, combined with Sato's involvement in Harmonic Convergence, helped turn the company around. Large amounts of money and property were returned to Future Industries, including shipping lines. Future Industries heavily tied itself to the rebuilding of Republic City after Harmonic Convergence as well as supporting the reemerging Air Nation.

Close cooperation with the Government on infrastructure as well as trust being rebuilt ensured Future Industries was returned to peak profitability. The fight against Kuvira and the subsequent re-re-construction of Republic City, as well as the company's forward thinking approach to Spirit Relations has kept the company on top.

Asami Sato's time as CEO has not been without criticism, however. Fears of monopolization have grown, especially as the other "Four Pillar" conglomerates (Cabbage Corp, Fire Foundries, and the RyTechSong Group) have begun to crumble. Heavy investment in the media has also caused issues, despite claims of editorial independence. Sato's relationship with major players, most particularly her romantic involvement with the Avatar, has also raised concerns. Either that Future Industries has an undue influence on geopolitics, or that Future Industries has gained benefits from these relations unduly. Or both. Certainly the ex-Earth Kingdom has proven to be fertile ground for Future Industries. While Sato has been surprisingly even handed with Unions for a major CEO labor issues remain a constant issue in the United Republic.

Sato has expressed a willingness to draw back on some of these issues, and has testified in favor of higher taxes and labor reforms at United Republic hearings on the issue. She has admitted that while she has faith in herself, would probably support anti-monopoly legislation were she not CEO of a monopoly.

Regardless of what the future may bring, Future Industries is sure to remain a powerful name in the world of business, innovation, and everyday life.

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The Glorious Revolution is the name given to the seizure of power by Fire Lord Zuko at the end of the Hundred Years War. Its name is in reference to its relatively bloodless character.

By the end of the Hundred Years War, the Fire Nation was stretched to the point of breaking. Years of conscription had hollowed out its domestic population base. Nearly all economic capacity had been diverted to the war effort. The industrial revolution had come unevenly, and while there was work in the factories traditional craftspeople faced ruin.

Abroad, the picture was similarly bleak despite the appearance of near total victory. The victory at Ba Sing Se had been achieved through subterfuge, not conquest, and control of the city proved tenuous outside the palace. The Conquest of Omashu had not, as expected, opened the door to the rest of the South. Instead the Army of Omashu, and their King, had gone underground, often literally, and proved a constant harrying force. Indeed the Fire Nation was losing more soldiers than ever before to hit and run raids by insurgents. The long turn towards element supremacism had alienated many collaborators, leaving the army undermanned and overexposed.

Ozai’s plan for the return of Sozin’s comet was genocidal in outlook. Contrary to his pronouncements, he lacked the ability to slaughter every Earth Bender. However he could raze as much of it to the ground as possible reducing them to their “honest barbaric state” and opening up new areas settlement, never mind that the land would be ruined and the Fire Nation was already set of colonists.

In the Caldera, Ozai’s increasing megalomania was becoming concerning, even to his court sycophants. His crowning himself as Phoenix King ran contrary to the long established taboo against the title King. Meanwhile his natural replacement Iron had escaped prison on the day of the Black Sun. Azula, the only other member of the family, was undergoing her own mental breakdown and was thus an unacceptable candidate.

Almost perfectly, into this situation flew Prince Zuko, challenging his sister to an Agni Kai for the title of Fire Lord. A battle which he won. Zuko had been stripped of his title several times, but he had the royal blood and a victory in an Agni Kai. It was known he had traveled with the Avatar. But there was little knowledge of what that entailed.

Thus the Fire Sages and government officials conceded to his proclamation demanding immediate cessation of hostilities. Despite tragedies such as the Scouring of Zhihu, this order was mostly obeyed on the day of the comet.

Meanwhile, the domestic political apparatus fell almost entirely in line. Change had happened so quickly few even noticed. The news the Iroh, Dragon of the West would be serving as First Minister was also heartening. In addition to his military record, Iroh had served in this role as Crown Prince and was generally regarded well as an administrator.

Fire Lord Zuko soon issued Emergency Order 1, a call for all troops to return to barracks or, if lacking barracks, to march back towards the Fire Nation. The response from the army was unexpected even by the Fire Lord. Voting with their feet the army, almost entirely of its own accord, dissolved it's positions beyond the Jiantau and Huang Rivers. Only the Navy, relatively untouched by insurgency, held its positions.

The “Great Retreat” proved a bloody and chaotic time. Retreating soldiers took all they could carry, and unit cohesion broke down. Meanwhile insurgents began to operate openly and harass retreating soldiers, despite nominal declarations of peace.

Ozai supporters began to be removed from public office, with Zuko turning towards the small but blossoming peace movement for support.

The Glorious Revolution is generally held to end with Fire Lord Zuko’s coronation. This is not entirely because it represented a triumphal ending. In fact, it represented a troubled beginning. Zuko’s coronation brought with it further withdrawal orders, from areas that had been Fire Nation possessions for several years. Meanwhile the Navy quickly began to develop a stabbed-in-the-back mentality around the end of the war. At home appreciation for peace remained, but it was somewhat hard to reconcile the new status quo with propaganda about imminent victory.

The Colonies and Occupied Areas with Colonists, also saw violence break out. Settler colonists reacted violently to the notion of being dispossessed. Meanwhile Earthbending rebellions erupted, and the orders from the Caldera were titling in their favor. Events would spiral until the creation of the United Republic and the ensuing coup attempts in the Fire Nation.

Some scholars have increasingly resisted the historiographical concept of the Glorious Revolution. It is undoubtedly a concept that can only really be applied in the Fire Nation’s domestic political context. Although the war was over, the Earth Kingdom still burned with violence over the entire course of the Revolution. Nor do the subsequent Coup attempts align with the view of an easy transition of power. Still, the Fire Nation was clearly exhausted by Ozai’s status quo, and jumped at the first chance of replacement.

Chapter Text

Rangi of Kyoshi: Memory and Myth-making is a biographical and historiographical work by Akari Hu published in 155  in the United Republic of Nations. It won the Taisho-Denali Prize for Best Historical Work of the year. 

Hu opens with a light summary of the life of Rangi, first wife of the Avatar Kyoshi. Rangi was born in 312, a member of the Sei’naka Clan and a daughter of Hei-Ran, herself a famed firebending tutor and companion to Avatar Kuruk. She became a bodyguard at the false Avatar Yun’s residence, as well as a friend to the true Avatar Kyoshi, who was also present. Shortly after Kyoshi was revealed to be the true Avatar, the pair entered into a relationship. Rangi was thus an intimate companion for much of Kyoshi’s life. Whatever means Kyoshi used to extend her life, she shared with Rangi, who also enjoyed an extended lifetime. Rangi would support her wife throughout her life, emerging as a world figure in her own right, mediating disputes and facing crisis and disaster. It was this role that cost her her life in 156 BG, when she fell in battle against a criminal conspiracy in what is now the Saunik Valley in the Southern Water Tribe. Her death is largely considered the catalyst for Kyoshi's aging and eventual death. 

However Hu’s focus is not truly on a strict retelling of Rangi’s life and times, the actual biography only taking up two chapters of the book. More focus is given to his Rangi has been remembered, both in conventional history and cultural heritage. Hu argues that differing perspectives of Rangi reveal something about how historical events, namely the Hundred Years War, impact the history of early events, producing differing perspectives across time and space. 

Even during her own lifetime, official Royal Archives in Ba Sing Se worked to downplay Rangi’s relationship with Kyoshi. Northern Earth Kingdom cultural taboos against same-sex relationships are generally blamed for this erasure, which is replicated in Water Tribe. With a rise in Earth Kingdom patriotism late in Kyoshi's life, declining relations with the Fire Nation, this trend accelerated towards removing of Rangi entirely or simply not mentioning her origins. Hu posits that this is the origin of the name “Rangi of Kyoshi” which is anachronistic as Kyoshi Island was not named as such in Rangi’s lifetime. 

Fire Nation perspectives from during her lifetime are also muddled. The Land of the Setting Sun always had frosty relations with Avatar Kyoshi. Official documents portray a government not sure if Rangi was a direct line to the Avatar or feeding intelligence on the Fire Nation to Kyoshi. 

After Kyoshi's death the so called “Roku Renaissance” began, as it became possible to assess Kyoshi's time as Avatar without Kyoshi herself present looming over historians. In the Fire Nation this was an explosion of nationalism and a disdain for the “brutish” Kyoshi, with Rangi generally portrayed at the puppetmaster behind and success. In the Earth Kingdom, Kyoshi’s efforts were tested immediately after her death, and her absence left a political vacuum that took years to fill. Among historians in the Southern Earth Kingdom who actually acknowledged her existence Rangi was often seen as exposing Kyoshi to centralizing tendencies in Fire Nation thought that were ill suited for the Earth Kingdom. The more sensationalist approaches placed the blame on Rangi, while more rational accounts view her influence as only one of many on Kyoshi’s state building. 

The Hundred Years War brought an increased appreciation for the state building of Kyoshi, but Rangi’s reputation remained suppressed. The role of “good Firebender” was filled by Roku, tying into the hopes for the Avatar’s return. Rangi, a soldier by deposition and already sidelined by the conservative North, was airbrushed out almost as an afterthought. As the Fire Nation took an increasingly hardline stance against both Avatardom and same sex coupling, Rangi was forced out of history to spare the nation embarrassment. Hu convincingly argues that, by default, Water Tribe Oral histories became the most reliable sources during the war. 

After the war, Rangi became something of a poster child for Fire Nation-Earth Kingdom collaboration. As the Kyoshi Warriors slotted into a role as interim bodyguards for the Fire Lord, a renewed interest in Rangi herself followed. Research was aided by the fact that Fire Lady Mai was a Sei’naka Clan member as well and opened the family archives. Hu cautions against over mythologizing Rangi, however, noting that her connection was largely personal, not evidence of the Fire Nation being non chauvinistic or selfless before Sozin as some have posited.  

Hu closes with a reflection of the historical memory of Rangi on her longtime home, Kyoshi island. During the war she was downplayed to outsiders, but remained in most local narratives. There she is remembered as something between a mentor and a damsel. Her training is respected, as are Kyoshi and her exploits to save one another at various times, and her death is counted as one of Kyoshi’s great tragedies. 

Critics were generally positive about the work. The Republic Daily called it “fascinating.” Ba Sing Se University Press called it “the foremost contribution to comparative historiography in years.” It is often used in introductory history courses do discuss the making of history.