Mission to the Glacial Temple

In late 99 AG, a Fire Nation military expedition under Commander Mamushi embarked on a mission to the Glacial Temple, an ancient ruin in the South Pole region. The operation was officially intended to aid the Fire Nation's efforts to win the Hundred Year War, but actually served Mamushi's personal goals.
At the temple ruins, the Fire Nation troops were confronted by a band of pirates under Kiwaq who sought treasures, resulting in a series of violent clashes. Even as Mamushi abandoned her subordinates to achieve her own goals, a Fire Army unit led by Gyaku and aided by Wen the archaeologist managed to repeatedly fend off the raiders. Betrayed by their commander, Gyaku, Wen, and their forces subsequently began to investigate Mamushi's plans.
== Background ==
The exact origin of the Glacial Temple is unclear, but the structure was seemingly older than the Southern Water Tribe and contained great treasures as well as relics. In the early era of Avatar Kyoshi, the ruined temple was discovered by Fifth Nation pirate Taliriktug. He was never able to plunder the location, but wrote about its location in his journal. This text survived the passage of time, and was acquired by Fan during the late Hundred Year War. At this point, at least two individuals were seeking the Glacial Temple: Kiwaq, a pirate and purported descendant of the Fifth Nation corsairs; and Mamushi, a Fire Navy officer with secret motives.
Meanwhile, Fan agreed to trade Taliriktug's book to Wen, an Earth Kingdom archaeologist interested in ancient relics, but their transaction was interrupted by Fire Army soldiers under Sergeant Gyaku. Fan fled, but Wen and the journal were captured by the troops. Gyaku's unit acted on Mamushi's orders who had somehow learned of the transaction and wanted to intercept Taliriktug's journal to further her quest for the Glacial Temple. The sergeant decided to deliver both the archaeologist as well as the book to her superior; Gyaku's unit subsequently travelled to Mamushi's camp in the eastern South Pole. There, the commander read Taliriktug's text and forcibly conscripted Wen into aiding her operation.
== Mission ==
=== Initial clashes ===
After her troops were prepared, Mamushi led her forces from the South Pole's coast deeper into the interior. Before long, the Fire Nation soldiers discovered that pirates were also in the area, attacking one group but letting them escape. Having deduced that the criminals were also seeking the Glacial Temple and had arrived in the area at an earlier point, Mamushi concluded that they could just follow the fleeing corsairs to reach their target. As she expected, the criminals unknowingly let them to the ruined outskirts of the Glacial Temple, where the corsairs had already begun to collect ancient items and relics.
Mamushi ordered her followers to scour the ruins for any valuable items and to bring them back to the base camp. Wen was intrigued by the ruins and the relics, discovering that they were far older than expected; however, Mamushi actually stopped the researcher as they tried to decipher stone tablets with an obscure script at the site. At the same time, the Fire Nation troops had to fend off several attacks by the pirates who wanted to plunder the ruins themselves. Eventually, some soldiers discovered a pathway into the nearby mountain; Mamushi promptly ordered her troops to search these man-made caves which turned out to be the Glacial Temple's main structure.
=== Inside the Glacial Temple ===
As the Fire Nation forces discovered a large chamber in the mountain, they were again attacked by the pirates. Instead of leading her subordinates, Mamushi promptly left them behind to venture deeper into the temple. Thus, Gyaku's unit was left to fight the corsairs alone, but managed to fend them off. Afterward, Gyaku and Wen discovered that a blizzard was developing outside the temple, thus forcing them to follow Mamushi. Over time, the Fire Army sergeant and archaeologist began to bond, both wondering out the ancient ruins as well as Mamushi's plans. Eventually, they encountered the pirates' main force gathered in another chamber, this time led by Kiwaq in person. The pirate captain revealed that they sought the Glacial Temple's riches, seeing them as rightfully belonging to the successors of Taliriktug and the Fifth Nation. The corsair then split her troops, ordering a smaller contingent to deal with Gyaku as well as Wen, while she left to stop Mamushi.
Against the odds, Gyaku's unit managed to again defeat the corsairs, clearing a way even deeper into the mountain. The troops continued their journey, discovering Mamushi and her guards in a massive chamber with large statues. Regarding their survival as "lucky", the commander promptly ordered Wen to help her unlock a stone door into the temple's treasury. When the researcher hesitated, Mamushi threatened to torture them into cooperation. Wen then agreed to help if the commander could promise that she was not seeking anything which would harm the Earth Kingdom. To Gyaku's shock, Mamushi immediately agreed to these terms, indirectly revealing that her efforts were not connected to the Fire Nation's war efforts. Afterward, Wen unlocked the stone door by solving an ancient puzzle, causing Mamushi to immediately rush into temple's treasury.
At this point, Kiwaq and her pirates entered the large chamber in force, surprising the Fire Nation troops. The criminals demanded that all contents of the treasury should be handed over to them. However, Mamushi rebuffed the corsair leader's demands, causing a battle to erupt. Using firebending to break the temple's ceiling, Mamushi fled with an item from the treasury and left Gyaku's soldiers to hold off the furious pirates. After a hard-fought battle during which Kiwaq even unleashed domesticated owl wolves and snow leopard caribou, Gyaku and her soldiers were triumphant. The corsairs retreated, allowing her, Wen, and the remaining Fire Army soldiers to return to the base camp, as the storm had also lifted.
Upon returning to the camp, the group discovered that Mamushi had left with her ship, leaving them behind. Realizing the extent of her superior's betrayal, Gyaku subsequently declared that she would try to uncover Mamushi's true plans. The sergeant also asked Wen to aid her in this regard, and the researcher agreed. Afterward, the Fire Army troops began to search the ruins for clues, collecting several stone tablets with inscriptions so that Wen could decipher the script and learn about the temple's true purpose. As they did so, Kiwaq's pirates continued to attack them to finally claim the ruins for themselves, but to no avail.
== Aftermath ==
Mamushi continued her quest for obscure relics for the rest of the Hundred Year War, but her activities were also noticed by Team Avatar. Indeed, Avatar Aang and his friends were actively trying to stop Mamushi by summer 100 AG.
== Appearances ==
=== Avatar: The Last Airbender ===
=== Video games ===
* Avatar: Generations
== References ==
Category:A to Z
Category:Events
Category:Hundred Year War