Forest spirit

"spirit"

- You already bear the knowledge. Plant it at the center of the Earth and there you'll find your answer.

The Forest Spirit is a supernatural entity who watches over the forested regions of the northwestern Earth Kingdom. He resides within a small labyrinthine cavern located in close proximity to two small villages. When aggravated, the Forest Spirit manifests itself as a ferocious chimerical behemoth, but emerges as an elderly man when placid. He is revered by residents of the nearby settlements, and is looked to for wisdom and counsel.

History
After defeating the Jailer, Team Avatar is surprised to discover that the detained Lian escaped during the battle. After examining her cell, they discover a map of an Earth Kingdom village. Assuming that the Earth Kingdom village would be the next target for a plethora of devastatingly powerful war machines, the gang decides to travel to the village in an attempt to protect the residents. Upon their arrival, they are approached by an elderly citizen who notifies them of machines terrorizing a small village in the northeastern part of the region. The gang decides to travel up north, where they reconnect with Haru and Tyro. They successfully defeat the machines, and as such, were able to restore peace among the two villages. After the battle, Tyro tells Aang to seek the Forest Spirit, as he may have knowledge regarding the origin of the war mechanisms.

Together, Aang, Katara, Sokka and Haru search the surrounding woodlands, and soon discover a cavern hidden near the northeastern section of the district. They explore the vicinity of the caves, but find that it was abandoned, save for various fauna that roamed the grounds. They reach an enclosed section of the caverns, and immediately feel a strong spiritual energy nearby. Sokka expresses no concern, exclaiming that there was no reason to be frightened of empty caves. Unbeknownst to him, the Forest Spirit had become aware of the gang's presence, and was standing directly behind Sokka. The team initiates a battle, and eventually triumphs over the beast. Following its defeat, the chimeric creature disintegrated into bioluminescent specks, all of which united to form the silhouette of an old man. The man was the Forest Spirit's docile form, and he deemed Team Avatar worthy of his wisdom as they exhibited tremendous courage and strength while battling him in his chimeric state.

Aang inquires the spirit if he knew information about the war machines. After several proverbial statements which aggravated Sokka, the spirit claims that the team already had the knowledge they sought, and all they needed to do from there on was plant that knowledge in the center of the Earth. After much deliberation, Aang concludes that the center of the Earth must be the Earth Kingdom city of Omashu, and that the information they sought could be found in the Royal Library.