Night of Silenced Sages

The Night of Silenced Sages was the name given to the mass purge of the Earth Sages by Earth King Jialun and the Dai Li in response to the sages speaking out against the king's actions. After the purge, the order of sages was completely abolished. The few sages who remained chose to comply with the government and became Grand Lectors, with the temples being reopened as Royal Learning Halls.
== History ==
=== Prelude ===
In the childhood of Avatar Kyoshi, the Earth Sages were a politically powerful but corrupt spiritual order, which had much influence over the affairs of the Earth Kingdom. After the poisoning at the Avatar mansion, when Kyoshi had not yet been revealed as the true Avatar, the sages were weakened and had the opportunity to reform. During the long and stable lifetime of Kyoshi, the sages began to regain the trust they had lost. They supported the constitution drafted by Kyoshi and the 46th Earth King, and followed the Avatar's endeavors to build ties between Earth Kingdom states to implement policies that would better the lives of the poorest in society.
After Kyoshi's death, the sages upheld the peace that the Avatar had maintained. They had fully regained their respected reputations as wise advisors and scholars, and lectured on how policies should benefit the poorest in society. They had no qualms speaking out against corruption, and criticized Earth King Jialun when he began to make changes to the constitution that his predecessor had drafted with the Avatar.Avatar Legends: The Roleplaying Game. Core Book, Version 1.0, 2022, p. 46.Avatar Legends: The Roleplaying Game. Core Book, Version 1.0, 2022, p. 54.
=== The Night of Silenced Sages ===
In response to the opposition of the Earth Sages, Earth King Jialun orchestrated the Night of Silenced Sages. In a single night, the king had the Dai Li round up every single sage. At the time, Avatar Roku was known to the world, but was still a young man who had just set out on his quest to master the four elements, and was in no position to challenge the Earth King.
The temples of the Earth Sages closed and those who dared to look for the sages also disappeared. Within a week, the people learned to remain silent about the sages, though some remained sympathetic to the memory of the sages and their ideals.
=== Aftermath ===
Eventually, the temples of the sages reopened, renamed as Royal Learning Halls, which were heavily monitored by the crown. Some Earth Sages would resurface as Grand Lectors, tightly controlled by the government. Willow was one such sage who chose to become a Grand Lector instead of perishing with her order. The "flighty" lectors were often viewed as traitors by those who sympathized with the sages, though Willow wished to preserve the traditions and knowledge of the sages, and hoped for a day when the order could be resurrected. Meanwhile, the crown was left without almost any outspoken internal opposition.Avatar Legends: The Roleplaying Game. Core Book, Version 1.0, 2022, p. 55. In response, Queen Guo Xun of Omashu developed a deep disdain for the actions of the crown, and organized Omashu and its diplomats to undermine the government.
== References ==
== See also ==
* Conspiracy of Ba Sing Se
* Dai Li
Category:A to Z
Category:Ba Sing Se
Category:Earth Kingdom
Category:Earth Sages
Category:Events