Fire.Air.Water.Earth.The predjudice against the Fire Nation has not abated. Look into the eyes of Earthbenders or Waterbenders when they look at them. They have not forgotten, and they have not forgiven. Not really. It's an ongoing process.
How quick we are to forget an age long past, when it was the Airbenders and the Waterbenders who threatened the entire world...
Like a whirlwind from beyond the eastern ocean came a woman, referred to only as Hurricane's Daughter. Demonstrating a mastery of both Waterbending
and Airbending, she quickly gathered a following of Water and Airbenders alike, who believed she must be the next incarnation of the Avatar.
However, many of those with extensive knowledge of the Avatar have noticed an inconsistency that has never manifested before...
Meanwhile, a young Earthbender just barely manages to escape Omashu when it is occupied by a group calling themselves the Children of the Storm...
Factions of the EraMajor FactionsBefore the rise of the first Fire Lord, Firebenders lived under a clan/caste system.
Each clan is responsible for a different type of industry, and members of those clans are educated in their specific industries from very young ages. This ensures that there are always masters of every craft, while also keeping the clans from turning on each other; a feud with a clan means no access to their area of expretise. Clan is decided at birth, with boys inheriting their mother's clan and girls inheriting their father's.
Each clan maintains its own army, meaning the Clans are a force to be reckoned with when united against an external threat, but are generally too disorganized to form an effective invasion force. Honor is very important, and inter-clan clashes are common, but it is usually little more than posturing.
The Fire Clans control the Fire archipelago and a few enterprising clans have discovered a way to eke out a living on the craggy isles where the Western Air Temple would be built centuries later.
Legends say that in ages past, before the Waterbenders settled at the north and south poles, they roamed the seas, living in villages built on the backs of colossal turtles.
The creatures are big enough not to be threatened by anything that lives in the ocean and each village ensures they have enough waterbenders to safely submerge when necessary. Waterbending traditions are very strong during this era. Many sub-styles exist and masters are plentiful, as bending serves as their primary means of short-range water travel. It is considered common courtesy to waterbend from one village to another in order to avoid any unfortunate collisions, and the nomads are wary of bringing their homes into port.
The Water Nomads are generally peaceful (it's hard to make enemies when you're constantly on the move), though Water Nomad corsairs are not exactly rare.
Being nomadic in nature, the Waterbenders control almost no actual lands of their own - only a few isolated island stops that they use as caches and depots and their capital city. It lies on an island far out to sea, and is used primarily for the breeding/training of the great turtles that carry their villages.
Centuries ago, before their knowledge deteriorated into esoteric philosophic and religious teachings, the Airbenders were a technocracy.A council of elected officials lead the technocracy. The members of each field of expertise are responsible for electing one of their own in order to serve on the council. Each official must be an expert in their area of study, as they are considered the leader of the Technocracy in all matters regarding that subject. However, the other members of the council may overrule any one member with a majority vote. This is to guarantee that all decisions are made by individuals who are actually qualified to make them.
The Technocracy's wealth of different flying machines makes their military a force to be reckoned with, despite their small populace.
{This one's the most different, and I can't come up with a more-IC, history book-type explanation,
soo.... The Technocracy controls the the Southern and Western Air Temples and the islands in between them, everything south of the mountain range south of Omashu, and the peninsula north of the Western Air Temple all the way up to Plainville.}
Like the stones they control, the Earthbenders are the ones least changed by time. They existed much as they always have, though they had not yet developed the systems necessary to efficiently manage a territory of such size.
The Earth Confederacy is an alliance of Baronies, Counties, and Duchies united by common goals as well as the Earthbending tradition. Each leader rules over their territory in much the same manner as the Earth King would come to rule the Earth Kingdom. Many of the rulers are distantly related - or related by marriage - so taking action against one will often draw the ire of others. Power struggles still occur, but they are often of a much more political nature.
Each member of the Confederacy is responsible for raising, training, and equipping its own army, though many lesser rulers will swear loyalty to a more powerful liege in exchange for protection and support. The Feudal system is much more apparent during this time period, with significantly less bureaucracy. This means that local government is much more efficient, but is also the reason that the various feudal lords have not yet been united into a single kingdom.
The Confederacy's combined territory is much the same as the Earth Kingdom's, minus the southeastern slice controlled by the Technocracy.
Utilizing a strange hybridization of Airbending and Waterbending taught to them by their mysterious leader, this group seeks to prove that she is the next Avatar by any means necessary. A recent rash of abductions of Earthbenders and Firebenders seems to coincide with their activities.
A covert organization of Earthbenders and Firebenders who suspect that the Hurricane's Daughter is a pretender to the Avatar's legacy. They seek the true Avatar and to protect the four nations from the Children of the Storm.
Hurricane's Children is a prequel set an untold number of centuries before
The Last Airbender. A young Earthbender (who is unknowing the real Avatar) is drawn into a shadow war between a powerful new religious faction (The Children of the Storm) and the rest of the world. Similar to in TLA, the Avatar will be co-starring with the friends and mentors that he or she meets during his/her adventures.
SEEKING: 2 - 4 player characters. At least 1 Earthbender (the Avatar) required, others are up for discussion. New players may also be introduced later in the Avatar's adventures (and old ones may also be lost). If we have multiple applications for the Avatar, I'll choose the one I think has the highest potential for interesting storytelling.
SYSTEM: Fate (it's simple, fast, and there's a free, online
SRD)
Character Sheet:
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[b]Name: [/b]
[b]High Concept: [/b]
[b]Trouble: [/b]
