Talk:Air Nomad Genocide/@comment-216.198.183.60-20101107031018/@comment-216.209.111.85-20101223175720

You don't have to kil *every* airbender in order to destroy the air nomad civilization. Think about it: If I were Sozin, I'd have spent the years leading up to the comet's appearance placing my forces in position for a massive strike against all the air temples simultaneously when the comet arrived, under the guise of spreading "Fire Nation greatness." The air nomads would undoubtably have been worried, but worried about my general aggresive expansion, not about the possibility of me killing them.

On the day of the comet's arrival, my forces act on previously-issued orders and launch massive, pre-planned assaults on all the air temples. I know that it has only been 12 years since Roku died, meaning that the new avatar is A: still a child and thus likely at one of the air temples, and B: untrained and still unaware he is the avatar, as the sages traditionally inform the avatar when he turns 16. Had the air nomad elders not told Aang early, Sozin probably would have succeded in killing him during his assaults.

The air nomads would fight bravely, and my forces would take many casualties assaulting the well-fortified temples. But the power of the comet, superior numbers and technology mean my troops are ultimatly succesful.

For all intents and purposes I have now destroyed the air nomads. The elders, their most experianced leaders and fighters are dead, along with all the air nomad children. I've killed the vast majority of their sky bison. Any industry or agriculture they have is gone.

The speed and power of my assault means that the temples didn't have time to send out a warning or request help. It's likely any air nomads in transit between temples have no knowledge of what has happened.

In the immediate aftermath of the assault I've left powerful garrisons of firebenders at all the temples with instructions to kill any airbenders or sky bison that return.

Years pass, and no more air nomads return to the temples. By now the know of what has happened and have gone to ground in the Earth Kingdom. Individuals and small groups assimilate into the Earth Kingdom culture, forced to hide their abilities and blend in.

Larger groups of survivors may band together and form small, hidden communities in remote parts of the Earth Kingdom. but as the war progresses and more and more earth Kingdom territory is captured by the Fire Nation, these communities are found and destroyed. By the time of the series the only places where any airbenders might exist at all are Omashu and Ba Sing Se, hidden in small groups, staying low-key.

Initially Sozin would fear the avatar survived his assault. While no avatar emrges after his attack, confirmation of his death is never recieved, leading me to assume he is in hding. As the years pass, however, it seems likely that he was killed in the avatar state and the cycle is broken. The Fire Nation has kept careful watch on the Water Tribes for any hint of a new avatar, but none appears. Right up until Aang's return, it wouldn't have been unreasonable to assume the avatar is gone forever.