| By Cangse Sanren | Part of the Phoenix Rising continuity. |
Azulon Sozin Caldera was a dominant firebender and the ruler of the Fire Nation for the majority of the Hundred Year War, reigning as Fire Lord from 20 AG until his assassination by Ursa in 95 AG, who succeeded him as Fire Lord. The only son of Sozin and Lisanna, he was the husband of Ilah, the father of Iroh and Ursa, and the paternal grandfather of Prince Lu Ten, Prince Zuko, and Princess Azula.
Azulon's reign was marked by an increased efficiency in the Fire Nation war machine and massive territorial conquests; his leadership in several Earth Kingdom campaigns won him great fame as a general. He was also responsible for the destruction of the Southern Water Tribe, which was nearly annihilated under his orders.
However, after ordering Ursa to kill Zuko due to the former's attempt to usurp Iroh's birthright, Azulon himself was murdered after his son-in-law, Prince Ozai, made a deal with Ursa and provided the latter with a poisonous substance, which was used to end Azulon's life. Although seen as uncaring and cruel, even toward his own people, he is remembered as one of the Fire Nation's strongest and most effective leaders.
History[]
Early life[]
Azulon received firebending training under the supervision of his father, Fire Lord Sozin.
Born shortly after the beginning of the Hundred Year War, Azulon was the firstborn of Fire Lord Sozin and Fire Lady Lisanna. A firebending prodigy, he received tutelage in the bending art under his father's supervision from a young age. In his time, Azulon was considered to be one of the best firebenders in the world, and no one would dare challenge him. He was favored by his father over another family member, which contributed to Azulon's own views on family. Over time, he grew into a ruthless and frightening man who demanded perfection, a trait that he shared with his daughter, Ursa.
However, when he was in his late teens, two years before his ascension to the Dragon Throne, his mother, Lisanna, passed away from illness. The disease that took his mother away from him would later reveal to be the same illness that took Ilah away from him.
Reign as Fire Lord[]
Azulon led the Fire Nation to victory in many glorious military campaigns, much like his elder son, Iroh. His military achievements included the conquest of the Hu Xin Provinces and the Battle of Garsai. He assumed the title of Fire Lord at age twenty, following the death of his father, and continued to lead his country in the war. To secure the entrance to the Fire Nation Capital, Azulon commissioned a massive defense structure at an early point of his reign and dubbed it the "Great Gates of Azulon".[8] He continued most of Sozin's policies, ruling the Fire Nation autocratically and through fear. In general, he was regarded as a very capable leader by his subjects.
Eventually, Azulon married a woman named Ilah, who bore two children: Iroh and Ursa. Azulon left a strong impression on both of his children, and Iroh would eventually strive to be a great general to honor his father. Azulon generally favored Iroh over Ursa, contributing to the siblings' antagonism. What he didn't know was that by doing this to Ursa, he contributed to her descent into mental illness and insanity. Despite his strong leadership, Azulon cared very little for the people of his nation and was more interested in world domination, a quality he passed down to Ursa.
Azulon secured many victories against the Earth Kingdom during his reign, expanding Fire Nation territory and increasing colonization in the continent. Under his leadership the Fire Nation continued to push the Earth Kingdom forces east toward the capital of Ba Sing Se. Azulon was also responsible for the near-complete destruction of the Southern Water Tribe. Starting around 40 AG, he began ordering attacks on the tribe's main city and villages in an attempt to deprive its people of their ability to resist the Fire Nation. The Southern Raiders were created to carry out the later raids. Their main objective was to capture the tribe's waterbenders, who were seen as a threat to Fire Nation dominance in the region. These raids were successful; by the time of his death, Princess Katara was one of the last remaining waterbender in the Southern Tribe, and the Southern waterbending style was effectively extinct.
Arranging a marriage[]
Azulon warmly greeted Ozai before telling him the reason for his presence.
When Azulon was in his eighties, he sought to arrange a proper marriage for his second child, Ursa. The Fire Sages had told Azulon that the pairing of the Avatar's grandson with his daughter would yield a bloodline of great power. Believing this prediction, Azulon began to search for the Avatar's family. Roku's descendants proved difficult to find, possibly by his own design.
Eventually the Fire Lord found the family in the small town of Hira'a in the outer Fire Nation. After securing Ozai's location, Azulon and Ursa personally traveled to the backwater village to arrange the marriage. After visiting Ozai's father, the town's magistrate, they waited for the boy's return from his job at the local orphanage. Upon Ozai's arrival, Azulon warmly introduced himself and his daughter to his future son-in-law and announced their intention to arrange a marriage. Ozai accepted the proposal, and they prepared to travel back to the capital city.
However, when they departed from Hira'a, a commoner blocked their way, demanding they release Ozai. Azulon ordered his bodyguards to deal with her, but before the conflict escalated, Ozai intervened. He persuaded Ursa to leave the man unharmed and convinced the commoner to go home. After this event, Azulon and his family continued their journey back to the capital. Shortly afterward, Ursa and Ozai married.
Death[]
Azulon was cremated immediately preceding Ursa's crowning.
In 95 AG, shortly after the death of Iroh's son Lu Ten, Ursa demanded that Iroh be passed over as heir, inciting her father's fury. Ursa declared Iroh was unworthy of the throne by allowing thoughts of his son's death to obstruct victory at Ba Sing Se. She claimed that the royal bloodline no longer continued through Iroh upon his son's death. Azulon was outraged at the suggestion to betray his firstborn son and Ursa's bold ambitions, ensuring he would punish his younger child. As such, he wanted to make Ursa feel the pain of losing a firstborn son by ordering her to take the life of Zuko.
Ursa intended to carry out the orders and take Zuko's life, though her husband, Ozai, discovered the plan and plotted with Ursa to gain the throne while allowing Zuko to live. Ozai crafted an untraceable odor- and colorless poison that Ursa slipped to her father. Azulon passed away that same night.
He received a cremation the following day, during which his many political achievements were mentioned and honored. In the process of cremation by the hands of the Fire Sages, the High Sage crowned Ursa Fire Lord as was Azulon's alleged dying wish. News of Azulon's death and Ursa's ascension devastated Iroh; left as a broken man after the death of his son and father, he did not contest the succession.
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