An order much like the White Lotus. We are charged with preserving balance when the Avatar cannot. Unfortunately, my predecessor was.. lacking in his vision and mission.
When our methods were called into question, my predecessor took it as a personal insult. He brought our agents back to our stronghold and allowed the world to burn around us. Once Avatar Aang neutralized your father, his son - my master - thought to use our order to assert dominance over the still rebuilding world.
I put a stop to that. Our order will return to its roots, and preserve the balance.
I don't particularly have strong feelings for the Avatars, either of them. But I can at least appreciate your order not interfering with father's plans.
Had the grandmaster at the time done what was needed to be done, one of our agents would have eliminated Sozin as soon as he betrayed Roku and instated a new Fire Lord that would not have followed his ruinous path.
I think you can see where I wouldn't have appreciated that situation.
More importantly you could argue things turned out for the best in the long run. The war served as an object lesson in how important peace, love, balance and all of that other boring weak nonsense is to our world. If it wasn't Sozin it would have been someone else from one of the other nations sooner or later.
Do you have any idea just how long my order has been preventing war through assassination? There is a reason most of the Avatars have dealt primarily with threats from the spirit world. Chen The Conqueror rose to power too quick, and by the time an opening presented itself, killing him would have done nothing.
Sozin, however, could have been stopped. If only we had been allowed to act, the balance of the world would not have been put at risk in the first place.
But you failed and it was. And when the Avatar put everything right the world better appreciated the peace that came out of it.
I know this because there were no cries of outrage from my so called "Loyal subjects" when I was locked away like a bad memory. After all the hard work, all the sacrifice I made for them and my reward was to be thrown into a nuthouse where they tried to take what was left of my mind.
I almost think being assassinated would have been preferable.
Do not talk of sacrifice to me, girl. You did what you did for one reason, and one reason alone: your own self interest. You may have convinced yourself otherwise, but do not expect me to sympathize with your situation.
Don't presume to understand my motivations you failed guardian. We're not all as one note as the Avatar and his peace and harmony speeches.
Of course I acted in my own interest, but I was loyal to my country and my Firelord. I was a hero to the Fire Nation. And now a traitor sits on the throne and everyone is falling into line without a word.
I suppose it doesn't matter in the long run though does it? Your order failed. My father failed. I failed spectacularly.
And here we are. Unnecessary. Even if you wish to right the wrongs of your predecessors it's too late. The Avatar cleaned up your mess for you. And he would not approve of your methods.
Approval is not something we need, or necessarily want. And no, we cannot change the past. However, I have resolved to make sure the world's balance is preserved, at all costs.
When a day comes that my order is no longer needed, I will gladly shatter our temple myself. However, so long as there are those that seek to disturb that balance, we will be there, waiting within the shadows.
We can defend ourselves. My order is comprised completely of benders that do not conform to the 'normal' rules of bending. We have skills at our disposal beyond those of the Avatar's.
So you know he's not going to approve of your methods. And you're not going to stop. And if he tries to force you to stop you're going to defend yourselves but you are forbidden from striking back.
I fail to see where this is a plan you are confident in.
At any given time, there are at least ten benders who can blood-bend without the aid of the moon standing at the front gate to our temple. Not to mention Smoke. I would see any bender - Avatar or otherwise - having a hard time landing a single blow on him, let alone defeating him.
Oh yes. I'm sure standing against the Avatar is exactly what the spirits meant when they said they wanted balance.
I simply cannot see this ending well for you unless you change your methods of balancing the scales. As much as I approve of them...I'm not exactly the person to be appeasing.
I love it already.
The things I come up with while swimming. >.>
It's a perfectly acceptable AU~
Just why are you looking for them?
<3
Re: <3
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And what order would that be?
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And what did this Predecessor do that you will be doing differently?
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I put a stop to that. Our order will return to its roots, and preserve the balance.
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Well it's a noble quest if nothing else.
I don't particularly have strong feelings for the Avatars, either of them. But I can at least appreciate your order not interfering with father's plans.
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More importantly you could argue things turned out for the best in the long run. The war served as an object lesson in how important peace, love, balance and all of that other boring weak nonsense is to our world. If it wasn't Sozin it would have been someone else from one of the other nations sooner or later.
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Sozin, however, could have been stopped. If only we had been allowed to act, the balance of the world would not have been put at risk in the first place.
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I know this because there were no cries of outrage from my so called "Loyal subjects" when I was locked away like a bad memory. After all the hard work, all the sacrifice I made for them and my reward was to be thrown into a nuthouse where they tried to take what was left of my mind.
I almost think being assassinated would have been preferable.
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Do not talk of sacrifice to me, girl. You did what you did for one reason, and one reason alone: your own self interest. You may have convinced yourself otherwise, but do not expect me to sympathize with your situation.
You reap what you sow.
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Of course I acted in my own interest, but I was loyal to my country and my Firelord. I was a hero to the Fire Nation. And now a traitor sits on the throne and everyone is falling into line without a word.
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Or, more likely, you would have met your end at my hands, or the hands of one of my lieutenants.
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The second option is much more likely. I was already leaving myself far too open to such an attack.
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There is power in numbers, and blind fanaticism like your nation's educational systems instilled makes for a very dangerous combination.
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And here we are. Unnecessary. Even if you wish to right the wrongs of your predecessors it's too late. The Avatar cleaned up your mess for you. And he would not approve of your methods.
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When a day comes that my order is no longer needed, I will gladly shatter our temple myself. However, so long as there are those that seek to disturb that balance, we will be there, waiting within the shadows.
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Those were the rules set out by our founder - the second Avatar.
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I fail to see where this is a plan you are confident in.
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I simply cannot see this ending well for you unless you change your methods of balancing the scales. As much as I approve of them...I'm not exactly the person to be appeasing.
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