Jialun

Jialun was an Earth King who reigned during the era of Roku. Jialun was a cruel man who cared little about his people, and very much for maintaining power. Under his reign, the Earth Sages were dissolved in the Night of Silenced Sages, and the government began to foment xenophobic hate for the other nations and internal squabbling.Avatar Legends: The Roleplaying Game. Core Book, Version 1.0, 2022, p. 54.
== History ==
=== Cementing power ===
In the previous era of the Avatar, Kyoshi had shaped bureaucratic policies to aid the poorest of the kingdom, strengthened ties between the disparate states, and drafted a consitution with the 46th Earth King. Although Kyoshi had passed away, the peace and prosperity from her Era was maintained by the Earth Sages, who had regained the trust of the people and had a reputation as wise advisors and academics. They were confident in speaking out against the Earth King, and criticized Jialun when he began to twist the kingdom's constitution for his own benefit.
In response, the Earth King orchestrated the Night of Silenced Sages, and had the Dai Li arrest every single Earth Sage. The temples were closed, and those who searched for the sages ended up disappearing. Eventually, the temples reopened as Royal Learning Halls, with any remaining sages becoming Grand Lectors, tightly controlled by the crown and forced to never speak of the sages again. Avatar Roku was still a young man at this time, who had only begun his journey to master the four elements, and was in no position to respond to such an event at the time.Avatar Legends: The Roleplaying Game. Core Book, Version 1.0, 2022, p. 46. Jialun succeeded in quashing organized outspoken internal opposition, though his actions attracted the ire of many sympathetic to the sages, including Queen Guo Xun of Omashu. A bitter rivalry thus began to erupt between Ba Sing Se and Omashu: both monarchs had spies in each other's courts, and both throne rooms became vipers' nests.Avatar Legends: The Roleplaying Game. Core Book, Version 1.0, 2022, p. 55.
Following the purge, he manipulated the political system to his benefit, and portrayed himself as incompetent, which was entirely to his design. Around the same time as the purge, the Earth King was competing with the Fire Nation over territory, most importantly a remote island holding a secret. Jialun's moves provoked a covert mission by Avatar Roku despite the latter's inexperience.
=== International conflicts and internal conflict ===
Years later, following Fire Lord Sozin's coronation, the Earth Kingdom was increasingly suffering under Jialun's greed. He maintained power by fomenting xenophobia and internal struggles so that the peasants had something other to hate than him. He kept his people subjugated and ruthlessly removed any opposition to his rule, all from an appearance of weakness. The king manipulated events so that the people were focused on threats from the outside rather than within. Technological advancement began to stagnate, as any new technology was seized by the crown and gifted out to vassals as the Earth King saw fit.
The kingdom was beset by many issues during these years. In the north, a massive tsunami struck the northern coast of the State of Chenbao, and many locals blamed the Northern Water Tribe. Avatar Roku was forced to intervene before the conflict escalated into an all-out war.Avatar Legends: The Roleplaying Game. Core Book, Version 1.0, 2022, p. 46. Jialun still attempted to undermine the Water Tribes for his own benefit, and sent spies into the North to attempt to have the North to act unilaterally without agreement from the South, hoping to force a wedge between the two tribes. In the south, a number of floods devastated small towns and infrastructure. Instead of providing aid, the Earth King offered the citizens affected by the floods military aid in exchange for work fortifying the Outer Wall of Ba Sing Se. Many accepted the offer with no other choice, other than the charity of some Air Nomads from the Southern Air Temple. In the Mo Ce Sea, the Fire Nation claimed the territory of Natsuo Island, previously unclaimed, after a large amount of ore was discovered there. The Earth King sent military training vessels to the region, hoping to goad Fire Lord Sozin into making the first move.
Jialun did face opposition during his reign from certain groups. The folk hero known as Langzi rose to the top of the Dai Li's most wanted list when he began to challenge the corrupt government. Tiqriganiannig of the Southern Water Tribe also financially funded certain "freedom fighter" groups hoping to unseat the Earth King.Avatar Legends: The Roleplaying Game. Core Book, Version 1.0, 2022, p. 52.
=== Legacy ===
Though he had succeeded in regaining immense power for the monarchy through his schemes, Jialun's concentration of power did not survive him. His heirs did not possess his same cunning, and the appearance of weakness became true weakness. With the constitution gutted, the Earth Kingdom's leadership divided, and the next monarchs far less capable, Jialun's system of informal power passed from the monarchy to the bureaucrats and the Dai Li. These would grow so powerful and corrupt as to eventually usurp the Earth Monarchs' remaining influence during the Conspiracy of Ba Sing Se.
== Personality ==
Jialun was a petty, cruel, and calculating man. He did not care at all for his people, and actively worked to undo the advances that Kyoshi and the Earth Sages had made to uplift the poor, and to maintain peace across the Earth Kingdom.
== Abilities ==
Jialun was an exceedingly calculating politician. He often faked incompetence and was underestimated because of the bureaucratic nature of the Earth Kingdom. To outsiders, he was a ruler trapped in the binds of an ineffective system which failed to empower people, but Jialun knew that he was the spider spinning the web.
Jialun was an earthbender, and sought to personally advance his skill by learning advanced techniques from the Avatar's earthbending master, Sud.
== Relatives ==
== Appearances ==
=== Avatar Legends: The Roleplaying Game ===
* Core Book
== References ==
pl:Jialun
Category:A to Z
Category:Avatar Legends: The Roleplaying Game characters
Category:Characters
Category:Earthbenders
Category:Earth Kingdom characters
Category:Earth Monarchs
Category:Hou-Ting dynasty
Category:Minor characters (Avatar Legends: The Roleplaying Game)