| "Master Amak was a strange, shadowy presence around the compound. [...] There was gossip around the staff that the lanky, grim-faced Water Tribesman had spent the last ten years far from his home, in the employ of a lesser prince in Ba Sing Se who'd suddenly gone from eleventh in the line of succession to the fourth." |
| — Kyoshi looking at Amak and recalling the rumors about him.[1] |
Amak was an assassin and waterbending master from the Northern Water Tribe who worked in the Earth Kingdom during the late 4th and early 3rd century BG. He eventually became the waterbending instructor of the falsely identified Avatar, Yun, though was killed during a confrontation with the Fifth Nation pirates.
History[]
Serving the Avatar[]
Amak hailed from the Northern Water Tribe's capital Agna Qel'a, and was the brother of the renowned master healer Atuat.[2] He became proficient as a hired killer, excelling in disguise, poisoning, and combat. Around 306 BG, he left his home and began working in the Earth Kingdom,[1] where he took part in the Wars of Secrets and Daggers.[3] During these conspiratorial conflicts, Amak found employment for a lesser prince in Ba Sing Se. This nobleman consequently jumped from the eleventh to the fourth place in the line of succession, as several members of the Earth Kingdom's royal family unexpectedly died. Amak was eventually hired by Jianzhu to train the false Avatar Yun in waterbending.[1] Having learned numerous techniques of assassination during his time in Ba Sing Se,[3] Amak used this opportunity to also train Jianzhu and Yun to resist various poisons as well as how to use them,[3][4][5] although his poison training with Yun did not progress very far.[6]
Serving as Yun's waterbending teacher, Amak and his charge spent quite some time together during their regular training sessions. Although Amak did not hold back during those sessions and regularly rendered Yun bloody and mussed at the end of them, he held Yun's respect and was lauded by him for being his favorite teacher next to Jianzhu. Amak's style placed more emphasis on the functionality of bending than its form.
After his cover was blown, Amak was killed by Tagaka.
Amak was present at Yun's attempt to make peace with the Fifth Nation, albeit in disguise as Tagaka had demanded that there be no waterbenders present. As such, Amak had donned himself in Earth Kingdom garb and even used spidersnake extract eye droplets, a very rare and expensive substance, to turn his eyes green. As the negotiations turned sour, however, Amak was recognized by Tagaka as a fellow Water Tribe member and promptly impaled with an icicle.[1]
Legacy[]
The training with the waterbending master was very useful to Yun in several cases. One such instance was when it helped him overcome the effects of the incense Jianzhu had drugged Kyoshi and him with, rendering them unable to move.[4] Amak had also instructed Yun which parts of his body he could sacrifice in a fight and still be able to survive, knowledge that the earthbender put to use in his battle with Father Glowworm.[7] After defeating and eating the spirit, Yun performed the checks Amak taught him to when he came into contact with potentially deadly toxins.[7]
Amak's training also allowed Jianzhu to orchestrate a mass poisoning of Earth Sages that had major political consequences in the Earth Kingdom.[5]
In the year following Amak's death, Kyoshi told Atuat she was very sorry about what had happened to her brother. The doctor replied that he would not have had a peaceful death, but being killed while protecting people was far more honorable than what he had been doing before becoming Yun's teacher.[8]
Physical description[]
Amak had a lanky physique, a grim face, and a web of scars around his arms and neck. Although often silent, his voice was high-pitched and musical. He used to wear his wolftail haircut with pride before he cut it for disguise, and bone piercings.[1]
Personality[]
Amak was a reserved and withdrawn person who seemed impenetrable and mysterious to others. He had a frown that, added to his appearance, put many people off. Amak prioritized function over form in his teaching. During demonstrations of weak forms of waterbending, Amak appeared mocking the person without particularly showing it.[1]
Abilities[]
Amak was a master of waterbending and had knowledge of different poisons, from their functions to how to defend against them. He was an expert at disguise and poisoning and was able to kill several high-ranking people without leaving a trace.[1]
Relatives[]
- Atuat (sister)
Appearances[]
Chronicles of the Avatar[]
The Rise of Kyoshi[]
- 107. "The Iceberg"
Avatar games[]
Trivia[]
- Amak would only sleep in ten-minute intervals during the day.[1]
References[]
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