The Red Lotus

THE RED LOTUS

Background

The beginning of the Red Lotus goes back four thousand years. A very spiritual man by the name of Xai Bau sought to take the fate of his life into his own hands and created the organization. With like minded individuals he referred to as his brothers and sisters, they traveled the globe in order to help the people restore balance in a world where the avatar had only just been reborn, and thus was not of age to help others. They did not distinguish themselves with uniforms, or by even declaring whom they were. They simply went from town to town on foot, helping those in need and doing what they could to bring balance back. Though they could not fully heal the world on their own, after many years they did steer it into the right direction, and then went into hiding.

Their Beliefs

The core belief of the Red Lotus and their ultimate goal for the world is to help maintain balance. However due to the vastness of the world itself and their brotherhood remaining secret to outsiders, there have been very few times in which members, whom are scattered across the world, have been able to contact each other or have even chose to do so. Due to their separateness, a member, whether "high ranking" or "low ranking" may not even recognize another member, regardless of their rank either, until they actually engage in conversation once they have recognized one another.

Because of their separation, each individual member or small groups of them often have different views of what true "balance" is. While one group may believe that killing all the leaders of the nations may help this, another may believe that helping the avatar master all the bending arts and becoming a fully realized avatar is the true way to balance. Despite their differences, a member is not required to consult a higher ranking member in order to take action. However if a higher ranking member were to recognize a Red Lotus, he or she may give them orders to do something specific (e.e. a call to arms).

Xai Bau's true belief in balance was to help the world obtain peace and to steer every nation towards that goal. The interpretation of his words has become to do whatever it takes to maintain balance in the world, which is the real cause of different ideals within the Red Lotus.

Initiation, Rank, and Recognition

Those who wish to join the Red Lotus must believe in the core beliefs of the organization itself, and that is to do whatever it takes to maintain balance in the world. Only high ranking personnel such as Masters or Grand Masters may initiate new recruits. The initiation, after some questioning, simply consists of a game of Pai Sho to teach the member the way to recognizing a fellow member. Members may search for possible recruits, acting as scouters. If they feel someone is worthy, it is encouraged that they talk to a Master or Grand Master before revealing any information to the uninitiated, so that they may go and inspect them themselves.

The ranks within the Red Lotus are Student, Teacher, Master, Grand Master. Rank is usually determined by how long one has been within the order since the day of their initiation. Students are the lowest ranking of the order. Generally consisting of new recruits and those who have only been in for a few years or more. Since they are the lowest, they cannot give anyone orders. They literally take on the role of a student whom are taught by teachers and masters the way of the order, philosophies, and how to achieve one's greatest potential. They make up the second largest demographic of the order.

Teachers are the next rank up, and are made up of individuals who have been with the order for more than 10 years. They take up the literal role of a teacher, who's main goal is to instruct the student ranks of everything they need to grow within the order, and within life itself. They make up the largest population of the order.

Masters are near the top of the tier in ranking. Masters have usually been with the order for 25 to 49 years, and know a lot about how the order functions. They can give orders to teachers and below, and only take orders from Grand Masters.

Grand Masters are the highest ranking within the order, and have typically been a part of it for fifty or more years. They can give orders to anyone who is of the rank of Master and below. Regardless of their time within the order, Grand Masters cannot give orders to other Grand Masters, but out of courtesy those that have been in less time tend to listen to those that have been in longer.

The key to recognition between members includes a game of Pai Sho with scripted dialogue revolving around the opening move of placing the white lotus tile in the center of the board. Following this, the rapid placement of pieces in an exact pattern that mirrors the central piece, creating a lotus shape when viewed from above. Because of the unorthodox move of what is known as the "White Lotus Gambit" in some cultures, or "cheating" in others, it is easy to recognize a fellow Red Lotus members when opening with this move. That is, if you know the scripted dialogue.