Badgermole Triad

For the animal, see badgermole. For other gangs, see Triads in the United Republic.

Badgermole Triad
General information
Leader(s)	Hibiki
Notable members	Ona Tashi Zolzayaa (formerly)
Headquarters	Republic City underground
Purpose	Making money by illegal enterprises Running illegal motor races
Status	Active
Chronological information
First appearance	Avatar Legends: The Roleplaying Game - Republic City (only appearance)

The Badgermole Triad is a group of street kids who have banded together to form a triad. The Badgermoles are best known for operating the illicit tunnel racing tracks in the Republic City underground.

History

The Badgermole Triad came to prominence after finding a workaround to to Republic City's ban on unsanctioned street races. The triad took over a large section of tunnels from the days of large-scale crystal mining, and would choose a new location every week to host races.

The Badgermoles' earthbenders started to widen and reinforce a section of tunnels whenever they hosted a race. Over time, they refined and repeated their technique, improving their method and allowing them to build better automobile circuits. Tunnel racing quickly became an increasingly popular pastime for thrill-seekers, and would become a distinct phenomenon, separate from street racing.

The officials tried to shut the races down, but the fact they had no fixed location meant that the races were very hard to crack down on without the Republic City Police investing significant personnel. Chief Lin Beifong was content to be relatively lenient, while keeping an eye and an ear out for excessively dangerous incidents, as she was tired of wasting time and officers policing something that was oftentimes harmless.

As the ragtag group came to see the tunnels as theirs, they came to increasingly lock horns with Akemi, the most prolific criminal in the underground who was not affiliated with the triad. Akemi started to have his earthbenders destroy tunnel racing tracks to clear the paths Akemi was using to smuggle illegal and exotic food.

The Badgermoles came to increasingly believe that they needed to oust Akemi in order to survive. They began to close up his smuggling tunnels out of spite, and constant clashes began to develop in the Warrens. The triad continued performing sabotage and escalated pranks, while the smugglers tried to catch the kids and dump them with the authorities above ground. The rivalry between the groups continued in a stalemate, with the police becoming aware of the conflict, but aware that they were largely powerless to intervene in the tunnels.

Their leader, Hibiki, got a lead on an abandoned Satomobile testing facility that was up for sale, more or less legitimately. He believed that this was an opportunity for the triad to build a real future for themselves. However, they could not buy the track alone, and knew that any potential purchase would require considerable outside help to make their leader's dreams a reality. He proposed that the Badgermoles join forces with other triad, but other leaders nearly laughed his proposal out of the room.

The triad was later approached by Kyoko, CEO of the Harmony Park Corporation. She asked them to join the Rolling Harmony Raceway, a legitimate "tunnel racing" attraction that she had built to capitalize on the motorsport phenomenon, but had seen poor ticket sales due to a variety of economic and social factors. The group turned Kyoko down, as they viewed her as an outsider. This led the businesswoman to try to crack down on the races entirely, hoping to quash any competition to HPC's races.

Hoping to retrieve information on the Badgermoles, Kyoko had Maly – her spy, and the leader of the Spider Cat Triad – approach Tashi, the youngest of the Badgermoles. While feigning concern for the child's wellbeing, Maly let Tashi feed her information about the Badgermoles' plans, which she could then pass on to Kyoko. The police also became a threat to the triad, as Beifong was temporarily suspended as a result of her leniency, with Officer Xiaobo, an ally of Kyoko, taking charge of the plans for a crackdown. Knowing that the Badgermoles were youths and not wanting them to get arrested before it was too late to turn their lives around, Detective Mako called on his contacts to help the Badgermoles.

Hibiki also renewed his plans for the Badgermoles to go legitimate buy purchasing the abandoned Satomobile testing facility. While the triad now had nearly enough money for an outright purchase, it still needed more investment to secure his success. Hibiki considered trying to persuade the Tiger Monkey Triad, the Spider Cat Triad and the Fireball Trio to join forces with them and save the races.

Organization

Most of the Badgermoles know each other from the same orphanage. However, they welcome all unhoused and hungry children with open arms. The Badgermoles do not exclude potential members on the basis of bending status or national heritage. However, the group consists entirely of children, and they do not trust adults. Their leader, Hibiki, is the oldest of the Badgermoles, and has authority over all decisions the triad makes. Hibiki is also responsible for caring for the others, with all the Badgermoles functioning like a family. Betrayal against another Badgermole is viewed as the absolute worst crime one can commit.

The triad makes money thanks to wealthy visitors gambling away their money in the tunnel racing tracks. This allows them to fill up prize pots for the winning racers in competitions. The triad nets considerable yuan every time they host an event.

The Badgermoles have relatively good relations with the larger community in the underground. They are the only triad trusted by Yulan, the unofficial "mayor" of Tin Town. The triad also cares for downtrodden people, and is largely generous to most outsiders, though they dislike and mistrust the rich and are suspicious of those in power. Ultimately, however, the allegiance of all members lies with each other.

Headquarters

The Badgermoles frequently change the location of their hideout using earthbending to bury their location and set up a new one.

Their most recent hideout, much like the others, has a series of rudimentary booby traps in the surrounding area, further dissuading others from bothering them. Despite the transient nature of their headquarters, it is surprisingly cozy, with the tunnels naturally branching off into different "rooms". The triad has converted the largest of these "rooms" into a communal living space, in which they all sleep in a giant nest. Each triad member also has their own personal "room", which is often used to store personal belongings.

Notable members

• Hibiki (leader)
• Ona (racer)
• Tashi
• Zolzayaa (formerly)