Formation of the Earth Empire

"earth"

- The Earth Kingdom is no more. And from here on out, this man has no authority.

The formation of the Earth Empire was an uprising begun by Kuvira, former guard captain of Zaofu, following the anarchy in the Earth Kingdom. Initially a well-meant mission to stabilize the nation following Zaheer's assassination of Earth Queen Hou-Ting, Kuvira amassed a sizable army and enough support from the conquered city-states to effectively depose Earth King Wu, the heir to the Earth Kingdom leadership. After annexing all Earth Kingdom territories, Kuvira also planned to "correct" the aftermath of the Hundred Year War by taking back the United Republic of Nations, but was unable to defeat Avatar Korra in Republic City, surrendering herself and bringing an end to the empire.

History
Growing up in Zaofu, Kuvira came to believe that hereditary succession of leadership without merit caused by monarchies was archaic and needed to be changed. Since Avatar Korra had been incapacitated and confined to a wheelchair following a desperate struggle with the Red Lotus, the Earth Kingdom continued to descend into chaos with no clear resolution in sight. After a meeting with Tenzin and President Raiko that saw Suyin Beifong decline the chance to lead the Earth Kingdom, Kuvira became disgruntled toward the matriarch. With no one else shouldering the responsibility of reuniting the Kingdom and unwilling to see the nation fall to the same fate Kuvira once endured as a child, she departed the city, taking a sizable amount of supplies, the security force, and the city's wealthiest people with her.

Uniting a nation


Soon enough, Kuvira's army grew to an immense size. For three years, they traveled across the Earth Kingdom, freeing towns from roving bandits and criminals in exchange for their total loyalty to her. This earned Kuvira the moniker of the, "Great Uniter". After the Earth Kingdom was ninety percent reunited, Kuvira and her army were invited to the coronation of Prince Wu, the crowned monarch of the Earth Kingdom. After receiving the Kyoshi Medal of Freedom, she made a speech where she declared the Earth Kingdom to be no more, and that Wu's authority was null and void. She also renamed the Earth Kingdom the, "Earth Empire," with her as its ruler. She also started developing what is presumed to be a super weapon using spirit vines found in Republic City.

Following this, Kuvira and her army traveled to Zaofu, her former home and the only city she had not conquered. Bringing her entire army to project a sense of strength, Kuvira originally intended to negotiate the surrender of the city peacefully knowing that they were under the eye of the entire world now. After Suyin declared that Kuvira would never get Zaofu, the commander gave her twenty four hours to join the Empire or else the city would be taken by force. That same night, Suyin and her twin sons, Wei and Wing, attempted to dispose of Kuvira via a night time raid. The plan failed and the trio was captured.



After hearing of their failed attempt, Korra, Opal and Jinora traveled to the outskirts of the city to discuss the situation. Kuvira warned Korra that she was treading in Earth Empire business. She challenged Korra to a one on one duel where, should Kuvira win, she would take Zaofu, but if she would lose, she would leave Zaofu. After Korra went into the Avatar State to gain an advantage and finish Kuvira, her hallucinations returned, allowing the army commander to defeat Korra and take Zaofu. The city now occupied, Kuvira ordered its denizens to bow to her or suffer the consequences of treason. All but Baatar and Huan bowed to her, prompting Kuvira to send them to prison. The fall of Zaofu meant the entire Earth Kingdom was entirely reunited under the name of the Earth Empire.

Consolidating power
Despite having denounced Wu as the leader of the Earth Kingdom at the coronation, Kuvira still wanted him captured. Her agents in Republic City attempted to kidnap Wu, though found themselves thwarted by Team Avatar.

Within the Earth Empire, Kuvira gave the order to round up and imprison anyone who was either not of Earth Kingdom descent or pledged loyalty to her. Bolin and Varrick, having defected from her army, came across a group of fugitives and helped them cross the fortified border into the United Republic. They made it back to Republic City, where they warned all the world leaders about Kuvira's plans to build a spirit vine-charged super weapon. To that end, Kuvira and Baatar Jr. had traveled to the Foggy Swamp and started to harvest to roots of the banyan-grove tree.

Threatening the United Republic
Weeks after the annexation of Zaofu, the work on the spirit energy cannon was completed. With it, Kuvira intended to reclaim the United Republic of Nations as part of the Earth Empire, as she deemed the territory to have been stolen by Avatar Aang and Fire Lord Zuko in the aftermath of the Hundred Year War. When Zhu Li defected from the Earth Empire military, Kuvira enacted her plan a week early. Placing the cannon onto a giant version of the mecha suit, she led her forces into Republic City. After a show of force with the power of the cannon, Kuvira forced President Raiko to surrender.

However, a small resistance force led by the Air Nation and Avatar Korra fought Kuvira and her mecha suit for the fate of the city and the Earth Kingdom. The resulting battle caused much destruction to Republic City, but the mecha suit was put out of commission, the cannon itself discarded into the Spirit Wilds. Korra chased Kuvira into the Spirit Wilds following the mecha suit's destruction, but the defeated dictator attempted to obliterate the Avatar with the cannon she found. The cannon's power, however, proved too much for Kuvira to control. Korra shielded herself and Kuvira from the cannon fire with the Avatar State and the opposing energies collided to create a new spirit portal in downtown Republic City. In the Spirit World, Korra finally confronted Kuvira as the former comforted the latter in understanding what Kuvira had been through as a child and why she had to step up in saving a kingdom in Korra's absence, mirroring that of her own struggles to recover long after the last battle with Zaheer.

Having understood each other's feelings and motives in the past three years, Kuvira ordered her men to stand down as the two returned to Republic City through the new portal. She declared the battle to be over and was willing to accept whatever punishment may fall upon her, being led away by the Beifongs.

Aftermath
Kuvira's uprising had come to an end, though her legacy had a profound impact on the world. She fulfilled her original purpose of restoring the Earth Kingdom and, in light of recent events, Earth King Wu decided to work on dissolving the earth monarchy in favor of democratization and election of leaders in each of the kingdom's nation-states, similar to the United Republic model. Although having no regard to and concern in spiritual matters in developing the spirit energy cannon, Kuvira inadvertently created a new spirit portal in Republic City which brought closer links between the spirit and physical worlds.

Military emblem


The Earth Empire military emblem is a stylized gray octagon with the Earth Kingdom national emblem, a square inscribed within a circle, in the middle. Around the circle are straps which form a cross. It is similar to the emblem of the Metal Clan.