| By Cangse Sanren | Part of the Phoenix Rising continuity. |
Sozin Caldera was the ruler of the Fire Nation from 58 BG until his death in 20 AG, and the instigator of the Hundred Year War. Succeeded as Fire Lord by his son Azulon, he was the husband of Lisanna, grandfather of Iroh and Ursa, and the great-grandfather of Lu Ten, Zuko, and Azula.
As a young prince, Sozin was best friends and lovers with Avatar Roku. However, after Sozin took up the throne and Roku became a fully realized Avatar, their friendship became strained, as Sozin desired the Fire Nation to encompass the entire world, a plan to which Roku was strongly opposed. Following a confrontation over this which ended in Sozin's defeat, the couple broke up and neither spoke to the other until they were seventy years old. Upon meeting the Avatar again, Sozin left his old friend to die, and began a war that would last one hundred years.
Using the fire-enhancing power of a comet, Sozin eradicated the Air Nomads in an attempt to preemptively eliminate the next Avatar. His plan succeeded and he eradicated the Air Nation Avatar, Aisling, not knowing that another Air Nomad had survived the genocide.
History[]
Early life[]
In their early years, Roku and Sozin loved each other very much and celebrated a birthday together.
In his youth, Prince Sozin was best friends with Avatar Roku, and the two of them often celebrated their shared birthday together. As they were both firebenders, they regularly fought duels against one another for fun, and to test and strengthen their skills. Sozin also had a crush on Roku, which was returned and the two eventually became a couple.
Sozin giving Roku a special gift before they broke up.
At their sixteenth birthday celebration, Roku was unexpectedly told by the Fire Sages that he was the Avatar, and the two friends were forced to separate as Roku went to learn mastery of the three other elements. Before leaving, Sozin came by to talk and was told by Roku that the Sages told him to bring nothing, as the Avatar did not need material goods. By this statement, Sozin gave him a gift: the headpiece worn by the Crown Prince of the Fire Nation, hoping that he was at least allowed to have that. With that over and done with, the two peacefully broke up, but still retained their love for each other. While seeing Roku off, he left the man with a kiss on the lips and a promise that even if they drifted apart, Sozin still loved him.
As he grew up, Sozin was influenced by his father's beliefs, according to which a nation's worldly power and landmass corresponded to greatness.
Reign as Fire Lord (58 BG - 20 AG)[]
Treason[]
In 58 BG, Sozin ascended to the throne following the death of his father. Over time, he began to develop the ambition to unite the four nations under his rule. His grandson, Iroh, attributed this quest for power to jealousy of the Avatar's immense strength, a feeling that only grew as Sozin immersed himself in the role of Fire Lord and put ever more importance in power and influence.
In 56 BG, two years before Roku returned, Sozin fell in love with and married a young woman named Lisanna, a Fire Noblewoman of Water Tribe and Fire Nation Ancestry, and the two happily married. When Sozin discovered that his wife was a firebender and a waterbender, he was actually happy.
In 54 BG, twelve years after his departure, Roku returned to the Fire Nation. Even though many years had passed, Sozin still considered Roku his best friend, and warmly greeted him upon his return. The Fire Lord even willingly ignored old customs of respect for the Avatar and happily hugged Roku just like in their youth. Once they separated, Sozin informed him that he found a Fire Lady, much to Roku's joy. When he asked who it was, Sozin replied
Seeing an opportunity for global expansion, Sozin explained his plans to Roku and invited him to help build an empire.
A few months later at Roku's wedding to Melody, the Fire Lord took the position of Roku's best man. However, Sozin also saw the wedding as his best opportunity to talk with his friend about his future plans. Subsequently, the Fire Lord approached Roku shortly after the wedding and took a walk with him. Sozin commented that the Fire Nation was going through a period of great prosperity and wealth and told Roku that together, the two of them could spread it throughout the world by expanding the empire, to make a "brighter future" possible. However, Roku was greatly disturbed by this, telling Sozin that the four nations were meant to be separate and that he should not think of this again. The Fire Lord asked his friend to at least consider the possibilities, but Roku remained firm and stated that it would be the last he ever wanted to hear of such things. Despite Roku's warnings, which were usually correct, Sozin prepared for the unification of the nations through war. He greatly expanded the Fire Nation's already powerful army and navy, and ordered the establishment of colonies in the Earth Kingdom.
Seventeen years later, however, Roku was traveling in the Earth Kingdom on Fang, discovered the colonies and came to the Fire Nation Capital to rebuke him. The Fire Lord was outraged that the Avatar, still a Fire Nation citizen, dared to treat him like that. Sozin warned his former friend that "[their] loyalty is to [their] nation first. Anything less [would make him] a traitor." Roku, however, replied that the Fire Lord should not challenge him, as it would "only end badly", leading Sozin to wrathfully attack him when his back was turned. The two engaged in a short battle, with Roku defeating Sozin and then leveling the palace's throne room in the Avatar State. Roku spared his life because of their past friendship, but warned him never to move forward with his plans again, or it would result in his "permanent end".
Twenty-five years later, Roku's home island was consumed in a volcanic eruption so massive that Sozin could see and feel it from a hundred miles away. The Fire Lord flew in on his dragon to assist his old friend. The two used their bending to try to contain the lava flow, but were hindered by poisonous gases, which eventually overwhelmed Roku, leaving him lying on the ground and begging for his old friend's help. Sozin suddenly realized, however, that Roku's death would allow him to fulfill his plans, and left his old friend to die along with his dragon, Fang.
With Roku gone, Sozin continued his military build-up, covertly preparing for a global war by further increasing the Fire Army's manpower and building a massive fleet of warships for the Fire Navy.
Invasion[]
Twelve years after Roku died, Sozin used the power of a comet to enhance the abilities of his firebending army and launched simultaneous attacks on all other nations. Most importantly, he organized a massive, genocidal assault on the Air Nomads in an attempt to kill the new Avatar and break the Avatar Cycle. Sozin succeded, as Aisling hadn't full as Aang had run away from the air temples some time before. Sozin spent the rest of his life searching in vain for the last airbender. After the comet passed, he had a son, Prince Azulon.[10] Sozin favored his son over another family member, thereby contributing to a trend of antagonism and rivalry that would plague the royal family for generations.[11]
One of his lesser-known military accomplishments during this period was the Battle of Han Tui, which was applauded as a magnificent display of skill and military cunning. He also fortified the Fire Nation Capital, designing a new road from the harbor to the Royal Caldera City. By creating a series of switchbacks in the narrow pathway, which forces any approaching party to travel in single column, and heavily fortifying it with watchtowers and battlements every hundred yards, he created one of the most secure roads in the world. During his reign, Sozin started the tradition of hunting dragons for glory. If a firebender proved able to kill a dragon, the original firebenders, he would be showered with glory and praise, and earn the honorary title "Dragon". This led to the near-extinction of the dragons.
As his reign carried on and the war escalated, Sozin established a cult of personality centered upon himself and the royal family, one that would be upheld through the reigns of Azulon and Ursa after him. Numerous monuments were constructed in reverence of himself, and the imperialist regime enforced various forms of propaganda that established Sozin as a higher, benevolent being. Such propaganda included the false claim that the Air Nomads possessed an army when in truth they were a pacifist culture. Additionally, Sozin ordered that the Dragonbone Catacombs be sealed off so that all Fire Nation history recorded before his reign would be erased from the national conscience, making it appear as if Fire Nation history began with himself. Furthermore, he outlawed same-sex relationships.
In 20 AG, two years after the death of his wife, Sozin died at the age of 102, and it was rumored that he lived to be older due to the influence of the power of the comet. Fire Nation schools taught that he died peacefully in his sleep, an old and successful man, though in Sozin's own last testament he reminisced about how his younger years used to be "brighter". Sozin, like all Fire Lords, was buried in the Dragonbone Catacombs, and he was succeeded by his son Azulon.
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