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"[i][b]To be honest, I believe sticks and stones are stronger than words.[/b][/i]"

[b]Name:[/b]
Taero Shuma

[b]Age:[/b]
25

[b]Nationality: [/b]
Taero was born in the city of Omashu, however he lived most of his life in Makapu village.

[b]Affinity: [/b]
Earthbending

[b]Occupation: [/b]
Miner

[b]Strengths: [/b]
-[b]Upper body strength[/b] Taero practices self-discipline through rigorous training sessions for his fitness, this is because of his belief that controlling an element is not a necessity in terms of power.

-[b]Boulder Snake[/b] Taero creates a large basalisk-esque creature using surrounding large rocks, an attempt at overwhelming many enemies at once.

-[b]Metallic fingerless gloves[/b] The gloves that Taero wears are both made of metal, he believes that the pair have their many uses in fights, but are also a stylish feature.
 
[b]Weaknesses: [/b]
-[b]Sea Sickness[/b] Taero is poor at controlling his bowels whilst navigating the open waters, either in plane or boat, whenever he is over water his stomach is not at ease.

-[b]Heavy sleeper[/b] Taero cannot sleep for as short as the average human, he also tends to doze off when something bores him.

-[b]Anxiety[/b] Taero can become extremely stressed if overwhelmed, however this can be viewed as a strength as he tries as hard as he can when in such situations.

[b]Personality: [/b]
Taero is generally an enjoyable person to be around, sharing many jokes and being able to have a laugh with anybody he likes. His seriousness comes into action when teaching; he believes that you must be dedicated to something to be good at it. Overall, his view on life is that you have to do it whilst it lasts, so to make sure that every second is worth living.

[b]History: [/b]
Haru was a loyal soldier born into a well-off family, whilst his lover, Joji, was a simple tea brewer from the lower class district of Omashu. They filled the requirements of love at first sight; both adored each other in many ways and the romance was unmatched by any other couple in the city. It was obvious to anybody who knew the pair that they would form a strong family and that their love was internal, nobody seemed to think that a misunderstanding could drive the relationship into the ground.

One day, whilst perfecting her Oolong tea, a rather unappealing man entered the shop, Joji immediately sensed he was not in her shop to buy some of her tea, she was proven correct when he took the lady away and forced her to bear his child - she would have fought back yet he was an earthbender and neither she nor her husband were. Ashamed of herself, she did not tell Haru, hoping that the secret would be hidden until eternity ended. Unfortunately for the poor lass, this would not be the case at all.

The baby born was a beautiful boy with chubby fingers and a few strands of brown hair, everyone loved him and every feature he had acquired. Even his own father was none the wiser as to who was the real father, he simply believed that it was him. After six rough years of raising this carefree child, one action from the boy caused the father to resent him. One day, as Haru was preparing the boy his dinner, he tripped over something that was not there, after this happened many times, he realised - his son was an earthbender.

At the time he did not realise that bending was not purely genetic, he would have done the same if the boy actually was his. He immediately had an argument with his wife who admitted to what had happened and begged for forgiveness. Haru did not supply and sent the pair to the dull village of Makapu, where he thought that both would grow old and die. He thought that he could live the rest of his life without a care for what those two were doing or if it was important.

Little Taero did not like change; a new toy, sure, a new house, a little annoying but alright, an entirely new place... This was difficult to comprehend. He threw tantrums at Joji who was struggling to get along her daily routine and he also used to 'explore' (He ventured on his own into the surrounding forest). When he was thirteen, one such adventure led him to a secret grove where three pro-benders were training, he loved the whole concept of fighting with friends, making combinations with your elements and such. For a while, he did indeed wish to be a pro-bender until he turned eighteen and realised that his village needed him, his wants were not above his village's needs in his mind.

Taero became a miner, a successful one at that, he was the village's main income of stone, gems and other precious materials. He became good friends with a boy around his age, having a strong bond with him. His life was coming together finally until one unfaithful day.

Rogues attacked the village; chaos ensued as people tried to defend what little they had against these dangerous strangers who preyed on the weak. Many of the people tried to defend with what little they had yet it was not enough, too many were killed or injured. His mother was one of them whilst his friend had his leg severed - he would no longer work with Taero. The young man became enraged and formed a large serpent from the surrounding rocks and managed to drive back the forces, yet it was too late. Nothing could bring back his mother, the only family he knew besides the faint memory of a naive man.

He dedicated his life to strengthening his skills, both his earthbending and his body. Everything had to be more powerful so that he could stop any more innocent deaths from occurring in the cruel world. Taero's metalbending was improved, too, he created metallic gloves from some raw materials he found and managed to succeed in training. Once he was requested to be the Avatar's earthbending teacher, how could he refuse? Allowing another person, especially someone so honorable, to defend the weak made him feel content within, as if once he had finished he will have done all that his life required him to do.
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