Overview

    War has defined much of this world for almost a hundred years now.

    It used to be that the Avatar - a legendary figure reborn into each generation who could control all four elements - maintained balance in the world. They were born into each of the four peoples in a predictable pattern, and worked to keep the peace not just between the peoples of the world but between mankind and the spirits as well.

    Then the Fire Nation attacked.

    With the passing of the Avatar, they struck down the Air Nomads, committing a brutal genocide which led many to believe that the Avatar was gone from the world forever. In fact, the Avatar survived the purge, frozen in a block of ice until he was found by two members of the Water Tribe.

    But Aang - the Avatar - is still very young, his training is not complete, and the Fire Nation has continued its war. People are afraid. With the Air Nomads gone, the Water Tribes and the Earth Kingdom losing ground every day, it is whispered that soon the Fire Nation will control the whole world.

    Since arriving, the world has practically thrown itself at the World Tree. The people of the Water Tribes are desperate for aid against the Fire Nation soldiers persecuting them. The Earth Kingdom is eager to receive diplomats from strange and foreign lands to the cultured court of the Earth King, as there is no war inside the walls of Ba Sing Se.

    Less enthusiastic has been the Fire Nation itself, which is trying hard to maintain its borders and conclude the conquest of their world before turning to the outside. Trade is always welcome, and the Fire Nation is always interested in new weapons of war and means of pursuing conflict, but the Fire Lord is not eager to allow interlopers in case they challenge his rule.

    Then there's the fact that the Avatar and his companions could be anywhere out there, now, mustering forces and spreading sedition. There are those in the Fire Nation who wonder if they can afford to wait, or if they should strike now and capture some of these new resources, before they find themselves attacked in turn.

Nations

There are four nations in the world of Avatar: The Last Airbender.

The Fire Nation is located on the equator in the western hemisphere, though it currently has holdings across most of the rest of the world. By its original borders it is geographically the second largest nation, behind the Earth Kingdom, but it has the largest economy and - by far - the largest army. It is an absolute monarchy under the Fire Lord, who reigns from the Fire Nation Capital (inventively called the Fire Nation Capital).

The Southern Water Tribe is based around the southern pole and have suffered greatly at the hands of the Fire Nation. Continual raids have decimated the waterbending population of the Southern Water Tribes and they are a harried and hunted people.

The Northern Water Tribe is centered around the North Pole, where their capital - a massive city made entirely of ice - has thus far repelled attempts by the Fire Nation to invade; most recently because of direct intervention by the Avatar. The Northern Water Tribes are governed by a council of chieftans of the various tribes beneath the Tribal Chief.

The Earth Kingdom is the geographically largest nation, spanning an entire continent and several islands. It has been the most consistently difficult Kingdom to cover, and Ba Sing Se - the capital of the Earth Kingdom - has resisted siege by some of the greatest Fire Nation military minds. The Earth Kingdom is ruled by a King, but he holds much less direct control over his people than the Fire Lord - delegating much of his authority to local and regional leaders.

Bending: A Primer

The manipulation of elemental forces in the world of Avatar: The Last Airbender is known as 'bending'. What makes a Bender is something of a mystery, though there is definitely a genetic element - as only people from the appropriate country are Benders for that element (with the exception of the Avatar). There does seem to be some familial relation, as there are families of famous Benders, but non-Bending families can have Benders appear, and the Bending 'art' can skip a generation.

In terms of population, Benders make up perhaps 30% globally, with a greater proportion concentrated in those areas where Bending is helpful to the way of life or particularly predisposed to the element in question - Fire Nation military towns will have a higher proportion of Benders than the peaceful Fire Nation backwater villages; Water Tribe folk who live in the tundra tend to have a higher proportion of Benders than those tribes which stray to more temperate lands.

Bending is an art which relies on unity of body, mind and spirit. There is, again, a genetic predisposition to consider - some are just born with immense Bending talent far beyond their peers - but nobody can learn to be a Bender without training, dedication and focus to the practice. As one's deeper connection to the element grows, however, it is possible to achieve great effects without maintaining the same level of focus. Ancient Earthbenders can make the ground quake with a mere twitch of one wizened brow, and whilst Firebenders traditionally need perfect clarity to create Lightning, those who become truly attuned to the art can manage the feat whilst enraged.

Technology

The technology levels of the world of Avatar vary considerably from region to region.

In many places, a medieval peasant would not feel uncomfortable. There is little advancement and there has been little for many decades. The vast majority of the world still spend the majority of their time dedicated to growing food to sustain themselves and their communities - particularly in the Earth Kingdom which has always relied on vast populations over advancement, and the Water Tribes who maintain a traditional existence in the tundras.

The Fire Nation is the most technologically advanced area, with vast industrial complexes and increasingly impressive weapons of war - including rudimentary tanks and engines. This is, unfortunately, all down to the war that they have been waging for a hundred years, and all the industrial and intellectual might of the Fire Nation remains bent to the subjugation of the other nations.

Bending: Advanced

For those who want to delve deeper into Bending...

Whilst it is true that only the Avatar can learn to wield more than one Element, there are various forms of Advanced Bending which Benders can gain access to by delving deeper into the art and experiencing further phenomenon.

Bending is linked to the Spirit World in a strange way that nobody truly understands. This is evidenced primarily in the fact that at great celestial events - such as the Eclipse cutting off Firebending, and Waterbender's power waxing and waning with the moon.

True understanding and mastery of an element - which can be gained through intense study, meditation, and mimicry of the animals of nature - usually gains the Bender access to new uses of their Bending which are linked to, but distinct from, the initial form.

Firebenders can learn to create and redirect lightning.

Waterbenders can learn to bend the blood in the bodies of people and animals to control them.

Earthbenders can learn to bend metal and sand.

Airbenders ... are an unknown quantity.

Firebending is also unique in that it uses the internal 'chi' or 'spirit' of the practicioner in order to generate flame itself. No other form of Bending is able to spontaneously generate their element and they must use the element which occurs naturally in the world instead. This is just one more piece of evidence elitist Firebenders use to assert their superiority, until someone drops a rock on their head.

Animals

It should be noted that the animals of Avatar: The Last Airbender are almost all crossbreeds of various species from Earth. From the enormous Platypus Bear to the terrifying Buzzard Wasp and adorable Elephant Rat, almost every animal in the world is in fact two animals. Exceptions to this rule are incredibly rare and will be considered extremely exotic pets.

The World of Avatar: The Last Airbender-1