Thapa

Thapa was a firebender who became one of the earliest combustionbenders in recorded history, and was planned to be used by the shang merchants as a human weapon in order to break free of the authority of the four nations.
== History ==
Thapa was one of many chosen to develop an extremely dangerous firebending technique in order to be used by the shang merchants as a human weapon in the Unanimity project. The experimentation that led him to develop combustionbending was made possible due to the research of Zongdu Chaisee of Jonduri. Many others did not survive the ordeal and drowned in the process. Aside from Thapa, only two others survived: Yingsu and Xiaoyun.
When Unanimity was dispatched from Jonduri to Bin-Er, the three combustionbenders boarded the Queen of Omashu, a ponderous five-masted junk. During the voyage, they guarded three large wooden boxes that were carrying rocks, which acted for a decoy to those that thought Unanimity would be an actual object. They were very tight-lipped to other crew members, such as Kavik. They ate twice as much as everyone else to preserve their energy and their strength, and slept in shifts. Once the ship arrived, Kavik saw that the crates were full of chopped seal blanks, and realized that the benders were in fact Unanimity itself.
During the display of Unanimity's power that Zongdu Henshe had planned, Xiaoyun and Yingsu were posted in separate apartments deeper inside Bin-Er, while Thapa stayed by the zongdu's side, as his blasts were the most powerful of the three combustionbenders. He stood near a window in the outskirts of city to keep the Earth King's forces at bay, and Henshe had to carry trays of buns and dumplings to Henshe so that he could quickly regain his physical energy after using his bending. When Thapa sensed movement, he fired a warning shot, with a seed of fire quickly erupting into an inferno. The movement stopped, and Thapa had the Earth Kingdom scout brigade penned into a tree line. He suggested blowing apart the ground on occasion to make earthbenders tunnel into the city if they were fearful of cave-ins.
When Thapa took a break to eat, he discussed parts of how he came by his power to Henshe, speaking a little of his tormentous training. He then directed the conversation to payment, telling Henshe that the situation had changed since they last bargained. Thapa knew that Henshe was hanging on by his fingernails, and that everything had been one big demonstration of power. He then went on to say that this meant that it was him, Yingsu, and Xiaoyun who now controlled whether Bin-Er was open for business, rather than the shangs, and their value had taken a leap sky-ward. Thapa demanded a payment twenty times the original sum, causing Henshe to panic. Thapa knew his leverage was lost, telling him that Henshe no longer held any tiles in the game, as he had played them all. While Henshe agreed, he told Thapa that the threat was ambiguous to the people of the city, as no one had been killed. He encouraged Thapa to demonstrate his true power by drawing some blood, and Thapa began to aim for the homes of the Water Tribe Quarter. Thapa prepared for a huge explosion, taking thirty breaths, which would almost completely obliterate the district. He took several more breaths, with Henshe wondering what was going on, and Thapa explained he could not get enough air. He quickly fell unconscious, as Avatar Yangchen had been able to raid the area, removing the air from the room but returning it in enough time to keep Thapa alive. Akuudan seized Henshe, and the group went on to take down Yingsu, bringing an end to the Unanimity project.
As Yangchen could not expose the truth behind Unanimity to the Earth Kingdom, she had the three combustionbenders contained in plots of land along the mountains of the Northern Air Temple, and made monks renowned for their martial prowess watch over them. After meeting with Earth King Feishan in Ba Sing Se, she came to the hamlet where Thapa was being held. He was gardening as she found him, telling her that he had been given some mountain flower seeds that did well in winter, wondering if he would see them bloom, wondering how long he would remain where he was. Yangchen told him that it depended on if he was willing to answer her questions, but Thapa said he was not willing to share yet, saying that he had enjoy his little "vacation", as rich people paid a lot for the kind of setup that he had. Yangchen had come to realize that the combustionbenders were not mere pawns, but players in their own right in the game of politics. The Avatar told him to let her know if he changed his mind, telling him he may stay until summer. This horrified Abbot Sonam, who feared that the monks would be corrupted by the desire to hold dominion over another human being if he was confined to the temple for that long.
== Physical description ==
Thapa was a tall and powerfully built man. He had golden eyes that were often only found in the Fire Nation, and was distinguished from Xiaoyun by his distinctive long ears.
== Appearances ==
=== Chronicles of the Avatar ===
==== The Dawn of Yangchen ====
== References ==
Category:A to Z
Category:Characters
Category:Combustionbenders
Category:Firebenders
Category:Fire Nation characters
Category:Major characters (Yangchen novels)
Category:Neutral characters
Category:Yangchen novels characters