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| By King Bumis Heir | Part of the Avatar: The Legacy of Rong Yan continuity. |
Tiandi is a minor character that is never physically seen in the fanon Avatar: The Legacy of Rong Yan. Tiandi the All-High is the Chief deity of the four pantheons worshipped by the Four Nations. He is also known as the God of Creation.
History[]
Era of Creation[]
As told by the scrolls of the legendary Emperor of the First Earth Empire, he who ruled the Earth Empire after the people left the lion turtle, Shouhu-Gui. The Earth Empire was ruled by a legendary emperor who people to this day believe is a mythical figure. The scrolls left behind by him that are found sprawled around the modern-day Earth Kingdom, Ba Sing Se territory, and Wan Shi Tong's Library.
They explain the creation story of the world as it is by Tiandi the All-High, a giant cosmic orb floated in a timeless void eventually over time the orb formed into Tiandi the first being. Two auras emanated from his form at all times he used the darker aura to create the world and the lighter aura to create the sky. He then created the Spirit World as a copy of the first earth he created in case things go wrong.
Depending on the religion on hand it explains that each civilization believes Tiandi had a wife where he reproduced and created the nation's pantheons. Many believe their mother deities examples are Akna, Yun, Uma and Rati but her original name was Nugua. He created a matriarch goddess because he was lonely his second-half she bore him many children. Many of these children became the various gods worshipped by the nations, each having control over one thing.
Tiandi created himself a home a lion turtle named, Jianhuren the biggest of them all a large creature that could grow a land on its back. This was the home of Tiandi, his chieftess deity and his children, from Jianhuren came others like the Kao, Mother of Faces to which he sent to the first world. Tiandi wanted light and darkness to always exist and so he created Raava and Vaatu, yin and yang, polar opposites of each other. He believed that light cannot destroy darkness and darkness cannot destroy light. Where there is good there must be chaos. One cannot live without the other, either taking over the world would not be good.
He gave Jianhuren the ability to wield physical energy and spiritual energy for millions of years Jianhuren carried the gods on his back. This was known as the second world created by Tiandi. The gods lived on Jianhuren while the Mother of Faces, Raava, and Vaatu and the Mother of Faces' children the lesser spirits lived in the other world Tiandi first created. From Jianhuren they oversaw the first world and watched as his children continued to develop the world to what it is today.
Their first clash on the first world set a dividing line between the spirits. Darkness threatened to consume everything, but balance was once more achieved when Tiandi sired two children and utilized the power of Harmonic Convergence to end the war separate the spirits. These children were known as Bei'an and Liang, which are not worshipped by the Four Nations but rather the ancient civilizations that existed before the era of the Avatar. His son Bei'an took Vaatu and dark spirits, while his daughter Liang took Raava and the light spirits. He allowed Raava to clash with Vaatu as they continued to live their existence in a never-ending battle.
Jianhuren then created the four lion turtles which were his children each one living in a specific biome in the world. Each were known as Kura-Kura, Shouhu-Gui, Hogo-sha, and Nam each of his children inherited the ability to energybend or what was known as wielding spiritual and physical energy. Kura-Kura lived in the oceans of the world, Shouhu-Gui in the largest desert of the world, Hogo-sha moved around volcanic areas before settling permanently in a forest, and Nam flew the skies of the world.
Era of Man[]
Thus began the second era, the era of man, Nugua, wife of Tiandi felt the world needed a little more to look more alive. With the help of her daughter, Kao they created from the mud near the Huangse river which ran throughout the world's only continent their greatest creation, man. Man was ignored at first as they were simple, primitive, and didn't really interfere with the overall balance of the world. But as they grew more intelligent they began to war amongst themselves. Petty squabbles, tribal disputes, and fighting with the spirits. Soon enough man discovered the Lion Turtles, at first man believed them to be gods. They worshipped the Lion Turtles, who let them carry on, amused by their ignorance. It was made clear that man was not permitted on the backs of Lion Turtles. Man and spirits had to be kept separate, lest they hunt one another and imbalance the world.
When the world went into imbalance Tiandi threatened Nugua that he would destroy her creation if they continue to war with the spirits. Nugua pleaded with her husband Tiandi allowed his wife to continue to keep them. The Lion Turtles kept away from man, and as such over time they became legends and men created idols of the lion turtles worshipping them. Nuagua allowed her creation to live on the backs of the Lion Turtles. Soon enough they changed from gods to mystical islands that roamed the world. If man could find one he would be endowed with the power to conquer the land, to set his tribe above the rest. Of course, this was human ignorance at its finest. Tribes who found the lion turtles never returned and lived for thousands of years on top of their guardians.
Despite all this, the Lion Turtles continued to keep them separated from spirits, as Jianhuren and the gods watched the Lion Turtles keep the balance between the two forces. Unfortunately, balance is never kept forever. Vaatu son of Bei'an has been keeping his eyes on man, fascinated with how their ability to war seemed to keep on evolving. They were angry, they lusted for power and control, and were easily corrupted. Vaatu began to tempt man, convinced them that they deserved the power the Lion Turtles had, gave them visions into the future that they would be the ones who rule the world long after the spirits fled the land. Man was convinced of this and set forth to pave the way to this future they wanted. It wasn't long before they defied the rule completely and the humans who lived in the wilds separate from those on one of the Lion Turtles started seeking out the Lion Turtles as a collective whole. With the aid of Vaatu, they found the Lion Turtles who protected the spirits, and the first war between wild man and spirits broke out.
Vaatu had never been stronger, Raava did her best to fight back and shield the spirits but she could not do it alone. Spirits started fleeing from the backs of the Lion Turtles. The gods watched from the back of Jianhuren, allowing the spirits and humans clash. Chaos and death riddled the entire world something needed to be done.
Their children argued with their parents and told them they wanted everything to go back to the way it was before man was created. Rebuking their mother Nugua for creating a destructive race of creatures, Tiandi and Nugua grew fond of his wife's creation ignoring their children they continued to allow man to live. Tiandi and Nugua told their children that despite the arrogance, ignorance and the natural instinct to take power and control, man was a part of this world. Spirits and Man would need to find balance, Tiandi ended the war allowing his children to become the new Keepers of Balance. Tiandi and Nugua's children were ordered to live in the first world and continue to watch the men while He and Nugua retired Jianhuren allowing him to roam the mirrored world free living for eternity. Tiandi and Nugua stayed in the mirrored world overseeing it together forever. This world existed within and around the world of man, he called the spirits over to the mirrored world where it was as primordial and ancient as the first world once was. Where spirits could live in peace, shielded and inaccessible by man unless death was to find them.
Tiandi planted a world tree that acted as a barrier and one who's roots pierced through to the other and snaked throughout both, physically binding the two together. In the physical world it called the World Tree while in the Spirit World it's called the Tree of Time. The world which is overseen by Tiandi and Nugua became known as the Spirit World. While the other world that was controlled by their children was known as the Physical World.
Raava dragged a defeated Vaatu into the spirit world as the last spirit crossed over and the way was shut. The spirits were finally safe in a world where they could exist and live forever, Vaatu could no longer tempt man, and the war was finally over. Balance was achieved, but man was still a problem. The children of Tiandi and Nugua stepped back and allowed the Lion Turtles to become the keepers of peace. With the spirits, gone man returned to warring amongst themselves again with new and more terrible weapons. Spears and clubs had become swords and spears. The Lion Turtles could not let this continue.
Era of Raava[]
The four Lion Turtles ended the war amongst man once again, this is when the third era began, the Era of Raava. For the first time, mankind knew peace. Utilizing the power of the next Harmonic Convergence, Vaatu broke free from the spirit world and the spirit portals were created. With the way open again, the children of Bei'an aka the dark spirits once again entered the world, and the Physical World became the Spirit Wilds. Spirits began to attack mankind and so wild men sought out shelter from men who lived on the backs of the Lion Turtles until every single man lived on all four Lion Turtles. This is where they were now welcomed and contributed to build cities along with their new brothers and sisters. Occasionally man would go out into the wilds to hunt or scavenge. For protection, the Lion Turtles granted them the physical control of energy that allowed them to "bend" a specific element to protect themselves.
When Wan stole the element of fire from Hogo-sha he used it to separate Raava from Vaatu. Allowing Vaatu to roam free without Raava keeping him in check. He was exiled from Hogo-sha by the Chou family. Together Raava and Wan mastered the four elements, and he lived amongst the spirits learning how to firebend like the dragons. Eventually Raava fused with Wan and he became the first Avatar banishing Vaatu once again to the Spirit World and imprisoning him in the Tree of Time.
First Age of the Avatar[]
Tiandi from the Spirit World split the large continent into what the world is in modern history, the Lion Turtles stepped back and handed the peacekeeper torch to the First Avatar. As humanity left the cities established on the lion turtles, they begin to come in to contact with each other. The different peoples begin to wage war against each other, forcing Wan to intervene in order to maintain peace. His efforts, however, are of little success. The violent conflicts continue until his death and beyond. The next Avatar is born into the cycle after Wan's death.
The four large tribes were known as the Earth Tribe, the Fire Tribe, the Water Tribe and the Air Tribe. Each tribe traveled to a different part of the new world and lived while constantly warring with enemy tribes.
The Earth Tribe became the first Earth Empire which ruled under Emperor Qin, who married three women and they bore him three sons which is where the three warring states known as the Shang, Zhou and Xia dynasties came to be. The Fire Tribe wandered off and settled on the Fire Islands becoming smaller tribes who used their firebending for a variety of uses. The Water Tribes wandered to the coldest regions of the world the north and south poles, frozen continents. Lastly, the Air Tribe traveled the world avoiding contact with the other tribes and building temples where they can watch the others fight to the death, safe and sound.
Abilities[]
Tiandi is known as an omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent deity who created the Physical World and then the Spirit World as a mirror of it. Creating his own second-half and having children with his second-half. Man was not a creation of Tiandi but a creation of Nugua but much of that information is lost to the nations and they consider Tiandi the Father of mankind. Tiandi created Bei'an and Liang, darkness and light and they sired their own children and so on.
Trivia[]
- The Creation myth was an inspiration from both the Chinese creation myth and from caferreri11 of Reddit's theory of how the world of Avatar came to be with a few additions from my head.
- Tiandi and Nugua are similar to Zeus and Hera.
- Jianhuren was the home of Tiandi and the pantheon which is an inspiration of Zeus and the Greek pantheon living on Mount Olympus.
- Tiandi is Chinese for "world".
- In the original story there was no explanation of religion or the culture of the Four Nations and so I wanted to expand it further.
- Tiandi was an inspiration of the Abrahamic god Yahweh.
- The Bayan Grove Tree in the Swamp I headcannoned it to be the Tree of Time mirrored in the Physical World and a direct inspiration of the world tree from Norse mythology.
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