[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/W7ktCWX.png[/img][/center]
[color=bfbfbf][sub][table= //////= POST DESIGN v1=\\\\\\][row][sub][sub][sub][sub][sub][img]https://i.imgur.com/lV15iYt.png[/img][/sub][/sub][/sub][/sub][/sub][/row][row][cell][sup][img]https://i.imgur.com/MrLtq1A.png[/img][/sup]

[color=2e2c2c]_______________________________[sub]........[/sub][/color]
[/cell][cell][color=white][center][sub][sub][sub][sub][sub][img]https://i.imgur.com/DHKvx27.png[/img][/sub][/sub][/sub][/sub][/sub][/center][/color][quote][color=2e2c2c]____________________________________________________________________________.[/color]
[color=9f9f9f]The next two days brought heat and sand and a cold night. Feyi led the group across the endless desert, stopping only for short rests or during the night they had to make camp. She’d spend the majority of the day answering questions and catching them up on the world outside, or at least the parts of the world she knew about.

Outside the walls of Ba Sing Se, a world thought dead was still thriving, though it was very much changed. Pockets of civilization created by survivors of the war had sprung up, opting to take their freedom in the waste rather than live in the confines of the city. Trade flourished, people were happy and more than anything else, Benders were not so heavily persecuted. Places existed where they were protected and even worshiped. Hailed as protectors and sought after so as to find safety in their watch from the threats born of a changing world. Like in the city, they were few and far between, and while life was still difficult for them, it was not so oppressive as it was within the walls. There of course were still those who did not want for a Benders well-being, but Tu Zin was a place of safety. In fact, Tu Zin was home to two Benders.

The leader, Unye, was an Earthbender and had been for years. It wasn’t the most well kept secret but not all the ears out in the wild were not given to Ba Sing Se. Raiders and other dangers alike usually gave the place a wide berth for fear of his reprisal and in this way, Tu Zin thrived. Not so much as to draw attention but enough that those who knew it knew they could seek solace and a place to rest if needed.

The other was a recent addition to the settlement having arrived in Tu Zin nearly a year earlier. It was also someone quite close to Feyi. Feluna was Feyi’s little sister who at the age of seven, had discovered she was a waterbender.

[center]---[/center]
Late into the second day of travel, the scenery began to change. Rolling hills of sand turned to flat, sunbaked land. Loose pebbles turned to gravel and eventually compacted dirt and the barren world of the Si Wong Desert slowly transformed into a land where flora could once again thrive. Dry bushes and small shrubs marked the landscape until eventually, some small amount of green began to stand out in the brown of a mostly dry world. There wasn’t enough to make shade or take the dust out of the air, but it was a noticeable difference from before. And, it was a sign that the riders could break their circle formation as the threat of attack by a sandworm passed.

Eventually wayward dirt became a trail and after two days of traveling, the first sign of civilization beyond the wall appeared under the horizon. A mountain pierced the darkening sky splitting the colors of a setting sun in two, and at its base were unnatural shapes crowding in the mountain’s shade. As they approached, these shapes became buildings made of stone and wood and metal and eventually, standing in and around and on top of these buildings were the silhouettes of people.

They were greeted with a mix of emotions. Some cheered, greeting the arrivals with shouts of joy and welcoming home the hunters and the food they’d returned with. Some gawked at the newcomers with awe and curiosity. Children ran up to the Kyoshi to try and peer through the metal shutters of the windows and see who was riding inside. Worried parents would run after them and fetch them away, admonishing them for being so brazen. Some stared into the distance behind the group, out into the desert in the hopes that there were others who were not far behind.

But no one else arrived.

To the side, standing atop a raised platform, was an elderly man with graying beard and white hair who held a striking resemblance to one of the drivers who had been at the outpost. He was wrapped in thick blue cloth and dark leather straps and held himself upright by the cane in his hand. He paid no attention to the Kyoshi or the returning hunters and only stared into the desert. The setting sun illuminated weary, sad eyes in golden light.

[center]---[/center]
The group had been given rooms at the local tavern and a day to rest and gather themselves. Food was provided along with water and any amenities they needed. The following day, they were allowed to explore freely although they were informed that later that day, Unye would be returning and would want to talk to all of them. Although smuggling Benders out of the city was not new, the arrival of a group of Benders had never happened before. He would want words as their arrival was unprecedented. He was also currently away as Tu Zin itself was in the midst of its own celebration of the end of the great war. Their celebration differed slightly from the city. Hunting parties were formed to seek out and hunt the largest prey in the sand and the group with who returned with the largest kill was rewarded. Feyi had been in one such party before they were diverted, and although their rescue also rewarded them with a kill of their own, the worm was an adolescent and quite small. Word had been received that Unye had managed to get a kill early and was quite happy with the size. He and his group were already on their way back, but until his return, everyone was free to do as they pleased.

Tu Zin itself was rather large to those unfamiliar with it. The settlement was built into the base of the mountain and was also partially carved into it. Much of the remains of the expanding city it once was still survived to the current day. Buildings, streets, street lights and power lines from a bygone area remained frozen in time, scarred now by the elements as a result of disuse. Much of these structures became the skeleton and the veins of the settlement built over it, as those who moved in transformed it into the haven it was now. A safe place at the edge of one the most inhospitable environments in the world. Of course from the outside it was hard to tell. The outer walls were simply the old abandoned buildings of the original ghost town. These had been converted into a kind of ‘wall’ with towers and guards patrolling the perimeter on a regular basis. There was a main entrance, but there were also many other smaller entrances and it seemed there were no procedures or checks to enter.

Within the walls, the settlement was stained by the sea of sand it sat on the edge of. The streets were ever covered in a layer of loose dust and the town itself seemed covered in a brown haze that persisted. Despite this, life brought color toTu Zin by way of the people who lived within it and those people thrived. Families flourished and trade was good.
[/color][/quote]
[/cell][/row][/table][/sub][/color]
[table=bordered][row][sub]Prompt:[/sub][/row][row][cell][color=9f9f9f]I want to open up the opportunity to allow for creation of part of this settlement from the players. Specific buildings and businesses exist, but you are free to add to Tu Zin. Keep in mind that people who live here now would have most likely migrated from cities nearby, including the now destroyed Gao Ling. Gao Ling would have at one point rivaled Republic City with a population hailing from various nations. Tu Zin will not have an identity to any one specific nation however, some people may have been able to keep track of their lineage and may present as still being a part of that nation.

The group has been given the day to do as they please. Players may interact with each other or explore and find more information about the world. There will be no joint collaboration doc for this posting period.

Places that currently exist: The Thirsty Cactus, the tavern where the group still has rooms and free food for the rest of the day although the proprietor insists he can’t keep giving out his stock for free even if it’s for Benders. There is a gun/weapon smith named Bartus who owns the Platinum Blade. A doctor named Sarah. A square where various goods are traded at stalls from vendors and peddlers. There is also a town hall where Unye resides that exists within the part of the city under the mountain. It is currently off limits.[/color][/cell][/row][/table]