IN-GAME HISTORY

[Story Teller]

From the perspective of a viewer watching Avatar, it is easy to piece together the rich history of this world. However, this is because we, the viewers, are given exclusive windows into character's lives and flashbacks to secret events, sometimes from over 10,000 years ago. The characters living in this world are not so lucky.

You will find here a complete history lesson - the same as the average character in the world of Avatar would have in the time of Avatar Korra. However, not all people have such information available to them. The ability Academics grants deeper knowledge of the history and lore of the world, and someone with a higher rating of Academics might even know about the ancient Lion Turtles, whereas someone with an Academics rating of zero would only know about current events, and might not even know about the hundred year war. Different historical events will be marked with an Academics rating from 0 to 5 to reflect at what level someone would know of this information.

[Story Teller]

• Academics x4
  Spirit x3
  
  Water Tribe:
  Academics x2
  Spirit x1
  
  The spirits Tui and La manifest in the physical world, assuming mortal forms as koi fish.
  
  
  
  
• Academics x5
  Spirit x4
  
  The Mother of Faces gives birth to Koh, the Face Stealer; however, they later become separated.
  
  
  
  
• Academics x5
  Spirit x5
  
  Vaatu breaks through the barriers that separate humans and spirits, allowing both to travel between the spirit and mortal worlds.
  
  
  

[Story Teller]

c.19,829 BG

• Academics x5
  Spirit x5
  
  Raava, the spirit of light and peace, duels with her counterpart, Vaatu, the spirit of darkness and chaos. The first known Harmonic Convergence occurs.
  
  
  
  Unknown date before c.9,850 BG
  
  
• Academics x5
  Spirit x5
  
  Humans begin to build their cities on the shells of lion turtles to protect themselves from the dangers of the Spirit Wilds. Whenever the people have to venture into the wilds to collect food, the lion turtles bestowed upon the hunters the ability to control one of the elements. Eventually, the majority of the cities lost contact and knowledge of each other's existence, and developed unique cultures.
  
  
  
  9,850 BG — Year of the Dragon
  
  
• Avatar Only
  
  Wan is born.
  
  9,848 BG — Year of the Horse
  
  
• Avatar Only
  
  Jaya is born.
  
  c.9,832 BG — Year of the Dog
  
  
• Avatar Only
  
  
  
  Wan steals the element of fire from a lion turtle to incite rebellion and steal food from the Chou family.
  Wan is banished into the Spirit Wilds.
  Wan befriended the spirits and learned the Dancing Dragon firebending form.
  
  
  
  c.9,830 BG — Year of the Rat
  
  
• Academics x5
  Spirit x5
  
  
  
  Wan severs the link connecting Raava and Vaatu, in the process releasing chaos into the world.
  Wan and Raava begin their journey together to master the other elements.
  
  
  
  c.9,829 BG — Year of the Ox
  
  
• Academics x5
  Spirit x5
  
  A large group of firebending settlers, led by Jaya, are killed by dark spirits during the battle in the Spirit Wilds.
  
  
  
  The second known Harmonic Convergence occurs.
  
  
  
  Wan and Raava become permanently bonded, making Wan the first Avatar.
  
  
  
  Wan defeats and locks away Vaatu in an elemental barrier in the hollow of the Tree of Time.
  
  
  
  
  Wan orders the spirits to return to their world and separates the two realms by sealing the spirit portals located at the North and South Poles.
  In the advent of the Avatar, the lion turtles collectively decided that their task as protectors of mankind was done and that they would no longer grant any more bending powers.
  

[Story Teller]

Unknown date before c.3,829 BG

• Academics x4
  Spirit x2
  
  As humanity left the cities established on the lion turtles, they begin to come in to contact with each other. The different peoples begin to wage war against each other, forcing Wan to intervene in order to maintain peace. His efforts, however, are of little success. The violent conflicts continue until his death and beyond. The next Avatar is born into the cycle after Wan's death.
  
  
  
  c.3,829 BG
  
  
• Air Nomad Only
  Academics x5
  Spirit x3
  
  The airbending Guru Laghima achieves weightlessness and lives his final forty years without touching the ground.
  
  
  
  830 BG
  
  
• Avatar Only
  
  A past Avatar defeats Hundun and mortally wounds his brother, forcing the conjoined twin kings to retreat to the Spirit World.
  
  
  
  Unknown date before 345 BG
  
  
• Academics x5
  Spirit x1
  
  Wan Shi Tong brings his library from the Spirit World into the physical world.
  
  
  
  
• Academics x4
  
  Humanity splits into the four nations, each divided by the respective bending arts. The Air Nomads learn the art of airbending from the flying bison, the Earth Kingdom learns the art of earthbending from the badgermoles (Oma and Shu being the first known humans to earthbend), the Sun Warriors learn the art of firebending from the dragons, and the Water Tribes learn the art of waterbending by observing the pull of the moon on the ocean tides.
  
  
• Water Tribe Only
  Academics x3
  
  A group of waterbenders from the Northern Water Tribe construct a large city out of ice in order to unite the various tribes inhabiting the North Pole region.
  Following a civil unrest, the Water Tribe —which was originally centered around the North Pole— splits into two groups: one stayed at the North Pole, while the other group went out to settle the South Pole. Relations with their sister tribe were later healed, and the two tribes would gather together at annual New Moon celebrations.
  A large group of waterbenders from the Southern Water Tribe, who are wandering through the Earth Kingdom, discover the Foggy Swamp and, comfortable with the large amount of water there, decide to stay, forming the Foggy Swamp Tribe. The Southern Water Tribe never learns of this offshoot and the Foggy Swamp Tribe itself later forgets its own origins.
  
  
• Fire Nation Only
  Academics x3
  
  The Sun Warriors gradually fade into obscurity as their civilization declines, leaving many ruins across their island archipelago. The Sun Warriors are believed to have gone extinct, though in reality a handful hiding in the ruins would continue their culture for centuries. The art of firebending, however, was passed on to the other inhabitants of the islands. These would gradually coalesce into the "Fire Nation". Originally the Fire Nation was a spiritual people ruled by Fire Sages, much as the Air Nomads were led by their monks. Over time, however, one sage rose to prominence above the others, ruling the Fire Nation as a sovereign, and the office became hereditary, beginning the line of Fire Lords.
  
  
• Earth Kingdom Only
  Academics x3
  
  The vast Earth Kingdom is gradually united under the political authority of the city-state of Ba Sing Se. The King of Ba Sing Se becomes Earth King, overlord of all of the smaller kingdoms within the Earth Kingdom, some of which retain their own hereditary lordship.
  
  
• Air Nomad Only
  Academics x3
  Spirit x1
  
  Avatar Yangchen of the Air Nomads is born in the Western Air Temple, after the death of her predecessor. Her reign as Avatar is a peaceful one, due to her fierce dedication to keeping balance and serving the world.
  
  
  
  After mastering the 4 elements, her fist mission lead her to an island once watched over by a spirit named Lady Tienhai, and her former protector, General Old Iron, came to destroy the humans for killing her. Yangchen brokered a deal, banished all people from the island and promised no one would ever build on the sacred land again, and constructed a statue to Lady Tienhai. She also had the Air Nomads come every year to pay respect to Lady Tienhai and maintain her deal with General Old Iron. This is later called Yangchen's Festival.
  She dies around 345 BG, and Avatar Kuruk is born in the Northern Water Tribe.
  
  
• Water Tribe Only
  Academics x3
  Spirit x1
  
  
  
  Avatar Kuruk tries to kill Koh, the Face Stealer, as revenge for stealing the face of his fiancée Ummi. This event is confusing to place chronologically, as if Koh's description of the event is taken literally, it would have happened c.800-700 BG, over three hundred years before Kuruk's death.
  
  312 BG — Year of the Dragon
  
  
• Academics x4
  Spirit x1
  
  Avatar Kuruk dies; Avatar Kyoshi of the Earth Kingdom is born.
  
  c.270 BG — Year of the Dog
  
  
• Earth Kingdom Only
  Academics x5
  
  
  
  Avatar Kyoshi kills the warlord Chin and founds Kyoshi Island; the War of Chin the Conqueror ends with the victory of the Earth Kingdom government. The 46th Earth King restores his reign over the whole Earth Kingdom, though civil unrest begins to spread on the continent. The day of Chin's death is remembered as Avatar Day in Chin Village and Kyoshi Day on Kyoshi Island.
  Sometime after this event, a peasant uprising in Ba Sing Se spurs Kyoshi to create the Dai Li. In the process, the Earth Kingdom is turned into a constitutional monarchy.
  
  
  
  82 BG — Year of the Horse
  
  
• Academics x5
  
  Fire Nation:
  Academics x3
  
  Avatar Kyoshi dies at age 230; Avatar Roku of the Fire Nation is born.
  Fire Lord Sozin is born the same day as Roku.
  
  66 BG — Year of the Dog
  
  
• Academics x5
  
  Fire Nation:
  Academics x3
  Avatar Roku is confirmed as Avatar at his sixteenth birthday, and leaves the Fire Nation to master the elements.
  
  
  
  c.58 BG — Year of the Horse
  
  
• Academics x4
  
  Fire Nation:
  Academics x2
  
  Fire Lord Sozin ascends the throne, following the death of his father.
  
  
  
  55 BG — Year of the Rooster
  
  
• Fire Sage Only
  Academics x2
  
  Avatar Roku destroys the Fire Temple on the winter solstice while stuck in the Avatar State during his training.
  
  54 BG — Year of the Dog
  
  
• Fire Nation Only
  Academics x4
  
  Avatar Roku returns to the Fire Nation after twelve years of travel and marries Ta Min, a noblewoman from the Capital.
  
  50 BG — Year of the Tiger
  
  
• Avatar Only
  
  Guru Pathik is born.
  
  37 BG — Year of the Rabbit
  
  
• Academics x4
  
  Fire Nation:
  Academics x2
  
  Avatar Roku discovers the first Fire Nation colonies in the Earth Kingdom and confronts Fire Lord Sozin. Roku and Sozin engage in battle, resulting in Roku destroying part of the Fire Nation Royal Palace.
  
  
  
  12 BG — Year of the Dragon
  
  
• Avatar Only
  
  
  
  Avatar Roku is killed while fighting a volcanic eruption at age seventy; Avatar Aang of the Air Nomads is born.
  Bumi of Omashu is born.
  
  before c.2 — 1 BG
  
  
• Academics x5
  
  Air Nomad:
  Academics x3
  
  Aang receives his tattoos after inventing the air scooter technique, making him the youngest airbending master in recorded history.
  
  
  
  c.2 — 1 BG
  
  
• Avatar Only
  
  
  
  Aang and his eccentric childhood friend Bumi would slide down the Omashu delivery system for fun.
  Aang played with his friend Kuzon in the Fire Nation.
  

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