Zaofu

Zaofu was an autonomous city state, home of the Metal Clan, and regarded by some as the safest city in the world. The clan's matriarch, Suyin Beifong, constructed the settlement entirely out of metal in the Earth Kingdom. Team Avatar traveled to this city in 171 AG in their search to recruit new airbenders to rebuild the Air Nation. In 174 AG, the city was annexed to Kuvira's Earth Empire, who sent off all the citizens who refused to acknowledge her rule.

Early history
Sometime after 141 AG, Suyin Beifong purchased a parcel of land in the Earth Kingdom to develop into the city of Zaofu. In advancing her project, Suyin hired Baatar, an architect with whom she had five children after marriage. Suyin's eldest son eventually became an engineer and assisted his father in numerous projects around the city.

Following its creation, Toph Beifong often visited the city and a statue in her honor was erected within the metropolis to commemorate her discovery of metalbending. Suyin trained the citizens of Zaofu to reach their fullest potential and the city thrived as one of the nation's most innovative settlements.

171 AG


Shortly after Harmonic Convergence in 171 AG, Varrick and Zhu Li traveled to Zaofu, where the former sought refuge in exchange to wealthiest citizens the city's technology division. Two weeks later, Avatar Korra and her company arrived to the city in hopes of recruiting Suyin's daughter, Opal, to train in the Northern Air Temple.

After the airbender's departure, the city was infiltrated by Zaheer and the Red Lotus in an attempt to kidnap Korra. Despite their attempts to remain covert, the group was discovered and pursued by Team Avatar and members of the Metal Clan, inevitably forcing them to flee the city without the Avatar. Knowing that the criminals could not have entered the city without help from one of its residents, Suyin ordered the interrogation of all the guards in search of Zaheer's accomplice. Although Hong Li was initially suspected, Aiwei's involvement eventually came to light and the truth seer was forced to leave the city as a fugitive, having a few hours' head start on Team Avatar, who left the city behind him.

Team Avatar later returned to Zaofu, accompanied by Lin, Tonraq, Lord Zuko, and Mako and Bolin's family, in order to use the city's radio transmission to send a warning to the Northern Air Temple about the Red Lotus' approach. Unable to sit idly by, Suyin rallied the Metal Clan security forces to leave for the temple to aid the Air Nation.

After the death of Earth Queen Hou-Ting and despite Suyin's refusal to take action, Kuvira started working with Baatar Jr. to find ways to stabilize the chaotic Earth Kingdom. They left the city with a large part of its security force and several of Zaofu's wealthiest citizens.

174 AG
After the Earth Kingdom's transformation into the Earth Empire in 174 AG, Zaofu remained as the last city unconquered by Kuvira and her forces. However, the former captain of the guard marched her entire army toward her former home and gave its matriarch twenty-four hours to surrender, lest they take the city by force.



In order to save the city, Suyin, Wing, and Wei set out during the night in an attempt to take Kuvira out, though they were unsuccessful and were arrested. Kuvira used the city's communication system to alert the citizens of Suyin's actions and fate and ordered the remaining leaders to surrender by dawn. Still attempting to find a peaceful resolution, Korra approached Kuvira at dawn and attempted to persuade the army leader one last time to leave. However, Kuvira believed Korra was interfering with her plans of uniting the Earth Empire and thus challenged her to a duel to decide the fate of Zaofu. After Korra lost the duel, the military commander annexed the city to her empire and decorated its buildings with her banner. She demanded everyone bow down and pledge their loyalty to her in order to be treated fairly as citizens of the Earth Empire, lest they be imprisoned as traitors. Kuvira ordered the metal domes to be dismantled and with them, an enormous mecha suit to carry around her spirit energy cannon was fashioned.

After Bolin and Varrick warned the world leaders about Kuvira's spirit energy cannon, Bolin, Lin, and Opal left for Zaofu with aspirations to reconquer the city and find the family of the latter two. When they arrived, they realized that the domes had been removed, though before they were able to sneak into the city, Toph stopped them, informing them that all the prisoners had been moved out of the city.

A few days later, Kuvira and her entourage returned to the city, where she addressed her troops in a motivational speech. She announced that they were going to invade the United Republic of Nations, reasoning that its territory belonged to the Earth Empire and had been stolen by Avatar Aang and Fire Lord Zuko after the conclusion of the Hundred Year War.

Layout and description
Zaofu is situated directly on a valley flanked by two rivers and consists of several metal buildings separated from each other. The different areas of the city are interconnected via metal rails which allow individuals to reach opposing ends of the city limits in very little time.



Architecture used in developing the city landmarks involves innovative design, particularly in that each portion of the settlement is surrounded by petal-like metal panels which remain open during the day and closed to provide protection during the night; these panels, however, were removed after Kuvira took over the city in order to build her mecha suit for transporting the spirit energy cannon. Buildings range from small edifices to large skyscrapers and a large metal statue of Toph Beifong stands in the middle of the downtown core. At the city's edge is Suyin Beifong's estate, a large metal compound consisting of numerous halls and courtyards to accommodate her large family. Near the estate are several guesthouses for individuals which Suyin chooses to receive.

Apart from the metal panels, Zaofu maintains its security by stationing metalbending guards at every part of the city, especially at nighttime. In addition, Suyin's former assistant, Aiwei, was capable of using seismic sense to detect whenever an individual lied, effectively ensuring that there were no secrets in the city. As a result, citizens of Zaofu live relatively free of trouble and doubt. In addition, individuals are encouraged to live to their fullest potential in order to achieve success.

Government and politics
Government system: Matriarchy

Head of government: Matriarch

Zaofu, governed by Suyin Beifong's matriarchy, is a city state of great autonomy in the Earth Kingdom and inhabited by the Metal Clan. The Metal Clan is a multicultural people of Earth Kingdom, Fire Nation, and United Republic descent, for whom the loyalty to the clan is far more important than to the Earth Kingdom. In contrast to the reactionary regime in Ba Sing Se, Suyin's rule is marked by restraint, progress and the validity of the law for every citizen. Because of this, Suyin herself is subject to Zaofu's law, even though she is the matriarch and has full control over the city's political affairs. As result of these ideological differences, Zaofu is effectively independent from the central government, as the city does not obey orders from the capital or enforces laws passed by the monarchy. Zaofu even offered protection to members of Team Avatar when they were deemed enemies of state by the government of Ba Sing Se as well as Varrick, who is wanted in the United Republic.

Law, order, and security


Due to Zaofu's autonomy, the city has its own judicial system that is centered around truth seeing and the law enforcement of the security team. Truth seers such as Aiwei made it possible for there to be almost no lies in Zaofu. Suspects are generally questioned by a truth seer until they are proven to be lying, whereupon they are arrested. One of the heaviest crimes in the city is to betray the Metal Clan and the matriarch will go through great lengths to see the offender brought to justice.

Zaofu's security team acts as police as well as first line of defense to the city. The guards are among the best fighters of the Earth Kingdom and can be earthbenders, metalbenders, and firebenders, who generally wear metal chest armor with shoulder pads, forearm guards as well as helmets. Metalbending guards also employ metal cables extending through their forearm guards, which can be lengthened or retracted through metalbending.

In 171 AG, Kuvira convinced a large part of the security force to leave the city in order to restore balance in the rest of the Earth Kingdom, as the guards were tired of being locked away in the metal city as opposed to making a difference in the world.

Trivia

 * Zaofu is the first known settlement made entirely out of metal.