| By CheesyDolphins | Part of the Avatar: The Tale of Mahon continuity. |
| "After the Guan Crisis, Earth King Wu and Avatar Korra created a new constitution; a new nation. Nothing lasts forever, though. Both the Earth King and the Avatar died in a Spirit explosion, and the next Earth King became the first Earth Emperor." |
| — Gyatso to Mahon on the history of the Earth Kingdom before Mahon's birth. |
The Earth Kingdom is one of the world's four traditional nations. Spanning an entire continent as well as several subsidiary islands, it is the largest and most populated sovereign nation in the world and encompasses much of the eastern hemisphere. The kingdom operates as a monarchy under the rule of a king or queen, although the title of Earth monarch was changed to Earth Emperor after the death of Earth King Wu.
The people of the Earth Kingdom are proud and strong and adhere to a philosophy of peaceful coexistence and cooperation with the other nations of the world. Earthbenders use their abilities for defense and industry and fiercely defended their cities against Fire Nation attacks during the Hundred Year War. It also has a large economy based on agriculture and limited industry, though it is not as economically powerful as the Fire Nation, which benefits from advanced technology.
The Earth Kingdom is characterized by significant ethnic and cultural diversity, a consequence of the country's vast territorial expanse. As a result, it suffers from high levels of local autonomy and ethnic conflict, both of which began accelerating as the central government grew weak. Despite this division, the people's recognition of the Earth Kingdom as a single political entity is largely strengthened through the communal belief in a shared history and identity.
ATLA & TLOK[]
The Earth Kingdom long withstood encroachments on their borders in the Fire Nation's century-long imperialist war. Other than the Avatar, the Earth Kingdom was the only real obstacle that prevented the Fire Nation from achieving world domination. Though the Water Tribe aided the Earth Kingdom in the War, the conflict progressed poorly and took a heavy toll on them as the years passed. This continued until the Coup of Ba Sing Se, when Princess Azula of the Fire Nation seized control of the Earth Kingdom capital city, Ba Sing Se. By the following summer, the metropolis was occupied by the Fire Nation military, and although it had previously been asserted that the fall of Ba Sing Se would lead to the disintegration of any remaining Earth Kingdom forces, rebel fighters continued to resist Fire Nation rule. This warranted Fire Lord Ozai's decision of burning the Earth Kingdom to the ground upon the arrival of Sozin's Comet.
By the end of summer 100 AG, Ba Sing Se was liberated from Fire Nation control by the Order of the White Lotus, ending the Fire Nation occupation of the city. This, in combination with the decisive defeat of Phoenix King Ozai, effectively liberated the remaining Fire Nation-controlled regions of the Earth Kingdom.
After the end of the Hundred Year War, the Harmony Restoration Movement aimed to bring all Fire Nation citizens living in the Fire Nation colonies throughout the western Earth Kingdom back to the Fire Nation and return the land to the Earth Kingdom. However, a number of these colonies, especially the older ones where Earth Kingdom and Fire Nation citizens had learned to live together in harmony, forming mixed families, rejected this change. After the war nearly reignited, a compromise was reached between Earth King Kuei and Fire Lord Zuko with the help of Avatar Aang, wherein these territories were transformed into the United Republic of Nations, a fifth nation. Seventy years after the conclusion of the Hundred Year War, the Earth Kingdom continued to be influential in world affairs with a representative on the United Republic Council until the council was dissolved in 171 AG.
At some point before 171 AG, Earth King Kuei was succeeded by his daughter, Earth Queen Hou-Ting. During her reign, roaming bands of barbarians destabilized the provinces, preventing the central government from efficiently raising revenues for the state coffers. Nevertheless, the prosperity of the Middle and Upper Rings of Ba Sing Se continued unabated, with the Dai Li maintaining tight control over the city as it had for centuries. When the Red Lotus staged an insurrection and killed the Earth Queen, the Earth Kingdom capital was thrown into chaos and anarchy. This upheaval quickly spread to the rest of the nation, causing the Earth Kingdom to fall into disarray with bandits roaming the lands and threatening states.
By 174 AG, the Earth Kingdom, through the efforts of Kuvira and her army, was stabilized enough to restore the monarchy. At the coronation of Prince Wu, Kuvira was supposed to relinquish her power to the reinstated crown. She refused, however, denouncing the king's authority and declaring the archaic Earth Kingdom abolished in favor of an "Earth Empire" under her leadership. After Kuvira's defeat following the conclusion of her attack on Republic City, Earth King Wu decided to abolish the monarchy in favor of democratically elected leaders in each separate state, an idea for which he received the support of Avatar Korra.
Point of Divergence[]
This idea was declared obsolete after the Guan Crisis, which proved the Earth Kingdom needed a strong centralized figure to stay united. Earth King Wu and Avatar Korra continued to work through the Earth Kingdom to stabilize the constantly chaotic nation. Eventually, both of their lives were lost in a Spirit Explosion in Ba Sing Se, which paved the way to the next Earth Avatar.
After the death of Earth King Wu, his 17-year old son Bonzu becomes the next Earth Monarch. When he was 19, he subsequently declared himself the "Earth Emperor", which won the support of many Earth Kingdom citizens. He also granted independence to the Metal Clan, forming the seventh nation. During the reign of Bonzu, the Earth Kingdom became more of a unitary state as states and provinces merged together to form larger subdivisions.
When President Bokun of the United Republic invaded the Earth Kingdom and Fire Nation, the Earth Kingdom army swiftly conquered major parts of the United Republic, annexing those territories and leaving only Republic City and its surrounding cities. After President Bokun's surrender, each of the nations occupied a certain part of the city. After President Bokun's trial and the final treaty ratified, the Earth Kingdom gained all of the lands it annexed and possesed superiority in the rest of the United Republic while the Fire Nation gained the United Republic's maritime borders.
After the restoration of the United Republic Council, an Earth Kingdom official from Omashu became the official representative of the Earth Kingdom.
Appearance[]
Citizens of the Earth Kingdom tend to have black or brown hair; green, brown, or gray eyes; and often have dark skin tones, though many nobles have lighter complexions.
Traditional colors worn throughout the kingdom range from vibrant greens and yellows to more muted beiges and browns. The people usually style their hair comfortably for work or elaborately for striking impressions. Members of the army wear green and beige uniforms that may have yellow touches to them and they hide their hair in a conical helmet. However, fashions in the Earth Kingdom vary greatly from one region to another. In the West and South, men typically wear their hair in a top-knot, ornamented with various holders and pins, and they often have beards and/or mustaches. Women living in western and southern parts of the Earth Kingdom wear their hair down or piled on top of their head. In Ba Sing Se, however, women usually wear their long hair wrapped around a support, embellished with tassels or flowers; men usually don a plain queue. Omashu citizens typically wear tunics over a long robe or pants, with their hair hidden by a small turban or hat. Farmers and other laborers wear conical straw hats secured to their heads by a string to protect them from the sun.
Government[]
Government system: Confederate Constitutional Parliamentary Monarchy
Head of state: Earth Emperor
Head of government: Grand Secretariat
The Earth Kingdom is a confederacy, and as such it has a central government as well as regional governments which administer territories outside the capital of Ba Sing Se. The central government is formally headed by the earth monarch whose role has historically fluctuated between a powerless figurehead and an imperial ruler with de jure autocratic powers. The monarch is assisted by the Grand Secretariat of Ba Sing Se, ministers, and the extensive bureaucracy of Ba Sing Se, while the Royal Earthbender Guards traditionally have served as personal protectors and enforcers for the Earth Kings and Queens. By the time of Avatar Kyoshi, the Earth Kingdom sages were also crucial for the daily governance of the country.
The local governments throughout the Earth Kingdom are highly diverse. The Earth Kingdom is divided into subnational kingdoms, provinces, prefectures, and semi-autonomous city-states such as Zaofu. These are led by kings, governors, prefects, chief magistrates, magistrates, and mayors who can govern their lands mostly as they see fit. Many offices in the Earth Kingdom, including those of subnational kings and governors, can be passed on hereditary. This can be partially attributed to traditions, yet also to extensive corruption. In fact, corruption was so ingrained in the Earth Kingdom's administration that it was considered to be a natural part of how the country's leadership did things by the time of Avatar Kyoshi. In general, the Earth Kingdom was interwoven militarily, but bureaucratically little influence was often exerted upon the constituent towns and regions by the imperial government, especially outside of the major cities. Isolated regions like the Si Wong Desert are havens for criminals, and many agricultural regions have little or no contact with officials from the central government. In addition, the Earth Kingdom has no unified system of laws, with each town having its own legal code. Complex organization within the government is not seen outside of Ba Sing Se and its surroundings, such as Full Moon Bay. Regardless, early earth monarchs held great power and could act with impunity.
National emblem[]
The national emblem of the Earth Kingdom is a square inscribed with a circle, at the center of which is a much smaller square, like with a Chinese coin or the 'Rock' Pai Sho tile. Its many layers symbolize the "depth" of the Earth Kingdom, both literally and figuratively; the insignia represents the "immeasurable layers of deep rock and minerals which earthbenders manipulate to maintain their great cities", as well as the depth of the inhabitants' commitment toward a peaceful and productive way of life. This emblem can be seen on the helmets of Earth Kingdom troops.
Large "coins" of this design made of rock or earth are sometimes used as weapons by earthbenders.
Earth Kingdom currency consists of gold, silver, and copper pieces of varying sizes, which are used by Earth Kingdom citizens to purchase goods and services; they are fashioned in the shape of the national emblem, though gold pieces have four notches on the edge, giving them a flower-like shape.
Geography[]
The geography of the Earth Kingdom varies tremendously due to its immense size. The northwestern areas are mountainous and covered in dense coniferous forests with the only known settlement in the area being a merchant town, while the western coast harbors a warmer climate and many deciduous forests. The inland west is also home to several swamps and the arid Great Divide, while the center of the Kingdom comprises the enormous Si Wong Desert. The southwestern coast is covered with lush forests – however, a rain shadow leaves the Kolau Mountain Range and areas to the southwest as arid mountain ranges with sparse grasslands – the only major settlement in the area being Omashu. The southern coast is a lush area filled with rivers and forested areas, populated by wealthy towns like Gaoling; north, over the mountains, the land turns to sparsely populated plains which once again meld into the Si Wong Desert. The only known settlement in the northeast is Ba Sing Se. The Earth Kingdom borders the United Republic to the east, which was formerly part of the Kingdom.
After the Conquest of the United Republic, the Earth Kingdom received large parts of the United Republic that were formerly apart of the Hu Xin provinces.
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