Thread: AVATAR: An Icy Burn-Out (BennyQ/Sketchyequine)

Water. Earth. Fire. Air. Long ago, the four nations lived together in harmony. Then everything changed when the Fire Nation attacked. Only the Avatar, master of all four elements, could stop them. But when the world needed him mosthe vanished. A hundred years have passed and the Fire Nation is nearing victory in the War. In the Southern Water Tribe, the men of one tribe journey to join their brethren in battle at the North Pole. Hope for total victory is forlorn, though the warriors are adamant in their resolve, for none wish to live upon their knees when they can die a warriors death upon their feet. It is still believed that the Avatar will return to save the world. But until then, the fate rests in the hands of ordinary men and women, benders and warriors alike. The trio of ships, blue sails and wooden hulls, cruised swiftly through the clear waters. Each carried a complement of some thirty to forty warriors, armed with spear, club, and arrow, though there were two or three per ship who knew the art of Water Bending. They wore heavy furs of black or dyed blue, showcasing their allegiances proudly, and many had caps and helms in the shape of sea-beasts, their husks and teeth forming cheek-guards. Each warrior burned with the urge for battle, their lands and tribe having suffered at the hands of the Fire Nation from their relentless raids. By conjoining with their kin at the North Pole, perhaps they would have a chance to return such fury to their foes. That is, if the enemy had not found them first. A clear sky it was, as blue as the deep waters around, and that should have been enough to conceal the small fleet as it crossed the world to reach their allies. But not all ports were safe in the Earth Kingdom, where they stopped for supply and rest at times. Though their allies still seemed to hold sway over some regions, opposing the armies of the Fire Nation as best they can, spies and informants still got through. Cruelly, it was often those forced to do so who should have been their allies, having some relative or friend in a Fire Nation prison camp. Falsely promised their freedom, or for the mere greed of coin, many served their oppressive tyrants. The reinforcing fleet was marked and was soon swallowed into a trap. It was made evident to the warriors on the ship when blackened soot began to fall. They all knew it well. Laughter ceased. Music stopped. Men dropped oars and grabbed their weapons. Soot always fell before the Fire Nation, in their metal ships spewing ash into the air, would attack. They had tried to take the war to their enemies. Now that war had come to them again. And they were far from their element. The sun was sinking and there would be no Moon that night, the source of all water-benders powers. But all were resolved to fight. Despite the sea being their element, they were clearly outmatched, for soon many vessels were spotted off their stern and bow, on a fast course to intercept. The only choice was to dip towards the land and perhaps find a suitable location to defend and repel the attackers, perhaps some high ground, for there were great cliffs that lined the shore to their right. So the Water Tribe ships dipped towards it, presenting their flanks to the advancing ships. They had no idea what was in store for them when they would land. If they had to abandon the ships, that was fine. It was decided they could seek to redress their wrongs by joining the Earth Kingdom instead. Rikkar rubbed his hands together and brought them before his mouth, huffing slightly. Despite it being a warm day, even in late evening, his breath came out like a puff of fog, as it might during winter, perpetually so in his home. His mind he focused with incantations, fluidly and flowing like passing water back and forth with one of the elders who had taught him and the others. He was one of the few Water Benders in the fleet, practiced and quite sharp, though not as battle-tried as he ought to be. He was still young, nineteen years, and had participated in a few defenses of his home. But that was only against raiders and cheap banditry level troops on part of the Fire Nation. But each boosted his courage and confidence for battle and he was indeed good, fighting off one or two Fire Benders in his lifetime. His parents did not like it though. Displays of water-bending, even to repel Fire Nation warriors, only seemed to draw them back. It was not known to the Southern Water Tribe that the eradication of the art of water-bending was their goal. Rikkar had a large target on his back, whether he knew it or not. Their tribe was a small one. Most water-benders had gone to the main settlement and thus with the convoys of warriors sent in earlier times, leaving few to teach the art. His training had not been completed and he was still rough around the edges. Now all the men of his tribe were here, while those who could not fight were sent to join the main village at the South Pole. If they did not return No, they had to return, otherwise they would die out. Just like the Air Nomads. Move it! Take cover behind those rocks! Chieftain Hiddock shouted, using his club to point and gesture. The rest of you, set up a camp there. Well use it to draw them in and hit them on three sides. He said and the men hurried began to unpack and move about. Rikkar moved up with a dozen others armed with spear and boomerang, taking cover behind some large boulders out of sight of the sea. The Fire Nation ships would be upon them soon. Hopefully they took the bait. Or perhaps they were entrapped themselves. Water benders had one disadvantage though. Next to the water, they had unlimited access to their bending. Without water, they were useless. And there was much land and solid stone where there wasnt water, whereas the Fire Benders could produce it from their very bodies. Thankfully, Rikkar carried a flask at his side, filled to the brim with water, which provided on-the-go means to bend if he had to. But would it be enough? Steam he could recover into liquid form and into ice or from ice he could manipulate. He waited as the Fire Nation ships approached, already seeing the fires being ignited behind their artillery bastions. Those on the shore would be under severe bombardment very soon. Spirits guide us. Rikkar murmured and prepared to give battle. Last edited Jun 23, 2018