Avatar RP - Main Thread

-Special thanks to Nova and Fallen for helping me create this-

The Avatar World

--Set in a universe separate from the CVnU and during a time period comparable to the Hundred Year War in Avatar: The Last Airbender

Distinguished by four nations, each one home to unique benders - those born with the power to manipulate the elements of water, earth, fire, or air - the world is also shared by an abundance of chimeric animals and gateways into the Spirit World. Those who can manipulate the element of water are waterbenders, part of the Northern and Southern Water Tribes, each tribe being governed by a chiefdom, one in the North Pole and the other in the South Pole. Those who can bend the element of earth are earthbenders belonging to the Earth Kingdom.

Led by a king or queen, it is a continent, and the largest of the four nations and among the world's most advanced. The element of fire is bent by firebenders from the Fire Nation, a monarchical archipelago on the equator led by an absolute monarch, the Fire Lord. Home to a highly industrialized society, the Fire Nation is the world's most technologically advanced nation and home to the world's strongest economy. Finally, airbenders - those who can manipulate air - belong to the Air Nomads, an ecclesiastical group of nomadic monks isolated from the world in four major temples found in remote mountainous areas reachable only by flight of some kind. And though benders can only manipulate one element, there is one - the only one - who can manipulate all four; the Avatar, the human host of the Avatar Spirit.

But the Avatar has since vanished.

History of the Avatar World

Long after humans were given the power to bend the elements by the lion turtles and grew in skill and power under the tutelage of the original benders of their respective elements - dragons for fire, flying bison for air, badgermoles for earth, and the moon for waterbenders - humanity expanded across the world, growing and diving into four nations distinct not only by their bending arts, but their philosophies, values and cultures. They became the Fire Nation, the Air Nomads, the Earth Kingdom, and the Northern and Southern Water Tribes. Together, all four nations lived in peace with the Avatar, the only bender with the power to manipulate all four elements, maintaining balance where it was needed. Peace however, came under threat by the Fire Nation's increasing technological advancement and expansionist ideals.

And in the aftermath of the last Avatar's death, the Fire Nation capitalized on the power vacuum left between the birth of the last Avatar and the birth of the new one. A war campaign was launched, one that saw Fire Lord Yin leverage her nation's technological advancements to seek control and domination over all other nations, using propaganda to spread the message that the war as the Fire Nation's attempt to share their wealth and technological prosperity with the rest of the world. The world resisted, but the Fire Nation persisted. The Air Nomads, with pacifistic ideals and no formal military, were decimated and brought to the brink of extinction with only one major temple of Air Nomads still remaining. The Water Tribes' numbers dwindled, and their icy shores are blackened by soot and the dark hulls of abandoned Fire Nation ships. The Earth Kingdom fought valiantly and survived, and became home to the Terracotta Rebellion, a military resistance spearheading the Earth Kingdom's war efforts against the Fire Nation across the globe. But without the Avatar, the world struggled against the Fire Nation's ravenous imperialism and growing military power.

Soon however, the new Avatar emerged, fully trained and determined to return balance to the world. And though he led a memorable rebellion against the Fire Nation, it was all for naught. The sky trembled and the world gasped as Fire Lord Yin shot him down with a bolt of lightning. The glow of the Avatar State left his eyes, and he collapsed - dead. Though as the Avatar Spirit climbed out his body, his allies used a vial of spirit water from the North Pole Spirit Oasis to resurrect him. Though as his finger twitched and the water glowed, so did Fire Lord Yin's second bolt of lightning, slaying him a second time, mangling the Avatar Spirit and severing much of it's earthly ties - with only it's earthbending side remaining behind to find a new host. And find one it did, the crown princess of the Fire Nation; Fire Lord Yin's daughter. Born with the power to firebend and earthbend, the crown princess grew into the Fire Nation's next Fire Lord, and a lavabending phenom using Fire Nation propaganda to mask the long forgotten earthbending talent of lavabending as a legendary firebending power.

Now, leading the war first started by her mother, the Fire Lord is, unknown to all but her, all that remains of the Avatar. As the world cowers at the Fire Nation's warmongering, the Earth Kingdom stands strong with a new leader at the helm of the Terracotta Rebellion ready to end the war in a world without it's Avatar.

Avatar Lore, Bending & Spirit World

The following is lore regarding the Avatar, the Order of the White Lotus, the four bending arts (including their sub-sets), it's animals and the Spirit World:

The Avatar

The only being capable of bending all four elements, the Avatar is responsible for maintaining balance in the world, often through enforcing peace and moral order between the four nations, as well as acting as a living conduit between the physical world and the Spirit World. The Avatar acts as the human host of the Avatar Spirit, and is born in a cyclic and generational order; fire, air, water, and earth. This is known as the Avatar Cycle whereby once an Avatar dies, they are reincarnated in the next nation in the cycle's order. This reincarnation cycle - along with the Avatar Spirit itself - however, can be broken if the Avatar is killed while in the Avatar State, a state of heightened power whereby the Avatar harnesses an enormous amount of cosmic energy to access the bending knowledge and mastery of all previous Avatars.

Furthermore, the Avatar also has access to a fifth and forgotten form of bending; energybending. A power that allows the Avatar to remove or restore a person's bending by manipulating their life energy, it is incredibly dangerous as even slight weakness in the Avatar's spirit will risk corrupting it through infection of their adversary's spirit. As a result, energybending is a rare and forgotten bending art, even among Avatars.

The Order of the White Lotus

Sometimes referred to as simply the "White Lotus", the Order of the White Lotus is a secret society dating back to olden times. It transcends the divisions between the four nations with a purpose of sharing knowledge and seeking beauty, philosophy and truth regardless of national pride and political strife. Founded many hundreds of years into the past by scholars wise and old from across the world, the White Lotus was at first a group comprised of these ancient scholars and masters. One where these masters would challenge one another in Pai Sho, a two-person board game. The group's name was chosen from the white lotus tile used in Pai Sho, a crucial element in their strategy.

Eventually, the group expanded into a larger organization, and owed to it's devotion to secrecy, membership is communicated through Pai Sho by placing tiles on the board in a specific manner and order to form a blooming lotus bud with the lotus chip in the middle. Though leadership in the organization is not entirely clear due to it's secrecy, only a Grand Lotus is known to have the power to call the Order together. It is implied that there is more than one Grand Lotus. Furthermore, though most members are old and tend to be phenomenal masters of their respective bending arts and other skills, it is not a prerequisite for membership. Though members are usually not seen in official uniform in order to maintain the organization's secrecy, the Order's official garb is an indigo-colored outfit, with white details, a white cape and a Lotus patterned mantle around the shoulders.

The Order also features a flag bearing the image of a white lotus.

The Bending Arts

There are five bending arts in the Avatar World, the first four corresponding to a physical element e.g. fire, air, water, and earth, while the fifth, a forgotten and rare form of bending, focuses on bending the life energy within oneself and others. The five bending arts are as follows:

• Airbending: The bending art of manipulating air, airbending is used by the Air Nomads, and the original airbenders; the flying bison. Said to be the element of freedom, airbending focuses on evasion and speed, and using a free flowing but defensive style to avoid confrontation due to the Air Nomads' pacifistic tendencies. And while held back by the pacifism of the Air Nomads, airbending is the most dynamic of the four classical bending arts, enabling one to project powerful gusts of air, whirlwinds etc. Because airbending is the manipulation of air, the element unencumbered by the ground, it's opposite bending art is earthbending. The limits of airbending, as with all bending arts, depend on the bender's level of skill, however, airbending is unique in that complete mastery can only be achieved through spiritual enlightenment. The sub-skills of airbending are spiritual projection of one's spirit into the Spirit World, and the rarest sub-skill of any bending art; flight. Though airbenders use gliders to manipulate air currents for flight, no airbender has been able to achieve true unaided flight in thousands of years as this skill requires not only incredible talent but for an airbender to completely sever all their earthly (emotional) ties.

• Waterbending: The bending art of manipulating water, waterbending is harnessed by a select few in both Water Tribes. Unique from the four elemental bending arts in that it's original bender was no animal - but the moon instead - waterbending is a bending art that breeds adaptability and versatility as it is said to be the element of change. As a result, waterbenders concentrate on more flowing movements, and though most waterbenders enjoy a significant advantage or suffer from a severe disadvantage depending on the amount of water around them, waterbenders of incredibly high skill do not need to be surrounded by bodies of water as they can draw water from other sources such as the humidity in the air or from plants. Furthermore, waterbenders can manipulate ice as well, in addition to freezing water, melting ice, forming ice and water-based constructs etc. The opposite of waterbending, quite literally, is firebending. Also, given it's strong ties to the moon, waterbenders are strongest at night (especially during a full moon), and powerless during lunar eclipses or when the Moon Spirit dies. The sub-skills of waterbending are healing, which is very common, and the far rarer bloodbending (possible only during a full moon).

• Earthbending: Used by those in the Earth Kingdom to manipulate the element of earth, earthbending was founded by the badgermoles, and not only requires an intimate connection with the earth, but also neutral jing (how one directs their energy, internally and externally) in order to listen the earth (more-so the vibrations of movements in the earth). Similar to waterbenders in that most earthbenders face either an advantage or disadvantage depending on how much earth is around them, earthbending differs though, in that it is more rigid and headstrong. With it, earthbenders can move massive amounts of earth, telekinetically lift and hurl all manner of rock and crystals, manipulate earth in whichever way their imagination and creativity allows, form earth-based constructs etc. Considered to be the element of substance, earthbending's focus on strength and fortitude means it's opposite is airbending. It's sub-skills are seismic sense (detecting vibrations in the ground to perceive one's environment), the much rarer metalbending, and the extremely rare (unseen in centuries and forgotten) lavabending.

• Firebending: Founded by dragons who then taught the Sun Warriors, firebending is the bending art of the Fire Nation. It is aggressive, and whereas two other bending arts depend on the external sources of the elements they bend, firebending is different as firebenders can project fire by using their internal heat source (usually anger or hatred). However, firebenders can still make use of existing flames around them. With firebending, firebenders can project powerful streams of fire, create flaming volleys, a variety of fire-based constructs such as fire whips, and more. It is the element of power and it's direct and highly aggressive style means it's opposite is waterbending. Similar to waterbenders, firebenders draw their power from a celestial source; the sun. For this reason, firebenders enjoy significant power during the day, full power at noon, but are powerless during solar eclipses. Firebenders also experience a massive and unparalleled surge in power when a comet bursts into flames by skirting the atmosphere. Highly skilled firebenders can glide and under extraordinary circumstances (such as in the presence of a flaming comet), fly by projecting powerful jets of flames. Furthermore, some firebenders can also create hotter, blue fire. It's sub-skills are the incredibly rare combustion-bending (the ability to ignite and detonate objects with a ray of heat projected from one's mind), and the also rare shooting and redirecting lightning.

• Energybending: The rarest form of bending, energybending is a forgotten bending art, known only to very few Avatars across history, but carried on by the mythical lion turtles, giant and longlived creatures that have since been brought to the brink of extinction and have not been seen in abundance since the pre-bending era. Unlike the four other bending arts, energybending manipulates not an element, but the energy within. It is incredibly dangerous as improper technique and a weak spirit will lead to an energybender's destruction. With energybending, one can remove or restore the bending abilities of others, and also manifest a spiritual projection of oneself. Because it is so incredibly rare, energybending is the least understood of all bending arts, and no longer known to exist.

The Spirit World

Home to many different immortal supernatural entities called "spirits", the Spirit World is a parallel plane of reality that coexists with the physical world. Many of the spirits inhabiting it personify different aspects of nature and life, with some taking on the appearance of animals, while others take on their own unique appearance. Because there are very few known ways for any human to enter the Spirit World other than a spirit taking them there when shifting between the physical and Spirit World, only the Avatar is well known to be able to enter the Spirit World as the Avatar is the conduit between both worlds. Similarly, only few spirits can manifest in the physical world, and doing so comes at the risk of relinquishing their immortality. The few known ways for a human to enter the Spirit World is firstly, through enlightenment then meditation, or through spirit portals.

Key locations in the physical world that act as bridges to the Spirit World are, for example, the Spirit Oasis in the North Pole. A strange domain, the Spirit World's landscape can change dramatically. Certain areas resemble the physical world so strongly that a human unfamiliar with it might not recognize any difference. Other locations however, are significantly different from what exists in the physical world. And unlike in the physical world, those who enter the Spirit World through meditation cannot use their bending whilst in the Spirit World. Only those who have entered it physically through spirit portals can use their bending. The only exception is energybending due to it's strong spiritual ties.

Geography of the Avatar World

The following are the four nations and overall geography of the Avatar World:

The Air Nomads

A nomadic people led by an ecclesiocracy whereby senior monks assume the role of governance, the Air Nomads are pacifistic airbenders who give religious credence to spirituality and harmony. As a result, they're the most spiritually enlightened of the four nations, but also the smallest and the weakest given that they have only a subsistence economy based purely on agriculture due to their vegetarian diet, and no formal military. However, they are also the only nation in which all their members are benders. While the Air Nomads once lived in four major temples built on remote locations (reachable only through air travel e.g. on a flying bison or hot air balloon etc.) across the world, with the Eastern and Western Air Temples housing only female airbenders, and the Northern and Southern Air Temples housing only male airbenders, the war waged by the Fire Nation has rocked the Air Nomads to their core.

Ill-equipped for war due to their pacifism and lacking military force, many of the Air Nomads were slain and all but the Northern Air Temple on the mountains along the northern coast of the Earth Kingdom were destroyed by the Fire Nation. The remaining airbenders, male and female, now survive in the Northern Air Temple which is closest to the Earth Kingdom and thus the closest to the protection of the Terracotta Rebellion in the Earth Kingdom. The Northern Air Temple itself has been designed to protect the remaining Air Nomads in the event of an attack as many of it's doors and mechanisms are only operable through means of airbending. Many of the Air Nomads still work to maintain their culture despite their dwindled numbers. They still wear their yellow, orange and brown colors, still shave their heads and masters still receive their arrow tattoos to emulate the natural arrows on the heads of flying bison, which live on in the Northern Air Temple in small numbers.

Led by an ecclesiastical senate comprised of five senior monks; Sister Lo, Sister Shu, Monk Zaraki, Sister Ling, and Monk Khai, the Air Nomads of the Northern Air Temple are the last remaining Air Nomads in the world.

The Water Tribes

Founded in the North Pole, the Water Tribes were once a single nation known simply as the Water Tribe. Comprised of waterbenders, armed warriors and, and healers, it was large and prosperous until a period of civil unrest saw a large part of the Water Tribe break away and journey to the South Pole where they ushered in an era dominated by a tribal coalition of several independent chiefdoms. However, with time the Southern Tribesmen gradually warmed to the idea of the Northern chief as their ruler, so long as they were allowed autonomy and self-governing over their own internal affairs. With their terms met, the Southern Water Tribe's Council of Elders were formed, answering only to the Northern chief. And though marriage between Southerners and the ruling family of the Northern Water Tribe helped fortify their tribal ties, their geographical distance could not be ignored.

Their cultures and way of life diverged. The Southern Water Tribe became much less hierarchical and welcomed a culture of gender equality. Still, without the resources that the Northern Water Tribe enjoyed, the Southern Water Tribe failed to reach similar levels of prosperity. And though they built an inland city made of an abundance of igloos and tents surrounded by a large wall of ice, their city paled in comparison to the one built by the Northern Water Tribe. Years before the Fire Nations' global war, a group of Southern tribesmen left the South Pole to travel the world, eventually settling in an Earth Kingdom wetland called the Foggy Swamp due to it's abundance of water. Forming the Foggy Swamp Tribe, they lived in isolation from the world. The Foggy Swamp Tribe is the most primitive of the Water Tribes, though have developed a unique and powerful waterbending style focused on the manipulation of flaura like vines by bending the water inside of them. They live in wooden huts that comprise a small village in the Foggy Swamp, and wear plant-based clothing like leaves and loincloth. Because few even know that they exist, the Foggy Swamp Tribe is not affected by the war nor subject to Fire Nation attacks.

The Southern Water Tribe on the other hand, has seen it's inland city in the South Pole dwindle in size from continued attacks by the Fire Nation, with many Southern tribesmen breaking away from the city to live in small settlements spread across the South Pole. The Northern Water Tribe however, is still prosperous. It's city is massive and multi-tiered. Built into the icy landscape, the Northern Water Tribe city rests on the shores of the Northern Sea, and behind it lies a vast frozen tundra. Because of the defenses enjoyed from their harsh and icy terrain, the Northern Water Tribe has survived the war with Fire Nation fairly well. Their city's high walls, gate and canal lock system are all made of ice and passable only with waterbending. Ruled by a supreme chief, the Northern Water Tribe enjoys a large and prosperous city with an army (all adult male tribesmen are fully trained warriors) comprised of highly skilled warriors (non-benders), master waterbenders, and healers. Furthermore, the Northern Water Tribe enjoys a small navy with ships operable only through waterbending. The Northern Water Tribe city is also home to the Spirit Oasis, a lush garden and pond found in a cove deep within the city.

The pond itself is home to Tui and La, the Moon and Ocean Spirits in the form of two koi fish, one black and the other white. Though the city's walls and frozen landscape have played a part in it's ability to survive the Fire Nation, it is, as previously mentioned, the city's canal system that is crucial to the Northern Water Tribe's continued resistance to conquest. Water-locking chambers are the only entrances into the main city. Boats travel through the gates, and once the boats have passed, waterbenders raise the water levels, lifting the boats until they reach the waterways of the city. As a result, no enemy ship has ever managed to enter the city. The Northern Water Tribe's chief, Takkua, is the tribal chief of both the Northern and Southern tribes, holding authority over the Southern tribe's Council of Chieftains and Elders.

The Earth Kingdom

Encompassing a massive continent and several islands, the Earth Kingdom is an advanced industrialized monarchical nation on the Eastern Hemisphere. It is the world's largest nation, as well as it's most ethnic and culturally diverse. This diversity extends to the landscape of the Earth Kingdom as it varies from wooden forests to blazing deserts, to mountains regions and grassy plains. Home to a proud and strong people as well as earthbenders, the Earth Kingdom's immense size and cultural diversity have seen it grow into a nation with a highly decentralized government and high levels of local autonomy. Still, this has not hindered the Earth Kingdom's different cities and cultures from sharing an overall similar identity as well as showcasing their recognition to the monarchy. The one nation that has best resisted the Fire Nation, the Earth Kingdom is home to the Terracotta Rebellion, an armed resistance founded by the late great earthbender, Lae.

It is now led by a new leader, Jaya, and it spearheads the Earth Kingdom's war operations against the Fire Nation across the globe. The Earth Kingdom's capital is Ba Sing Se, meaning "Impenetrable City". The largest city in the world, it spans much of the Earth Kingdom's northeastern corner. It's name is owed to it's famed walls, the gates of which have no hinges and such and are only opened through earthbending. The city's citizens are sorted in several "rings" defined by economic and social class. These rings range from the Lower Ring, several ghettos populated war refugees and the poor, to the Upper Ring, inhabited by the wealthy and the kingdom's ruling classes e.g. military and government officials protected by the Dai Li (earthbending secret police). Buildings in the Upper Ring are large walled compounds with yellow tiled roofs similar to lesser versions of the Earth Kingdom Royal Palace. Ba Sing Se also houses a MidSing Se University, and buildings larger and better built than those found in the Lower Ring. The roofs are also tiled green in the Middle Ring.

Transport through the city is provided by large monorails powered by earthbending. These monorails meet in large transit stations and are free to the general public. As previously mentioned, Ba Sing Se is also home to the Dai Li, secret earthbending police tasked with capturing, imprisoning and interrogating political dissidents. In addition to Ba Sing Se, the Earth Kingdom is also home to other cities like Omashu. Furthermore, in order to protect itself, the Earth Kingdom has a large military force comprised of earthbenders, armed foot soldiers, mounted cavalry units, mechanized tanks, and a navy. The Earth Kingdom is also home to a large economy with an abundance of natural resources like timber, coal, fertile soil, and mineral deposits. Like the Fire Nation, the Earth Kingdom is ruled by a constitutional monarch. Namely, Earth King Yagan.

The Fire Nation

A large archipelago stretching along the equator in the Western Hemisphere, the Fire Nation is the world's second largest nation. An absolute monarchy holding the world's most powerful economy due to it's advanced technology and strong industrial sector, the Fire Nation is undoubtedly the world's most powerful nation. Many of the islands that make up the Fire Nation are volcanic and actively volcanic, and being built near sources of heat grant firebenders a considerable push in power. The main islands of the nation consist of rough and grassy plains with little wildlife. No nation has ever mounted an invasion the Fire Nation due to it's fearsome power. Fire Lord Yin, a powerful firebending master froagainst m the royal bloodline, is a celebrated historical figure in the Fire Nation due to her role in launching the expansionist war and slaying the Avatar.

Her daughter, Sasaki ,the current Fire Lord, is likewise, a powerful firebending master, whose incredible lavabending is actually owed to her secret ability to earthbend. An absolute monarchy, the Fire Nation is built most strongly in urban centers, however still features smaller villages and towns across the archipelago. It's capital city, known only as the Fire Nation Capital, is on the archipelago's largest island, inside the crater of an enormous volcano, along with an abundance of industrial establishments where weapons, tanks and warships are manufactured to support the war effort. Much of the Fire Nation's imagery is modeled after fire, with the color red featuring prominently. Much of the capital city features stone and red pagoda-style roofs. Furthermore, the city is divided into several districts e.g. the Royal Plaza, Harbor City, and Royal Caldera City in the crater on the mountain's summit. The harbor is sealed by a massive sea wall flanked by two giant ballista towers, with each tower armed with ballistae powerful enough to fire harpoon bolts through reinforced steel. The entrance of the harbor leads into the Royal Plaza, a direct route from the ocean to the Fire Nation Capital.

Found in the harbor just below Harbor City, the Royal Plaza is a large structure used by Fire Nation Royalty to hold war propaganda rallies for it's citizens. It is the only route in and out of the city from the sea. Following this district is Harbor City, settled between the central volcano and the harbor. It is where the Fire Nation's supplies of metal are refined to build tanks, warships and other weapons that help maintain the city's defenses. It is the industrial sector of the city. In the crater of the dormant volcano is the Royal Caldera City where the Fire Nation's wealthiest and most important nobles reside. Commoners are not allowed entry into the Royal Caldera City without an invitation from the Fire Lord. However, because of it's less than generous size, the Royal Caldera City does not feature enormous compounds. Instead, it's mansions are far more vertical with the architectural intention of maximizing floor space. Additionally, because of limited space, many have built their homes further up the spiky peaks lining the crater. Roads in the Royal Caldera City are fortified with watchtowers and battlements every hundred yards.

At the heart of the Royal Caldera City is the Fire Nation Royal Palace sitting on a large hill of scorched rock walled off from the rest of the city. The Fire Nation is also notable for having a supposedly inescapable prison called the Boiling Rock. Built on a volcanic island sitting in the heart of a boiling lake with steam rising to the air, the Boiling Rock is a maximum security prison with thick walls and an overwhelming prison guard presence. It is said that the most dangerous criminals of the Fire Nation, such as war prisoners, are held there. Perhaps more than any other nation, the Fire Nation gives great credence to honor and respect in general, but especially to the noble class and the elderly. If one is dishonored, then they may seek to avenge themselves or have someone avenge them in an Agni Kai, a firebending duel won only once a participant has burned another. In addition to it's use of war propaganda e.g. masking the expansionist war as the Fire Nation sharing it's prosperity and advancements with the world, the Fire Nation is also home to an excessive cult of personality regarding the Fire Lord.

Pictures of the Fire Lord are kept clearly visible in schools and public buildings, while large fire-breathing statues are often built to honor past Fire Lords. As previously stated, the Fire Nation holds the world's most powerful economy. The economy is dominated by shipbuilding, metalworking and the manufacturing of weapons. Furthermore, the nation's knowledge of combustion have yielded advancements in metallurgy and the development of tanks, rudimentary explosives, mechanized catapults, siege drills, and coal-powered warships clad in iron. Because of this heavy industrialization, the Fire Nation has a strong working force consisting of metalworkers and blacksmiths who use iron and other metals for fortresses and warships. Prisoners are often used to dig out coal in mines to power massive industrial furnaces and war machinery. The late Fire Lord Yin's desire for conquest appears to have stemmed from the Fire Nation developing a greater need for resources due to it's skyrocketing industrial sector. And because of it's heavy industrialization, no nation can truly compete with Fire Nation military.

It's army consists of firebenders, armed foot soldiers, cavalry units riding Komodo rhinos, metal tanks and the supernaturally skilled Yuyan archers. Furthermore, it's navy dwarfs that of any other nation as basic units are made up of several fleets of coal-powered cruisers clad in iron. Thousands of sailors, engineers and soldiers comprise the navy, and make it possible for the nation to launch operations fielded by over a hundred warships. Finally, the Fire Nation is the only nation with an air force, granting them a sphere of influence in warfare that the other nations do not have save for the Air Nomads who, dwindling numbers aside, have no formal military. The Fire Nation's air force consists of war balloons and large airships.

Fauna & Flora of the Avatar World

Much of the wildlife in the Avatar World is chimeric with different creatures being strange combinations of other animals e.g. a polar bear dog. Like the fauna, the flora differs significantly between nation to nation, varying due to weather and climate. In the poles inhabited by the Northern and Southern Water Tribes for example, where the land is frozen and almost barren, there is little to no flora. However, in the much warmer lands of the Earth Kingdom, plant life is as plentiful as it is diverse. In the Avatar World, the fauna occupy many different spheres of influence. Some animals, such as the Komodo rhinos used as cavalry mounts by Fire Nation soldiers or the flying bison used by the Air Nomads, are used as a means of transport. Other animals are used as sources of clothing or food, while flora is used for tea and decorations and even gifts.

In addition to this, there areas in the Avatar World, that host fauna unlike any anywhere else. The Foggy Swamp for example, features a wet climate and abundant vegetation where countless creatures like screeching birds, glowflies, catgators, and elbow leeches all live in the same ecosystem. There is also the Great Divide, the largest canyon in the world found in the arid and rocky regions of the central Earth Kingdom. It is home to unique creatures as well, like canyon crawlers.

Rules

1. This is both an OOC and IC thread. You can post in here IC but you can also create location threads. In fact I encourage it! So for example, if you want to create a city within the Earth Kingdom like how Omashu is a city in the Earth Kingdom, do so! You can set up an NPC as the local ruler who answers to the Earth King. Or if you want your character to be an Earth Kingdom city's ruler under the authority of the Earth King, shoot me a PM (on this account or on my Grimmwald account) and we'll work something out.
2. This RP is set during a time period comparable to that of Avatar: The Last Airbender and not Avatar: The Legend of Korra.
3. The most important rule for this RP is that no one can be the Avatar. Other than the storyline reason (you'll know if you read the OP ;P), there are OOC reasons as to why no one can or should be the Avatar. The Avatar is the equivalent of a nuclear arsenal in the Avatar World and the imbalance of power that would happen from someone being the Avatar won't make for a fun RP. Also, it wouldn't be fair to have any user be the Avatar because not just one user will want to be the Avatar and that's a conflict that should be avoided.
4. Similarly, do not create characters as powerful or more powerful than the Avatar in this RP.
5. Also, we (Nova, Fallen and I) highlighted in the OP in the part about the bending arts how rare sub-skills in bending are. So that's something to keep in mind. In Avatar: The Last Airbender (and we're working with a similar time period here), things like bloodbending, lightning generation, combustionbending etc. were very very rare. Bloodbending (in ATLA) was only possible under a full moon and there were only two bloodbenders in existence at the time. There was only one combustionbender at the time. Lightning generation was a trait reserved only for the Fire Nation royal family. Metalbending was considered impossible until Toph invented it. Lavabending was possibly only for Avatars. And no airbender could achieve unaided flight in ATLA. I know a lot of this stuff was changed in the Legend of Korra and they became a lot more possible. But this RP is based off of Avatar: The Last Airbender. Now I'm not saying you can't have characters with these sub-skills, of course you can. Extremely powerful benders existed in ATLA. I'm just saying keep all of this in mind so that we prevent an RP where every waterbender is a bloodbender, every firebender can shoot lightning, every earthbender can lavabend and metalbend etc. These are very traits. So just take this into consideration when creating your characters.
6. The only nation with a playable character as it's leader, is the Fire Nation. The Fire Lord will be a Zauby character. Every other nation has an NPC ruler or group of rulers. If you want your character to be a high-ranking politician or military official in a non-Fire Nation nation, shoot me a PM and we'll work it out! If you want to be say, the Earth King or Queen or something though, you better have a really good case as to why, LOL. If you want any high-ranking position in the Fire Nation government or military or otherwise want to do something with the Fire Nation on a huge scale e.g. maybe your character is a Fire Nation admiral and you want to launch a siege with your forces on the other nations, PM Zauby/Rosso since she's playing the Fire Lord.
7. Remember, none of the characters from the show exist in this RP. This is in the Avatar universe but we're using our own characters and our own history for an original story.
8. If you want to be a member of the Order of the White Lotus, go ahead! Even a Grand Lotus. But you cannot be the leader of the Order of the White Lotus since it's leadership hierarchy was poorly defined in ATLA. If you have an idea though, feel free to PM me.
9. You can create your own factions if you want to. For example, maybe your character is the leader of a band of rogue earthbenders who attack cities etc. Or you lead a group of political rebels from an Earth Kingdom city that wants to secede from the Earth Kingdom. Or maybe you lead a vigilante squad of chi-blockers who hunt down firebenders, LOL.

How the hell did you format this it looks amazing

@ichimanken: Thanks! I found out some weird things you can do when you pull images into quotes with text in a certain way. It's hard to explain, LOL.

This is extraordinarily well done!

@nordok: Gracias, mano!

Aww, I wanted to be kept a secret til I could roll out! v_v

Well, you got me.

Carefree, like water, Rakatu took a path in the mountains of the Earth Kingdom. His constant companion his song, and the smell of the air.

"Do be careful when you go to Ba Sing Se,

Many people there might not know your way

But they are stone and brick and mortar

From mighty monarch to lowly porter."

He tapped his bearded chin, shrugging.

"That's rubbish."

Awesome stuff!

@paragonxxx: Thanks!

When are we starting?

Nice!

"So, who's playin for second place?"

(dude(s), and lady nova, this looks doooope!)

@eito: Gracias!

@optimisticgenius: It already has. This is an IC thread too. And of course, people can create location threads to post in etc.

Your OPs are masterpieces. Amazing work.

(Personal prequel/prologue/bio: )

Not many remember the world before the fire nation attacked.

I don't mean the time when we were in long prosperous peace that blanketed the world. I mean the days when the earth kingdom grew xenophobic and combined their power to hold the nation's hostage in their own borders, before realizing the error of their ways and eventually going a different direction of walls and domes.

Or the 50-year war 500 years ago where a divergent sect of zealot air nomads succeeded at assassinating the water tribe's chief during his daughter's wedding ceremony? Their goal was to cleanse the world of belief in other powers, including human figures of authority bordering on divine.

In between all of that chaos there were pockets of pure bliss. Followed by a long darkness. Every tribe had a hand in some grand scale attack on the human world. This is the nature of man and man's world. I only had one option, one destination that wasn't tainted by the goals and ambitions of a human selfishness.

The Spirit World

I was only maybe five or six when I found the gateway. It was completely by accident but as time went on, it seemed like fate...I would meet strange spirits. Sometimes I would enter entirely for hours on end to play in the fields and run with the animals.

When I was 12, a large scale attack rocked the foundation of our mountain and sent it partially spewed into the rift of an earthquake. It was the descendants of the Do Ma. A group of elite special operatives that pre-date the Royal Kingdom's gaurds as the greatest force on the planet in precision earth bending and assassination. My master faught long and hard but in the end the numbers overtook him. He told me not to fight. He told me to run and hide.

So I did.

I made it into the spirit world. I saw the look in my master's eyes as the earth benders brought down the rest of the mountain, and with it my only way home.

Ever since I've been here learning things, experiencing a world not many have ever gotten to know. But yet, I should be older, shouldn't I?

My bending has truly flourished here. I feel as though I am a part of the wind. A tornado willed together by connected forces.

Some of my friends here will show me the world outside through windows. I saw the peace for a long time and eventually stopped watching altogether.

Until the fire nation attacked.

There had even been some attempts at forceful entry through the remaining portals into their world. But the fire nation couldn't master the art of inner peace and only attracted the worst ends by the spirit creatures.

Many of my friends had a similar mind. "You are human Sii-La. You are one of us, but you are human. They need you."

To which my reply was always ever, "They don't need anything. It's the natural state of things." I said, "I left the world of selfish humans for this reason. "

He laughed. "Don't you see? You are one of those selfish humans. What is more selfish than leaving thousands behind so that you yourself can prosper?"

I was out of stoic ideologues. I hugged him like a brother, then prepared my things.

For the first time in 438 years, I am returning to the human world.

(BIO)

Name:Orion

Race:Anchent-Spirit

Type:Phoenix

Age:98,769(Immortal)

Main-Element:Fire

Sub-Element : Air

Air, and Energy Bender

Abilities(Spirit):

Pyrokinetic-Regeneration

(Soul)

Fire-Embodiment.

Fire-Empowerment.

Fire-Manipulation.

Fire-Absorption.

Fire-Soul.

Fire-Immunity.

Thermal-Resistance.

Air-Generation.

Air-Absorption.

Air-Empowerment.

Aerokinetic-Flight.

Energy-Detection.

Energy-Conversion.

Enhanced-Memory.

Spiritual-Healing.

Tears heals at an Advanced lvl.

True-blood heals at an Master lvl.

Able to bless.

(Semi)Truth-Detection.

Nigh-Absolute Immortality

Minor-limitless concept creation.

Location (Now):?????

History:Orion was a spirit, and one of the oldest to exist.

It was the strongest spirit, maybe even more so then the avatar spirit.

He could make small concepts without any cost, unlike the rest.

It's regeneration, and powers make it impossible to kill for now.

Due to being the king of spirits, he can't act as much as the rest.

He is like an ace, only for dire situations

(extinction of a race of the world,

Or disruption of balance

(killing the moon spirit)

Only by by a contract can he use a bit of powers(by the worthy). His own avatar is Avalon.(next series)

---------------------------

Abilities (Human/mortal):

Enhanced physique.

(4.5x the normal strength, speed, etc.)

Enhanced memory.

Resistance to fire.

(up to 1,000 kelvin)

Nigh-Precognition.

Healing-factor.

(All injuries don't leave a mark,

Damages like a paper cut heals in seconds, but broken bones may take weeks)

(False)Immortality(never ages)

[[Comparison]]

His flames are as hot as the sun's suface.

lightning is about 30,000 kelvin, 5 times hotter than the surface of the sun! Royalty can beat him with lightning, as he doesn't have the element for it.

(Or the other elementd to make lightning)

His plasma are about

1million kelvin

(Only affects the spot hit)

(Also smaller than lightning)

(Size of a strand of hair)

(Plasma IS hard to produce, it takes 3.5 days to produce one the size of an ant)

(main defence against other elements,

as it can vaporise flames, lightning, ice, etc.)

(Only quick bursts, of plasma)

(Plasma is uncontrollable in his mortal state, once aimed, it will travel)

@optimisticgenius: No. Your character is too OP for this RP and it just doesn't fit. Flames as hot as the sun's core? Plasma as hot as a supernova? Plus airbending, master-level energybending, high-level regeneration and the ability to create other spirits/concepts like the Avatar? No. Even more-so, you're ignoring an absolute law of the Avatar universe. Spirits that cross over into the physical world to attain a physical form lose their immortality. Sure your character's abilities are weaker in the physical world but by how much? Flames once hot as the sun's core are now as hot as what? The Earth's core? Your character is more powerful than the Avatar, LOL. What's the point of that in this kind of RP?

This is exactly the kind of OP shit we wanted to prevent in this RP. Now this isn't to say you can't create a spirit. Sure you can. But what spirit in the Avatar universe is that OP? Even Raava wasn't. Even Vaatu wasn't. No spirit in the Avatar universe is even a fraction as OP as yours. You've created what is essentially a nuclear arsenal 2x for yourself. That causes an enormous imbalance of power for everyone in the RP. The rule is this. Your character cannot be as powerful or more powerful than the Avatar. Simple as that.

Gracias!

On one of his travels, Rakatu found the humidity of the Earth Kingdom's bamboo forests to be unbearable, and so decided to take a rest under a Lychee tree. He didn't know it at first but a fire ferret had managed to sneak up to his food bag. The rustling caught his attention, and he tried to scare it off. But it didn't relent. He noticed desperation in its motives, mostly due to the fact it was hissing.

"What are you so angry about?" he sighed, opening his bag. "See? Empty,"

The ferret whimpered and hopped back into the underbrush, but Rakatu knew no rest from the creature. It kept trying to get his attention and then darted back into the shrubbery.

"Oh fine," he muttered, following it. He had to crawl on all fours, and bumped his head once, but the dense foliage opened into a small clearing. A cleverly-hidden nest, where an old fire ferret was laying on a bed of dry leaves.

She was old, because of the unclean and bleached fur. She wasn't breathing healthily. Rakatu didn't say anything and went back to the Lychee tree, plucking some of the fruit. He made his way back to the nest, and drew out the nourishing hydration from the nuts, throwing empty shells onto the ground. The apparent mother of this rambunctious fire ferret drank slightly of the manipulated hydration, but stopped after little more than two small swallows. He put the rest into a canteen on his belt.

Rakatu placed his hands over the small creature, trying his best to not disturb the foliage and therefore their home. He drew in some water from the humid air around them, sterilizing it with a motion of his fingers before hovering it over the mother ferret. She didn't move, and her breathing was becoming more sparse. She had been sick for a while, probably bitten by a snake due to a wound Rakatu found on her neck.

He looked at the smaller child ferret and offered a hand for him to nuzzle against. He didn't know what was happening, only that his mother wasn't going to be around any longer.

"I'm sorry little guy," the Waterbender dispersed the healing liquid to the air once more as the mother ferret stopped breathing altogether. He couldn't just... leave the little guy out here all by his lonesome, though.

The ferret climbed out of the nest in front of Rakatu. The Northern Water Tribesman pointed at what used to be his food bag.

"Want to come along?"

The ferret whimpered at first, looking back at the nest, and craned his head back up at Rakatu. He shrugged, and headed back inside one last time.

The ferret had a new name: Tantan. He seemed to like it.

A small stone over freshly-disturbed earth, a respectful burial, as the forest became just a little bit cooler.

DOPE!

@rondstrum: Jump in! I advise you to read the OP first so you know the state of the world, and also the rules for clarification but any questions you have, shoot me a PM :)

@xzenix-everdeen: Thanks! Jump in!

@razahn: Cool! And will do, I still need to read on the white lotus and the geography but I read everything else, nice different lore ya'll had.

@rondstrum: Gracias! Can't wait to see what you create :)

I did an edit

@optimisticgenius: Reread the rules and you'll find this:

Similarly, do not create characters as powerful or more powerful than the Avatar in this RP

Your character cannot be as powerful or more powerful than the Avatar. It's a simple rule. Follow it. Your character is immune and resistant to too many things and his plasma and flames are still way too hot. They're hotter than the Earth's core and the sun's surface, LOL. With flames and plasma alone your character is more powerful than the Avatar.

K..

@razahn: The resistances/Immunity are in his spirit form.

Check his powers as a mortal.

The avatar is the embodiment of the avatar spirit. Plus, he is restrained as a spirit.

So all those abilities are something he can't have in the MORTAL/PHYSICAL realm.

And did you NOT know lightning is

FIVE TIMES HOTTER THAN THE SUN'S SURFACE?

(Also you got it wrong, his flames are as hot as 1million kelvin,

His plasma is

100million kelvin)

In spirit form

(The big bang only reached 100billion kelvin)

BUT! don't forget the avatar spirit can literally create the concept of reincarnation! Or manipulate the laws of reality to an extent.

Have you also noticed...The avatar spirit Manipulation of time? Or able to see the future, past, present? It's basically

nigh-all knowing, mine is the strongest spirit for it's near invincibility, but the avatar spirit is basically stronger for Manipulation of so many things, and is a god (not a spirit).

Only if it splits is it considered a spirit.

@optimisticgenius: It doesn't matter if he's only that powerful in spirit form. The rules of the RP include "Do not create characters as or more powerful than the Avatar". There are no avenues around that rule like restraining your character's insane power to only his spirit form. Either follow the rule and create a reasonable character e.g. a bender or spirit less powerful than the Avatar, or don't RP at all. I won't tell you again.

@optimisticgenius: you need to read and follow the rules. If you cannot follow the rules of this rp you cannot participate. There are restrictions for a reason. Don’t look for a loop hole, just follow the rules as they are written please. If you do not understand the rules, then please ask.

Ok

That’s a sharp outfit, Chan.

@razahn:

The amount of times I’ve rewatched this masterpiece of a show... it’s probably best I just view this RP from afar lol. But awesome setup, hombre.

@valerie_huntington: I hope you enjoy watching the RP. ^_^

@valerie_huntington: No worries, bella. I mean, I think you should jump in but it's all good!

@grimmwald: I'd love to, but I think I'ma watch from the sideline. I'm scared to write in group RPs for some reason. >_>

@xzenix-everdeen: No worries!

@xzenix-everdeen: You could be my whipping boy. ^_^

@sasaki: *Bows to the Firelord and pledges my allegiance*

@grimmwald: I'd probably be down the next time something like this happens. Can't run away forever.

@sasaki