Gow

This article is about the teashop employee. For the soldier, see Gow.

"Come on, master of the elements! [...] Aren't you thirsty?"

— Gow mocks Yun for claiming to be the Avatar.

Gow
Biographical information
Nationality	Lansou Village, Zeizhou Province, Earth Kingdom
Ethnicity	Earth Kingdom
Political information
Profession	Teashop employee
Affiliation	Earth Kingdom
Chronological information
First appearance	"Interlude: The Man From The Spirit World" (only appearance)

Gow was a teashop employee from the Earth Kingdom and former captive of the Fifth Nation during the early era of Kyoshi.

History

Originally from Lansou Village, Gow was one of nearly a thousand residents kidnapped from Zeizhou Province in the early 3rd century BG. Abducted by the pirate queen Tagaka in the largest coordinated pirate raid on the southeast coast of the Earth Kingdom continent in over a century up to that point, he and the other trafficking victims were forced into servitude for the Fifth Nation fleet. However, they were ultimately deemed useless when Tagaka discovered that none of them possessed the requisite carpentry skills she was looking for. Upon the Fall of the Fifth Nation in 296 BG, the Fire Navy mounted a rescue effort, saving Gow and the other hostages who were left stranded on an iceberg in the Eastern Sea after the battle.

Following his recovery, Gow ended up back in the Earth Kingdom not far from his previous home, working for a teashop in a mining boomtown on the northwest side of the Xishaan Mountains. It was there where he met Yun when the latter wandered into the shop desperate for a drink of water. When the teashop owner refused Yun because he lacked money, the earthbender tried to build a rapport with them, explaining based on the argument he overheard how he was the namesake of the teashop owner's Avatar calendar and responsible for freeing Gow from the pirates. But since Yun did not personally carry out the rescue, Gow stated he did not recognize him and proceeded to join his employer and the other customer present in making fun of Yun. Finally losing his patience, Yun turned violent, knocking out the teashop owner with earthbending and reaching over Gow's shoulder to close the door curtain to the shop from the inside while giving him a conspiratorial smile.

Physical description

Gow had a thin body and face, pinched features when suspicious, and tended to shift his weight from side to side when he stood.

Personality

Despite his ordeal with the Fifth Nation, in the aftermath Gow showed little regard for his capture, which he viewed as more embarrassing than harrowing, and displayed no gratitude for his subsequent rescue, which he did not see as a reason to become a greater devotee of the Avatar. For example, he conveyed boredom at the number of times his employer would bring up the incident and expressed frustration at his employer's insistence on using the Avatar calendar to manage his work schedule. He was known to repeatedly miss his work shifts as a direct result of the calendar and easily got annoyed upon learning how much his pay would consequently be docked. Nevertheless, Gow could transition rapidly between a flurry of feelings after reading a room, as when he set aside his anger with his boss to quickly gang up on Yun in glee, only to shift just as swiftly to fear once he noticed Yun's demeanor become threatening.

Appearances

Chronicles of the Avatar

The Shadow of Kyoshi

• 225. "Interlude: The Man From The Spirit World"