[center][img]https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/avatar/images/b/b7/Avatar_World_map.png/revision/latest?cb=20131005142135[/img][/center]

[h1][center]Setting[/center][/h1]

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[i]Hundreds of Years Before the Birth of Avatar Aang...[/i]

[color=00aeef][h3]Water.[/h3][/color] [color=598527][h3]Earth.[/h3][/color] [color=f26522][h3]Fire.[/h3][/color] [color=fff79a][h3]Air.[/h3][/color] 

For years, the four peoples have lived in harmony, balanced by the eye of the Avatar. But things are changing. Twenty years ago, Avatar Er passed away, assassinated by the cruel Earth warlord An, who has united the scattered Earth people for the first time in history. Our people awaited the return of the Avatar, but he never came. Many a brave man has gone in search of him or her, but those men often go missing, never to return. It seems as if someone wants the Avatar to stay hidden. Things must change, someone must find the Avatar and restore balance.

The world of Avatar has evolved over its long history, and in the early days of the Earth Kingdom, when few of the four nations have united, is far different from the times of Aang and Korra. The Air Nomads still wander among their many mountainous temples, but the men of the Fire Islands have yet to renounce their spirituality and take up their militant stance.

Above all, the world is a far less united and far more dangerous place, even the Avatar may find it difficult to ensure peace in such a turbulent time.

If the Avatar is to be found, there needs to be drive, determination, and the spirit to turn adversity into success.

But most of all, there needs to be hope.

[center][h3]The Four Peoples[/h3][/center]

[hider=The Fire Islands][center][img]https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/avatar/images/8/83/Fire_Nation_map.png/revision/latest?cb=20140602201245[/img][/center]

The Fire Islands are a large archipelago of volcanic islands, extending from the far west towards the Earth Kingdom in the east. The Islands have a long history of conflict amongst the petty kingdoms that hold land there. There's a sharp division amongst the many people who live in the Fire Islands, and it is not uncommon to find those with ancestry from the Earth Kingdom in the far eastern islands, many of whom have paid tribute to powerful Earth warlords in the past.

Though their long history of conflict has divided them, the many petty kingdoms of the Fire Islands have forged a defensive alliance due to the growing power of Earth Warlord An, headed by the powerful Lord Jiang, the lord of most of the largest island. Despite this alliance of convenience, there is an aura of distrust amongst the Lords, and many worry that as soon as the Earth Warlord is defeated, the men of the Islands will be at each-other's throats once more.

Life in the islands is simple, most work as farmers for crops such as wheat or rice. Tea is a staple of Fire Islander cuisine, and tea houses offer many peasants the only amount of chatter and discussion that they will receive in their lives. Hot springs are common, heated by the volcanic activity that brings the Islands their shape. Honor and family are important values amongst Fire Islanders. Spirituality involves honoring the great dragons that gave the benders their skill, and the sun spirit, who gives them their strength.

The armies of the Fire Lordships are diverse in armament and tactics. The men in the far east dress in drab greens much like those of the Earth Kingdom and rely on defensive tactics, maintaining a location and not letting the enemy budge them. Meanwhile the troops of Lord Jiang clad themselves in black and fight aggressively, charging enemy formations to overwhelm them through sheer force. The Armies are built of professional soldiers, organized carefully and built to fight on even if the commander is slain.
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[hider=The Air Nomads][center][img]https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/avatar/images/8/8d/Mapair.png/revision/latest?cb=20110829141728[/img][/center]

The Air Temples of the Air Nomads are spread across the many mountains of the world, three placed upon islands and a fourth on the northern mountain range of the Earth Kingdom. [sup](Not on the map but whatever)[/sup]. It is no coincidence that these mountain ranges are also home to the populations of Flying Bison, who live in the temples alongside the air nomads. The air nomads move from temple to temple based on the movements of their bison herds, who they rely on for food, companionship, and transport. 

The Air Temples are unique in the fact that the majority of their population are benders. This is a necessity, as the Air Temples are constructed with benders in mind. It is not known how the Air Nomads ensure that every member of their temple is able to bend, and this is a mystery that they are unlikely to solve for anyone else.

The culture of the Air temple is based almost entirely upon spirit worship, companionship,
and a tradition of passing wisdom onto the next generation.

The Air Nomads are staunchly neutral, staying out of all worldly affairs. However, there are some amongst the temples who fear aggression from outside sources. These hardliners have taken to improving the defenses of the air temples when able, and have begun to teach more violent airbending techniques. These hawks are heavily reprimanded if caught, and some are even exiled.

Conflict is anathema to the Air Nomads, but when forced to fight, they usually avoid attack and cause opponents to hurt themselves through skillful maneuver. When a master airbender lets loose however, the results are catastrophic. Tornadoes are the least of your worries; a group of master airbenders are capable of causing hurricanes, enough to completely obliterate an enemy force. They are best left alone, though some suggest they aren't as invincible as they seem.[/hider]

[hider=The Water Tribes][center][img]https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/avatar/images/e/e2/Mapwater.png/revision/latest?cb=20110829142003[/img][/center]

The Water Tribes are a loosely organized people who live on the isolated continents to the extreme north and south. These lands are cold half of the year and frigid the other half.
The men of these lands are tough and independent, but also quite united in their independence, no matter how oxymoronic that may sound. 

The Water Tribes are ruled by a chief, who is chosen through an election by all members of the tribe. Criminals are brought into a circle amongst their family and the chief and his advisers, who discuss a constructive way to reintegrate the criminal back into society. This is a demonstration of the Water Tribes' values. Family is incredibly important in all aspects of Water Tribe life, no-one leaves their family by choice, only by necessity. Banishment is considered a fate worse than death, and is reserved for only the worst of the worst.

Perhaps the least admirable thing about the Water Tribes is the way they treat women. Women are married by their parents at the age of 16, and marriages of love are relegated to only exist in the more liberal Southern Water Tribe. Women are never trained in how to bend. This compared to the Fire Islands, who allow women to attain similar positions to that of men. 

Militarily, all Water Tribe men are trained as warriors, meaning that at a moment's notice, the entire Tribe is able to mobilize to protect their lands. The Water Tribes' strength is their defensibility; holding the land of the Water Tribes is very hard even in the summer months due to the freezing cold and use of guerrilla tactics by the Tribes. The tribesmen also possess perhaps the greatest navy in the world, even the massive Earth Kingdom lacks their expertise. The Fire Islands ships may be better built, but the lack of unity means that in naval combat the Water Tribes are simply unbeatable.

Usually the Water Tribes maintain neutrality, but the death of Norther Water Tribe Avatar Er has brought a great amount of friction between them and the growing Earth Kingdom of Warlord An, and open war is a distinct possibility.[/hider]

[hider=The Earth Kingdom][img]http://i.imgur.com/5n8M4MR.png[/img]

The largest continent in the world, the lands of Earth were always divided amongst generals and warlords, with the King of the ancient city of Ba Sing Se chief among them, though the Kingdom of Ba Sing Se was only one among many. Warlord An of Xi Shan was another of these many Kings, but through shrewd rulership, backstabbing of allies, and building of mercenary armies, he was able to become so powerful that no other warlord could challenge him. He proved unable to take Ba Sing Se in a siege, but was able to take it when challenged to a duel by the king. After An had defeated him, the King of Ba Sing Se gave up his city in exchange for keeping his title. An exiled him and his family soon after, and they now herd Flying Bison for the Air Nomads.

The men of the Earth kingdom are divided and of many cultures. Among all men of Earth, the values of steadfastness, loyalty, and stability are most valued. Men of the Earth Kingdom may seem rude at first, but bluntness is considered more valuable than dancing around an issue. Pretty much every man outside Ba Sing Se is either a farmer or working for their king in some manner. Young men go off to find a wife, then claim a farm of their own. Benders can find work building houses or simply build their own and continue their farming.

The military is often one of the few ways for Earth Kingdom men to make a name for themselves, and the army of Warlord An is the largest in the world. An's army is massive but unprofessional, far from the very professional Fire Islands armies. Most soldiers are part-time, and discipline is nonexistent. These armies are more than able to overwhelm through sheer numbers, and with the ambitious An at the head, many fear that his wrath will be unstoppable.
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[center][h1]OOC Information[/h1][/center]
[hider=Rules][h1][center]Rules[/center][/h1]
[hr]
[b]0.[/b] If there are any lore or rule disputes, the GM's word is final.
[b]1.[/b] No metagaming, godmodding, etc.
[b]2.[/b] No ERP. If it's *completely* necessary take it to PMs but we're RPing based on a family show so it really shouldn't be.
[b]3.[/b] Don't be a dick OOC
[b]4.[/b] Take personal squabbles somewhere else.
[b]5.[/b] Post your CS in the OOC *first*. Do not post it in Char until it is accepted, and only then can you post IC.
[b]6.[/b] Post at least once a week and warn me if you have to disappear for a bit.
[b]7.[/b] No canon characters. It's hundreds of years prior to the show so no playing Aang or Zuko or anyone else who appears in either of the shows.
[b]8.[/b] Read the wiki if you're not sure about something, and if that doesn't work, ask me.
[b]9.[/b] In the spirit of the original show, try to keep things a little closer to PG than to R, there will be death, but please don't go around with characters slashing throats.
[b]10.[/b] Keep your characters reasonable. Sure a firebender from the Air Nomads who can talk to animals is interesting, but it makes absolutely no sense.
[b]11.[/b] Give us stuff to work off of when you post. Don't write a ten paragraph post about your character blowing his/her nose.
[b]12.[/b] One character only.[/hider]

[hider=Character Sheet]
[code][hider=CharacterName][center][h1][color=INSERTHERE]Character's Name[/color][/h1]
[center][img]Image URL[/img][/center] or [color=INSERTHERE][b]Appearance:[/b][/color] if you'd rather use a description or can't find a good image.

[color=INSERTHERE][b]Age:[/b][/color] Teens to Twenties preferably

[color=INSERTHERE][b]Personality:[/b][/color] A few traits, likes, and dislikes, don't go super in depth, characters never end up like the original concept.

[color=INSERTHERE][b]Background:[/b][/color] A paragraph or more.

[color=INSERTHERE][b]Bending Ability:[/b][/color] Which of the four and skill level. If non-bender switch this to skill and describe what they're strongest in.

[color=INSERTHERE][b]Other:[/b][/color] Weapons, inventory, other skills, quirks, basically any extra information that you haven't put above.

[color=INSERT HERE][b]Sample Post:[/b][/color] A good length post. I'm not asking for something huge, at least 4000 chars should be more than enough[/hider][/code][/hider]

[hider=Character Availability]
[color=ed1c24]FIREBENDERS:[/color] 1/2
[color=0054a6]WATERBENDERS:[/color] 0/2
[color=fff79a]AIRBENDERS:[/color] 0/2
[color=00a651]EARTHBENDERS:[/color] 0/2
[color=D3D3D3]NON-BENDERS:[/color] 0/?

Character availability may change.[/hider]

Ba Sing Se is a city large enough to be a country unto itself. This city of cities, greatest in the world, is the starting point of our quest.

Perhaps you have no reason to be in Ba Sing Se, perhaps you are elsewhere, prepared to join in the journey to find the Avatar when called upon.

Any questions about the setting or premise are welcome!

Discord Link: https://discord.gg/TCARRxf