| By Avatar Kuruk 1 | Part of the Avatar: Centennial Embers continuity. |
Xin Lu is an Earth Kingdom town visited by Team Avatar in Avatar: Centennial Embers, and the first new location in the series.
History[]
Ancient History[]
Xin Lu is a small village that was established approximately 250 years before the War. It was founded by Chin the Conqueror, during his conquest of the Earth Kingdom, as a small military outpost to defend his territory. At the time of its establishment, around two dozen troops would be stationed there at any one time, along with their families. However, due to its remote location, the base never saw much action, and was eventually given up by Chin several years before his defeat at the hands of Avatar Kyoshi.
In the years following Chin's defeat several of the soldiers who had been stationed there returned to make it their home. For several decades, they and their families lived their peacefully, with little correspondence with the outside world. After time, however, the inhabitants realized that they would not be able to be self-sufficient as they grew older, so they abandoned the town and went to live in Ba Sing Se.
After Kyoshi ended the peasant uprising in Ba Sing Se, some of the participants in the rebellion were still not satisfied with the result. Among them were some of Xin Lu's original inhabitants. Suggesting Xin Lu as an alternative to Ba Sing Se, they and a group of new settlers returned to the little village. Gradually, news spread around the Earth Kingdom about the little town, and although it never became widely known, it was well-known enough for several immigrations from larger cities to occur throughout its history. Over time and several generations, the military history of Xin Lin was forgotten, and it became known as a quiet village for those wanting to escape city life.
Modern History[]
Two years before the end of the War, Xin Lu was attacked and captured by the Fire Nation. Half of the town was burned down, and the citizens were threatened to surrender or else the rest would be burned down as well. For the next two years, the Fire Nation took what ever they wanted from Xin Lu and its citizens without a second though.
In the closing months of the War, Xin Lu was one of the colonies that General Jin Yu seized control of through his corrupt unit of soldiers. When the War finally ended, the citizens were outraged to find that they were not going to regain control of their town, but instead, it would remain occupied by the Fire Nation, under Jin Yu's leadership.
When Team Avatar arrived in Xin Lu, they discovered the town's unjust fate. At the time, an airship under the command of Captain Chan was making a stop in the town. Aang attacked the ship in an attempt to liberate the village, however the resulting conflict worsened the situation. The Fire Nation was eventually driven off, but not until after a battle that burned the nearby forest and flooded the town.
Xin Lu was left in ruins after the battle there.
Xin Lu is currently faced with the task of recovering and rebuilding from the calamity of its recent history.
Geography[]
Xin Lu is located in the Northern Earth Kingdom, just to the south of the northern mountain range. It a small village tucked away between a large forest and a small section of a river. Although it is within a two-day hike to several other towns, it is considered isolated due to its size and location within the forest, in addition to the fact that it is not along any major routes of travel.
Culture[]
Xin Lu, being a very small town has a self-sufficient, independent culture. Although it likes to stay connected with and informed about the outside world, most of its resources come from its immediate area. It does not trade with other towns very often, and finds most of its citizens diets consist of fish and fruits found in the surrounding environment.
Trivia[]
- Xin Lu's population has hovered at around 50 in recent years.
- Xin Lu is the first new location in Avatar: Centennial Embers, and as such, its name means "new road".
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