The World of Avatar

THE WORLD OF AVATAR

Society is well developed in the world of Avatar. Each nation has its own distinct social culture that has become a foundation for how its bending has evolved over thousands of years. Social classes are usually based upon titles, wealth and power. While most people are born into their social rank, there are some exceptions where those born into a lower tier have worked their way up into a higher position through service or even marriage.

Passage of Time

The four seasons exist int he world of avatar just as it does in the real world. However instead of time passing in-characterly at the same rate time passes in real life, time on the site will pass much more quickly. Every month will be a season, and every four seasons as one will be a single year. This means in the span of one real life year, four years in the role play will pass. The Summer and Winter Soltices will be on the first day of the Summer and Winter seasons respectively. Starting from January, the cycle will go: spring (jan, may, sep), summer (feb, jun, oct), autumn (mar, jul, nov), winter (apr, aug, dec).

The Avatar

The Avatar is in a social class by themselves, being unique in the world and wielding vast bending powers. They are considered without equal in the entire world, acting as a sacred being representing the principle of balance and the bridge between two worlds. There have been many of times when even the Fire Lord themselves, along with the Fire Sages and all the nobles within the area would bow to the Avatar upon them arriving to the fire nation capital of Louyang. An Avatar appears to even have enough authority to openly defy and forbid even the highest ranking officials of any nation from persuing a goal that would throw the world out of balance, although this does not mean they have to listen the Avatar.

The Avatar is required to do whatever it takes to bring balance to the world and thus is not allowed to claim allegiance to any one country. Oddly, at the same time the Avatar cannot act as if they are completely above the law of any established government. While they appear to have authority to even forbid a King or Queen from persuing goals that could throw the world out of balance, a King or Queen can still hold them to the law of the land if they were to step out of line.

The Avatar appears to be revered and loved by the world as there are shrines and temples across the four nations dedicated to him or her with spiritual groups tending to such places. The people of the four nations view the Avatar as the supreme arbiter of any injustice done upon them or the world in general.

Their main duty is to the world as a whole and maintaining balance within it, however this does not stop an Avatar from having a family, owning property and even having a normal job such as farming or being a store owner. They however should not let such distractions keep them from their main duty.

Fire Nation

The Fire Nation is the pereminent society among the Four nations, dominant in economic, political and military power. It is an authoritarian state headed by its traditional monarch, the Fire Lord. The Fire Nation is industrialized, socially progressive and united around a nationalist identity that is indoctrinated into its youth. The majority of its citizenry lives in relative prosperity and education is available to all; however, poverty is still rampant in outlying island villages such as Jang Hui.

The Fire Lord is the supreme ruler of the entire Fire nation. Anything he or she proclaims becomes law. The title "Fire Lord" is gender neutral, and so a male or a female can be called the Fire Lord. The children of the Fire Lord possess a social status second only to the Fire Lord themselves. The eldest child is the next heir to the throne.

Nobles form the upper crust in Fire Nation society and have the possibility to befriend, marry and work with the Royal Family. The nobles seem to reside in the Fire Nation Capital of Louyang, however their are appointed regional leaders in other wealthy states. The children of Fire Nation nobility often attend prestigious, private schools.

The Fire Sages are the religious authority of the Fire Nation. They maintain their own archives and crown new Fire Lords during their coronations. However the Fire Sages remain in their own social class within the Fire Nation. They are loyal to the Avatar first and the Fire Lord second. It is their job to identify the new Avatar when born into the Fire cycle and inform them of their status upon their 16^th birthday.

The Fire nation has a large middle class, as the majority of its citizens live lives of comfort and prosperity. While the upper class lives within the capital, Louyang, its middle class lives across the rest of the islands. While many of its citizens live comfortable lives, some of the outlying island towns are full of the lower class of pesants, who have no rights and are often subjected to forced relocation.

Earth Kingdom

The Earth Kingdom is the largest of the four nations in terms of geographical area. Because of this, the Earth Kingdom has a diverse range of peoples, with a correspondingly more stratified social hierarchy. Their economy is pre-industrial, with rampant poverty and inequality.

The ruler of the Earth Kingdom is known as the Earth King or Queen. He or she occupies the highest social position in the entire kingdom, and their palace and seat of government are located in the upper ring of the kingdom's capital, Ba Sing Se. They excercise tremendous authority over the whole kingdom, and has the authority to conscript their citizens. While they have authority over the entire kingdom, regional leaders can also inact their own laws to govern their cities and towns.

The council of five is a group of the five most powerful generals of the Earth Kingdom. They have a high social status as they control the entire military, which gives them authority just under the Earth King or Queen. There is also the grand secretariat who acts as the adviser for the Earth King or Queen. While they have a high social standing and lots of authority, they are still subordinate to the monarch themselves.

The Dai Li are located within Ba Sing Se. They are the cultural protectors of the Earth Kingdom capital and when the regular officers and military are overwhelmed, the Dai Li step in to preserve the peace within the walls. They serve the grand secretariat mostly, but also fall under the authority of the council of five and the Earth King or Queen.

The nobles of the earth kingdom lead lives of wealth and luxury. While many of them live in the upper ring of Ba Sing Se, there are some who live scattered across the Earth Kingdom in secluded towns or cities. They have many privileges throughout the kingdom and are regarded highly. The middle class citizens of the Earth Kingdom retain many rights and opportunities. They have the chance to work their way up into the higher class of nobles, and are able to afford things like a proper education. In Ba Sing Se, they live within the middle ring.

However, the vast majority of the Earth Kingdom consists of lower class citizens, and in Ba Sing Se, these people are sequestered ni the lower ring. The lower class is the largest of the Earth Kingdom and is poverty stricken and crime ridden across the land. They are unable to afford a proper education and are mostly self taught or taught within small local schools. Due to their numbers though, they are capable of uprisings and can vastly out number the scattered military if they feel the Earth King or Queen does not represent their interests.

Water Tribes

Water Tribe society differs between the Southern Water Tribe and Northern Water Tribe. While the smaller Southern Tribe seems to consider almost all members as equals, the Northern Tribe appears to have more social divisions.

In the Northern Water Tribe their tribal chief is considered royalty for the most part. While the status of the heir can be given to either gender, it appears that the heir to the throne rests within the daughter if the chief were to ever have one, which bestows the title of Tribal Princess to her. Once she is married, the husband gains the title of Tribal Chief. The chief makes decisions for the tribe and can create and abolish certain laws and customs. Even though he has a good amount of authority over the tribe, he cannot force any member of the tribe to do certain actions. His authority lies in maintaining their customs, as he cannot stop an arranged marriage with his daughter once it has been decided.

The tribal chief also has advisers to help him make decisions. They are in position of high authority, sitting beside the chief during tribal events and important meetings. The Tribal Princess can be apart of the chief's advisers, showing that she only has as much authority over the tribe as they do.

The citizens of the Northern Water Tribe are bound by a cultural code that dictates social expectations for each gender. Though it may seem unfair to outsiders, those of the northern tribe have long come to accept it as it has helped maintain balance in their nation. For example, female waterbenders are only allowed to learn the healing aspect of waterbending, whereas male waterbenders are only allowed to learn the combative aspect of it.

In the Southern Water Tribe, the Tribal Chief seems to have more authority and his or her status is less complicated. The chief can be of any gender and they are usually chosen by the citizens of the tribe. They are not considered royalty like in the norther tribe, and their children do not hold the titles of "Prince" or "Princess". The chief can also be replaced if he or she does not properly represent their people. Those that do though are usually given all the authority they feel they need to have in order to accomplish their duties.

The citizens of the Southern Water Tribe are all considered equals and average citizens, even the chief's children. Even among benders and non-benders, they are considered equal. Both male and female waterbenders can serve as warriors of the tribe in order to defend their home in case of invaders and during times of war.

Air Nomads

The Air Nomads are an ecclesiocratic and monastic society that lacked social strata. The highest Air Nomad political body is the Council of Elders.

The Council of Elders are not considered royalty by any means. They are considered to be the wisest members of their community and temple, and are typically made up of five members each, with one Head Monk or Head Nun. This means that there are a total of twenty members of all the Air Temples. As the wisest members of their communities, they were trusted with making the decisions for the rest of the nomads at their respective temple.

Unlike the other nations, the air nomads lived in somewhat segregated lives. The northern and southern air temples house only males, while the eastern and western air temples house only females. This does not prevent them from flying across vast distances and visiting each other for one reason or another. All airbenders are very spiritual in faith and in practice. All nomads are considered equal in rights and in social rank, which is natural given that all air nomads are born benders. Because of this there exists few differences between the abilities of them.

The Spirit World

The Spirit World is a place of reality that coexists alongside the mortal world. It is incredibly rare for any human other than the Avatar to even be inside of the Spirit World, as the spirit portals were both closed thousands of years ago. Conversely, only a handful of spirits are capable of existing physically in in the mortal world, requiring them to give up their immortality in order to do so.

The the worlds are closest together during the summer and winter solstices. During these two days, it is possible for immortal spirits to manifest in the mortal world and humans to physically enter the Spirit World through specific locations, thus bringing with them their items and bending. There are specific locations in the human world that act as bridges to the Spirit World, allowing one to easily meditate into the Spirit World.

There are areas within the Spirit World where the landscape seems to mimic that of the physical world closely, making it almost impossible for a mortal entering the Spirit World to immediately tell the difference. In other places, the landscape is so vastly different compared to that of the physical world that they share no relation at all.

For spirits who choose to remain in the spirit world, they retain their immortality. Many spirits have counterparts, such as Tui & La, Koh & The Mother of Faces, and Raava & Vaatu. The Spirit World is not an afterlife. Only humans who were naturally imbued with spiritual energy or developed a strong connection to the Spirit World during their mortal lifetimes can transcend following their death and embody some form of energy in the spirit realm. Humans who become spirits through this method over time lose their corporeal forms, becoming more like a ghost as time passes.