Character Age: 18
Character Gender: Female
Character Race: Earth Kingdom
Bending: Earthbending - Novice.
Lei’s earthbending is misguided instead of unskilled. Her tutors have been unable to pick up on her peculiarities and rectify the issue, writing her off as a poor student. Her bending is crude, abrupt and often destructive. It lacks the finesse of a proficient bender and copies the basic forms and movements taught to novices because Lei’s form is too loose and flowing to hold more complex attacks. Under the right training she could become an exceptional sandbender or learn to manipulate stone more fluidly instead of presuming it to be a rough, immutable element. She may take to mudbending with more enthusiasm.

Skills:
Martial Arts: Lei’s fighting style is similar to Aikido and Jiu Jitsu. It specialises in nonresistance, manoeuvrability, grapples and joint locks, working with the opponent’s momentum and strength to pin and subdue them. This style helps Lei take on opponents that are stronger and larger than her or evade oncoming attacks with ease. It is a form of self defence as her strikes aren’t capable of seriously injuring anyone.

Spiritual Sensitivity: Lei was born with a significant amount of spiritual energy. This makes her sensitive to the spirit world and more in-tune with her surroundings. Her rampant emotions prevent her from being able to deliberately use this sensitivity to her advantage; in fact, it is unlikely that Lei even recognises what this phenomenon is. Instead she is acutely aware of the way the atmosphere in a room can change, pick up on the prickles of fear before an ambush, is deeply affected by the pain and suffering of others and has an easier time communicating with spirits. On rare occasions of deep internal conflict, mortal peril or other significant opportunities (as decided upon by the GM when they see fit), she can temporarily visit the spirit world in her dreams. Without the proper guidance it is unlikely Lei will be able to tap into these energies.

Weaknesses:
Lei's self esteem is tied to her feelings of validation. She takes critique too personally. Disapproval from role models can make her lose confidence in herself and leave her dispirited and morose, even going so far as to disrupt her bending abilities.

Lei is governed by her emotions. She acts irrationally, speaks out of turn, rushes headlong into problems and is easy to manipulate. Her empathetic demeanour pushes her to do ‘the right thing’, even if it’s a hindrance to her own goals and even when the other party is preying on her gullibility.

Lei’s spiritual sensitivity leaves her vulnerable to spiritual attacks. Spirits can possess her with little to no resistance. Energybending is devastatingly effective against her. Her attunement to her surroundings means that areas of corruption, pollution or extreme hatred can make her sick or weak.

Lei’s reticence to hurt other people is a hindrance in her combat abilities. Her offensive capabilities are weak, the lack of control over her bending frightens her against using it often and her sensitivity towards others can cripple her with guilt.

Posessions: A small hemp doll which she sleeps with at night. Helps ground her emotions and calm her down. She calls it Woo.

Biography: To understand how Lei Fan got into the mess she's presently in, you have to go back through her family history.

The Jiying bloodline can be traced back for hundreds of years. They used to be beings of spiritual importance, devoting their lives to meditation and refinement of their link to the spirit world. When Wan closed the portals, the clan moved from the south to the north pole and became sequestered in the foggy swamp. Through the generations the practices of intense spiritual piety waned and the spiritual energy within them diluted with each new child.

In tandem with this, the Fan bloodline wandered from their ancient roots in the Si Wong desert towards the mainland Earth Kingdom with the growing prosperity of the monarchy and began to use their fluid bending style as mudbending for agricultural purposes. As nonbenders filtered into the clan and harsh winters made farm labour more important than earthbending training, the priorities shifted. Soon, the old techniques were figuratively buried by the accessibility of traditional earthbending training in schools and the matter of their heritage was forgotten in the annals of time.

Lei is a figurative relic of these two bloodlines, a curious remnant of a varied history now muddied, watery and clouded in her tumultuous search for what truly feels 'right'. She is significantly weaker than her ancestors but feels that insatiable nagging urge for something different that has been tugging her headlong into all manner of trials and tribulations since the day she knew she could bend. Her childhood was comfortable and prosperous; she never went hungry and had plenty of friends as well as her two sisters to play with. Her mother taught her how to read and write, whilst her father taught her the importance of tending to the land and respecting the area she grew up in. By and large she was brought up in a loving home with a compassionate family that even went so far as to push Lei to pursue her interest in earthbending by signing her up to a school in Ba Sing Se. Their intentions were kindhearted and sincere; after her sister Hui left with her grandparents back to the foggy swamp, Lei had grown even closer to her remaining sisters and missed Xue terribly as she spent long hours in the city and was starting to change, grow distant from her roots...

This is the start of an internal conflict that will haunt Lei for over a decade. Almost immediately upon starting her training, Lei struggled to keep up with her peers. Her form was considered sloppy, too loose and ineffective for standard earthbending techniques. She managed to grasp the basics and even perfect them but her skills weren’t up to par with the people around her. In order to remedy her form she also started to take martial arts classes, and whilst she did well in the dojo she scraped by with a passing grade for her earthbending training. The stubbornness of rock made her hesitant to further its practice, affecting her self confidence. After all; why would a bender feel such resistance against their own element?

The transition to Ba Sing Se also had a significant impact on her health as well. Moving from the peaceful countryside to a large city was always going to be a culture shock, but for reasons that Lei could not understand the swollen crowds, cramped spaces and rampant individualist greed gave her stomach aches, headaches and paranoia. Since there was no real explanation to her problems she pegged it down as her own silly nerves and this compounded her rapidly dwindling self esteem alongside the failing classes. This belief was compounded by those brief but highly sought after visits to see Xue, who dismissed her concerns and encouraged her to keep working through the 'growing pains'. After she passed she returned home and languished in the farm, detached and listless, firm in her belief that she couldn’t keep up with the high paced requirements of the city nor could she merely settle into growing radishes for the foreseeable future. Lei believed she was a failure when compared to her sisters.

Luo remained to watch the aftermath and knew that Lei needed some more life experience under her belt to discover where she truly belonged. She pulled some sisters with Xue to get her some employment that kept her out in the sunshine, moving and talking with people - all things that Lei enjoyed more than dingy offices or gruelling labour. Working as a courier in the grand Si Wong City would suit her well once she got used to the shock! All she had to do was write back to her family, and often; with as much detail as she could fit in. They didn’t want a repeat of Ba Sing Se, after all. Lei packed her things and made her way towards the desert with a smile on her face and a brief letter of recommendation from her father for her new flatmate; a grizzled yet kindly man called Lalo Zheng, who had helped her father long ago to construct a water tower and agreed to take the youngling under his roof until she had settled in.

Supporting Cast:
Qian Fan: Lei’s father. A kindhearted family man, eternally proud of his daughters. He is a native to the Earth Kingdom who uses his earthbending techniques solely for the benefit of his radish farm.

Meng Fan: A foggy swamp waterbender who ventured into the Earth Kingdom at a young age, met and fell in love with Qian and had four daughters. Uses her waterbending to tend to the radish crop that has sustained her family. Her spiritual sensitivity was passed down from her mother, Lei’s grandmother.

Xue Fan: A ruthless, cruel and apathetic politician in the upper echelons of Ba Sing Se. Currently lobbying for the takeover of Si Wong city. The oldest Fan daughter, whose shadow engulfs Lei and produces the image to which she often compares herself. Xue wholeheartedly believes that the stability of the Earth Kingdom would be a better government for the independent city to maintain its prosperity and longevity, and for this she is willing to take any measure to seize control over it - purely for the benefit of its denizens. Though extremely busy, she does sometimes try to take the time to send letters to her siblings and her parents. She is fond of Lei but believes she knows what is best for her. Does not possess any bending capabilities or spiritual sensitivity.

Luo Fan: The second oldest daughter of the Fan family. Tends to the radish farm and is married to Chun Liuxian, a carpenter. Physically strong but academically weak, she invested into the family business and is heavily pregnant with her first child. An earthbender like her father.

Hui Fan: The second youngest daughter of the Fan family. Returned to the Foggy Swamp to live with her maternal grandparents at a very young age. A deeply spiritual individual who shares Lei’s sensitivity yet chose to fully devote herself to honing her connection with the spirit plane, revoking worldly goods and becoming a monk. Rarely, if ever, writes to Lei - though perhaps keeps an eye on her little sister through their spiritual connection. A waterbender and a healer.

Toyen Yang: Lei’s old mentor. Teaches at one of the earthbending schools in Ba Sing Se. His desire to teach as many students as possible scripted his training style to produce a universal standard instead of bringing out a student’s natural advantages. Lei stands out, albeit marginally, as one of his less capable students who managed to scrape a pass in the end.

More characters may be added at the GM’s discretion, provided a quick discussion prefaces the ones that may have a predetermined connection to the character.

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Character Age: 23
Character Gender: Male
Character Race: Earth Kingdom (currently residing), Fire Nation (Originally)
Bending: Fire Bending - Intermediate
Skills:

• Acrobatics - Advanced
• Baton Twirling/Staff Performances - Advanced
• Cooking - Intermediate

Weaknesses:

• A Hot Temper: Sho has an issue with just letting things slide. If someone slights him, or if he feels like he's been slighted... it's best summarized as you take a penny, he takes a pound.
• An Idealistic Savior: While he's not some kind of vigilante hero, Sho does firmly believe in the idea that people should have equal stake and power when it comes to government and freedom. This means that if he sees the opportunity to knock someone on top down a peg, or manage to see an opportunity to exploit the rich for the sake of the poor, he'll take it.
• Alone in a Crowded Room: While Sho is not antisocial, he is fiercely independent. Instead of relying on the help of his friends and co-performers, he would much rather go things alone and suffer the consequences on his own. It's a rare mix of an inability to recognize the strength of others and a desire to protect those closest to him.

Possessions: Sho's possessions are sparse, but important to note. Sho's usual attire is his performance clothes, though he does keep a spare set of dark clothes and scarves to obscure himself if he needs to do something less than legal. His go bag includes basic cooking utensils and spices. On his person, at most times, Sho carries a metal staff designed to fit two cloth bags on each end. The metal staff has a pin that allows it to expand and retract in size depending on the situation of the performance or combat, and was originally designed for "Fire Twirling" performances by Li.

Biography:

Before Sho left the Fire Nations, his life was surprisingly unremarkable. Shodoh was born to a somewhat large fire nation family in one of the many Eastern islands. He was the youngest of four boys. His father became a higher ranking officer under the warlord Diyu, and most of Sho's older brothers served Diyu as well. When Sho was fourteen, all his older brothers and his father had basically gone in full service of the Warlord. Which left Sho at home alone with his lonely and unstable mother for two years. The only thing that kept Sho sane in these years was practicing his firebending at the local school, and self practicing long into the evenings. It wasn't until Sho's oldest brother died in conflict and Sho's mother went hysterical and just left home that Sho truly felt alone at home in the Fire Nation. Feeling neglected, abandoned, and angry at the circumstances of his life, Sho did the only thing he thought he could at the age of 16: he left. He used what little money his family had left behind to buy his way onto a ship heading for the Earth Kingdom.

Sho wasn't sure where he wanted to go, but he knew it was just somewhere else. Somewhere he wouldn't necessarily feel alone and like an outcast. Unfortunately, that's all he felt once he reached the mainland of the Earth Kingdom. Some didn't trust the young man, and some just didn't like him. So Sho continued to feel neglected and abandoned until he managed to stumble upon people like himself: outcasts. He had stumbled upon a street performance by a young waterbender from the Northern Water Tribe named Kira. She was a lost soul like himself, but she wanted to see the world. Traveling required money, so she tried to do little performances around Earth Kingdom towns in order to keep herself afloat. Sho and Kira hit it off fairly quickly, and the two fourteen year olds started Sho's first traveling performing act: Fire and Ice.

The two traveled along the coast of the Earth Kingdom while developing their performance styles. Kira's specialty was in developing little "scenes" by manipulating water into shapes and figures. Sho's self routine was more about controlled firebending, in which Sho would do anything from light a bunch of candles with expert precision while blindfolded to doing twirls and spins while juggling flames. The two managed to catch the attention of two brothers named Lon and Li. Lon was a talented young earthbender pacifist who didn't want to be enlisted in some sort of army, while Li was a rather talkative and gossipy apprentice blacksmith whose name was sort of tarnished after a tryst with his master's daughter. Needless to say, they all wanted to move on. And so, that's when "The Elements" performing group was made.

Sho sort of became the unofficial leader of The Elements about two years ago. He had strong opinions on where they should go, and seemed to be competent when it came to delegating tasks and making sure his friends had a place to sleep wherever they went. Besides, Sho was mean with a skillet and some spices. He cooked the crew's meals, and no one complained. Everyone had responsibilities, work, plenty of downtime to explore and do as they like. They're all happy.

Everyone but Sho. While he'd never admit it, he's become more and more restless in the year and a half he's been leading The Elements around the Earth Kingdom. He's been getting into more fights and seeking out literature against the unification of the Earth Kingdom, but also been delving into testing out new recipes and spices. He's in a weird conflicted head space: he isn't sure if he wants to pursue a personal desire to start up a restaurant and settle down somewhere, or if he wants to become politically active in taking a more direct role in trying to stop the Earth Kingdom's more militaristic method of unification. At the end of the day, he is just a performer...

Supporting Cast:

• Kira - An optimistic and charming young woman with a strong wanderlust. She wants to see the world over and hear all sorts of stories... and then share said stories with different parts of the world. She also has a strong fascination with stories about spirits seeming to become more prevalent lately. Lately, she has been spending a little more time sparring with Sho and trying to coneptualize an old "dueling" routine that Sho had scrapped when they were a duo some years back.
• Lon - While not exceptionally talented as an earthbender, he's very loyal to his friends. He's a pacifist by nature, and spends a surprising amount of time in meditation or just in quiet thought for such a large man. Lon has been, on his free time as Sho has been contemplating moving The Elements to Si Wong, dabbling with sandbending. He has shown a little progress, but is barely able to do anything than shift sand a little worse than just kicking it would.
• Li - It's a wonder Li hasn't ended up in a jail cell or with a broken arm. Li loves three things: his work, his lovers, and rumors. While he's fantastic at getting the word out about The Elements, Li is also usually the reason why The Elements have been forced to move on from certain towns. Li's gift for blacksmithing comes from his vision and his understanding of his friends. He tends to whatever tools and performance props The Elements need for their performances.

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Character Age: Late Forties

Character Gender: Male

Character Race: Earth Kingdom

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Bending:
Earth Bending Mastery: Although his gifts have become rusted over the years through lack of proper practice, Jaan maintained his impressive prowess in the earth bending arts. What started off as raw talent, became honed into terrifying skill in the dojos of his home, where his wealthy parents tutored him under the best masters available at an outrageously young age. He became forged in the fires of war, where Jaan demonstrated his tact and patience, studying his opponents and letting them tire themselves on his defenses before resolving the battle using powerful, precision strikes.

Skills:
Tactical Genius: Where, and when, how, and why; to defeat the enemy before the battle ever begins, Jaan could have written a book on the subject. The study of war is the domain of princes, and Jaan was no exception. He learned in the best battle schools, and read the writings of famed generals. Achieving victory through any means necessary was always his mindset, which set him apart. Jaan’s father thought he might become a competent general like his forefathers, winning wars for the Earth Kingdom in the name of the monarch. Instead Jaan went on fight the Earth King for his own title, and won the battles to prove it. If it were not for Shin Vou and the traitorous guard, he never would have lost a pitched battle, or so he claims.

Man of the Land: Since his self-imposed exile, Jaan has spent many long years humbling himself preforming the work of peasantry. Farming, and herding under the blazing sun. He proved quick at picking up the necessary skills to survive in the harsh climate bordering the desert wastes, where a strong back and a quick mind are just as necessary as they were on the battlefield. He even managed to move past working other’s farms and begin his own. The days are long, and the rewards are few but Jaan long ago accepted this new life and has embraced it.

Swordsman: The ways of a warrior are vast and learning to wield a sword is one of those numerous areas of study Jaan subjected himself too. Although he is no master, he is nevertheless a lethal fighter, able to incorporate the blade into his earth bending.

Weaknesses:
Old Scars: War takes it toll, even on the most skill men. During his climatic duel against Shin Vou and the Traitor Guard Jaan was wounded, his leg shattered, and his shoulder battered into disrepair. He managed to escape alive, but only just and his body never truly recovered. Jaan is still plagued by a limp, and his aging bones protest every movement his shoulder makes.

Paranoid: Traitors come from everywhere, trusted advisors, incorruptible soldiers, hand chosen officers… Even the average peasant, his neighbors, and friends for decades, should they learn his true name they would turn him over to the Earth King and his allies in a second for a handful of coin. No doubt his son and wife would be imprisoned too! No one can be trusted.

Broken Pride: Defeat is a bitter drink to swallow, especially for a proud former king. The cries of those he hurt, in the pursuit of vengeance and his own selfish goals still ring in his ears. Every night he wonders if victory could have healed those wounds, if it was worth the price he paid? Should he have turned the other cheek, and saved his rule, or lost everything for the sake of pride?

Possessions:
Sword of the Past: A relic of those days before his defeat. An heirloom of his clan. Jaan keeps the sword hidden away under the floorboards of his homestead, concealed from prying eyes, hidden from his family, and himself.

Baou: A trusty steed, and a good friend. Baou is an old ostrich horse gifted to him by a former employer before Jaan struck out to build his own life. The beast of burden has proved time and time again to be the lynchpin to Jaan’s success, helping him tame a wild piece of land and mold it into a functioning farm.

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Biography: In those days, before his fall and humbling Jaan was known to the world as Prince Nelzu Beifou, son of Nelzu Zhei the King of Harushima City. A region located in the northwestern territories. They were an ancient clan governing in their province as “kings” under the true rule of the Earth King in Bae Sing Se. Beifou, from an early age showed great promise. He was intelligent, proud, and powerful. His father thought to fashion him into a proper warrior general and began grooming the child for the burden of leadership, enrolling him in the finest dojos, under the most esteemed masters available. Young Beifou flourished in this environment, becoming the hot-headed young commander his father always knew he could be. By age sixteen Beifou proved himself a competent leader, achieving success against a fire island raid. He went on to three other victories in important skirmishes across the Earth Kingdom, leading with great courage and distinction, catching the eye of several important officials in the monarchal hierarchy. His most notorious conquest at the time was his infamous sacking of Nishot, a rebellious city that thought to lessen its tax burden to the crown by force of arms. Beifou smashed their numerically superior armies and burned the city to the ground. His tactics were brutal, his victory absolute.

For a time Beifou was tolerated by the Earth Kingdom’s other ambitious leaders, showered in praise and adulation for his aptitudes. Everyone wanted the up and coming prince on their side, for now. However certain personages within the system were beginning to doubt whether the aspiring youth could be trusted. His people loved him, his men were loyal to a fault, and he simply could not be stopped. Should he gain thoughts of independence, many wondered if he could be effectively challenged. At the time he was only a prince, but once he became king…? The question hung unanswered, and ominously close. That day did eventually arrive on his twenty seventh year, he was crowned king of Harushima city. A momentous occasion, and the turning point for a new era. Beifou was sent a message by the Earth King himself, requesting Beifou’s presence in Ba Sing Se, to reaffirm his oaths of fealty to the crown. Lesser men it seemed had been whispering in the Earth King’s ear, warning that Beifou could be dangerous, and he must be controlled, and his power lessened.

Beifou did as he was bid, traveling to the walled metropolis to deliver his promises, but what he found there outraged the new monarch. The Earth King was not satisfied with just oaths, but demanded Beifou abdicate his title, and step down to mere governorship of Harushima. Outraged Beifou refused and raged against this call, even throwing insults at the Earth King. The monarch, though in his seat of power and surrounded by supporters quailed against Beifou’s wrath and promised to rescind the decision. However, in the dead of night the King’s agents attacked Beifou’s temporary residence in the inner ring hoping to subdue him. Beifou proved a wily foe, and managed to escape, fleeing the city under the cover of darkness, riding hard for Harushima hoping to raise his forces before his city fell under attack.

The war that followed was long and terrible. Everything the Earth King’s agents feared came to pass, after their debacle attempt to stem Beifou’s power. Eight separate battles, thirteen sieges and countless skirmishes would destroy a good portion of the northwestern territories over the next seven years. Beifou could not be bested in any pitch battle, and he burned many royal loyalist cities to the ground, but even he could not be everywhere at once. The Earth Kingdom commanded vast legions, and they danced around Beifou’s army, bleeding him dry until the minor king retreated, barricading himself inside Harushima. There followed two years of endless siege warfare, they weighed upon Beifou’s people, until he could no longer look into their gaunt faces, and meet their tired eyes. Even his most trusted comrades and boisterous supporters plead for him to accept the Earth King’s treaty and give up this senseless rebellion. Beifou refused openly stating his intent to hold the city until his dying day.

One man, Beifou childhood friend and current confidant decided to take matters into his own hands and began secretly negotiating with the Earth King’s servants. His name was Shin Vou, and he found the high monarch’s terms agreeable. Gathering to him other disenfranchised officers and men amongst Beifou’s personal guard Shin attempted to force the lesser king to surrender. He kidnapped Beifou’s wife and children, and fortified himself inside the Rudou, a fortress within the walls of Harushima. Demanding that Beifou surrender the city for the good of its people or suffer the consequences. Enraged at this blatant betrayal Beifou assaulted the Rudou, storming its mighty walls. Meanwhile the Earth Kingdom army launched their own attack on Harushima’s outer defenses, and without their king to command them, the city defenders began to falter. The battle raged for two days and nights, until the city finally surrendered. The victorious attackers marched in to relieve the beleaguered defenders of the Rodou, only to discover the two former allies weeping over the rubble. In their struggle they brought the Rodou to the ground, toppling upon those they held dear. Down below, buried beneath the utter destruction Beifou’s family were lost forever. Beifou’s grief turned to rage when he saw the army and knew his city was lost and everything had been for not. He attacked Shin, but outnumbered to such a ridiculous degree the king was swiftly vanquished, his leg crushed, and his shoulder smashed until he fled, barely escaping Shin’s clutches. Promising terrible retribution he made his way south, hoping to find someone who could aid in his vengeful crusade.

Beifou would find no more allies, however. No one wanted to link themselves to a conquered former king, and instead attempted to turn him over to the Earth King. Beifou would be on the run for the next year until at last he vanished completely, without a trace. Some thought he perished, others wondered if he was still hiding in some sympathetic household, gathering allies, and plotting his next move. Many were glad he was gone, Beifou left a trail of destruction behind him, smoldering homes, and ruined lives. Finally peace could be returned to their desolate homeland, under the governorship of their liberator, Shin Vou.

For Beifou’s part, his former self was dead, and from the ashes a new man was born. A man by the name of Jaan. A farmhand, who kept his head down and did his work without complaint. Someone who could be trusted to run errands and lead the flocks, and garnered a reputation for being a good fellow, if a bit dour and tight lipped. Jaan did do some planning, at first, he plotted every night on how he might regather his loyal warriors and deliver impossible vengeance on those who wronged him and stole his crown. Every day that dream faded, and the fire of justice was replaced by the bitter acceptance of defeat. He instead found meaning in his simple work once a cover turned lifestyle, caring for his new wife, and young son, and building a homestead and existence on the flatland bordering the Si Wong wastes.



Supporting Cast:

Meilou: Jaan’s loving wife of thirteen years. She is a good, hardworking woman who only knows a few details of Jaan’s true past. She does not pry, respecting his need for privacy on the matter. She knows she is not his first wife. She also knows of his paranoia, Meilou being the only person alive he has ever confided in, even to the small degree he shared.

Zhei: He is Jaan’s third born, and only living son. Zhei is a thirteen-year-old boy, and a natural earth bender like his father. He is headstrong and proud, and prone to getting himself into trouble much like his sire when he was younh. Jaan is extremely protective of the boy after the loss of his other children all those years ago, perhaps a bit too protective. Their relationship is strong, with Zhei often helping his father around the farm and delivering their produce to Si Wong. Still, the child knows nothing of his father’s past, and Jaan intends to keep it that way. Not even fully trusting his own son, though shame at what he had become is perhaps the more potent aspect.

Shin Vou: Once Shin Vou was Jaan’s trusted council, and his best friend, but the tragedy of war drove them apart. Now Shin is an Earth King Loyalist, and the governor of Jaan’s homeland. Deep down Shin Vou knows Jaan still lives, hiding somewhere and is a threat to his dynastic rule. Despite Jaan’s defeat being more than a decade past Shin still hunts his former comrade, promising a hefty sum for the bounty hunter who delivers.

Character Age: 33
Character Gender: Male
Character Race: Fire Tribe - Southern Isles
Bending: Firebending - Proficient but not a master.
Skills: Lalo had lived rough for a time after being left behind by his raiding party due to a very bad wound in his abdomen. He retains most of his combat training and knows how to get by with little money and few belongings. He's had to be his own doctor at times but he's nowhere near as good as a professional. He's not a stranger to manual labour such as farm work, carpentry and quarry work. Since he's recently been making money as a brawler he knows how to throw a few punches and hold his own in combat.

Weaknesses: The aforementioned war wound affects his bending. It'll never be as diverse as it used to be and can hurt him to push himself too far. His lack of professional employment keeps him bordering poverty all of the time. He's stubborn and won't open up without plenty of prodding, which can lead him to disregard advice that would work in his favour.

Posessions: A pair of brass knuckle dusters.

Biography:
Lalo grew up on stories of fame and glory through raiding. His tribe ran under the Warlord Toz as he swept through the southern isles. Growing up in a patriarchal family structure made the young boy dismissive towards women and those he considered ‘weak’ whilst pushing him to take on the mantle of his father and stand by his side on the beaches, taking over villages and burning dissidents into ashes. A vivacious firebender since he was very young, Lalo had to be quickly and cruelly taught to keep in line lest he burn down his family home whilst goofing around with his paltry little tricks. There was no formal teaching; he learnt through experience and the stiff hand of the veteran elders who watched over his hometown whilst the men were overseas.

Just like many of the men in the tribe Lalo was loud, misogynistic, mean-spirited and rowdy. He was just fifteen when he went on his first raid. Even though his stomach churned at the slaughter and the screaming, the oppressive status quo of his people labelled any hesitation in the face of violence to be cowardice. He swallowed his fears and followed the pack. The celebration afterwards seemed to make everything worth it and the s udden influx of wealth only consolidated his belief that this was the path to honour and prosperity. For several years he’d stagnate amongst these ruffians. His firebending became sharper, more focused, with more intensity and complexity to strike fear into his enemies. The high stakes of life-or-death combat honed his skills with a weapon; usually he had no say on what blade fell into his hands but preferred light, one-handed weapons that gave him plenty of movement to work in tandem with his bending. He became desensitised to death and gore. He made a name for himself and separated from his father’s shadow to the skirmishes in Diyu’s territory, fighting for his warlord and his pride.

How could he recover, then, when his first raid abroad to the eastern isles was so devastating? The warriors waiting on those shores were not peasants with pitchforks. Lalo’s raiding party was decimated, those that were left returned to their boats in tatters. Lalo was one of the few who were unlucky enough to survive albeit with a monstrous wound in his gut. He was defeated in battle yet humiliated by the village folk, who took him in and nursed him back to health with what little they had. There he learnt of compassion, the importance of domesticity and that strength could come in many forms. Most of it was dwarfed by his bitter embarrassment. He considered his treatment to be humiliating - worse than death. Less of a hothead but still a foolish man, he left in the quiet of night during a self-imposed exile. He was too ashamed to return home and paid a trader to sail to the mainland in the hopes of finding a better life on those unfamiliar shores.

What Lalo found instead was poverty and homelessness. He had little to bring to the table and his fierce pride wouldn’t let him take on ‘peasant work’ over bounties - at least, not until the lack of food tempered his arrogance. He wandered his way to Omashu and then further into the Earth Kingdom, relying on the kindness of strangers and odd jobs that needed doing to get by. When he couldn’t find a room in an inn, he put up his tent somewhere quiet. Some people, like Qian Fan, took him in for upwards to a year in their homes until he couldn’t stand their generosity and his restlessness spurred him onward. Lalo began to learn of humility but couldn’t shake his cruelty either. When money was urgently needed, he didn’t shy away from joining bandits, robbers and mercenaries in order to get what he needed.

Something continued to gnaw away at Lalo’s conscience. It took him until his late twenties to realise he didn’t simply want a better life, he wanted to be a better person. He couldn’t manage that in the countryside so he moved towards Si Wong city. Unfortunately, his optimism struck him down once more; life in a big city was no less merciless than the wilderness, only the people were harder to beat into submission without gaining the ire of the city guard. He was roped into an underground brawling ring shortly after his arrival and, through complicity, couldn’t find a clear way out of his obligations to the sleazy ringleaders. Things were not entirely dismal. Lalo now had a designated outlet for his anger and spent the rest of his time helping the needy and the ‘weak’. The guilt of his youth has almost entirely consumed him. He presently atones for his actions and repays his debts through any means necessary, even if it means taking one of the little girls from Qian Fan’s family into his home long enough for her to find her way.

Supporting Cast:
Qian Fan: Lei Fan’s father, owner of a radish farm. Though only tangentially involved in Lalo’s youth, he remains one of the most prominently generous strangers that he ever met.

‘Slim’ Lin: One of the two ringleaders of the Si Wong Rat Ring, a moderately sized, no holds barred illegal fighting ring taking place in the slums of Si Wong City. Mostly looking out for himself but acutely aware that throwing his patrons and brawlers into the line of fire when he gets caught is probably going to end with his body floating in a sewer.

Daisu: The second of the Si Wong Rat Ring leaders. Blackmails his brawlers into compliance but staunchly refuses to reveal their real names or identities to the law. Likes to eat and put on a show. Rigs most of the matches.

The Silent Blizzard (Yan Shu): One of the brawlers. Southern Waterbender, usually keeps to herself.

The Immutable Pillar (Ton Yen): One of the brawlers. Earthbender who likes to show off a bit.

The Gasping Cricket (Iso): One of the brawlers. A disgraced air nomad, fully investing into his love of material wealth.

Old Tsuki: Runs the ramen shop underneath Lalo’s apartment. An indomitable old crone with a big heart and a dislike for authority. An excellent secret keeper.

More to be added by the GMs if necessary.

Character Age: 28
Character Gender: Male
Character Race: Bataar Nomads (Earth Kingdom)
Bending: Non-bender

Skills:

• Mounted Warrior: Batu is a trained cavalier of the Bataar Plains Nomads, proving himself formidable when in the saddle of an ostrich horse or any other similar mount. Using a recurve short bow with remarkable accuracy on the move and a short sabre for in-close encounters are both major facets of his training, rooted in the pursuit predation tactics necessary for survival in the open steppes.
• Hardy: The reality of the open plains which stretch from the Kolau Mountains to the Si Wong Desert is a near-tundra of permafrost and high-altitude cold, creating a lifestyle of scarcity. While not adapted to the swelter and heat of the Si Wong Desert, Batu’s upbringing instilled survival principles which allow him to cross swathes of uncivilized land with little issue.

Weaknesses:

• Poor Defense: The doctrine of Batu’s fighting style emphasizes a decisive overwhelming onslaught, a stark contrast to the Earth Kingdom Army’s overall philosophy, with his fighting style more in line with the Fire Nation’s ethos. However this proves a significant disadvantage against any opponent who presses the attack effectively, making Batu likely to give ground rather than press a defense.
• Heedless & Lighthearted: Batu is a very carefree and rather gullible individual. His ruggedness and passing abrasiveness easily give way to an unserious and humor-minded man. His lackadaisical attitude and arrogance often become his downfall in both matters of war and peace.
• Non-Bender: While the ‘shamans’ of the Bataar Nomads tend to be Earthbenders themselves, Batu is one of the majority who have no such special inclination. While normally a non-issue for most, in a melting pot which includes an abundance of benders, it puts him at a significant combat disadvantage.

Possessions:

• Sabre: A curved blade single-handed sword designed for use while mounted on ostrich horses, but it can be used to some effect on foot as a slashing weapon. Carried in a yak bone and leather sheathe as Batu’s choice sidearm.
• Composite Recurve Bow: A shortbow also designed for use whilst mounted, it is made of birch wood hardened by the cold steppes and reinforced with joints of yak and goat bones. Carried in a removable leather sheathe either on his thigh or the side of his chosen mount.
• Quiver: A medium-sized arrow quiver made of animal skins either carried on his back or the side of his mount.
• Lamellar Cuirass: A long coat of boiled leather reinforced with iron lamellars (small rectangular overlapping plates) along the front and back of the torso. It is rarely worn except in overt battle, otherwise stowed on his mount.

Biography: The Bataar people are an ancient nomad culture inhabiting the steppes and coniferous forests which stretch from the Kolau Mountains in the shadow of Omashu to the western edge of the Si Wong Desert. Tangentially related to the tribes of Sandbenders which inhabit the inner spheres of the desert, the Bataar trace their lineage back to a splinter tribe which did not continue the migration into the sand wastes, instead settling in the colder high-altitude plains around the desert.

Some time within the last three decades, a boy named Batu was born. His name meant ‘Strength’ in the language of the Bataar, given such a name due to surviving a birth in which his mother did not. His father, an Earthbending shaman and important advisor to the Chieftain of the tribe, took great pride in his only son despite the grievous loss of his wife. Batu would have a troubled infancy due to complications from his botched delivery, but by the age of four developed into a rather normal child of the tribe.

The tribespeople by culture raised children as a collective. Even as family units and clans were separate in all other cases, children were the responsibility of all. But in particular, Batu took up with a young tanner’s apprentice named Xanadu. Xanadu, along with Batu’s father, schooled the young child in the arts of horsemanship, archery, and tannery, until the age of ten.

At that young age, custom of the Bataar people dictated that every child, male or female, was to be tested for bending potential. This test is perhaps the only point where Batu disappointed his father, showing no proficiency whatsoever, despite being a direct descendant of such a powerful Earth shaman, a ‘mountain mover’ as they were called in the native tongue. Nonetheless, Batu was enlisted as a tanner’s apprentice under the now master tanner Xanadu, albeit Batu also showed little skill in that field.

Sometime within Batu’s childhood, riders dressed in elegant robes and bearing the seal of the Earth Kingdom rode into the encampment of the tribe, carrying news of a rebellion against the Earth King. While the Bataar never maintained exemplary relations with the Earth Kingdom, they were at the very least cordial so long as the sovereign allowed them to live freely on the steppes. The men of the tribe were to be levied as soldiers for an army to put down a rebellion in Harushima province to the northwest. Their best riders were to make up the cavalry arm in the left wing of the Earth King’s army, with the rest of the able-bodied men as foot archers.

Batu, too young to serve, was left as one of the few remaining males in the tribe, now key to ensuring the survival of their people while the rest fought the war. Batu’s story lulled as grander things were at play:

The Bataar horsemen arrived in Harushima province to find a beleaguered army, hearing tales of a fearsome commander of the rebellion who managed to turn back the Earth Kingdom forces in a series of decisive early battles. Indeed this streak may have continued had the Bataar peoples and the reinforcements they brought with them not arrived. But the maneuverability and hit-and-run tactics of the horsemen became an integral part of the effort to bleed the Harushima Rebels of supply and morale, culminating in the final siege of Harushima City, where Bataar dismounted archers played a key role in the numerous attacks on the outer wall, until Beifong’s pride (and leg) was crushed.

The war was not without losses. In the two and a half long years of combat, Batu’s father was among the dead, dying along with his unit of fellow Earthbenders to a man. Xanadu lost a leg and an arm, held in a Earth Kingdom field hospital for the duration of the war thereafter. The Earth King, ever paranoid after the failed rebellion, gathered the various auxiliaries of his forces in the walls of the destroyed city. In an unprecedented act of cruelty, the wounded were slaughtered, and the able bodied were disarmed forcibly and imprisoned, sent on death marches to Ba Sing Se, reasoned as the Earth King feared closeted traitorous indigenous soldiers bringing the spark of rebellion back to their homes.

Batu was utterly devastated. The tribe practically dissolved over the incident, the wholesale killing and imprisonment of the male population making survival untenable. Some left to assimilate into other tribes who had larger and more sustainable populations. Others stayed put to live in squalor, praying to the spirits to deliver them from their suffering. And finally, a fringe group, in traditional nomad fashion, packed their bags and saddled up their ostrich horses, striking out from the steppes. Among them was Batu, now of a practically dead lineage and without much marketable skill other than hunting and fighting, untested in combat and utterly inexperienced with any cultures outside his own.

Supporting Cast:
Uyanga: Batu’s trusty ostrich horse, his chosen beast of burden and war mount. A mare, she is of the plains variation, measuring at a much smaller size than the average specimen. She has a golden brown coat and a light gray undercoat, matched by a completely gray face and head.

Wangu: A stubborn camelephant currently possessed by Batu in order to carry his heavier supplies. The beast and its master are not at all bonded, and the last-minute purchase of the animal may have been more trouble than it was worth.

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Character Age:
12

Character Gender:
Male

Character Race:
Fire Islands (Jemmu’s father is of the Fire Islands and his mother is of the Earth Kingdom)

Bending:
Jemmu is a Firebender, and an exceptionally proficient one at that, especially when considering his young age. Ever since he manifested his first embers as a toddler, he’s been under the tutelage of his father Zhou Hongza, “The One-Eyed Dragon”. Given his current level of skill and talent, it would be fairly easy to label Jemmu as a prodigy, but that would be painting a mostly incomplete picture. There were many aspects of Firebending that Jemmu initially struggled with, but he was fortunate enough to have a master Firebender to help guide him through much of it. Of course, while there’s nothing to dispute that he’s clearly naturally talented; there’s also no way that he’d be as advanced as he is now with bending if he hadn’t put in the years upon years of training with his father. He’s proud of the significant progress he has made, especially considering that he’s one of the few people that can comfortably keep up with his father during most of their more intensive training sessions. Regardless, he still has a lot to improve and it will be a long time before he’s considered a master bender like his father.

Skills:

• Swordsmanship: Jemmu’s new found skill with a blade is almost entirely an extension of his Firebending training under his father. What he has been taught is to use it to augment his fire and flames, and to seamlessly integrate it in the martial arts that make up the core of his Firebending.
• Parkour: Having lived his entire life within Si Wong City, there is a barely an inch of the city that Jemmu isn’t extremely familiar with. It was just the natural progression of his childhood to climb structures and buildings until he realized it was faster to travel by rooftop than the streets below.
• Pai Sho: Pai Sho is Jemmu’s father’s favorite game, so he had plenty of exposure to it while growing up. He also played against his father plenty of times, when his father wanted to emphasize nurturing a strong mind and strategy. It was just an inevitability that he would eventually become rather good at it. Jemmu even occasionally plays against others for money, though both his father and mother disapprove of him doing that.
• Gregarious: Jemmu has always been a people person, and in this regard he is much more like his mother than his father. He has always made friends quickly and easily, and he would always make a great effort to turn an enemy into an ally if he could. An extension of this is that he’d be totally lost in complete solitude, and despises the thought of spending any considerable amount of time alone.

Weaknesses:

• Naive: Jemmu is young, thereby lacking the life experiences that many other people have. He just doesn’t have a reason to not trust people at face value, and could be easily taken advantage of by anyone who saw the opportunity. His insistence to see the good in people is going to be exploited one day in the future.
• Impatient: Never one to wait silently on the sidelines, Jemmu has developed a bad habit of rushing into things before fully thinking them through. This is possibly most prevalent in his Firebending; if he sees an opening, he’ll rush to take advantage of it, likely overexposing himself in the process. His father has attempted to teach him to be more thoughtful, but this has largely fallen on deaf ears.

Posessions:

• Firebending Sword: A gift from his father, the blade of this shortsword is made with a highly conductible and combustible metal that makes it perfect for use in many different Firebending styles. The blade can be ignited, and the flames can be manipulated in a much more directed way. Exceptionally deadly in a variety of combat situations.
• Pai Sho Set: Another gift, this time from both his parents. Kept in a pouch, these pieces were expertly carved and commissioned especially for Jemmu.

Biography:
Jemmu’s birth coincided with the summer solstice, an important date for the people of the Fire Islands, and a sign among the superstitious that he would be bound for greatness. However, he was born in Si Wong City, ensuring that his birth would also be met with celebration, albeit under much different circumstances. His father was Zhou Hongza, “The One-Eyed Dragon”, considered to be one of the greatest Firebending masters of the current age, and the de facto leader of the burgeoning Fire Islands minority within Si Wong City. His mother, Tei Li, was a scion of a family that had held considerable influence in Si Wong City ever since its founding, and was a powerful Earthbender in her own right. Their love had developed completely independently of any political machinations, though it still served as a useful alliance between the Earthbending majority and the Firebending minority. Jemmu’s closeness with his mother had always resulted in a very strong relationship, whereas his paternal relationship was much more tenuous in nature. Jemmu was fun-loving, extroverted, and loud. His father was the polar opposite - serious, reserved, and quiet. Oddly enough, despite being father and son, they had nothing in common… except for Firebending. The ability to bond as father and son was ultimately replaced with a stalwart relationship between master and student. Initially disappointed, Jemmu eventually grew to be happy that they could truly communicate through the sacred art of Firebending.

Despite being part of a prominent family and a capable bender, Tei Li shifted much of her focus in raising her son. In nearly all respects, Tei Li was a kind and caring mother. Yet, if Jemmu was ever caught misbehaving, she was fully capable of transforming into a saber-toothed moose lion in an instance. For this very reason, there was no one else that Jemmu loved or feared more than his own mother. However, despite his mother’s swift discipline, Jemmu was the type of mischievous child that never seemed to learn. It wasn’t long at all before Teil Li put Jemmu to work in the family’s flower shop to earn his weekly allowance. It was definitely no exaggeration to say that she worked her son to the bone, mostly to help keep him out of trouble. It worked, to a certain point, but Jemmu somehow still found the time to embroil himself in all kinds of trouble, regardless.

Indeed, Jemmu often found ways to wrangle others into his many misadventures - considering that he never found it especially difficult to befriend others. Jemmu’s extroverted nature allowed him to not discriminate when it came to those that he made friends with. From those belonging to the upper echelons of Si Wong City like himself to those at the bottom, it made very little difference to Jemmu. In either case, he was almost always the natural leader of these groups. Starting from the time that he was a small child, Jemmu had always been well-known throughout Si Wong City - often for all the wrong reasons. Of course, Jemmu always found a way to drag his friends into many of his countless escapades. It was rare for any of them to ever complain since Jemmu usually found a way to make any adventure fun, even if it ended up blowing up in his face at the end. Without a doubt, the positive personality that Jemmu exhibited upon others was highly infectious.

It went without saying that Jemmu was quite easy going in regards to most aspects of his life. All except for the art of Firebending. Jemmu’s passion for it wasn’t equaled by almost anything else, and so it remained one of the few things in the world that he actually took seriously. After all, it was the one common language that he was able to share with his father. Even his own mother couldn’t quite understand, given that she was an Earthbender. Jemmu had obviously trained with and against several other Firebenders many times before, and it just wasn’t the same. It always lacked the same intensity and chemistry that Jemmu and his father had built up over the many years. After all, Jemmu had been training with his father from that time that he was barely more than a toddler. The training itself wasn’t easy, nor was it intended to be, constantly challenging body, mind, and spirit. From time to time, other Firebenders had attempted to train with Zhou and Jemmu, but it was rare for them to last long. Others that did study under Zhou were often given a more manageable regimen. The level of Firebending training performed on a daily basis by Jemmu and his father is practically on an entirely different level than almost anywhere else within Si Wong City.

More recently, Zhou’s training of Jemmu has taken a slightly different route, involving the craft of integrating weapons in the martial arts of Firebending (most notably spears and swords). At first, this was a hurdle for Jemmu, considering that he simply wasn’t used to adding anything else to his martial arts than the fires that he can conjure. Eventually, he came to favor the sword, and it truly became an extension of his arm, though just like with Firebending Jemmu was still a far cry from being a true master like his father. Upon attaining proficiency, it wasn’t long until his father gifted him a custom sword, made with a highly conductible metal that made it perfect to use when bending fire. Jemmu was deeply honored by the gift, and it still remains his most precious possession. Additionally, it adds an entirely new layer to Jemmu and his father’s routine sparring matches. At first, Jemmu couldn’t keep up with his father for longer than a single minute, truly a testament to the incredible abilities of his father. However, after years of training, along with considerable progression of his own Firebending, Jemmu has been able to inch his way into having truly amazing Firebending bouts with his father. After all these years, just watching Jemmu’s overall progress with Firebending has been a truly humbling experience for Zhou.

Many Firebenders use their rage and anger to augment their bending, though Zhou ultimately rejected this, and passed these lessons down to his son, Jemmu. The focus instead lies within the incredible willpower that Firebending should inhibit, most purely represented by the ‘internal fire’ from within to fully accomplish desires and ambitions. Instead of destruction, fire is life, to be harnessed with the utmost care. It is also passion, to be used to protect the people and values that you care the most about. There is a pathway for Firebending to promote peace and not war. Zhou’s legacy is to push this philosophy, and Jemmu is completely dedicated to it as well. At the end of the day, Jemmu is just a goofy kid who likes to have fun like any other, having learned Firebending to be able to connect on a deeper level with his father. At the same time, he is well aware that his skills as a Firebender can be used to protect his family, friends, and Si Wong City, all of which are deeply important to him. If the day ever comes in which he’d have to sacrifice to protect any of those, he’d do so without a second thought.

Supporting Cast:
Zhou Hongza: Jemmu’s father. A member of the once-powerful Hongza clan, Zhou’s extraordinary talents as a masterful Firebender was noted throughout the Fire Islands even back then. He was an aggressive and violent young man, relishing the opportunity to fight in the endless wars that were constantly being waged throughout the Fire Islands. The political climate of the Fire Islands is always extremely turbulent, and it was only a matter of time before the Hongza clan fell to tragedy. Zhou remained one of the few survivors, and the circumstances were such that he was forced to flee from his home. He was now angrier than ever, becoming a mercenary to fight primarily under the banner of Ba Sing Se. It was after a near-death experience that Zhou finally had an epiphany and the weight of the destruction of his family finally came over him. He realized how senseless and pointless war truly was, and he began to travel throughout the world to find himself a worthy purpose. He began to meditate with the Air Nomads at various Air Temples, becoming quite receptive to their philosophy of nonviolence. He was directed to Si Wong City after much time with the Air Nomads, encouraged by a city that was a melting pot of all the differing cultures. He chose to finally set down roots there, and became close to Tei Li, who soon became his wife and mother to Jemmu. From there, he became the de facto leader of the Fire Islands minority in Si Wong City, and remains a loud proponent for peace and opponent of senseless violence.

Tei Li: Jemmu’s mother. Tei Li belongs to one of the most prominent Earthbending families within Si Wong City, and even a prominent ancestor was a companion to Avatar Si Wong. She was tasked with helping Zhou Hongza settle within the city after he was vouched for and sponsored by the city’s Air Nomads. Romance eventually blossomed between the two, they married, and Jemmu was born not long after. Their marriage served as a way to bridge the Firending minority and Earthbending majority together. A talented Earthbender in her own right, Tei Li is more than capable of giving her husband and son a good thrashing whenever they warrant it. Also, it is quite beneficial considering she grows nearly all the flowers that she sells in her shop, and Jemmu has spent enough time helping his mother to know how passionate she is about flowers. Jemmu remains very close to his mother, and he wouldn’t have it any other way.

An: The dragon of Jemmu’s father. Zhou Hongza was given An as a child and she has remained his constant companion ever since. Like his father, Jemmu has become just as close to An, as a stalwart companion that can always be relied upon.

Old Man Lu: A friend of Jemmu. He calls himself a travelling merchant, but the goods that he sells were clearly illicitly gained, and he seems to be a con artist of some sort. Still, the majority of these illegal activities have gone right over Jemmu’s head. Jemmu has relied on Lu to attain certain Firebending scrolls to train advanced styles that his father had refused to teach him so far. Lu is also a decent Pai Sho player, and was the one who introduced Jemmu to the illegal Pai Sho betting circles in the city. Both his parents have disapproved of his continued association with Lu, but he has mostly ignored their advice so far.

Xu Zheng: A childhood friend of Jemmu. Having known each other since childhood, Xu is often a critical component of whatever Jemmu is doing. As such, if Jemmu is up to any trouble or mischief, then it’s a good bet that Xu is providing the torch to start the fire. Much of Jemmu’s experience at combat against Earthbenders is from his multitude of friendly sparring matches against Xu.