| "As Lohi of the Saowon had proven, that was what people asked for first and valued most. The problem addressed, not prevented. The salve, not the cure." |
| — Yangchen's thoughts on Lohi.[1] |
Lohi was a Fire Nation earl and heir to the Saowon clan during the early era of Yangchen. He worked to resolve several issues on behalf of his cousin, Duke Zolian.[2]
History[]
Earl Lohi and his cousin, Duke Zolian, worked with Avatar Yangchen when she came to Ma'inka Island shortly after becoming a fully-realized Avatar, investigating the unseen forces that were causing damage to the edge of the Saowon villages. After the Avatar interpreted the will of the spirits, the Saowon agreed to appease the phoenix-eel spirits of the island by ensuring that the island's populace would stay more than three li away from the caverns where the spirits lived.[2]
The disobedient branch families under the Saowon did not obey the agreement for too long, and started excavating near the cenotes.[3] As a result, the children of the Saowon were cursed by the spirits not to wake from their slumber, and would eventually waste away. Duke Zolian tried to appeal to Yangchen by sending a messenger hawk, which arrived at Jonduri and fell into the possession of Zongdu Chaisee, passing it on to the Avatar. Before Yangchen arrived, the rest of the Saowon tried to appeal to the spirits the best that they could by cutting off their top-knots to show their dishonor.
Lohi accompanied his duke to see the Avatar after she arrived at the manor, carrying the box of the top-knots of clan elders. Yangchen was furious about him breaking the agreement, and did not want to hear any excuses that Lohi might have to say about the situation. When Zolian explained the dire situation the children were in, Lohi began to explain the spiritual nature of the affliction, offering to take her to a hospital, but Yangchen violently refused, not wishing to see another body damaged in spirit after what had happened with her sister. Lohi then stepped forward with the box, explaining that it was a penance to show their sincerity, and successfully moved her into agreeing to handle the situation. They then stated that there were two additions to be made, and Lohi and his cousin both shed their own top-knots. The duke was overcome with shame, and Lohi and Yangchen helped him to a chair where he could recover.
With the duke incapable of further discussion, Yangchen discussed the situation further with the Saowon heir, offering to show her out. He told her that the clan would have him beg her forgiveness, and that they had needed as much land as they could plant, needing every acre in lean times. The earl told her that they had tried other solutions, such as sacrificing some of the family treasures, with others being liquidated to feed their retainers. Yangchen told him that they did not have to be destroyed, mindful that neither she nor the spirits had demanded a complete beggaring of the Saowon. He agreed that they had been stubborn in accepting her message, and said that the duke had been unable to keep some of the branch houses from defying the contract, as he had a weakness for family. He promised to enforce unanimity among the clan when he became duke, irritating Yangchen due to the crisis she was dealing with in the shang cities. Before departing on her glider, Yangchen asked Lohi if they would have kept to the agreement if she had said that the treaty was the word of Szeto rather than her own. Lohi paused, asking if she had truly spoken to Szeto, and Yangchen took off, annoyed with the confirmation that the Fire Nation was willing to ignore the word of an inexperienced Air Nomad Avatar.[2]
Three days passed until Yangchen returned, due to the time dilation between the physical world and the Spirit World that she had experienced by going to the dwelling place of the phoenix-eels spirits. The earl had the decency to personally wait for her return, and informed her how much time had passed when she asked what had happened. She declared that the children would be released from their illness if more conditions were met. Lohi was greatly relieved at first, until he learned that the Saowon would not be able to regrow their hair for fifty years, or precisely five hundred moons. She went on to list other terms, that they would take on several taboos that would prove to be inconveniences, hits to their coffers, or quirks of behavior that would exclude them from Fire Nation rituals and celebrations. Lohi was in disbelief, despairing that they would be excluded at court and humiliated for a generation, forgetting what had happened to the children. Yangchen stated that she had done nothing to do this, but the deal was the result of the clan's actions, and warned her of what a twice-betrayed spirit would do if they dared to violate the agreement again. He asked Yangchen to forgive him, saying it was simply unbearable to think about the Saowon being diminished. At this, Yangchen repeated a saying of Szeto, telling him to "hold onto the sesame" after "losing the melon", encouraging them to rise again one day in the future. Lohi then said he would talk to the clan leaders, even though it would be the most difficult task of his life. Yangchen then asked to be shown to her bison, and left to return to Jonduri.[3]
Around six months later, Yangchen heard from Chaisee that the Saowon were refortifying their old strongholds about Ma'inka, readying for long-term conflicts much further in the future. Yangchen supposed that Lohi would have told her that they were not breaking her rules, even though they were yet again seeking new advantages for themselves instead of simply living under the new agreement.[4]
Relatives[]
- Duke Zolian (cousin)
Appearances[]
Chronicles of the Avatar[]
The Dawn of Yangchen[]
- 121. "Legitimate Business"
- 122. "The Dispute"
References[]
- ↑ Yee, F. C. (author). (July 19, 2022). Chapter Thirty-Nine, "Honored Guests". The Dawn of Yangchen. Amulet Books.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Yee, F. C. (author). (July 19, 2022). Chapter Twenty-One, "Legitimate Business". The Dawn of Yangchen. Amulet Books.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Yee, F. C. (author). (July 19, 2022). Chapter Twenty-Two, "The Dispute". The Dawn of Yangchen. Amulet Books.
- ↑ Yee, F. C. (author). (July 18, 2023). Chapter Eighteen, "Hooked". The Legacy of Yangchen. Amulet Books.