So'lek

So'lek te Elusa Kiro'itan is a Na'vi and a valued ally of the Resistance in Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora. He is also the protagonist of the comic series Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora: So'lek's Journey.
So'lek is a rarity among Na'vi because he uses human weapons and he has created his own fighting style that combines the hunting techniques of his old clan with RDA technology, making him a very powerful ally.
== Background ==
=== Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora: So'lek's Journey ===
==== Issue 1 — 2154 ====
So'lek was a respected young hunter who came from the Trr'ong clan, which took part in the Battle of Ayram Alusìng of 2154. While he lost his first ikran in the war,According to a conversation that can be heard between So'lek and Eetu during The Sky Breaker DLC, he fought well only to learn that most of his clan had been wiped out and the survivors had been absorbed into other clans.
After the battle, he returns to the ruins of his village (destroyed by the Sky People on their route to the Hallelujah Mountains) and begins to have flashbacks to the prior battle. In the middle of his flashback, he is approached by Txuratrri, a woman from his clan. She also survived the battle, but was fatally injured, so she asks So'lek to help her reunite with Eywa, sensing her impending death. So'lek takes her to the Tree of Voices, and helped her connect with the tree before he also connected.
While connected, Eywa shows So'lek a vision of the fallen members of Trr'ong, led by Hawnutu'un, the founder of the clan, speaking with him personally. Hawnutu'un tells So'lek his story: he himself had participated in a bloody war that plunged him into loneliness and despair, but this led him to follow the the Path of the Promiser. During it, he performed a series of difficult feats and returned to the forest afterward to form the Trr'ong Clan. Hawnutu'un suggests that So'lek might become a hero as legendary as himself in the future, something the young warrior did not dare to believe. He asks Hawnutu'un what he should do, but at that moment the vision ended.
Upon disconnecting, So'lek discovers that Txuratrri had already passed away. He buries her body in the roots of the sacred tree and then began to wonder what to do. Looking at the distant Hallelujah Mountains, he remembers the story of Hawnutu'un and decided to repeat his journey. So, he climbs one of the highest peaks in the mountains, and almost gives up along the way due to another flashback to the battle. High above, he sees flamingo orchids, the same flowers Hawnutu'un spoke of, and looking towards the forest, he sees light coming from the Tree of Souls, realizing that the sacred tree had been saved and the Sky People had been expelled from Pandora. So'lek realizes that the beginning of his journey was very similar to the story of Hawnutu'un, which ultimately convinces him to take on the same quest.
==== Issue 2 — 2158 ====
So'lek has spent the last four years studying and stalking the thanator, attempting to tame one of the creatures as the next step of the Path of the Promiser. However, each attempt he makes ends in failure, with the thanator either chasing him away or forcing him into a confrontation. After many failures, So'lek eventually seeks help from the Anurai Clan.
He is brought into the Anurai camp, which is near a large bone sanctuary, and led to Entok, who will serve as his teacher. Entok takes So'lek to speak with the tsahìk, Tiali. She shows him a flute carved from a thanator tooth and advises him to stay in the present, urging him to stop dwelling on the past and chasing the future. Tiali asks Entok if he believes So'lek is worthy of learning their ways, and though Entok says no, Tiali convinces him to teach So'lek anyway.
Entok chastises So'lek for wanting to learn everything immediately, and tells him that he needs to be more patient. Entok tells So'lek to choose a bone from a pile to make a flute from, and So'lek spends time learning how to craft the flute from Entok. While taking a break, he sees a bone mural made by an Anurai craftsman and notices that Hawnutu'un is depicted in a part of the mural about the story of the first Toruk Makto. He learns that Hawnutu'un is revered by the Anurai as well for breaking rocks to allow water to cool the lava threatening the Tree of Souls.
Weeks pass by, and So'lek continues crafting his flute. One night, he is alone in the wilderness and sees a wounded male thanator about to be attacked by a stronger female thanator. So'lek saves the male thanator and drives off the female, despite more flashbacks to the Battle of Ayram Alusìng. After chasing away the female, So'lek stays with the male thanator and eventually gains his trust through offerings of food and treating his wounds. Entok observes So'lek helping the thanator, and teaches him the music of the bone flute, which calms the thanator enough to be approached. After So'lek learns the song, he is able to bond with the thanator. The bond helps him clear his mind and regain confidence and mental fortitude.
So'lek returns to the Anurai, who congratulate him on his achievement. Tiali offers a place for him with the Anurai, but he tearfully refuses, knowing that he needs to continue the quest given to him by Hawnutu'un. So'lek leaves, thanking Entok for his teaching before he continues on into the wilderness.
==== Issue 3 — 2159 to 2162 ====
In 2159, So'lek arrives in the territory of the Tipani Clan, aiming to complete the next part of his quest: obtaining armor crafted from the shell of the cuirass crab. He first encounters Eykang, an outrider of the Olangi Clan. Eykang tells him that the Tipani are cautious and extremely stealthy, and though they already know he is there, they will not reveal themselves to him unless they deem him worthy to meet them.
By 2160, he is still searching for the Tipani. He has spent the past six months observing the cuirass crabs, trying several strategies to trap one and take its shell, with none being successful. Another year passes, and in 2161 he still has not seen even a glimpse of a Tipani clan member, having been alone in the forest for two years. However, while talking to himself about how futile his quest is, a troop of Tipani warriors emerge from the forest and tell him to follow them. They bring him back to their village, and So'lek tells the gathered warriors about his quest. After a long silence, Rimu speaks up and boldly states that she will teach him.
Rimu begins to teach So'lek the ways of the Tipani, and So'lek is struck by her beauty and skill. Though Rimu offers to simply gather the shells for him, So'lek instead chooses to learn how to do it himself from her. For a year and a half, Rimu continues to teach So'lek and they eventually grow close. In 2162, So'lek believes he is finally ready to gather his own cuirass crab shell, but in a private moment with Rimu, he nearly confesses that he has feelings for her. Rimu, however, stops him, telling him that if he intends to leave the Tipani to continue his quest, she does not want to hear anything beyond whether or not he is ready to collect his own shell.
So'lek chooses to obey what Rimu has told him and goes on to collect a shell for himself. He is successful, cleanly prying a molted shell from the back of a crab, and Rimu gives him a proud smile as he displays the shell to her before she disappears into the trees. So'lek searches for Rimu in vain, and returns to the Tipani camp to find another warrior who teaches him how to fashion the shell into armor. So'lek asks the warrior where Rimu is, and the warrior tells him that if she wants to be seen, she will be seen.
So'lek chooses to leave behind the piece of armor he crafted, knowing he has with him the knowledge to make more. He leaves the Tipani camp to continue his quest, but, after some thinking, states that he may yet return.
==== Issue 4 — 2162 ====
Eight years after the Battle of Ayram Alusìng, So'lek is still on the move, and reaches a territory where viperwolves live. Having traveled most of his path, he feels wiser than before, but he still feels pain, and has terrible dreams about that distant battle. So'lek is worried about what will happen to him when his journey comes to an end. Distracted by his worries, So'lek is harvesting a Shell Fruit, but gets too close to a Poison Breath Spore plant. It spews poisonous spores in his direction, temporarily blinding him.
As So'lek struggles to clear his eyes, he hears laughter and notices that a pair of viperwolves are nearby, ready to attack. Blinded, So'lek puts up a desperate resistance, and although the beasts knock him to the ground, he fights to the end, just as his clan once did. Bleeding, he follows the retreating viperwolves to their lair, hoping to fulfill the last requirement of his journey... but ends up collapsing, exhausted, and finds the spirits of his ancestors surrounding him. Surprised, he asks Hawnutu'un about his unfinished journey... only to wake up in an unknown place, being tended to by a Na'vi woman who welcomes him to the world of the living and asks for his name. She introduces herself as Syanan, and explains that he is with the Tawkami Clan after he nearly died of his wounds.
Even after being given a portion of the healing Sage Mushroom, So'lek felt very weak, and only a week later was he able to sit up. While he regained his strength, Syanan began to show him the local plants, naming each one. She laughed a lot (which even made So'lek think she was a little crazy), but continued to encourage his interest in herbalism, even if he ended up choosing the wrong plants. The rest of the Tawkami treated the stranger very simply, and as an unusual feature of Syanan's hut, and so three months passed. One day, while helping the healer with her affairs, So'lek was caught in the thought that, although he was completely healthy, the idea of continuing the journey had not arisen in his head. Suddenly a Na'vi burst into the cabin, exclaiming that someone needed So'lek and Syanan's help. The entrance to a cave where gatherers searched for Sage Mushroom had filled with stones, and So'lek recognized it as the place where he was heading in search of the viperwolves' lair. Fortunately, after enormous collective efforts, the debris was cleared and Syanan began treating the injured. Thanks to her and So'lek, who helped with the treatment, the three gatherers were saved. That night, So'lek prepared to continue his journey. With a final joke, Syanan and the rest of the Tawkami bid him farewell, and he continued on his way, feeling stronger and more alive than ever.
==== Issue 5 — 2168 ====
So'lek has arrived in the Kinglor Forest in order to fulfill the last part of his quest: seeing the western aurora, which only occurs once every four years. As he stands on the edge of a floating mountain range, he reminisces about his journey, remarking on how foolish he was as a young man to thirst for the glory of war. So'lek has come to realize that there is no glory in war, and he understands that he wasn't ready for the harsh reality of how gruesome and cruel war is to even those who survive it.
Just as So'lek has begun to accept peace once again into his heart, the animals of the forest all burst forth in a panic. The Sky People have returned. Not believing his eyes at first, So'lek gets a closer look at the encroaching fleet and sees that it is not one of his visions. This time, it is real. A Samson ventures close enough to where he is perched for him to leap into the aircraft, swiftly killing everyone on board. However, in the ensuing crash, he is knocked unconscious.
So'lek awakens in a cell, chained by his wrists to the floor, with a breathing mask affixed to his face. In the cell with him is Alexander Tremayne, who is also a prisoner. Alex wakes So'lek and tries to explain to him where they are, but So'lek lashes out, not trusting Alex due to him being a human. Alex asks So'lek if what he'd heard about him bringing down a Samson singlehanded is true, and then urges So'lek to calm down and think about survival. So'lek ignores him, and Alex is dragged away by RDA soldiers. As Alex is dragged off, an RDA officer comes in to speak with So'lek in Na'vi. The officer tells So'lek that humanity's forces cannot be stopped, and So'lek's only choices are to tell him where the Na'vi are encamped, or face an indiscriminate bombing campaign over the entirety of Pandora's forests. So'lek refuses to cooperate, and the officer leaves, saying that So'lek has until morning to reconsider.
A little while later, Alex is thrown back into the cell, bruised from torture. Alex says that they were quick with him because the soldiers wanted to see the aurora. After Alex mentions this, he realizes So'lek is also interested in the aurora and gives him a mirror so that he can still see it from where he is confined, as a window from the other side of the hall would have a clear view. Alex assures So'lek that he doesn't want anything in return, but despite this, So'lek does not take the gift. Alex explains that not all humans are the same, and some are resisting RDA efforts to colonize Pandora. After this explanation, So'lek takes the mirror and is able to see the aurora.
So'lek mournfully laments that he never thought his quest would end with him inside a cell, watching the aurora while chained up. Alex attempts to cheer him up, saying that this is not the end, and asks why the aurora was important to him. Before So'lek responds, an RDA soldier comes to inform Alex that a trial has been held and that he has been found guilty of sedition. The sentence is thirty years in prison on Earth. The soldier takes the mirror from So'lek and Alex attacks him, but gets quickly subdued.
So'lek speculates that Alex may be some kind of RDA trickery, meant to gain his sympathy and trust before breaking his spirit. Alex insists that that is not the case, but So'lek continues to distrust him. Alex tells So'lek that he knows he is going to die if he doesn't do anything, then reveals that he swiped the keys off of the guard when he attacked him earlier. Alex unlocks his own cuffs, and offers the same to So'lek, saying that they need to escape and meet up with the Resistance. So'lek says that he will work with him, but not just to escape. He wants to fight the RDA, destroy the base, and only then will they return to Alex's friends. Alex enthusiastically agrees.
=== Prior to 2169 ===
He eventually made his way to the Western Frontier and settled down on the fringes of Aranahe clan lands. For years, he hunted and trained in the forests. When the RDA returned and began to establish their presence in the area, So'lek celebrated as it was finally a chance for revenge. He hunted small RDA expeditions, picking off soldiers one by one. His activities were noticed by the Resistance and they tried to recruit him. Distrustful at first, So’lek soon teamed up with them for sabotage missions and ambushes. He found opportunities for the vengeance he craved, though he could never quite warm up to the humans. He used them as a tool for his own ends. Still, his desire for revenge shadows his life.
==Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora==
So'lek was present at the RDA facility when the Sarentu awoke from hibernation. He calls them by their clan name, which surprises and moves the protagonist. So'lek explains to them, Teylan, Nor, and Ri'nela that he thought the Sarentu Clan was extinct, but then he learned that Alma Cortez had hibernated her students and that's why they survived. So'lek then helps extract the young Na'vi from the facility, but is injured in a fight with RDA soldiers at the extraction facility. There, the Sarentu finds him and at his request, finds the Archer's Thicket to craft arrows for his bow, as well as a dapophet to heal him. While returning to the extraction facility, they engage in a fight with RDA reinforcements, defending So'lek. After So'lek recovers, when the Sarentu asks him what to do, he tells them to find their own way and that for now they should go to Resistance HQ.
At Resistance HQ, So'lek takes the Sarentu to the rebels' hideout, where they are greeted by Priya Chen. So'lek participates with Priya, Alma, and the remaining Sarentu survivors in a meeting during which John Mercer and Angela Harding's soldiers introduce themselves to the gathered people. Alma points out that their activities pose a particular threat to Pandora, but Priya interrupts them when she notices a drastic increase in pollution in one of the nearby regions. So'lek decides that Sarentu is trustworthy and convinces the others to send them to destroy the RDA site. So'lek bonds with the Sarentu and only they can get him to smile or show a flicker of emotion. He gives the protagonist a songcord he made to commemorate their integration back into the Na'vi ways.
Some time later, the Sarentu and So'lek speak privately again. The protagonist is surprised by So'lek's ability to use human weapons and asks him about it, to which So'lek replies that seeing his loved ones injured by Sky People weapons has taught him enough. He also says that he won't let the human members of the Resistance forget that they come from the RDA. At the end of the conversation, he gives Sarentu a bracelet with a bead that he made for them, noting how important songcords are to all Na'vi.
The Sarentu and So'lek next find themselves at a Resistance research station, where an RDA attack occurred that left several Resistance members injured. So'lek gives the Sarentu another gift, this time a staff sling, a specific long-range weapon. Looking around the burning station, he announces that he is going to a nearby refinery to distract RDA reinforcements and asks the Sarentu to protect the wounded.
Thereafter, So'lek appears quite episodically, participating in war councils or providing advice before subsequent fights against the RDA and while convincing later clans to join the Resistance. After Sarentu gained the favor of Ka'nat, the leader of Aranahe Clan, So'lek was present outside the Resistance headquarters when Nesim, the leader of Zeswa Clan, visited him. He exchanged pleasantries with her, and when Ri'nela wanted to go find Alma to consult her about a diplomatic visit to Clan Zeswa, So'lek stopped her, encouraging her to express her own opinion.
When Sarentu arrived at his new Resistance hideout after the great victory at the mining facility, their shared celebration, and the destruction of the Resistance headquarters, So'lek was the first to welcome him there. He drew attention to the alarming behavior of Nor, who, in his opinion, is blinded by pain and hatred towards the Sky People. On the eve of the final battle against Mercer, So'lek and Ri'nela analyzed the plans for Drill base Omega provided by Teylan and then held a briefing with the protagonist. As he flew towards the base, So'lek informed him of the current situation regarding the participation of individual allied clans in the battle.
==Trivia==
*One of So'lek's favorite foods is steamed stormglider buns, revealed in the blurb about the recipe.
*Before it was revealed that he was from the Trr’ong clan, So’lek was thought to be from the Olangi clan.
*So’lek has scarring on the left side of his face. The scarring was not visible in the first issue of So’lek’s Journey, but the scars are visible and relatively fresh on the sixth page of the second issue, making it likely that he received these scars from a thanator.
==Notable Quotes==
==References==
pl:So'lek
ru:Со’лек
Category:Games Characters
Category:Comics Characters
Category:Na'vi
Category:Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora
Category:The Resistance