Chapter Text
Fire. Air. Water. Earth. Only the Avatar can master all four elements and bring balance to the world. Avatar Korra accomplished great things in her lifetime, but also endured great hardship. From Amon to Unalaq and Harmonic Convergence, to The Red Lotus, and The Earth Empire, Korra stood as a champion for compassion, equality, and freedom.
Fifty-eight years ago, Avatar Korra ushered in a new era; an era of spirits and humans living together in harmony. Harmonic Convergence changed both the world, and the Avatar. But that was not the end of Korra’s journey. Three years later, at the Battle for Republic City, Korra defeat Kuvira in a battle that tore open a new Spirit Portal in Republic City.
Avatar Korra spent the rest of her life carrying out her duties as Avatar, traveling the world and maintaining peace and balance. However, she no longer benefitted from the wisdom of her past lives, as that connection had been severed. Monk Tenzin theorized, however, that while the Avatar’s connection to the past lives was severed, the Past Avatars still existed and it may have been possible to reconnect with them. And so, armed with this hope, Avatar Korra spent a great deal of time in the Spirit World, attempting to reconnect with her past lives.
Alas, in the time she had, she could only restore the connection to a handful of past Avatars, for Avatar Korra passed away in 229AG at the age of 76. Korra’s legacy would live on in the world she left behind.
With the defeat of Kuvira and her Earth Empire, Avatar Korra helped Earth King Wu transform the Earth Kingdom. Originally intending to end the monarchy, plans changed after conflict broke out with the remains of the Earth Empire, led by Commander Guan after Kuvira’s defeat. Maintaining his position as the 54th Earth King, Wu split the Earth Kingdom into a collection of City-States, with Ba Sing Se serving as the seat of the Earth Monarch and basing this new government off of the United Republic.
The Earth King still governs the whole of the Earth Kingdom, but now does so in conjunction with the 11 City-States. As a further measure to bring peace, stability, and freedom to the citizens of this transformed Earth Kingdom, The Dai Li was also disbanded and flushed out of Ba Sing Se; under Earth King Wu, there would no longer be a need for a secret police force.
In the modern era, The Earth Kingdom faces new, internal challenges. Earth King Xi Shun, grandson of Earth King Wu, has convinced a great many people with his silver tongue, charismatic personality, and even his policies, that a return to a unified Earth Kingdom controlled by Ba Sing Se is once again a neccasary policy. Alarm spread throughout the city-states at this rhetoric, but no action has come from the Royal Palace. As for Ba Sing Se, the city itself has improved dramatically, thanks in part to some of the Earth King's policies. Even the Lower Ring has seen remarkable improvement; homelessness, joblessness, crime, and poverty have come down to record lows, making the Earth King very popular with the people of Ba Sing Se, in all sectors.
The Fire Nation prospered under Fire Lord Daozu, the grandson of Fire Lord Izumi. Maintaining its non-aggression policy in all military matters, Fire Lord Daozu began to restore power to the people and continue Fire Lord Zuko’s work to undo generations of damage done by Fire Lord Sozin. An overhauled education system brought Arts and Music back and abolished Sozin-Era Propaganda in favor of true history. Self-expression and Individuality were no longer stifled, but instead encouraged. But even the Fire Nation in its prosperity was not immune to turmoil. A hate group calling itself “Sozin’s Elite” has made its presence known with petty vandalism and hate crimes against non-firebenders, non-Fire Nation natives, and mixed couples living within the borders of the Fire Nation. This Fire Nation Supremacist Group has become a minor thorn in The Fire Nation’s side, though still a thorn nonetheless.
Under Avatar Korra’s guidance and the leadership of Chief Tonraq, The Southern Water Tribe managed to restore much of the culture and traditions that they had lost during the 100 Year War. With the Southern Water Tribe’s independence, came the need for self-reliance. Chief Tonraq turned the Southern Water Tribe into a minor, but formidable, economic power by dominating the Fishing Industry in the Southern Hemisphere. With the help of The Fire Nation and then Fire Lord Izumi, the Southern Water Tribe learned to tap into the vast resources trapped beneath the ice, creating lucrative oil and mining industries, rivaling their Northern counterparts.
Unfortunately, Avatar Korra could affect little change in the Northern Water Tribe. Maintaining their strict adherence to tradition, family, and spirituality, The Northern Water Tribe has remained largely the same. Under Desna and Eska, men were now permitted to learn healing, and women could serve in the military, but only on the back lines and in a support role. As far as their economy goes, The North still leads the South, dominating the Energy and Fishing Industry in the Northern Hemisphere.
The North and South enjoyed a few decades of peace and cooperation. However, in recent years Chief Tunruk of the Northern Water Tribe, a staunch traditionalist, threatened to annex the Southern Water Tribe, in the belief that a “unified” Water Tribe would best serve all involved. Small skirmishes began to break out in Southern Waters in 235AG.
Of those that suffered because of Fire Lord Sozin's ambitions, none were harmed more than the Air Nomads. The Air Nomad Genocide saw their entire population nearly obliterated, with what few airbenders remained being hunted down. The Airbenders became nearly extinct, with Avatar Aang as the sole survivor. Aang and the Air Acolytes kept the culture of the Air Nomads alive, and there was much excitement when Tenzin was born; the first new airbender to be brought into the world in over a hundred years, who then went on to have several children with his wife Pema.
Everything changed during the Harmonic Convergence, when new airbenders suddenly started appearing all throughout the world. Tenzin and the Air Acolytes passed on the culture and teachings of the Air Nomads of old to this new generation of Airbenders, and thus, the Air Nomads were reborn. With help from the Fire Nation, the Air Nation restored the Air Temples, including the Northern Air Temple which had previously been destroyed by the Red Lotus. It was after the insurrection of the Red Lotus, that Tenzin decided that the Air Nation would roam the world and help people of all nations to stop corruption and disorder. Later dubbed “The Peacekeepers”, the Air Nation now takes a more active role in shaping the world.
In the modern day, The new Airbenders brought new cultures and customs with them, diversifying the airbender way of life. Now a combination of both bending and non-bending peoples (The Air Acolytes), the Air Nation celebrates everyone's unique talents and abilities. While most choose to hold true to the old ways, avoiding meat, shaving their heads, wearing traditional attire, etc, these customs are no longer required or strictly enforced. This has given rise to a new, smaller group of airbenders called “The Free Airbenders”. The Free Airbenders belong to no temple and choose to live normal lives. Nevertheless, the invitation to learn and hone their airbending abilities remains open at any of the Temples throughout the world. A Free Airbender can even earn their Mastery Tattoos if they so choose. The Air Nation, small as it is, has become influential throughout the world. The Air Nation plays a major role in humanitarian efforts and strongly advocates for peace and diplomacy. The Peacekeepers in particular, actively shape the world through their efforts, whether through acts of diplomacy, or protecting those that cannot protect themselves. Many of the World's Leaders seek the wisdom of the Air Nomads.
The United Republic continues to act as a melting pot, a beacon of freedom and equality and exceptionalism. Known for its strict but fair judicial system, all citizens have the right to life and property, to free speech, as well as due process under the law. Much has remained the same in the United Republic, but under current President Amaya Raiko, more power has found its way into the hands of the citizenry. Corruption, whether in business, education, government, or anywhere else, is punished harshly without exception. Republic City has been rebuilt and repaired after the Battle for Republic City, building around and incorporating the Spirit Vines; that section of the city became a cultural tourist attraction for people from all across the globe. Currently, the Republic City Spirit Portal is off-limits to all, save the Air Nation. The land around it was granted to them by then President Zhu Li Moon. The Portal itself drew Naturalists and Spiritualists alike, who wished to commune with Nature or the Spirits themselves. A new University has also been built nearby, dedicated to the study of spirits. However, before her passing, Avatar Korra cautioned against studying the spirits in the same way humans enjoy “studying” everything else, lest they anger the spirits.
Not even the Si Wong Desert itself is immune to the march of time. A dozen or so new towns and villages have cropped up within the desert thanks to the Beetle-Headed Merchants, and the more progessive and forward thinking Sandbender Tribes. Though they have no unified government like the rest of the world does, each Tribe and the Beetle-Headed Merchants control and govern their own territory. Within the last decade, a discovery made by the Sungari Tribe has caught the attention of Ba Sing Se. Mao Zheng, as it is now called, has become the beating heart of the Si Wong Desert. An ancient and abandoned underground city, the Sungari Tribe rediscovered this lost subterranean metropolis, built around an underground lake and river, and connected to old mining tunnels filled with precious metals and gems.
Mao Zheng has become the economic hub of the Si Wong Desert, as well as its unofficial “capital”. But this discovery, and the belief that the desert holds many resources as of yet undiscovered, has drawn the attention of the Earth King. Invading the Si Wong Desert to search for and seize these resources, Earth King Xi Shun has capitalized upon Sandbender stereotypes as thieves and bandits and has launched a propaganda campaign to justify the invasion. As a result, the Sandbenders face heavy discrimination outside the desert and pleas for aid fall on deaf ears. Forced to retreat deeper into the desert, animosity toward the Earth Kingdom and its current monarch has grown significantly.
In 224AG, The Order of the White Lotus once again faced internal strife. A new splinter faction, The Order of the Blue Lotus, was born from the infighting and deep philosophical, political, and intellectual disagreements within the order. They believed that the role of the “Avatar” was unfair. To place such a burden on a single person, to hoist a fate one might not want without their consent, was perverse to the idea of freedom. The idea that all people were free to chart their own course and decide their own fate, except for the Avatar. Why shouldn't the world balance itself? Why couldn't people solve their own problems? Why did they need an Avatar?
Having returned to the secretive ways of the Order of the White Lotus of old, they rely on secrecy, code, and misdirection, their ultimate goal is freedom for everyone. Despite the youth of their organization, the Blue Lotus has spread far; politicians, soldiers, lawyers, journalists, whistle blowers and more. They work within the systems of government across the world to help maintain stability, while bringing peace and exposing corruption. As a result of the work the Blue Lotus does, they have amassed a vast information network, and with modern technology, they can freely share that information and coordinate their efforts. They believe in setting the Avatar free, by creating a world that doesn’t need one.
With Avatar Korra’s passing in 229AG, the White Lotus continued with Avatar Aang’s mandate to find and protect the next Avatar. With the Avatar Relics, toys belonging to Past Avatars, salvaged from the Southern Air Temple, the White Lotus went out into the Earth Kingdom to find the new Avatar. The advancement of technology and society proved valuable in their efforts, using birth records of children born the day Avatar Korra died, to narrow their search. After a year of tireless searching, The White Lotus discovered the new Avatar, born to a noble family in Gaoling.
However, in 230AG, a small band of overzealous and radical Blue Lotus acolytes infiltrated the Order of the White Lotus and kidnapped the infant Avatar in the dead of night. This was a black mark on the Blue Lotus’ reputation, who swore to track down the kidnapper and bring him to justice. The leader of this small group was later identified as Yun, but alas, not a hide nor hair has been seen from the man since, as if he vanished from the face of the Earth.
The year is now 249 AG and the Avatar is still missing. Some have given up on ever finding the new Avatar, while Tabloids proclaim to have “found” him or her every other week. Turmoil brews deeply within the Earth Kingdom and the Si Wong Desert, Civil War threatens the Water Tribes, and the Red Lotus has once again reared its ugly head from the shadows. The world needs its Avatar now more than ever…