| By DragonGirl028 | Part of the The Rise of Avatar Singi continuity. |
| "Your people, your cultures, should not even exist in a world that no longer should be home to spirits! It is time for adaptation—a world in which you should wiped out, if not enslaved to do the bidding of those who do not need the spirits in order to live in this world! We have come here today to declare war on your cultures, as well as the Avatar, who by failing to prevent the spirits from entering our world after the closure of the spirit portals, has failed humanity!'" |
| — Maku, speaking for Gaza and himself, declaring war on the proto-Water Tribe, Air Nomads, and Avatar Singi. |
The War of Spirituality was a major global military conflict that lasted for nine years. The struggle was between two Fire Islands warlords—Maku and Gaza—alongside their troops, and the other three world cultures: the proto-Water Tribe, proto-Earth Kingdom, and Air Nomads. The war was initiated by Maku and Gaza, who wished to enslave or kill those of the more spirit-friendly cultures (i.e. the Air Nomads and proto-Water Tribe), belittling their cultures as those that "admire entities that should no longer have anything to do with our world". Additionally, the warlords believed that the Avatar had failed humanity, due to the spirits' ability to transcend into the physical world on the days of and prior to the solstices, despite the closure of the spirit portals by Avatar Wan, and sought to kill Avatar Singi as well.
Initially, the proto-Earth Kingdom remained neutral on the situation, not wanting to get involved in a war that did not target them, as they were simply "lenient" towards the spirits. Upon the siege of Gai Chan in 9,742 BG, however, the proto-Earth Kingdom took up arms and declared war against the Fire Islands warlords. Despite being one of the targets by the warlords, the Air Nomads (sans Avatar Singi and Monk Jamyang) played no actual combatant role in the war, due to their passive nature and theory of non-violence. Additionally, regular citizens of the Fire Islands did not partake in the war due to their fear of the warlords, but voiced their support for those the warlords targeted. The Sun Warriors also voiced their support for the other cultures [to Singi, Jamyang, and Guilin exclusively], but they too stayed out of the war, wanting to dedicate their time to protecting Ran and Shaw from all of the Fire Islands warlords.
Prelude (Before 9,747 BG)
Human/Spirit Relations Before the Era of the Avatar
During the era of Raava, the Spirit Wilds encompassed all regions of the world, and, like its name suggests, was home to the spirits. The spirits were often hostile towards the humans, who, as a result, resided on the backs of lion turtles for protection, only entering the Wilds to gather food, in which they would be granted the element by their respective lion turtle. Among the four cultures, the proto-Air Nomads were the only ones known to have held a respectable relationship with the spirits.[1]
Upon Wan's banishment to the Spirit Wilds in 9,832 BG, he eventually became the first human to co-exist with the spirits in the Wilds. He lived in and protected the grounds of the spirit oasis for two years before setting off to find other lion turtle cities, during which in a series of events (including one battle between humans and spirits which he and Raava failed to defuse), he became the first Avatar.
Human/Spirit Relations During the Era of the Avatar
Wan's Tenure as the Avatar
Upon Wan and Raava's combined defeat of Vaatu, Wan made it his mission to bring peace to the world while acting as the bridge between spirits and humans to avoid another catastrophe. To do so, he ordered all of the spirits to return to the Spirit World, at which point he closed the spirit portals to ensure that no human would be able to physically enter the Spirit World and release Vaatu. The lion turtles declared that the world had entered a new age, and renounced their position as protectors of humanity and no longer granted humans bending. Wars between cultures of respective bending elements ignited, and Wan attempted to mediate them, a quest which he spent the remainder of his life working toward without ever seeing true peace between the different cultures come to fruition.
During Wan's time as the Avatar, humans began to create settlements around the world. Waterbenders that settled in the polar regions began to notice the spirit lights, which they recognized as being peaceful spirits dancing in the sky that lit up the night when the spirits were in balance. Additionally, they served as a reminder to the people of the proto-Water Tribe of their connection to the spirits. Being peaceful in nature, the Air Nomads continued to maintain their respect for the spirits as well. On the days of and prior to the solstices, the line dividing human and spirit realms became blurred to the point where the two worlds could interact freely with each other during that time, enabling spirits to enter the physical world, despite the closure of the spirit portals.
Early Times of Singi's Life
Through her studies, Singi learned much of the era of Raava and only some details regarding the onset of the era of the Avatar. One evening on 9,750 BG, after experiencing a peculiar dream, Singi notes to her parents that she has never seen a spirit, and questions them as to the reason for their disappearance from the physical world. At her parents shock that she does not know of the finer details regarding the establishment of the era of the Avatar, Singi reassures her parents that she will visit Monk Jamyang the next day to get the answers she is looking for. On that day, after a waterbending incident at the settlement's communal well, in addition to confronting Jamyang about her dreams and learning of Wan's rise to become the first Avatar, Singi's identity as the Avatar is established and confirmed by Jamyang.
The Spirit Skirmish at Bianji
In the days approaching the winter solstice of 9,750 BG, the spirits managed to cross over into the physical world, appearing in various places around the globe, including Kunatuk, where Singi, her cranefish Jiefeng, and Jamyang were residing. This was welcomed and delighted by everyone in the settlement, given their cultures' admiration of the spirits, albeit, Singi was still particularly confused as to how the spirits were able to cross over. For the time being, however, she brushed it off and enjoyed the spirits' company, delighted to see them for the first time in her life.
On a day off from waterbending training, Singi traveled southeast of the settlement, landing in a clearing just east of a young, dormant volcano. After walking due east, following a path into a forest, she came upon a man—who was trying to carry a bushel of harvested fruit—being hassled by a spirit. Singi confronted the situation, and offered a single fruit to the spirit, who took it and departed, much to the slight annoyance of the man. Nonetheless, he thanked Singi for ridding him of the spirit, to which he added that "It won't be the last time these spirits cause a ruckus for me and the other residents in my settlement". When Singi asked for clarification, the man told her that at the time of the solstices, the spirits appear in his settlement (known as "Bianji"; pronounced: Bee-en-JEE) occasionally, and end up causing a bit of mayhem—fooling around with people's possessions, eating objects (some edible, some inedible), and generally getting in the way of the residents' lives. Singi stated that there must be some good that comes with the spirits visits, to which the man responded that while it is nice to see the spirits, and they are generally lenient towards them, they can only tolerate so much before tensions simmer.
Early Stages (9,747 BG – 9,743 BG)
Confrontation at Kunatuk
Content to be added...
Middle Stages (9,742 BG – 9,739 BG)
Siege of Gai Chan
Content to be added...
Liberation of Guilin
Content to be added...
Conclusion (9,738 BG)
Endgame
Content to be added...
Aftermath
| Juji's fine. He comes back to life in the end when the doomsday device shifts the polarity of the Earth. Oops. Spoiler. Sorry.
Warning! This page contains spoilers for The Rise of Avatar Singi.
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When the final battle ended, the winning parties collected their bearings and cheered in celebration, having finally won the war. Upon being freed from his earth prison, Gaza was arrested and imprisoned for life for his actions during the war, ending his reign as a warlord.
Singi, Gulin, Gekkō, Dao, Jiefeng, and Qiú immediately rushed to Jamyang's side, and Singi attempted to heal him. What with the grievous wound in Jamyang's stomach being mostly internal, she could not do much to save him. As he laid dying in Singi's arms, Jamyang quietly whispered Wan's name, which caught the group's attention. From Jamyang's perspective, a vision of 39-year-old Wan appeared kneeling above him, thanking him for all that he did in his mission to help bring peace and balance to the world [by mentoring Singi]. Jamyang can only weakly utter "You're welcome..." three times, while Singi called to a seemingly delirious Jamyang as those before him looked at the elder worriedly. Jamyang finally closed his eyes slowly, exhaling his last breath gently, and dying with a smile on his face. The group grieved for the monk, Singi in particular.
A few days after the battle, the city of Gai Chan was liberated, and surviving residents who fled the city were either located within the continent, or returned themselves. A document was also found, written by Gaogui, requesting that Dao succeed him as the leader of the city. A formal inauguration was held, attended by Avatar Singi, Jiefeng, the Gai Chan residents, Dao's immediate family (i.e. his parents and younger brother), and those in the proto-Water Tribe and proto-Earth Kingdom that survived the final battle, and Dao was declared the city leader of Gai Chan.
Later that day, Singi, Gulin, Gekkō, Dao, Jiefeng, and Qiú reached Wan's grave in the field of large earth coins. There, they held a funeral and buried Jamyang in a grave beside Wan's, finally uniting two friends connected by an unbreakable spiritual bond.
Trivia
- The title for the war was coined by Gekkō in his response letter to Singi a few days after the confrontation at his settlement—the first event of the war.
- While non-canon and unfinished, the location of the battle at the fire lion turtle valley used was based on the location depicted in The Journey of Wan article featured on the Avatar Wan Meta tumblr page.
- The valley in which the battle took place not only formerly housed a fire lion turtle, but [the lion turtle] had a city built upon its back ruled by the Chou family, and granted fire to a few noteworthy residents, namely the huntsman, Jaya, and the eventual first Avatar, Wan.
- In addition, the patterning of the fire lion turtle along the battleground signifies not only that a fire lion turtle once resided in the area, but that the area is spiritually significant, allowing the spirits to enter the physical world through the pattern during the solstices. This is similar to an earth lion turtle's pattern being found on the western slope of Mt. Makapu, near the proto-Earth Kingdom settlement of Bianji where the spirit skirmish occurred on the winter solstice of 9,750 BG.
- Furthermore, the water lion turtle's pattern was found on a rock slab close to the shoreline north of the proto-Earth Kingdom city of Gai Chan, where a bloody and violent siege of the city by Maku and Gaza would occur in Spring 9,742 BG. This siege (preceded by the beheading of the city leader, Gaogui, by the two warlords) resulted in the proto-Earth Kingdom joining in the war. Finally, the symbol of the air lion turtle was found along the northwestern fringes of the proto-Earth Kingdom content, just east of the [still being constructed] Western Air Temple in 9,740 BG.
- Coincidentally, the order in which the patterns are shown in the trilogy mimics that of the Avatar Cycle.
- Furthermore, the water lion turtle's pattern was found on a rock slab close to the shoreline north of the proto-Earth Kingdom city of Gai Chan, where a bloody and violent siege of the city by Maku and Gaza would occur in Spring 9,742 BG. This siege (preceded by the beheading of the city leader, Gaogui, by the two warlords) resulted in the proto-Earth Kingdom joining in the war. Finally, the symbol of the air lion turtle was found along the northwestern fringes of the proto-Earth Kingdom content, just east of the [still being constructed] Western Air Temple in 9,740 BG.
- Jamyang's death mirrors that of Wan's—a combination of old age and battle wounds.
- In addition, the author left the 39-year-old Wan's appearance to the dying Jamyang as intentionally left for interpretation. This allows readers to debate as to whether Jamyang's high spirituality allowed him to see Wan's spirit, or if he was simply delusional in his dying breaths, and imagined Wan's form taking place of Singi's as he was dying in her arms.
- Maku's death is a case of irony, in that he is ultimately killed by the very entities which he believed should have nothing to do with the physical world ever since the onset of the era of the Avatar.
- His death is also in reference to "Beginnings, Part 1" and Part 2, in which a spirit who possesses a human's body for too long will result in death for the latter.
- While not directly implied, the author revealed in the Trivia section of the final chapter of the trilogy that Maku was taken to reside in the Fog of Lost Souls, becoming the first human inhabitant of the Spirit World prison.
- Singi being unwilling to kill either Maku or Gaza reflects Aang's unwillingness to kill Phoenix King Ozai near the end of the Hundred Year War.
- In addition, her decision not to kill either warlord as a means to end the war reflects the first piece of wisdom Wan gave her in "Spiritual Workings": "Even more than your physical strength through the elements, rely on your inner strength—for the decisions you make can set the path for not only yourself, but those around you, and ultimately, change the world."
References
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