Shihan

Shihan is the current dean of Republic City University. Born into the Earth Kingdom's Hou-Ting dynasty, she traveled the world to further her knowledge and worked as lecturer at various institutes before settling down in Republic City. For years, Shihan was highly respected and popular among Republic City University's students, though she was eventually drawn into controversy due to the growth of a Equalist revival movement on the campus. Furthermore, she assists in drafting policies for the democratic movement in the Earth Kingdom.
== History ==
Born around the 120s/130s AG, Shihan is a distant cousin of King Wu, belonging to a branch of the royal Hou-Ting dynasty. As a scion of the Earth Kingdom's elite, she embarked on a journey of learning and teaching across the four nations. In the course of her career, she earned many degrees and worked as a guest lecturer at various respected educational institutes.
Shihan ultimately settled down in Republic City after being offered the position of dean of the metropolis' university. There, she hoped to share all what she had learned, while creating a learning culture built on discourse, empathy, and overcoming opposing views. When her cousin Wu started to democratize the Earth Kingdom, Shihan began to help him in her free time by helping to draft policies.
For years, she was popular among the students due to her approachable and hands-on stance as well as her willingness to tackle any problems arising for the university. However, her tenure also saw the rise of an Equalist revival movement. Though Shihan was not someone to shy away from confrontation, her view on the importance of fair discussion meant that she tolerated the movement. Regardless, she also clarified that this tolerance was tied to the movement remaining within the confines of the United Republic's laws. Some students and staff members criticized these statements, claiming that Shihan should always put the university first regardless of the circumstances.
As the Equalists grew in strength and began to organize regular protests at the university and in the surrounding Roku Plaza district, Shihan struggled to bridge the gaps among the increasingly divided students and staff members. In an attempt to mediate, she set up a monthly debate night at the campus offering students of differing ideologies to dispute while also listening to the "other side". While the debate nights initially worked well, they became more and more heated as radical Equalist supporters began attending. Eventually, a large section of the university's Equalists including Professor Rabten decided to attend one debate night. Though the professor promised that his followers were nonviolent, Shihan knew that some students had become militant enough to violently disrupt the event. Not willing to cancel the debate due to the possible bad press but also fearing an escalation, Shihan turned to some associates to help her identify any extremists who were trying to incite unrest on the campus.Avatar Legends: The Roleplaying Game. Republic City, Version 1.0, 2023, p. 43.
== Family tree ==
== Appearances ==
=== Avatar Legends: The Roleplaying Game ===
* Republic City
== Notes ==
== References ==
Category:A to Z
Category:Avatar Legends: The Roleplaying Game characters
Category:Characters
Category:Earth Kingdom characters
Category:Hou-Ting dynasty
Category:Minor characters (Avatar Legends: The Roleplaying Game)
Category:Teachers and instructors
Category:United Republic characters