Set In Stone (Avatar: The Last Airbender)

Leingod · Jul 12, 2016

Water. Earth. Fire. Air.

Long ago, the Four Nations – the Water Tribes, Earth Kingdom, Fire Nation, and Air Nomads – lived in harmony. But all of that changed when the Fire Nation attacked. Only the Avatar, master of all Four Elements, could stop them. But when the world needed him most, he vanished.

It has been 90 years since the Air Nomads were wiped out by the invading Fire Nation army and the Avatar disappeared, leading many to believe he was somehow killed for good, despite the unbroken chain of reincarnation that stretches back to the dimmest reaches of human memory.

It has been 90 years since the Fire Nation's war of global conquest began.

The Air Nomads, a pacifistic and spiritual people, were attacked without warning, by an enemy whose strength was at its peak, and were wiped out to the last man, woman and child. What few may have survived were rigorously hunted down later, and even if any survived, no one has seen a living Airbender since.

The Water Tribes, living in the North and South Poles, were cut off from each other by the war. The South was systematically raided, its military strength eradicated over the course of three generations. There are no Benders left in the South, and they have been reduced to a pale shadow of what they once were. Only the North stands strong, an impenetrable but eternally besieged fortress that can count on no aid from outside to relieve them.

The Earth Kingdom, the largest and proudest of nations, still fights on to hold the line and take back what they've lost. But it is a battle they are steadily losing. With every year, they lose more ground, and more of the provinces and cities of the Earth Kingdom are either destroyed or conquered by the Fire Nation's implacable war machine. Of the great citadel-cities of the Earth Kingdom, only Omashu and the capital itself, the Impenetrable City of Ba Sing Se, still stand strong.

You, though, are only dimly aware of any of this. At 7 years old, you are only beginning to take your first tentative steps into an understanding of the wider world, only just beginning to learn and grow into your potential.

Through your parents, you were born with the potential to connect with one of the Four Elements, and on this day, your 7th birthday, you will begin to realize that potential. Which element will you one day strive to master, and in what circumstances will you learn to harness them?

[] Water

Water is the element of change. Water has no set form, and takes on the form of whatever contains it. Water does not exert force itself, but travels in the direction of the forces acting on it. In the same way, Waterbenders move with fluid grace; shifting seamlessly between attack and defense, they follow the "flow" of battle and adapt and change to best counter their opponents. Rather than directly strike or block, Waterbenders prefer to redirect and counter, using the opponent's energy against them rather than expending their own.

Waterbending, like its equal and opposite Firebending, is strongly tied to a celestial body. In this case, the moon. Waterbenders are stronger at night than during the day, and their power waxes and wanes with the phases of the moon: strongest at the full moon, weakest at the new moon, and in the rare case of a complete lunar eclipse, absent entirely for the duration.

-[] Northerner

You were born into a prominent family in the Northern Water Tribe; your father is one of Chief Arnook's closest military advisers, while your mother is well-regarded as one of the tribe's best healers. Your upbringing will be safer and more secure than most, but you will have few opportunities to see and learn about the world outside of the North Pole, at least until you come of age. And even then, you will be expected to put your people before yourself, and do what is best for the tribe. And unlike the Fire Nation, the Southern Water Tribe and, to a lesser extent, the Earth Kingdom, your gender will heavily impact what opportunities are open to you.

Bending: Northern Style Waterbenders are very skilled in quickly shifting water between its different states, and the style has the largest library of techniques making use of ice and snow. In the Northern Water Tribe, gender roles determine how you learn to Bend. While every Waterbender learns all of the basic principles of Waterbending, only men are taught how to fight with Waterbending, while only women are taught how to heal with it. The Northern Style is the oldest surviving form of Waterbending, and is the most "orthodox." When one hears the word "Waterbending," it is this style they are likely to think of.

-[] Foggy Swamp Tribal

Hundreds of years ago, migrants from the South Pole settled in the Foggy Swamp in the southwestern Earth Kingdom. Insular people who kept to themselves, living in a place few had any interest in visiting, the presence of these Waterbenders in the midst of the Earth Kingdom was swiftly forgotten by most, and the Foggy Swamp Tribe developed its own unique culture, and its own unique form of Bending. Your people live close to nature, living in harmony with the swamp and seeing it, and the world, as one vast interconnected system.

Bending: The Foggy Swamp Waterbending Style is very different from the forms practiced in the North and South Poles. One can notice a strong influence from Earthbending in the stiff, choppy movements of the style that resonate with the stagnant, muddy waters of their swampy home, and the style incorporates far less ice in its Bending than their cousins in the poles. There are more direct attacks and blocks in this style, most of them utilizing large volumes of high-pressure water to attack or defend.

[] Earth

Earth is the element of substance. Earth stands strong and endures, solid and unmoving. Its strength is its rigidity. In the same way, Earthbenders move with great force and purpose, and stand their ground with boundless determination; whether attacking or defending, the Earthbender always stands strong and steady. An Earthbender is always direct; they may seem slow to act, but it is only because they are as patient as the stone itself, and when they strike it is with the thundering force of a landslide.

-[] Imperial Prince/ss

Your older brother and the current Earth King, King Kuei, is merely the latest in a long line of Earth Kings and Queens dating back to the very beginning of recorded history and perhaps even further, as old as the city of Ba Sing Se itself. Your ancestors were the most powerful people in the most powerful nation in the world at one time. But even at your age you've begun to notice just how little power your brother actually holds compared to the head of the Grand Secretariat, Senior Grand Secretary Long Feng.

Bending: The Imperial Earth Style is the most popular and widely known Earthbending style by far. It was codified millennia ago and is what most people think of when they hear the word "Earthbending." It mimics the solid nature of Earth with solid, grounded stances and techniques that provide an impenetrable, immovable defense and an unstoppable offense. In principle very simple, but with an innumerable number of responses to most any situation. Though it is relatively simple to learn, true mastery requires years of study and conditioning both physical and mental, but the rewards are great.

[] Fire

Fire is the element of power. Fire has the power to destroy and consume all that get in its way. In the same way, Firebenders are filled with energy and drive to achieve their goals and desires, letting nothing stand in their way. A Firebender believes that the best defense is a strong offense, and all Firebending styles are fast, aggressive and powerful, just as fire itself spreads and engulfs everything it touches too quickly to be stopped.

Firebending, like its equal and opposite Waterbending, is strongly tied to a celestial body. In this case, the sun. Firebenders are stronger during the day than at night, and their power waxes and wanes with the course of the sun in the sky: strongest at high noon, weakest at sunrise and sunset, and in the case of a complete solar eclipse, absent entirely for the duration.

-[] Little Soldier Boy/Girl

For over a hundred years, ever since the ascension of Fire Lord Sozin to the throne, the Fire Nation's military has grown drastically in both numbers and technology. The Fire Nation is the most technologically advanced and heavily militarized nation in the world without question, which is in large part why they have been so successful against the most larger and more populous Earth Kingdom and the Water Tribes. This militarized culture has romanticized and lionized the military, and Fire Nation propaganda everywhere paints military service as the greatest contribution a person can give for their nation.

Your parents are both in the military, as were their parents before them: your mother is a soldier in the garrison of your home city and your father is a low-ranking officer in the navy. Despite the way those from the Fire Nations proper often look down on the "colonials," your parents are both staunch patriots of the Fire Nation and harbor strong hopes that you will continue the family's history of service. Being a low-ranking officer and a soldier and both being colonials who aren't particularly powerful or skilled benders, your parents' prospects for further advancement are almost non-existent. But your father does have one connection that he has made use of for your benefit: like many other naval recruits, he was trained by Admiral Jeong Jeong, who is famous for becoming a master Firebender before he even reached adulthood. Though your father was not a very good student, he nonetheless became a friend to his old mentor and the admiral agreed to tutor you while he makes use of his vacation time for the first time in decades.

Bending: Fire Demon Style is the official Firebending style of the Fire Nation armed forces and the first form of Firebending taught to scions of the royal family. It has thus become the most famous and well-known style of Firebending throughout the world, celebrated in the Fire Nation and loathed and feared elsehwere. Fire Demon Style is exceptionally aggressive, and calls its users to power their bending with their own "inner fire;" rage, hatred, aggression, even the simple thrill of battle. These aggressive impulses give a Fire Demon practitioner the ability to create large amounts of exceptionally hot fire. It encourages very fast direct attacks like jabs and snap-kicks meant to force the opponent onto the defensive to deliver a powerful finishing blow.

-[] Sun Warrior

Fire is the element of life. Fire has the power to destroy and consume, but it also has the power to nurture and create when harnessed properly. The Sun Warriors, remnants of the very first humans to learn Firebending from the dragons, know and respect both the destructive and creative aspects of fire. They live in isolation from the world, at first to protect them from their enemies, then to protect their traditions, and now to safeguard the last living dragons from those who would hunt them. Your father was a deserter from the Fire Nation army who found his way to the Sun Warriors, where your mother saved his life and took responsibility for him. Your father has told you of the world outside, speaking mostly of the horrors of the world and the way the Fire Nation has twisted Firebending into pure destruction and violence.

Bending: The Dancing Dragon Style of Firebending is the closest style to the original form of Firebending practiced by the dragons. Though fierce, quick and strong, it is a more versatile and less aggressive style than Fire Demon Style, and incorporates fluidity of motion as well as defensive techniques meant to redirect force. The circular movements of the style call to mind Airbending, which some suspect might reflect the dependence of fire on air to survive.

[] Air

Air is the element of freedom. One cannot grasp the wind, and one cannot survive without the air they breathe. Just as air takes the path of least resistance, moving around obstacles rather than trying to force its way through them, Airbenders used their speed and agility to make circular motions to evade and avoid an enemy's force. As dedicated pacifists, the Airbenders ended fights by escaping, tricking or subduing enemies when force was required.

-[] Gift of the Spirits

You have no memories of your past before you were discovered just a few weeks ago by an extremely old man who answers to the name Pathik, who found you on Whale Tail Island, claiming he had been led to you by visions from the spirits. Pathik believes that you have some great destiny in store that is somehow tied to your instinctive ability to Airbend. He also said he thought you were the Avatar when he first saw you Airbend but then said that was impossible because the Avatar hadn't "returned yet", though he hasn't yet explained what an "Avatar" is. He has promised to teach you how to Airbend better, though, using both his own knowledge of Airbending (though he's not an Airbender himself) and the large caches of scrolls left by the Air Nomads that apparently lived in the ruins he took you to.

Bending: The Air Nomad Style of Airbending is technically a large number of interconnected styles which were developed over many centuries and eventually codified into a unified method of Airbending. You learn just as much about meditation and other spiritual and mental pursuits as actually learning to fight, since the style is primarily meant as both a means of meditation and of self-defense.

-[] The Last Airbender?

The Fire Nation makes the claim that they managed to completely and totally wipe the Air Nomads from the world, and almost everyone in the world believes. Some have realized that it seems to stretch belief to think that every single one of the Air Nomads were slaughtered down to the last man, woman and child: though the majority of the Air Nomads lived in and around the four Air Temples, they migrated between them at different times for festivals and other momentous occasions (the reason so many of the Air Nomads were at the Air Temples at the time the Fire Nation attacked, ironically, was to observe and celebrate the comet that came to be named after Fire Lord Sozin). Though the vast majority of Air Nomads died at the Air Temples and many of the remainders were hunted down afterward, a very small few managed to escape, usually alone or in very small groups.

To survive, these Airbenders hid their heritage and lived in hiding, mostly as Earth Kingdom citizens but some were forced to hide in the Fire Nation itself. Just as air becomes stagnant and dead if it doesn't keep moving, these Air Nomads lost their Airbending as they denied and refused to use it for fear of discovery. But perhaps as an echo of the spirit of the Air Nomads, you have inherited an irrepressible curiosity and desire for freedom, and see the sky and the birds that fly in it with a strange longing. But perhaps even that might not have allowed you to manifest your Airbending were it not for the discovery of a young, living sky bison that you've made.

Bending: You will have no mentor or tutor save for the young sky bison you've discovered. This provides the advantage of meaning that you will learn Airbending from one of the original Airbenders, creating a style different from the meditative, philosophically-influenced Airbending of the Air Nomads. This Ancient Air Style will be even more fast and agile than the Air Nomad Style but comparatively even less focused on actual offense, preferring instead to use the powerful force of air to outrun, evade and when necessary simply overwhelm obstacles to make good an escape. It will be up to you to learn actual dedicated offensive techniques if you so choose.

Leingod · Jul 12, 2016

Full Name: Chun Ren (春仁)
Element: Earth
Gender: Male
Age: 7

Traits
Bending Style - Imperial Earth Style: Your Bending style is the most popular and widespread style of Earthbending in the world as well as one of the oldest, created and codified over millennia.

Bending Mastery - Total Beginner: You're a Bender, but you currently only have the most basic training and understanding of your Art.

Prince of the Earth: You are not only a member of the royal family, you're closely related to the sitting Earth King. In terms of precedence and social status, you are one of the highest-ranking people in the Earth Kingdom; only the leaders of foreign nations, subject kings, and other select members of the royal family (including the Earth King) outrank you.

Grand Marquess of Hongnong: You have received the title of Grand Marquess of Hongnong. The title comes with no actual responsibilities, but instead entitles you to receive a set portion of the tax revenue from the County of Hongnong, ensuring that you can maintain the proper standard of living for someone of your standing.

Observant: Your curiosity and patience has allowed you to develop an eye for details that most people miss. You're more likely to notice things that you might otherwise miss.

Full Name: His Majesty the Earth King, King Kuei
Element: Earth (Non-Bender)
Gender: Male
Age: 10

Leingod · Jul 12, 2016

The Earth King, who enjoys paramount social status, is head of the government administration. His rule is virtually absolute and all major matters of state must be approved by him before they can be carried out. He has the right to promote, demote, and outright dismiss any official at any time, and can also call a conference of his officials to advise him at any time.

The Earth King's legitimacy to rule is granted by his role as the spiritual and moral center of the Earth Kingdom in much the same way as the Avatar acts for the entire world: through his adherence to proper ritual, ethics and morals, it is said, he provides the blessings of the spirits that allow the Earth Kingdom to continue to prosper and a harmonious society to function.

Beneath the Earth King are nine ranks of officials, ranked in order of prestige, importance, and the salary given to the holder of the position. The 1st rank is the highest, while the 9th is the lowest. There are different grades within a rank, called primary or secondary.

Although the Earth King holds supreme power, it is expected that he will seek the advice of his ministers before making or revoking decisions. To this end, he will frequently assemble leading officials for debates and discussions on policy, known as court conferences. Various issues are debated at these conferences, such as questions of succession, enfeoffment of nobles, the establishment of new ancestral temples, reforms to state rituals and rites, the introduction or repeal of laws, and whether or not to declare war on other powers or accept peaceful negotiation. At the end of a court conference, the opinions of every official present is tallied equally, regardless of standing or salary rank, and then presented to the Earth King for his consideration. The Earth King can, at any time, go against the majority opinion reached by his ministers, but does so at the risk of alienating them. Thus, instances of the Earth King acting against the consensus of the ministers is relatively rare.

The post of Grand Tutor is the highest civilian office and the only one in the 1st rank after the dissolution of the positions of Right Chancellor and Left Chancellor (which were both 1st rank secondary) roughly 120 years ago, but it is an honorary rather than substantive office. A Grand Tutor is appointed at the beginning of an Earth King's reign and not replaced until that Earth King's death. The Grand Tutor is nominally charged with providing moral guidance to a young Earth King, but this role has never been taken seriously or formally conducted. The post often serves to deliberately block someone from obtaining a genuinely important post such as one of the Eight Ministers. Grand Tutors are usually elder statesmen chosen for their age and connections rather than their merits. The Grand Tutor ranks as 1st rank primary.

The Eight Ministers are just below the Grand Tutor as the highest-ranking civil officials. Each is the head of a specialized government ministry. Each minister has two vice-ministers who assist them in carrying out their duties as the heads of their respective ministries. Each ministry is further composed of further specialized bureaus, and a Minister can create a special committee to deal with a specific emergency that has to do with their particular duties. Within the Nine-Rank System, the Ministers are each 2nd-rank primary, while the Vice-Ministers are 2nd-rank secondary. The heads of various bureaus are of the 3rd rank primary, while their own assistants are of the 3rd rank secondary.

The Ministry of Personnel is in charge of appointments, merit ratings, promotions and demotions of civil officials, as well as the granting of honorific titles and honors.

The Ministry of Revenue is in charge of gathering census data, collecting taxes, and handling state revenues, including the Imperial Mint.

The Ministry of Rites is in charge of state ceremonies, rituals and sacrifices, and oversees the registries of temples. It is also responsible for the reception of both domestic and foreign envoys and deals with foreign affairs, and manages the Imperial Examinations.

The Ministry of Defense is in charge of appointments, promotions and demotions of military officers, the maintenance of military installations, equipment, and weapons, as well as the courier system. In times of war, high-ranking officials in the Ministry of Defense are also responsible for providing strategies for commanding generals.

The Ministry of Justice is in charge of judicial and penal processes, though it has no supervisory role or power over the capital or the palace, which is the responsibility of the Dai Li.

The Ministry of Works is responsible for government construction projects, the hiring of artisans and laborers for temporary service, the manufacturing of government equipment, the maintenance of roads and canals, the standardization of weights and measures, and the gathering of resources from the countryside.

The Ministry of the Household is responsible for the Earth King's security within the palace grounds, external imperial parks, and whenever the Earth King leaves the palace for any reason. However, to ensure the safety of the Earth King is not entrusted to a single official, a special bureau serving under the Ministry of Defense has been given the sole right to patrol the palace's entrances and walls while the Dai Li guard the Earth King's private apartments and those of his immediate family, though often the Earth King is accompanied by members of the Dai Li at all times regardless.

While the other seven ministers can be of any origin, even coming from the ranks of commoners, the post of Minister of the Imperial Clan is always occupied by a member of the imperial family, typically an immediate relative of the current Earth King. He oversees the court's interactions with the Earth Kingdom's nobility and extended imperial family, including the granting of fiefs and titles. His ministry is responsible for record-keeping of all nobles, a register being updated at the beginning of each year. When a serious infraction is committed by a member of the imperial family, the Minister of the Imperial Clan is the only high official notified before the Earth King himself, and advises the Earth King on their decision as to what legal action is to be taken. This ministry is also responsible for hearing grievances from imperial family members and informing them of new ordinances.

The Grand Secretariat is a body of six mid-ranking officials who serve as a coordinating and advisory agency created 120 years ago to ease the administrative burden of the Earth King after the dissolution of the positions of the Chancellors of the Right and Left, who supervised and oversaw the Eight Ministers. The Grand Secretariat is comprised of six officials, the senior-most of which is named the Senior Grand Secretary and is nominally in charge of the agency.

The Grand Secretariat's main duty is to receive and screen all reports, memorials, and requests for public conferences and private appointments with the Earth King, scrutinize it, and decide on a proper response. The Grand Secretaries have the power to return unsatisfactory documents to their senders with suggested revisions, and no document can reach the Earth King without being approved by the Grand Secretariat.

Because they are usually drawn from the ranks of graduates of the Imperial Academy and are thus often natives of Ba Sing Se, the Grand Secretariat has also been made the Earth King's primary advisors on internal affairs within the capital, and often assist the Earth King in coordinating and managing the Dai Li.

The Senior Grand Secretary is an official of the 5th rank primary, while the other members of the Grand Secretariat are of the 5th rank secondary.

The Earth Kingdom is divided by hierarchical political divisions into commanderies, counties and districts. Though the borders and maps are redrawn every few years, for the most part the divisions themselves are static.

A commandery is made up of somewhere between 2 and 10 counties, and is governed by an Administrator, who is appointed by the central government. The Administrator is both the civil and military leader of a commandery, and is usually a native of his commandery. An Administrator is assisted by one or several Commandants, who handle all local military affairs such as raising militias, suppressing bandit groups, and building beacon towers. The Administrator is an official of the 4th rank primary, while more important subordinates (which he may appoint himself) such as the Records Official and the Accounts Official, range in rank from 4th rank secondary to 9th rank secondary.

Many of the Administrator's duties are seasonal, such as inspections of the counties each spring to check on agriculture and maintain roads, bridges, dikes and other public works. In the fall he sends subordinates into the counties to report whether local criminal lawsuits have been conducted fairly. He is responsible for recommending worthy nominees, known as "Filial and Incorrupt," to the capital at the end of each year during winter to be considered for government office. This follows a system of quotas wherein each commandery must recommend one man for every 10,000 households in a commandery.

The county is the smallest political division containing a centrally appointed official. In larger counties of at least 10,000 households the leading official is known as a Prefect; in smaller counties he is known as a Chief, though some refer to both as simply Magistrates for convenience's sake. The county's civil servants, usually respected scholars or elders in their local communities, are appointed directly by the Magistrate.

A Magistrate is in charge of maintaining law and order, storing grain in case of famine, registering the populace for taxation, mobilizing conscripted commoners for corvee labor projects, supervising public works, renovating schools, and performing rituals. They are also given the duty of acting as judge for all lawsuits brought before the county court. The judicial jurisdiction of the Magistrate and Administrator overlap, and so normally whomever captures a criminal first is responsible for trying them. Commanderies are required to operate at least one public school, and though counties are allowed to do so as well, not all of them do.

A county is further divided into districts, each consisting of at least several hamlets grouped typically; on average a district makes up 100 households. A chief of police is assigned to each district by the Magistrate. A Magistrate relies heavily on the cooperation of local elders and leaders at the district level to carry out much of the day-to-day affairs of arbitrating disputes in their communities, collecting taxes, and preventing crime.

A kingdom is a semi-autonomous fief belonging to a family that has been recognized as having a special status by the Earth King. For the most part, kingdoms predate the creation of the Earth Kingdom and were created when an independent kingdom consented to rule by the central government in Ba Sing Se, though others are created as temporary gifts for the closest relatives and those who have rendered a great service of some kind to the Earth King. These kingdoms, however, are dissolved upon the death of the recipient.

Kingdoms of both types are about the same size as a commandery. An "old kingdom" is allowed to govern itself largely autonomously from the central government, though most model their governments after that of the central government. A "new kingdom" is typically governed in the same way as a commandery; the only difference is that the king of the land receives the percentage of tax revenue the kingdom generates that would normally go to the central government.

Currently, there exist 6 "old kingdoms;" the most important of them is the Kingdom of Omashu, which rules over the largest, wealthiest city in the Earth Kingdom after Ba Sing Se itself.

Below kings, noble houses hold the title of marquess. There are two grades of marquess: the lower one is a marquess, while the higher is a grand marquess. The primary difference is that a marquess is entitled only to a pension, while a grand marquess is given the tax revenues of a marquessate, which is about the size of a county. The children and siblings of an Earth King are grand marquesses, while the children of these grand marquesses are merely marquesses, and their own children become lesser nobles who are not entitled to pensions after reaching the age of majority.

Noble families not related to the imperial family have been given both marquessates and full marquessates; the heads of these families sometimes retain these titles in perpetuity. The largest and most powerful of these are the Bei Fong family of Gaoling.

Ba Sing Se is the capital of the Earth Kingdom. The city is by far the largest in the world, closer to a small country than a city. As a testament to its grandeur, the great network of roads in the Earth Kingdom is all centered on Ba Sing Se. Its name means "Impenetrable City," and throughout all of history it has remained true to that name; no one has ever breached the walls of Ba Sing Se.

Ba Sing Se is one of the oldest settlements in the world; the city has appeared on maps dated up to 5,000 years ago, which are the oldest maps available. Early in its history, Ba Sing Se was largely subterranean, carved out of rocks by Earthbenders. As the Benders excavated further, they came across beautiful luminous crystals and began to mine them; even now, the luminous crystals mined in the catacombs serve as a light source for Earth Kingdom inhabitants and remain one of Ba Sing Se's major exports. However, over time the catacombs were abandoned as the city continued to expand and grow.

Ba Sing Se is world-famous for its insurmountable fortifications, having remained unconquered up to the present day. During Chin the Conqueror's largely successful campaign to unite the Earth Kingdom under his control roughly 350 years ago, Ba Sing Se was the only territory to remain unconquered besides the peninsula where Avatar Kyoshi lived. When faced with the choice of facing the Avatar herself or attempting to crack the walls of Ba Sing Se, Chin chose the Avatar.

After Chin's death, a peasant uprising erupted against the corrupt and inefficient government of the 46th Earth King, King Xian. The peasants believed the Earth King's role was outdated and that he no longer served his purpose of protecting the people and ensuring the kingdom's prosperity. Avatar Kyoshi quelled the revolt by forcing King Xian to accept some of the peasant's demands in exchange for helping to create the Dai Li to protect the kingdom's cultural heritage; during the war of Chin the Conqueror and the subsequent revolts, many priceless cultural artifacts were destroyed.

Ba Sing Se is divided into several major districts, with inhabitants sorted in various walled "rings" based on economic and social class. These range from the Lower Ring inhabited by the poorest inhabitants, to the Upper Ring, home of the Earth Kingdom's ruling class and Ba Sing Se's wealthy elite. Travel throughout the city, as well as entrance to it, is provided by large monorails powered by Earthbending, constructed during the reign of King Ming (the 48th Earth King). The monorails meet in large transit stations, are free to the general public, and make traveling within the massive city far easier than it was in the past. Citizens are free to travel between the Agrarian Zone, the Lower Ring, and the Middle Ring, but travel to the Upper Ring is restricted. Unless they live in the Middle or Upper Ring, only those with a personal invitation from a citizen of the Upper Ring, the central government, or the Earth King himself may enter the Upper Ring.

At 100 meters tall, Ba Sing Se's outer wall is the city's first (and thickest) line of defense, and is the largest man-made structure in the world. The wall encircles all of Ba Sing Se, along with the vast Agrarian Zone and a large lake, Lake Laogai. It is considered indestructible and is commonly incorporated on maps as a terrain feature.

Outside of the Lower Ring, between the Outer Wall and the Inner Wall of the city, is the Agrarian Zone, a large area consisting almost entirely of wide open plains of land used for agricultural purposes. Along with its vital wildlife and crop resources, the Agrarian Zone functions as a large land buffer between the Outer and Inner Wall, widening the gap between invaders and citizens if by some miracle the Outer Wall is ever breached. This multitude of farms are mostly owned by citizens of Ba Sing Se, who are considered for official purposes to be inhabitants of the Lower Ring.

The Inner Wall is a massive earthen barrier that serves as the primary protection for the actual city of Ba Sing Se after the Outer Wall and the vast Agrarian Zone. There is no door, gate or mechanism of any kind; the only way to enter Ba Sing Se is through Earthbending.

The Lower Ring is home to the poor inhabitants of Ba Sing Se and comprises the majority of its population. Most of the Lower Ring residents work with their hands as laborers, artisans and craftsmen, while others are merchants and food vendors. The Lower Ring is the most densely populated area of Ba Sing Se; buildings are small, and the roofs of most buildings are brown tiled to reflect the poor status of their owners.

The Middle Ring contains the city's middle class populace. Inside this ring are a vast assortment of shops and restaurants as well as the financial district and City Hall, one of the oldest buildings in the Middle Ring. The Imperial Academy, a great repository of knowledge and a key landmark of the city, is also located in this area. The buildings of this Ring are larger than those of the Lower Ring, and the roof tiles are painted green.

The most affluent of the Three Rings, the Upper Ring contains the city's upper-class population, as well as military and government officials. The most important citizens of the city reside here, protected against criminal activity by the presence of the Dai Li. The Royal Palace is located in the very center of the Upper Ring, within its own walls. The buildings of the Upper Ring are generally large walled compounds, much like smaller versions of the Royal Palace itself, and the roofs are done with yellow tiles to symbolize the wealth of the buildings' owners.

Leingod · Jul 12, 2016

Chronicle

Leingod · Jul 12, 2016

Set In Stone (Avatar: The Last Airbender)

Immaculate Blooming Lotus

Immaculate Blooming Lotus

Immaculate Blooming Lotus

Immaculate Blooming Lotus

Immaculate Blooming Lotus

Timeless Tanuki

Destroy and Rejoice!

Immaculate Blooming Lotus

Destroy and Rejoice!

Immaculate Blooming Lotus

Personification Personified

Versed in the lewd.

Experienced.

Know what you're doing yet?

Immaculate Blooming Lotus

Experienced.

The Archivist at The End

No one remembers who I am anymore.

Versed in the lewd.

Versed in the lewd.

I trust you know where the happy button is?

Hound of the Plains

Lewd Catgirl

Getting sticky.

Well worn.

Not too sore, are you?

Immaculate Blooming Lotus

Personification Personified

Immaculate Blooming Lotus

Personification Personified

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