AVATAR:
Ri s e o f t he Demo ns
L o n g a g o , t h e Fo ur Na t io n s l iv ed t o g et h er in per f ec t h a r mo n y. Th en , ev er yt h in g c h a n g ed w h en t h e Fir e
Na t io n a t t a c k ed . On l y t h e Av a t a r , ma st er o f a l l Fo ur El emen t s, c o ul d st o p t h em. But w h en t h e w o r l d
n eed ed h im mo st , h e v a n ish ed . A h u n d r ed yea r s pa ssed a n d my b r o t h er a n d I d isc o v er ed t h e n ew Av a t a r , a n
Air b en d er n a med Aa n g . An d a l t h o ug h h is Air b en d in g sk il l s a r e g r ea t , h e h a s a l o t t o l ea r n b ef o r e h e's
ready to save anyone. But I believe… Aang can save the world.
Aa n g d id i n d eed sa v e t h e w o r l d . It h a s b een t w en t y y ea r s si n c e t h a t f a mo u s b a t t l e b et w een Aa n g a n d Fi r e
L o r d Oza i. Th e ma j o r i t y o f t h e w o r l d h a s a l r ea d y b eg u n t o h ea l f r o m t h e Fi r e Na t io n s a t t a c k s b u t t h e sc a r s
l ef t b y t h e Fi r e Na t i o n a r e d eep a n d w il l t a k e a l o n g t i me t o h ea l c o mpl et el y . In a t t empt s t o h el p t h i s h ea l ,
Fi r e L o r d Zu k o o r d er ed Th e r emo v a l o f a l l Fi r e Na t io n Co l o n i es f r o m t h e o t h er n a t io n s. Th er e i s st i l l
t en si o n b et w een t h e n a t io n s b u t o pen v i o l en c e i s mi n i ma l a n d i s u su a l l y d ea l t w i t h h a r sh l y b y l a w
en f o r c emen t . Air b en d er s h a v e h a v e a l so b eg u n t o r et u r n t o t h e w o r l d , sh o w in g u p w i t h in t h e o t h er t h e
n a t io n s a n d Aa n g h a s o pen ed t h e d o o r s t o t h e So u t h er n Ai r Templ e, a n d i s t ea c h in g t h ese y o u n g Air b en d er s.
Al t h o u g h t h e r et u r n o f t h e Av a t a r h a s u sh er ed i n a n ew er a o f pea c e; a l l i s n o t w el l w i t h in t h e w o r l d . A
n ew t h r ea t i s g r o w s i n f a r c o r n er s, a sma l l g r o u p o f o l d Fi r e Na t io n l o y a l i st t h a t st i l l h o l d t h e
dethroned Fire Lord Ozai’s beliefs. After the war they went into hiding and are now working from the
sh a d o w s t o o v er t h r o w t h e n ew Fi r e L o r d a n d o n c e a g a i n g a i n
c o n t r o l o f t h e w o r l d .
Game I nf o
This game is set in t he wor ld of Avat ar : The Last Air bender . The t ime per oid will be 20 year s af t er Avat ar Aang st opped Fir e Lor d Ozai. Wit h t he excep-t ion of excep-t he excep-t ime per iod menexcep-t ioned above, excep-t he wor ld is pr et t y much t he same as it was in t he car t oon. The one HUGE except ion is t he Fir e Nat ion is NOT act ively at
-t acking -t he r es-t of -t he na-t ions. Comba-t can and will be deadly if t he scene calls f or it and t he mood I would like t o see is ser ious wit h some comic r elief . The syst em we will be using is Risus: The Anyt hing R.P.G. cr eat ed by S. J ohn Ross. I t s f r ee t o download and is a GREAT r ules lit e syst em.
Char ac t er Cr eat i o n
All t he r ules f r om t he ' cor e' Risus book will be used; how-ever Advanced Opt ion I V: Funky Dice will only be at t ainable t hr ough exper ience. So if you have gained enough XP t o pr ogr ess f r om Cr azy Ear t hbending King [ 6] t o Cr azy Ear t hbending King [ 7] , you will inst ead pr ogr ess t o Cr azy Ear t hbending King [ 5d8].
Any char act er t hat is going t o have an element al Bender Cliché must pur chase Advanced Opt ion: Double Pumped f or t he Cli-ché wit h t he Bending Ar t ; Double Pumping is descr ibed in t he Ri-sus cor e r ule book on page 5.
For each cliché you should cr eat e an "Associat ed Task List" t hat goes wit h t hat cliché. This is a shor t list of t asks t hat would be appr opr iat e f or t hat cliché. An example would be:
We will also be using The Risus Companion. Out of t he Com-panion we will be using t he Advanced Opt ional r ules; Lucky Shot s & Quest ing Dice, Sidekicks & Shield-mat es, and Boxcar s & Br eak-t hr oughs. I f you do noeak-t have eak-t he Risus Companion, you should, ieak-t s only $ 10 f or a gr eat 60-page pdf ! I f it s not possible f or you t o get
t he pdf t hen j ust let me know and I ll give you a r undown of what exact ly t hay do. I n addit ion t o t hose list ed above a f ew homebr ew Advanced Opt ional r ules will be used as well, and t hey ar e called Advanced Combat & Exper ience Point s (XP) .
Advanced Opt ion: Advanced Combat
This is anot her way t o handle a f ight scene wher e you want a lit t le mor e det ail. This met hod uses init iat ive and per mit s t he combat ant wit h t he f ast est init iat ive t o get his at t acks in f ir st and be able t o r eact t o enemy act ions.
Rounds: A Round is t he var iable lengt h of t ime in which; a char -act er per f or ms some t ask (usually associat ed wit h a dice r oll) and when he get s t o act again. To keep t hings simple I would only use Rounds dur ing combat sit uat ions or when act ing f ir st can af f ect some-t hing impor some-t ansome-t . One r ound is complesome-t e when all of some-t he par some-t icipansome-t s have complet ed what ever act ion t hey int ended t o do.
I nit iat ive: Bef or e t he f ir st r ound of combat , you r oll init iat ive. I nit iat ive is det er mined by r olling against an appr opr iat e cliché. Thr oughout a bat t le, combat ant s act in or der , f r om highest init iat ive r esult t o lowest . The or der in which combat ant s t ake t heir t ur ns is called t he init iat ive or der . The init iat ive or der r emains t he same f r om r ound t o r ound
At t ack vs. Def end: Resolving combat is det er mining t he at t ack-er and t he def endack-er . The at t ackack-er is t he char act ack-er wishing t o def eat t he ot her in combat , be it physical, ment al, social, et c. The At t acker and def ender r oll t heir appr opr iat e clichés and compar e t he r olls. I f t he def ender s r oll is equal t o or higher t han t he at t acker s r oll, t he at t ack misses/ f ails and no dice ar e lost . I f t he at t acker s r oll is higher t han t he def ender s r oll t hen t he at t ack hit s and t he def ender losses one dice t o t he Cliché used t o def end.
Advanced Opt ion: Exper ience Point s (XP)
When you win a conf lict , you get XP equal t o t he opposing side' s higest cliché. Def eat ing an Fir ebender (3) is wor t h 3 XP and a Ear t h-bending Mast er (6) is wor t h 6. Remember t o f ollow t he Risus def ini-t ion of a conf licini-t (see page 2 of Risus book). When a player has
amassed 150 XP, he may cash t hese in and r aise one cliché up by 1 die.
Peacef ul Monk Air N omad 3
The Wo r l d o f Avat ar
The Wor ld of Avat ar is based on a mix of Chinese and J ap-anese cult ur e, hist or y, and myt hology and is home t o humans, f an-t asan-t ic animals, and spir ian-t s. I an-t is divided inan-t o f our separ aan-t e naan-t ions, t he Air Nomads, t he Wat er Tr ibes, t he Ear t h Kingdom and
t he Fir e Nat ion. Each locat ion has unique physical geogr aphy, land-mar ks, climat es and demogr aphy. The Air Nomads have f our t em-ples locat ed in t he nor t h, sout h, east and west . Ther e ar e t wo main Wat er Tr ibes; nor t her n and sout her n. The Ear t h Kingdom is t he biggest nat ion in t he wor ld and it ' s also t he most populous nat ion. The Fir e Nat ion is locat ed in t he west of t he wor ld and it ' s a vol-canic island. Each nat ion is t ied t o one of t he classical element s (Wat er , Ear t h, Air and Fir e), f r om which it der ives it s name and bases it s societ y. Wit hin each nat ion exist s an or der of disciplined people called "Bender s", who have t he myst ical abilit y t o manipu-lat e t he element of t heir home nat ions. Appr opr iat ely, t he Bending t ypes ar e known as Wat er bending, Ear t hbending, Fir ebending, and Air bending. Each nat ion and Bending f or m is associat ed wit h one of t he seasons: wint er / wat er , spr ing/ ear t h, summer / f ir e and aut umn/ air . Consequent ly, each of t he Bending f or ms is gener ally obser ved t o be at it s st r ongest dur ing it s season.
The Avat ar
The Avat ar is t he spir it of t he planet incar nat e in human f or m, and t he only physical being wit h t he abilit y t o pr act ice all f our bending disciplines. I t is consider ed t he Avat ar ' s dut y t o mast er t he f our element al disciplines, and use such power t o keep balance amongst t he f our nat ions of t he wor ld. Wit h t he deat h of t he Avat ar , t he spir it is r ebor n int o t he f ollowing nat ion, dict at ed by t he cyclic or der ; Wat er , Ear t h, Fir e, Air . The cycle is also t he t r adit ional or der in which any one Avat ar is t o mast er t he ele-ment s, beginning at which ever eleele-ment t hey wer e bor n int o. Thr oughout t he ages, count less incar nat ions of t he Avat ar have ser ved t o maint ain har mony in t he wor ld. The cur r ent Avat ar is Avat ar Aang, an Air bender .
Tec hno l o gy and Co mmer c e
The t echnological level is r oughly equivalent t o t hat of pr e-indust r ial China, wit h t he except ion of some of t he Fir e Nat ion' s ad-vanced sciences. The swor d, spear and bow ar e t he gener al weapons of choice f or most or dinar y milit ia. Over land t r avel is done by beast s of bur den or pulled car t s and wagons, while seaf ar ing is available via sail or oar -dr iven ships. Ther e ar e, however , occasional cases of t he var i-ous Bending ar t s being employed t o f acilit at e unusual f or ms of t r avel.
Villages ar e t he most common f or m of communit y, wit h lar ger cit ies exist ing pr imar ily as t he capit als of t he gr eat kingdoms. As r e-sour ces and indust r y ar e gener ally plent if ul, t r ade is common and a middle class of mer chant s is f air ly est ablished. Bar t er ing is st ill heav-ily accept ed as means of exchanging goods, but t he Wat er Tr ibes, Fir e Nat ion and Ear t h Kingdom have each est ablished t heir own f or m of cur r ency which ar e widely used and occasionally exchanged.
Po l i t i c s
Ther e ar e f our br oad t ypes of polit ical syst ems. Each has a dist inct ive char act er t hat cor r esponds wit h t he element of t hat na-t ive nana-t ion. The Air Nomads have a na-t heocr acy led by f our Councils of Monks or Nuns, r ight now Avat ar Aang is in t he pr ocess of r eselect ing t he f ir st t wo, t he Wat er Tr ibes ar e a t r ibal syst em led by Chief s, t he Ear t h Kingdom is a conf eder at e monar chy led by t he Ear t h King, and t he Fir e Nat ion an absolut e monar chy led by t he Fir e Lor d.
The Wat er Tr i bes
The Wat er Tr ibes ar e home t o t he or der of men and women who pr act ice Wat er bending, t he myst ical ar t of hydr okinesis. Their societ y is divided int o t wo nat ion-st at es, t he Sout her n Wa-t er Tr ibe, which inhabiWa-t s Wa-t he SouWa-t h Pole, and Wa-t he Nor Wa-t her n WaWa-t er Tr ibe, which inhabit s t he Nor t h Pole. Ther e is also t he Foggy Swamp Tr ibe, a t r ibe of wat er bender s who r eside in t he swamps
of t he Ear t h Kingdom. I nhabit ing coast al ar eas of t he f r ozen poles, t he Wat er Tr ibes inher -ent ly depend on t he oceans f or a maj or it y of t heir nat ur al r esour ces and as well as t he boun-t y of boun-t he f r ozen boun-t undr a.
Cult ur e and Diet : Et hnically homogeneous, member s of bot h Wat er Tr ibes t ypically have light or deep br own hair , blue eyes and light br own/ t an skin-t one. Wat er Tr ibe clot hing is t ypically a set of blue anor ak and t r ouser s lined and t r immed wit h whit e f ur , and wor n wit h mit t ens and muk-luks. Men may wear t heir hair long and half -up or in shor t ponyt ails also known as "war r ior ' s wolf t ails". Women plait and br aid t heir hair in var ious st yles, somet imes wit h accent beads, and many spor t "hair loops" in var ious st yles. I n t he Nor t her n Wat er Tr ibe, males t end t o wear dar ker shades of blue t han t hose of t he Sout her n Wat er Tr ibe. Skins f r om seals ar e of t en used t o cr eat e t ent s and pelt s f r om polar bear s and ot her animals ar e used as clot hing and t o cover bar r en sur f aces.
I n t he Wat er Tr ibe diet , f ish and seal meat compr ise t he st aple pr ot ein. Sea pr unes ar e a f avor it e side dish, while giant
cr abs ar e consider ed a delicacy t o t hose in t he Nor t her n Sea. Squid and seaweed can be used t o make a wide var iet y of dishes including soups, seasoning, and even br ead and cookies. Nat ur ally, hunt er s and f isher men of t he Wat er Tr ibes ar e some of t he best in t he wor ld in t heir f ield.
Wat er bendi ng
Or iginally lear ned f r om t he moon, t he ancest or s of t he Wat er Tr ibe not iced t he push and pull ef f ect t he Moon has on t he t ides of t he ocean. Event ually, t hese f ir st Wat er bender s lear ned how t o ma-nipulat e wat er t hemselves. Wat er bending is t he only bending ar t wit h-out a spir it ual animal t eacher .
Wat er bending is based on Tai Chi and f eat ur es slow movement s and elegant f or ms t hat evoke t he f eel of f lowing wat er . Wat er
bend-ing' s st r ongest asset lies wit hin it s def ensive capabilit ies. Unlike some ocapabilit her bending disciplines, Wacapabilit er -bending f ocuses on t ur ning an opponent ' s own st r engt h against t hemselves, r at her t han dir ect st r ikes. Since wat er can exist in dif f er ent physical st at es, Wat er -bender s can f r eeze, melt , evapor at e, sublimat e or con-dense wat er . The abilit y t o alt er t he physical st at e of wat er gives Wat er bender s an ar r ay of def ensive, evasive and of f en-sive t echniques in bat t le such as encasing an opponent in ice, hiding behind a wall of mist , sur f ing on bodies of wat er on a plat f or m of ice, and bat t er ing enemies wit h lashing whips and waves. Wat er bender s can also manipulat e t he molecular cohesion of wat er f or cut t ing and gr abbing obj ect s or r unning on wat er . While a bender ' s vict or y in bat -t le is usually based on skill and -t echnique, a Wt er bender gains a no-t a-ble advant age or disadvant age over ot her bending ar t s depending on t he amount of wat er in t heir vicinit y.
Wat er bender s ar e mor e power f ul at night t han dur ing t he day
due t o t heir spir it ual connect ion wit h t he moon. Wat er bender s ar e at
t heir most power f ul dur ing t he
f ull moon, and ar e power less
dur ing a lunar eclipse or when
The Ear t h Ki ngdo m
The Ear t h Kingdom is t he home t o t he Ear t hbender s, t hose who have mast er ed t he ar t of geokinesis, t he abilit y t o manipulat e soil, st one and ear t hen mat er ial. The kingdom encompasses a mas-sive cont inent t aking up most of t he planet ' s east er n hemispher e and is t he lar gest of t he f our nat ions. Ar chit ect ur e, f ar ming, car -pent r y, hunt ing, and mining ar e among many signif icant Ear t h
King-dom indust r ies. I t s cit izens have developed an advanced t r ade and commer ce syst em so t hat almost all cit izens may benef it .
Cult ur e and Diet : Cit izens of t he Ear t h King-dom t end t o have black or br own hair , gr een, br own, or gr ay eyes and ar e of t en of r ichly t anned, t hough t he complexions of t he nobilit y ar e of t en much light er . Fashions in t he Ear t h Kingdom var y gr eat -ly; in t he West and Sout h, men t ypically wear t heir hair in a t op-knot , or nament ed wit h var ious holder s and pins, and of t en have bear ds and/ or must aches or ar e shor n wit hout f acial hair . Women wear t heir hair down or done up in buns, r olls or f olds at op t heir heads. I n t he cit y of Ba Sing Se, women usually wear t heir long hair wr apped ar ound a suppor t , or nament ed wit h t assels or f low-er s; men usually don a queue or ar e clean shaven. Omashu cit izens t ypically wear t unics over a long r obe or pant s, wit h t heir hair hid-den by a small t ur ban or hat . Far mer s and ot her labor er s t ypically wear conical st r aw hat s secur ed t o t he head by st r ing.
As a r esult of t he gener ally r ich and f er t ile soil of t he Ear t h Kingdom, a gr eat abundance and var iet y of veget ables ar e
gr own, while f r uit s and nut t r ees ar e equally plen-t if ul. The wild game which plen-t hr ives wiplen-t hin plen-t he king-dom' s many f or est s and domest icat ed animals r aised by it s f ar mer s add meat and poult r y t o cit -izens' diet s.
Ear t hbendi ng
Fir st developed t heir ar t by obser ving and imit at ing t he Badger moles, lar ge subt er r anean cr eat ur es t hat use Ear t hbending t o see and int er act wit h t he wor ld.
Ear t hbending is gener ally based on t he Hung Gar st yle of Kung Fu, which f eat ur es heavily r oot ed st ances and st r ong kicks and punches. The mar t ial ar t is based on t he move-ment s of animals, among t hem t he Tiger and t he Cr ane. The Tiger r epr esent s Har d Power , while t he cr ane embodies Sof t Power . Unlike ot her bending disciplines, Ear t hbending st r esses t he
aspect of neut r al j in, which involves list ening and wait ing f or t he r ight moment t o at t ack.
Ear t hbender s ar e known t o st and t heir gr ound. Many skilled
Ear t hbender s absor b and int er cept at t acks bef or e over whelming t he
opponent wit h super ior f or ce. Some can t unnel t hr ough t he ear t h t o
out -maneuver t heir f oes. Ear t hbender s have been known t o use
ob-j ect s t o augment t heir bending. Ear t hbending is not limit ed t o r ock or
soil alone. An Ear t hbender can addit ionally manipulat e ot her ear t
h-based subst ances including mud, slur r y, sand, gemst ones and coal.
Heavily r ef ined met als however , such as st eel, ar e beyond most Ear t
h-bender’s influence, it is very difficult to bend metal. In order to be in
close connect ion wit h
t heir element , Ear t
h-bender s t end t o be
The Fi r e Nat i o n
The Fir e Nat ion is t he home of t he Fir ebender s, t he or der dedicat ed t o t he st udy of pyr okinesis. The Fir e Nat ion is locat ed on an ar chipelago of islands in t he west er n hemispher e of t he plan-et near t he equat or . The geogr aphy of t he nat ion consist s of doz-ens of volcanoes, many of which ar e st ill act ive. I t is t he most in-dust r ially advanced of t he f our nat ions and since Fir e Lor d Zuko has t aken t he Thr one t hey have become ver y open t o t r ade. Their inher ent knowledge of combust ion and t he advancement s made devel-oping weapons f or t he war gives t hem access t o sever al I ndust r ial-Age t echnologies such as ad-vanced met allur gy, t anks, r udiment ar y explo-sives, sophist icat ed cat apult s, siege dr ills, and coal-power ed ir onclad war ships.
Cult ur e and Diet : Member s of t he Fir e Nat ion t end t o have black or br own hair , amber / gold, br own, or gr ay eyes and pale skin, t hough except ions ar e not uncommon. Older men t end t o spor t lar ge bear ds, must aches, and sidebur ns, while younger men ar e usually clean-shaven, or wear small must aches and goat ees. Women usually wear t heir hair back, t hough f or special occasions it may be piled or f olded at op t heir heads, or wr apped ar ound a suppor t . Fe-male member s of t he ar ist ocr acy also t end t o have long, point ed, wellmanicur ed f inger nails. Almost all cit izens wear t opknot s, of -t en held by a decor a-t ive band or r ibbon indica-t ing r ank. Nobles and polit icians t end t o or nament t heir hair wit h a t wo pr onged, f lame-st yled piece; t he Fir e Lor d wear s a gold, f ive-pr onged f lame. All cit izens wear clot hes t hat ar e in dif f er ent shades of r ed, or ange, yellow or pink and r ings wit h t he Fir e Nat ion sign or a small f lame. The diet of it s cit izens consist s pr imar ily of f ish, noodles, r ice, cabbage, t ea and lychee nut s. The people ar e also known f or having a t ast e f or f oods of a spicier f ar e, as t hey enj oy unique r ecipes such as Fir e Flakes, Fir e Gummies, Sizzle Cr isps, Fir e Cakes, and Spice Tea.
Fi r ebendi ng
Fir ebender s wer e f ir st inspir ed by t he Sun but t he Dr agons ar e cr edit ed as t he f ir st t o f ully t each t he ar t of Fir ebending t o man. The philosophy of Fir ebending, when it was f ir st cr eat ed, has dif f er ed r adically f r om t hat of t he last 100 year s. I t or iginally r epr esent ing war mt h, ener gy and lif e, but because of Fir e Lor d Sozin t he Fir e Nat ion had become f ueled by gr eed and r age. Now Fir e Lor d Zuko has been st r iving t o change t his. Af t er r eceiving t r aining f r om t he dr agons Ran and Shao Zuko now under -st ands t he t r ue ar t of Fir ebending.
Fir ebending in it self is not t ot ally devot ed t o unleashing t he power of f ir e on one' s enemies. I n act ualit y, t he f ocus is placed upon balance. Fir ebending hinges on inner calm, discipline, and emot ional and physical st abilit y such as a f ir m balanced f or m, br eat h cont r ol, and gener al good healt h. Fir ebender s ar e mor e power f ul dur ing t he day t han at night due t o pr esence of t he Sun. Fir ebender s lose t heir pow-er t o Bend dur ing a solar eclipse.
The Ai r No mads
The Air Nomads a nat ion of t he Air bender s, mast er s of aer okinesis, now a r elat ively small and r eclusive or der of monks. Since t he end of t he war Avat ar Aang, once t hought t o be t he Last Air bender has once again opened t he door s t o t he Sout her n Air Temple. Ther e ar e st ill ver y f ew Air bender s and st ill f ewer mas-t er s. The Mechanismas-t and r ef ugees ar e smas-t ill r esiding in mas-t he Nor mas-t
h-er n Air Temple and t he East h-er n and West h-er n Air Temples ar e st ill abandoned. The Air No-mads ar e a t r anquil and envir onment ally f r iendly people and do t heir best not t o leave a mar k on t he land. The indust r ies t hat t hey engender , such as f ar ming and gar dening, ar e power ed nat ur ally.
Cult ur e and Diet : Tr adit ionally Air Nomads wor e yellow, or ange, and br own clot hing. Young Air bender s t ypically wor e or -ange shawls over long-sleeved yellow shir t s, an or -ange belt , yellow pant s wit h br own on t he back, and long boot s t hat r each t he knees and older monks wear long r obes in shades of yellow and or ange. Now most Aibender s come f r om a mixed backgr ound and most wear t he f ashions f ound f r om t hose ar eas. Young boys ar e t r ained as monks t o shave t heir heads, older monk can gr ow bear ds and must aches. Female Air bender s ar e not r equir ed shave t heir heads. Air bender s who have at t ained a level of mast er y in t he ar t will be mar ked wit h ar r ow t at t oos, based on t he ar r ows of t he Sky Bison, t he f ir st Air bender s. For male Air bender s, a pr imar y ar r ow t at t oo is placed on t heir shaven head t hat ext ends down t heir back along wit h f our ot her s, one on each limb t hat t er minat es in an ar r owhead at t he hands or f eet .
Air Nomads ar e ar e ver y f ond of f ar ming, gar dening and cult ivat ion
and ar e known t o be veget ar ians. All of t he f ood t o suppor t t he
cit izens of an Air Temple is pr oduced by t he monks t hemselves,
leaving lit t le har mf ul impact upon t he sur r ounding envir onment .
Ai r bendi ng
Air bender s Lear ned t heir bending ar t f r om t he Sky Bison who Air bend using t heir t ail and mout h. Fur -t her mor e, -t hey emula-t e -t he na-t ur al, ar r ow-shaped mar kings of t he Flying Bison by t at t ooing t hemselves wit h similar mar kings. These light blue, f ull body t at -t oos symbolize a per son' s mas-t er y of -t he Air bending discipline.
Air bending is based on t he Ba Gua st yle of mar t ial ar t s. Ba Gua is known f or it s const ant ly cir cular movement s, which makes it dif f i-cult f or opponent s t o at t ack dir ect ly. The pr act it ioner uses his own moment um as a weapon, const ant ly building up iner t ia f or explosive count er at t acks t hat evoke t he unpr edict able nat ur e and explosive f or ce of t he wind. While being t he most dynamic of t he bending ar t s, t he st yle lacks f at al f inishing moves, being an almost ent ir ely def en-sive ar t .
Air bender s have t he abilit y t o enhance t heir movement s dur ing bat t le. They can t ake giant leaps int o t he air , move at high speeds, r un on wat er and ver t ical sur f aces, glide on air cur r ent s t o slow t heir descent and even spin ar ound like a t or nado t o move quicker and con-f use opponent s. They can also cr eat e cushions of air t o sof t en and blunt t he f alls of heavy ob-j ect s. Air bender s can pr oob-j ect power f ul gust s of wind f r om t heir mout hs.
Mast er Air bender s can cr eat e vor t ices t o disor ient and t or
na-does t o at t ack opponent s. Air bender s ar e also capable of pr oj ect ing
solidif ied const r uct s of air t o knock an opponent of f balance or t o
Al t er nat e Bendi ng St yl es
These special t echniques all r equir e a mast er t o per f or m and most if not all of t hese cannot be lear n wit hout t he aid of a Mast er t hat knows t he t echnique.
Bloodbending: Bloodbending is a ver y power f ul t echnique and do t o t he r ar it y and cr uelt y it is har d t o f ind a mast er t o lear n f r om. Bloodbending does not necessar ily mean t o bend blood, but t he wa-t er in one' s body; wa-t he human body is made up moswa-t ly of wawa-t er , al-lowing t he bloodbender t o manipulat e a body' s muscles t o move as t hey wish or t o st op movement complet ely. A Bloodbender could, if t hey so choose, st op a vict im' s hear t or cr ush his/ her int er nal or -gans, pr essur ize, boil or cool, or even complet ely ext r act t he wat er f r om one' s body. Bloodbending has a maj or r est r ict ion and can on-ly be per f or med at night and onon-ly dur ing a f ull moon.
Healing: Healing is a special t echnique of Wat er bending which involves healing wounds by r edir ect -ing ener gy pat hs (or chi) t hr oughout t he body, by using wat er as a cat alyst . They do t his by dr awing on t he lif e giving pr oper t ies of wat er t o heal many t ypes of physical wounds, some illnesses and even pain caused by ment al st r ess. Though power f ul, t he
healing cannot heal ever y ailment . I n r ar e cases, a Wat er bender may develop t his abilit y wit hout any specif ic t r aining f r om a
mas-ter but it’s tough.
Light ingbending: Lightingbending, also known as “The Cold Blooded
Fire”, is a special technique of Firebending that allows Firebenders
t o pr oduce and dir ect a bolt of light ning f r om t heir f inger t ips. Gener at ing t he light ning involves a cir cular mot ion wit h t he ar ms. Ment ally, it involves a complet e absence of emot ion and peace of mind, and separ at ing t he ener gies of yin and yang. When t he yin and yang collide t oget her t o become whole again, light ning is cr eat ed, and t he bender only guides, r at her t han cont r ols, t he light
-ning' s dir ect ion. Light ingbending is ver y danger ous and only a f ew pow-er f ul Fir ebendpow-er s ar e capable of genpow-er at ing it .
Met albending: Developed by Toph Bei Fong, Met albending is an alt er nat e f or m of Ear t hbending t hat allows an Ear t hbender t o f er r okinet -ically bend pr ocessed met als much as t hey would bend r egular ear t h. Met albending seems t o be r est r ict ed t o close-r ange manipulat ion; in almost all cases t he Ear t hbender must be st anding close t o or in di-r ect cont act wit h t he met al he int ends t o bend. Levit at ing odi-r f di-r eely r eshaping met al is impossible f r om a dist ance. While most Ear t h-bender s ar e unable t o manipulat e pr ocessed met als wit h t heir bending,
those who have trained under Toph or under a pupil of Toph’s have
lear ned t o r ecognize t he t r ace element s of ear t h wit hin t he met al.
Plant bending: Skilled Wat er bender s can manipulat e plant lif e. Cont r ol-ing t he wat er wit hin t he plant s t he Wat er bender is able t o manipulat e t he plant t o his desir e. The mor e wat er wit hin t he plant t he mor e con-t r ol con-t he Wacon-t er bender has. So a Plancon-t bender in a swamp will have a f in-er cont r ol of what t hat plant can do t hen a Plant bendin-er in a desin-er t will wit h a sage br ush. f r om t he highly wat er -sat ur at ed vines and r oot s f ound wit hin a swamp or seaweed f r om t he ocean f loor t hey can even r apidly r egener at e t he plant mass t hat t hey Fine cont r ol over Plant lif e wit hout dest r oying it r equir es t he t eachings of a mast er but in a pinch most Wat er bender s ar e able t o separ at e and complet ely ext r act t he wat er f r om j ust as t hey ar e able t o separ at e t he wat er f r om mud, and even pollut ed r iver s. I n t he case of plant lif e, t his pr ocess will t hen leave behind t he wit her ed r emains of all t he af f ect ed plant s or even making t hem collapse in t he case of lar ger plant s.
Sandbending: Sandbending is a specialized t ech-nique, which emphasizes t he manipulat ion of sand. Because sand is sediment which t r avels in f lows, t heir st yle r esembles Air bending mor e t han Ear t hbending. Any Ear t hbender is capable of bending sand, but because of t he loose shif t y
Or gani z at i o ns
The Dai Li
The Dai Li wer e t he secr et police of Ba Sing Se who wor ked t o capt ur e, int er r ogat e and impr ison polit ical dissident s. They wer e cr eat ed
by Avat ar Kyoshi hundr eds of year s ago wit h t he aim of "pr ot ect ing t he cult ur al her it age of Ba Sing Se". Over t ime t he Dai Li became cor r upt and under t her e last Leader Long Feng, t hey over t hr ew t he Ear t h King
making his posit ion j ust a f igur ehead. Af t er t hat dur ing t he Fir e
Nation’s invasion of Ba Sing Se they turned on Long Feng betraying
t he Ear t h Kingdom t o Pr incess Azula. She event ually dismissed t hem f igur ing t hey would event ually bet r ay her as well. Ever since; t he Dai Li have been wor king f r om t he shadows t o t ake down t he Ear t h King and r egain cont r ol of Ba Sing Se. The Dai Li seem t o be t r ained t o wor k in pair s, which would give t hem gr eat er st r engt h and power t han a single agent ; while a gr oup of t hr ee would be t oo cumber some and unwieldy. They wear gloves and shoes, bot h made of st one, in or der t o Ear t hbend on t he go. Their shoes also give t hem t he abilit y t o slide along t he gr ound, incr easing t heir speed. They also use t heir r ock shoes t o cling t o sheer r ock sur f aces, such as walls or ceilings. Mast er y of t his wall t echnique has been a par t of t heir t r aining ever since t heir incept ion and is t her ef or e one of t heir most used skills.
Kyoshi I sland W arr ior s
The Kyoshi I sland War r ior s ar e an all-f emale gr oup of f ight er s f r om t he Kyoshi I sland. Though t heir f ight ing st yle and clot hing mimic t hose of Avat ar Kyoshi, t hey do not implement any of t he bending ar t s in t heir physical movement s. Clad in or nat e, ar mor ed gr een kimonos which ar e most ly paint ed on, met al headdr esses, and whit e-f aced makeup designed t o int imidat e opponent s, Kyoshi I s-land War r ior s use met al f ans as t heir main weapons. The war r ior ' s unif or m has a gold insignia t hat r epr esent s t he honor of t he war r i-or ' s hear t and t he silk t hr eads symbolizes t he br ave blood t hat
f lows t hr ough t heir veins. They also ut ilize swor ds similar t o kat anas and wr ist shields. Holding t he f ans like ext ensions of t heir own ar ms, t hey aim t o t ur n t he st r engt h of t heir opponent s against t hem, a pr in-ciple also st udied in Wat er bending. Since t he end of t he war , t he Kyo-shi War r ior s have r et ur ned t o KyoKyo-shi I sland and act as local police and pr ot ect ion f or gover nment of f icials.
Or der of t he W hit e Lot us
The Or der of t he Whit e Lot us is an ancient secr et societ y t hat t r anscends t he boundar ies of t he f our nat ions, seeking philosophy, beaut y and t r ut h. They ar e devot ed t o t he shar ing of ancient
knowledge acr oss nat ional and polit ical divides. For med cent ur ies ago by t he wisest scholar s f r om all over t he wor ld, t he Or der began as a club wher e t hese ancient mast er s could challenge one
anot her on t he Pai Sho t able. They der ived t heir name f r om t he Whit e Lot us t ile used in Pai Sho, a key element in t heir st r at egy. They com-municat e member ship t hr ough t he game by placing Pai Sho t iles on t he boar d in a specif ic manner t hat ident if ies t hemselves t o ot her mem-ber s of t he societ y (a bloomed Lot us bud wit h t he Lot us chip in t he cent er ). Af t er t he war t he Or der has quiet ly gone back int o hiding, secr et ly meet ing and r ecr uit ing new member s.
Sout her n W at er Tribe W arr ior s
War r ior s of t he Sout her n Wat er Tr ibe wield weapon-r y t hat includes clubs, scimit aweapon-r s, speaweapon-r s made of bone, bladed boomer angs, machet es wit h whale t eet h on t he dull side of t he blade and shields. They t ypical-ly wear black and whit e war paint on t heir f ace bef or e going int o bat t le. All adult men of t he t r ibe ar e ex-pect ed t o be f ully t r ained war r ior s. Women ar e not r equir ed t o t r ain but ar e allowed t o and ar e encour -aged t o if t hey so choose.
Zo o l o gy
Dr agons
A dr agon is a lar ge, hor ned r ept ile wit h a long, scaly body t hat ends in a t hin t ail. I t has f our shor t legs and t wo ver y lar ge wings t hat enable it t o f ly quickly over gr eat dist ances. The dr agon' s head is lar ge compar ed t o t he r est of it s body. I t s bear ded f ace is dominat ed by a wide, f lat nose and golden, cat -like eyes.Ther e also seem t o be sever al subspecies of dr agon. Dr agons wer e t he f ir st Fir ebender s. They ar e ext r emely power f ul, bot h physically and as Fir ebender s.
Dr agon Hawks
Dr agon Hawks ar e moder at ely sized bir ds of pr ey wit h dar k r ed or br own f eat her s all over t heir bodies and t wo long plumes f alling f r om t heir t ails. Their leg f eat her s ar e whit e. These bir ds have a calm t emper ament , ar e obedient and ar e able t o deliver messages t o almost anywher e. They ar e ver y t ame and loyal t o t heir owner s.
Cat Owl
A Cat Owl has t he head and t ail of a cat , and t he wings and body of an owl. I t s head, t or so and claws ar e cover ed in f ur , which is dar k slat e gr ay on it s dor sal par t s, and cr eamy whit e on it s vent r al par t s. The f eat her s of it s wings and t ail ar e also dar k slat e-gr ay. I t s eyes ar e commonly seen as gr een.
Canyon Cr awler
The Canyon Cr awler r esembles a st r ange mix of a cr ocodile, an ant and a spider . I t has eight eyes on eit her side of it s f ace, and a f or ked t ongue in a shar p-t oot hed j aw. Much like a t r adit ional ar achnid, t he cr awler r et ains a t wo-segment ed body made up of a cephalot hor ax and an abdomen, and it s f our skinny legs at t ach t o t his cent er body.
Flying Bison:
Also called "Sky Bison", lived near t he Air Tem-ples and bef or e t he war wer e supposedly t he only way t o r each t hem. Flying bison have f ive st om-achs, beaver -like f lat t ails, br own eyes, shaggy, light gr ey f ur , a br own st r ipe t hat r uns along t heir back, f r om t ail-t ip t o f or ehead, wher e it t er minat es in an ar r owhead and six-legs wit h
t hr ee t oes on each f oot . These cr eat ur es ar e t he main means of t r anspor t at ion f or Air Nomads. All Flying Bison can use air bending t o f ly, ut ilizing t heir br oad t ails t o st eer t hr ough air cur r ent s and also t o def end t hemselves. They ar e also able t o use t heir mout hs and t heir noses t o Air bend. A f ully-gr own Flying Bison can easily weigh t en t ons. They ar e r ever ed by t he Air Nomads, whose t at t oos deliber at ely emu-lat e t heir ar r ow-shaped mar kings, f or inspir ing t he Air bending ar t . Though f air ly docile, t hese cr eat ur es can be f ear some when ar oused t o f ight .
Komodo Rhinocer ous:
The Komodo Rhino is an animal f r om t he Fir e Nat ion, br ed bot h as beast s of bur den and f or t heir meat . This enor mous beast is cov-er ed in t hick, gr ay skin, which scov-er ves as nat ur al pr ot ect ion f or it s body. Thr ee lar ge, cur ved hor ns dominat e it s f ace, t wo cur ving down f r om it s f or ehead and one cur ving upwar d f r om it s snout . The r hino' s mout h and j aw st r uct ur e look somewhat r ept ilian, but t he small ear s on eit her side of it s head ar e mammalian. I t s t or so r esembles t hat of a r hinocer os, but ends in a long, dinosaur -like t ail. The animal' s f eet ar e shor t , muscular , and clawed. The Fir e Nat ion uses t hese r hinos in bat t le f or cavalr y. Because of t heir speed and st amina, komodo r hinos ar e of t en employed by Fir e Nat ion scout f or ces.
Ost rich Horse:
Ost r ich Hor ses ar e br own, bipedal, bir d-like cr eat ur es appr oxi-mat ely seven t o eight f eet t all. They have t hr ee t oes on each f oot , t wo f acing f or war d and one f acing backwar d. They have wide f lat t ails and shor t , st ubby wings t hat ar e incapable of f light . Their heads and necks ar e equine but t heir mout hs ar e avian. Ost r ich Hor ses can j ump sever al f eet in t he air and ar e capable of r unning up ver t ical sur f aces f or shor t dist ances t hanks t o t heir power f ul legs. They can even do so when car r ying soldier s in f ull ar mor . Os-t r ich Hor ses have been known Os-t o buck and kick Os-t heir r ider s and near by byst ander s when st ar t led or agit at ed.
The Ost r ich Hor se is an ext r emely usef ul animal and ver y pr omi-nent in t he Ear t h Kingdom, especially f or t he use by t heir milit ar y. Highly t r ained ost r ich hor ses can even be equipped wit h ar mor and r idden in bat t le. Gener ally docile and easily domest icat ed, t hey ar e of t en used t o pull wagons or car r iages and t o car r y supplies, or em-ployed on f ar ms as wor khor ses.
Ot t er - Penguins
Ot t er -Penguins ar e aquat ic, f light less mammal-like bir ds f ound mainly in t he Sout h Pole. They have f our f lipper s and ar e appr oxi-mat ely 3-4f eet t all. Their f aces ar e somewhat ot t er -like, wit h small black noses and whisker s. They have shor t necks t hat ar e almost indist inguishable f r om t heir chest s. Their f eet ar e webbed. Their color at ion is count er shaded, meaning t heir backs, t ail, f lip-per s and head ar e black and t heir under bellies ar e whit e.
Plat ypus Bear
A Plat ypus Bear is a lar ge mammal f ound t hr oughout t he Ear t h Kingdom. I t s f ur is most ly br own wit h a shallow whit e "V" on it s chest and a pat ch of light er br own ar ound it s eyes. The cr eat ur e has a lar ge bill lined wit h j agged t eet h and a plat ypus like t ail. I t s f r ont paws ar e padded wit h claws and it has lar ge, webbed hind f eet .
Polar Bear Dog:
This cr eat ur e is t he size of a lar ge dog. I t has a pink or r eddish nose, r ounded ear s and t hr ee t oed paws. I t s f ur is whit e except f or a black st r iped pat t er n t hat begins at it s nose and r uns over it s f or ehead and along it s back. The Polar Bear Dogs ar e domest icat ed by t he Sout her n Tr ibe people and used as pet s.
Pur ple Pent apus:
The Pur ple Pent apus is a f ive-eyed, f ive-t ent acled, lit t le oct opus-like cr eat ur e t hat lives in t he sewer s of Omashu. I t is r oughly t he size of a human f ist and t hough it lat ches ont o t ar get s, it is har mless. I t s t ent acles have small suct ion cups t hat is used
t o gr ip on t o t he side of t he sewer in or der t o eat algae and ot her f ood.
Unagi
