Air Acolytes

The Air Acolytes are an order of monks and nuns who reside on Air Temple Island and in the four original air temples. Though most of them are not airbenders, they preserve and practice the teachings, culture, and traditions of the Air Nomads as taught to them by Avatar Aang. In addition to recovering the physical pieces of Air Nomad history, the Air Acolytes learn how holidays are celebrated, stories told, and rituals conducted.Avatar Legends: The Roleplaying Game. Core Book, Version 1.0, 2022, p. 71.
== History ==
=== Beginnings ===
The Air Acolytes were founded in 101 AG from the members of the Official Avatar Aang Fan Club. Aang himself taught the members of the group the ways of the Air Nomads and named them the "Air Acolytes", rather than a mere fan club. Aang believed that the Air Acolytes had the hearts of the Air Nomads, and that for that reason, he would teach them the ways of the Air Nomads. In their earliest years, one of the main issues was finding the line between preserving the Air Nomad culture and appropriating it in a disrespectful way. Aang had previously been disappointed with the fan club after he learned that some of its members had tattooed themselves, despite not being master airbenders or truly knowing about Air Nomad philosophy. However, Aang and the Air Acolytes realized that they should learn from their mistakes, and that it was all part of their mission.
A small group of Air Acolytes consisting of Yee-Li, Xing Ying, and Jingbo traveled with Aang and his friends the next year in an attempt to revive Yangchen's Festival, a celebration of the coexistence of human and spirit which had been defunct since the Air Nomad Genocide. The group instead noticed that the sacred land had become host to a town which contained the Earthen Fire Refinery, a mining operation for the grounds' mineral supply. Aang and the Acolytes tried to celebrate the festival nonetheless, but were forced to return to the mine due to continuous earthquakes and a cave-in of the underground facility. They helped treat injured workers following their rescue and also distributed food to them after the spirit General Old Iron destroyed the refinery but was defeated by Aang. Shortly afterward, the Air Acolytes assembled at the Jasmine Dragon for meditation classes with Avatar Aang. The group returned to the factory town several months later in order to participate in the parade for the Spirits' Friendship Festival with a new recruit, Loban. After the incident with General Old Iron, the Air Acolytes came to learn that maintaining balance with the spirits had been a great part of Air Nomad history, and that they now shared that responsibility.
=== Establishment of the Air Nation and growth in numbers ===
The Air Acolytes continued to grow in numbers, and began to emerge as the new Air Nation. The new Fire Nation government sought to make reparations, and tried to return Air Nomad relics, though many artifacts had been fully destroyed.Avatar Legends: The Roleplaying Game. Core Book, Version 1.0, 2022, p. 89. The Air Acolytes searched for any relic or documentation on the Air Nomads that had survived the Hundred Year War, and considered every piece of Air Nomad history to be precious. They also did their best to memorize how holidays were celebrated, stories told, and rituals conducted, so that they could reconstruct the lost Air Nomad culture to the best of their ability, and did not have to fully rely on Avatar Aang's teachings.Avatar Legends: The Roleplaying Game. Core Book, Version 1.0, 2022, p. 71.
With the Air Acolytes growing in number in just a few years, some thought that the time was right to start making repairs to the temples. The acolytes would eventually help Avatar Aang in restoring the four original air temples, and came to inhabit them as well as Air Temple Island, a new temple on a small island off the coast of Republic City.
Devoted to restoring and maintaing the Air Nomads' history and beliefs, many Air Acolytes also became pilgrims, venturing between the air temples to increase their knowledge.The Legend of Korra—The Art of the Animated Series, Book Two: Spirits, page 40. By 128 AG, an Air Acolyte was representing the Air Nation on the United Republic Council. Several years later, a group of acolytes noticed some vandals defacing the ancient airbending gates at Air Temple Island, prompting Aang's son Tenzin to chase them to Republic City.
Several acolytes were on Air Temple Island upon Korra's arrival in 170 AG, and they later assisted Tenzin in reconstructing the two-thousand-year-old airbending gates after Korra destroyed them during her airbending training. When Mako, Bolin, and Asami were rendered homeless, some of the Air Acolytes assisted them with moving to Air Temple Island, piloting the Air Temple Island ferry and transferring all of their luggage off the boat and into their rooms, gaining Asami's praise as "amazing" and "tireless workers".
Two Air Acolytes later helped Pema when she was giving birth to her fourth child, Rohan. Shortly thereafter, they evacuated the island via flying bison in response to the Equalist attack on Republic City.
When Tenzin, his siblings, and family arrived at the Southern Air Temple in 171 AG, Abbot Shung and the acolytes helped them unpack their things and gave both Tenzin and Pema gifts for giving the airbenders new life. A female acolyte confused Kya and Bumi for airbenders as well, only to be promptly corrected by the former.
After Harmonic Convergence, nonbenders across the other nations began to manifest airbending abilities. The Air Acolytes worked together with the new airbenders to form a new cultural identity informed by the Air Nomad past, but diverging from it at the same time.Avatar Legends: The Roleplaying Game. Core Book, Version 1.0, 2022, p. 90. At least one Air Acolyte, Otaku, became an airbender himself. However, there were challenges in keeping nonbenders relevant and active in the Air Nation once the new airbenders started to become active. Membership started to stall, and some Air Acolytes left, as they were disappointed that they did not develop airbending.Avatar Legends: The Roleplaying Game. Republic City, Version 1.0, 2023, p. 30. 
Two weeks after Zaheer and the known Red Lotus members were taken down, the Air Acolytes on Air Temple Island attended Jinora's anointment ceremony as an airbending master.
Three years later, a group of Air Acolytes was among the last to be evacuated during the invasion of the United Republic of Nations, becoming stranded at Central City Station before Prince Wu arrived with badgermoles. The Acolytes followed the creatures as they tunneled an escape route for the evacuees.
== Known members ==
* Air Acolyte woman
* Hei-Won
* Jingbo
* Loban
* Otaku
* Pema (seniormost Air Acolyte on Air Temple Island)
* Shung (leader in the Southern Air Temple)
* Won-Yee
* Xing Ying
* Yee-Li
== Trivia ==
* Male Air Acolytes wear yellow robes with a red sash, while female members wear red robes with a yellow sash. However, Abbot Shung, despite being a male Air Acolyte, also wears a red robe with a yellow sash.
* Male Air Acolytes either completely or partially shave their heads even though they do not receive customary Air Nomad tattoos. Most female Air Acolytes, however, do not partially shave their heads as female Air Nomads did.
* Although the Air Acolytes carry on many of the traditions of the Air Nomads, they do not observe the practice of gender segregation to the same extent, as while they have separate areas for personal use, both males and females inhabit each air temple.
== References ==
== See also ==
* Air Nomads
* Official Avatar Aang Fan Club
* Organizations in the World of Avatar
de:Luftlehrlinge
es:Acólitos del Aire
fr:Disciples de l'Air
nl:Korra:Lucht Acolieten
pl:Akolici powietrza
pt-br:Acólitos do Ar
ru:Воздушные аколиты
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Category:Air Nation
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Category:Legend of Korra
Category:Minor groups
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