Fire Nation colonies

The Fire Nation colonies was the collective term to refer to a system of colonies governed by the Fire Nation during the War. Most of them were located within the Earth Kingdom.

History
More than a century prior to the discovery of Avatar Aang at the South Pole, the ambitious leader of the Fire Nation, Fire Lord Sozin, began to dream of a global empire, in which he would unite all of the nations under Fire Nation domination. It was intended to be a prosperous unity that would "share" the wealth and success the Fire Nation was enjoying during Sozin's rule. As time went on, Sozin's desire for world domination grew drastically, and his rule became increasingly dictatorial. Disregarding the warning of his long-time friend, Avatar Roku, not to expand the Fire Nation, as the four nations were meant to be just four. Sozin set his plans in motion by invading and successfully occupying Earth Kingdom territory. However, this first assault was short-lived; when Roku discovered the existence of the numerous Fire Nation colonies in foreign lands, he confronted Sozin about his course of action. Defeating the Fire Lord, the Avatar issued a final warning, threatening to end Sozin's life if he continued his invasion plans.

For twenty-five years, the world was at peace again. However, when a volcanic eruption brought an end to Avatar Roku's life, Sozin saw his visions for the future suddenly possible again. Awaiting the return of the Great Comet, later to be renamed Sozin's Comet, Sozin waited twelve years after Roku's death to commence his invasion of the four nations. He launched an attack on the Air Nomads, the native nation of the next Avatar, thus initiating the century-long war.



After the genocide of the Air Nomads and the destruction of their temples, Sozin focused his attention on the Earth Kingdom, establishing new colonies across the continent as his forces encroached the country's numerous territories. These colonies grew into prosperous villages that supported the Fire Nation's war effort through the supplement of food and war supplies.

Dozens of these colonies were established across the Earth Kingdom continent. Like most of the population back home, these Fire Nation citizens supported the war effort, and were fed with the various forms of propaganda needed to instill support with the frontline troops. They often took advantage of living in the prosperous Earth Kingdom by depriving the indigenous of their resources and making them work on their behalf.

Eventually, the War ended when the Order of the White Lotus liberated the Earth Kingdom capital of Ba Sing Se and the Avatar overthrew Phoenix King Ozai while Zuko and Katara defeated Princess Azula. The newly crowned Fire Lord, Zuko, announced an era of peace to begin, in which he would strive to restore the honor of the Fire Nation.



In order to restore the peace in the world and redeem the Fire Nation, the Harmony Restoration Movement was launched with the aim of transferring the Fire Nation colonials back to their home nation. However, a year after the War's official end, new disputes arose over the existence of the colonies on Earth Kingdom territory and ignited fresh tensions with the Fire Nation, threatening to devolve into not only war between the two countries, but into civil war within the Fire Nation itself. The resulting outcry necessitated the intervention of Team Avatar on behalf of Fire Lord Zuko.

Culture


The Fire Nation colonies' cultures were very much like that of their home nation. They celebrated the various fire festivals, supported the war effort, were fed with propaganda, ate traditional Fire Nation foods, etc. However, these colonials were often looked upon with disdain in the Fire Nation mainland. In turn, this resulted in unruly treatment towards colonials in the homeland and fewer opportunities for a solid education. However, the culture was less tightly regulated than in the home islands and, as a result, colonists had slightly greater freedom of expression, such as dancing.

In many colonies, notably Yu Dao, the oldest colony in the Earth Kingdom, social differences between Fire Nation and Earth Kingdom citizens were clearly present. Usually, Earth Kingdom citizens would occupy a second-class position in the city's society, while the higher positions were generally reserved for the Fire Nation residents. This social division led in some cases to an inequality in wealth among the citizens, leaving some people with an air of authority over them.

Especially in the older colonies, the union between the settlers and locals became natural, giving rise to persons of mixed race. The formation of families among people of different origins thus became one of the causes of the Harmony Restoration Movement's intermission to assess these situations in the colonies.