Kolau Mountains

The Kolau Mountain Range is located in the southwestern Earth Kingdom, near the provincial capital of Omashu. The mountains are held to be the place where Earthbending was developed, and the tomb of the first two Earthbenders is located under the mountains in the Cave of Two Lovers.

Geography
Though the north and western faces of the mountains are lush surrounded by temperate forests, the south-eastern faces suffer from a perpetual lack of rain. Small coniferous forests cluster at the base of the mountains, while higher up, this gives way to grassy plains which in turn shrink as the mountains get higher. The peaks of the mountains are rock and arid, with no vegetation at all. Though the city of Omashu is located within the mountain range, there are no other known settlements in the area.

History
This mountain range is traditionally believed to have been the location where the first Earthbenders lives - Oma and Shu, whose tribes lived on opposite sides of the mountain. Despite the tribe's status as enemies, the two lovers met on top of the mountain one day by accident. Forbidden from seeing one another, they learned Earthbending from the badger-moles and carved what is now known as the Cave of Two Lovers out of the mountains to continue meeting secretly. When Shu was killed in the war, Oma became distraught with grief, and unleashed a terrible display of her Earthbending Powers; however, instead of killing the villagers, she declared the war over. Overcome with a godesslike reverence for her, the people abandoned their villages and helped her construct a new city on the site of a mountain, where they would live together in peace. The people named the city "Omashu" as a monument to the pair's faithful love.