Spirit Wilds

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- Great lion turtle, I'm sorry for stealing the fire from you and I accept my punishment. But please, I need to be able to protect myself in the wilds.

The Spirit Wilds encompassed all uninhabited territories on Earth in the era of Raava. They were considered dangerous to humans, as the wilds were home to spirits in the mortal realm.

After Avatar Wan separated the Spirit World from the physical world, humans left the protection of the lion turtles and settled in the wilds, which eventually developed into the four nations.

Description
In the era before the Avatar, the Spirit Wilds encompassed all regions of the Avatar World, but remained largely uninhabited by humans due to hostile spirits that lurked in the wilderness.

Spirits often disguised themselves as plant life to deceive human trespassers, and attacked individuals that they regarded as threats to their well-being. For instance, vine-like entities that resembled grass would lie in wait until they made contact with a group of individuals, before ensnaring and pulling the people underground. Furthermore, as humans typically only ventured into the Spirit Wilds in search of food, spirit wasps would join together atop trees resembling fruit and attack humans who attempted to eat them.



Due to lack of human occupation, the Spirit Wilds were replete with resources and a variety of fauna, including cat deer and dragons. Dozens of lion turtles were also scattered throughout the wilds and served as home to humans, who settled on their backs and depended on protection from the spirits.

Two spirit portals located at both the North and South Poles led to the Spirit World, where Raava and Vaatu battled every ten thousand years for the fate of the mortal realm. Before Wan destroyed the link between Raava and Vaatu, the two spirits also fought in the Spirit Wilds, where they caused considerable damage.

South Pole


Covered entirely in snow, the South Pole was located at the point where the two corners of the world met through a spirit portal connecting the two realms. After defeating Vaatu in battle, Wan sealed the Southern spirit portal, preventing human access to the Spirit World until its reopening in 171 AG.

Spirit Oasis
The Spirit Oasis was guarded by the aye-aye spirit, who only permitted spirits to enter the oasis prior to his encounter with Wan. The Spirit Oasis had waters with replenishing properties along with several trees lush with fruit. Before he departed for his journey, Wan remained in the oasis and protected the grounds alongside the spirit.

Fauna

 * Cat deer
 * Dragon
 * Lion turtle

Notable figures

 * Aye-aye spirit
 * Frog spirit
 * Jaya
 * Mula
 * Raava
 * Vaatu
 * Wan
 * Yao

Trivia

 * The Spirit Wilds partially reemerged following Avatar Korra's decision to keep the spirit portals open in the aftermath of Harmonic Convergence in 171 AG. Specifically, spirit vines began to grow destructively throughout Republic City, prompting citizens to evacuate from boroughs which became virtually uninhabitable.