| By BlackMonkey | Part of the The Avatar Rhythm continuity. |
| WARNING: This character page contains various major and minor spoilers for The Avatar Rhythm. If you have not read The Avatar Rhythm and wish to at some point, do not read this page. |
| "I've never loved the rebels like you, always getting in the way of things. Let fate play out as it would without trouble and you won't have trouble either. That's my philosophy." |
| — Markale talking to Shirou in Tax Day |
Markale is a major antagonist of The Avatar Rhythm.
History[]
Early Life[]
Not much is known about Markale growing up. He and his family grew up in the northern mountains of the Earth Kingdom, where his grandfather collected their village's taxes to deliver to the officials when they arrived. His business soon stretched out from being just for his village to all the neighboring villages, and The Procession, at first just a family business that Markale helped out with, was created. Soon The Procession was assigned to collecting the taxes for all towns north of Ba Sing Se, and later, for the whole Earth Kingdom.
Assuming Control[]
When Markale's elders passed away, he was left in charge of The Procession, and had "his own plans for world success". Around this time, the Fire Nation was having fierce revolts, and Markale volunteered to help collect taxes for Fire Lord Taro. In time the rebellion ended because of The Procession. Later, he also was hired to assist the New Air Nomads, who were trying reestablish their nation and race. Soon The Procession was being praised and employed everywhere, and Markale, surrounded by money, started using the taxes he collected for other things than to give to the governments he worked for, including his own plans and paying those who assisted him. Eventually Markale transformed The Procession from a kind organization that helped other regions collect their taxes to a vicious league of soldiers who demanded citizen's money at all costs. He had created a military, which he planned on using if necessary.
At the North Pole[]
A Disrupted Arrival[]
The Northern Water Tribe was the latest and final area to request The Procession's help collecting taxes. About six months after starting their work, Markale himself journeyed to the North Pole in the same airship that Shirou and Shinji were hiding stowaway in. When the airship landed, Shirou and Shinji attacked multiple Procession officers, destroyed parts of the airship's equipment, and successfully escaped, disabling Markale and the rest of The Procession from docking. He ordered that they go back to the Earth Kingdom to get ready, and asked for a message to be sent to the Northern Water Tribe, asking for Shirou, alive.
Hunting Down Shirou[]
Markale successfully returned to the Northern Water Tribe and started a search for Shirou, hoping to punish him for throwing The Procession in debt by dumping the eleven hundred coins into the ocean at The Procession's Western Headquarters.
He was soon called by Chief Riku to discuss the operation to find Shirou. Riku told him to stop looking for his son, as family was his responsibility, not The Procession's. Markale refused, and although the chief threatened him with firing The Procession from the North Pole, Markale reminded him that they needed them to collect their taxes, and without them the Northern Water Tribe's economy would collapse, forcing Riku to allow them to continue hunting down Shirou.
During the Battle at Glacier Cove, one of The Procession's airships landed in the middle of the siege and under Markale's command, began to look for Shirou, contributing to the chaos of the siege. At the end of the battle, due to Shinji's betrayal, The Procession were able to successfully capture Shirou.
Confrontation[]
Apprehended, Shirou was put into a cell in The Procession's Northern Headquarters. Markale, who was stationed there, ordered to see Shirou, and discussed The Procession with him. In the debate, he told Shirou the history of the tax collecting group and how it came to be what it was now. Shirou was uncooperative and Markale made a deal; that he handed over the eleven hundred coins he owed or The Procession would execute anyone who chose not to pay their taxes from then on. Shirou was horrified at the idea, but because he couldn't pay the debt, Markale confirmed that he would begin the cruel operation, starting with the poor Northern Water Tribe village of Blizzard Point. However, Markale became very agitated when Akio rescued Shirou from the Northern Headquarters that night.
Siege on Blizzard Point[]
Markale traveled with The Procession on their way to Blizzard Point to collect the taxes there, with the "Kill those who do not pay" rule now initiated. When he discovered Shirou was also at the town hoping to protect it from The Procession, he decided to hunt him down and duel him alone. Markale found Shirou having just saved a man at the village's bank from a tax collector, who he killed himself, and then challenged Shirou. They dueled at the bank, and ended up climbing to the top of the Blizzard Point watchtower, where Shirou declared himself as a member of the Royal Family, a commander of the Northern Water Tribe, and fires Markale and The Procession. As this happens, the Glacier Cove military arrives and begins to shoot metal spears at them in hopes to kill the commissioner, however, they miss and hit the watchtower, which falls to pieces and sends them both to the ground.
Markale, badly injured, was brought to hospital afterwards, where he was healed and given the official news that The Procession would be permanently leaving the North Pole. Defeated, Markale retreated back to the Earth Kingdom where he still planned to continue his new horrific rule for collecting taxes.
Returning to the Earth Kingdom[]
Tax Day at Jade Glen[]
One of Markale's significant appearances in the Earth Kingdom was at Jade Glen's tax day, when he arrived while Shirou and Shinji were also staying with Kaede, a woman from that village. He was asked to oversee the collecting of the taxes himself as Jade Glen had a reputation for not paying them, as a very small and poor town. They were instructed under the new Procession rule to kill any citizen who didn't pay their taxes. When they came to Kaede's house, where she, Shinji, Akata, and Akata's mother were staying in, (Shirou was hiding in the forested mountains,) they only gave three gold coins, not knowing that Akata, although a child, also had to pay. When they realized that The Procession was going to execute Akata for paying no taxes, his mother stepped in, gave her son her coin, and offered to be taken instead. When Akata resisted, Markale stepped in, resulting in a short battle between the two. Eventually, after showing too much struggle, Markale thrust Akata into a nearby wall, knocking him out cold. However, before he could leave, Shirou appeared and intervened, confronting Markale. The commissioner, instead of trying to put up a fight, just had his tax collectors immobilize Shirou and take him captive.
Later that day, Markale brought Shirou to The Procession's Execution Room, where he was to witness Akata's mother's death first hand. Shirou pleaded for him to give her a chance, insulting him for killing a mother and separating a family forever just to earn more money. Markale gave Shirou the chance to end the executing and stop all of it if he could give The Procession the eleven hundred coins he owed them, but because he had nothing, Markale continued with the operation, killing Akata's mother. Afterwards, he sent Shirou back to Jade Glen.
Personality[]
Markale is a generally cruel individual, who will do whatever it takes to get money with The Procession. He uses threats, blackmails, and intimidation to bully others into doing what he wants. Markale doesn't get angry often, when others criticize or try to attack him, instead of loosing his temper and fighting back, he keeps his cool and cleverly threatens them with taking something of important value that he can manipulate, money, family, or a government's stability, for example, and puts them into a position where they are forced to give in without any fighting involved. He is more effective in a struggle with words and well thought plans, rather than weapons and bending like most villains. Some see this method clever, while other's think of it as cowardly.
Abilities[]
Earthbending[]
Markale is seen to be a powerful earthbender, however, he usually has members of The Procession do his work for him when possible. The most prominent event that he was seen bending in was during Tax Day, when he led The Procession to Blizzard Point to collect their taxes and was met by Shirou, who was defending the small village. Markale and Shirou had a duel in the Blizzard Point bank, which led up to the watchtower at the top of the building. Markale used advanced earthbending tactics, including being able to skillfully manipulate rock without the use of his arms or legs, shown when he moved Shirou's dagger in the air through the stone on its bottom while climbing a ladder, by means of shaking his head back and forth.
Leadership[]
Markale has also been seen to be a very charismatic leader, as The Procession follows his orders without second thoughts. He is very intelligent, and thinks his plans through to a high level. Through this, he has gained respect and trust from his fellow tax collectors and fear from the rest of the world, which end up giving him power over much of the world's economics. He handles this power well, however when needed he isn't afraid to threaten throwing the world's financial state out of balance or kill someone of authority to manipulate others into doing what he wishes. He is a frequent blackmailer and very clever, and with all of his followers behind his back, is very hard to outwit.
Appearances[]
Book 3: The Water Saga[]
Book 4: The Earth Saga[]
Trivia[]
- The name Markale has no meaning in another language - it was created by BlackMonkey originally as an idea for the name of a villain in Omar067's first fanon, however, was not used in the final project and instead recycled for the leader of The Procession by BlackMonkey.
- Markale is slightly based on Colonel Muska from Hayao Miyazaki's Laputa: Castle in the Sky. The showdown between Markale and Shirou on the watchtower of Blizzard Point also resembles the ending of that film.
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| The Avatar Rhythm Characters | |
|---|---|
| Asaki - Hotaru - Markale - Shinji - Shirou - Takumi | |