Fire Nation

The Fire Nation is a powerful country located in the Northwest of Sylos, just above the Plaguelands. The Fire Nation is a country made up entirely of fire shamans, with a powerful military and many wars to backup their experience on the battlefield. An economic powerhouse to be reckoned with, the Fire Nation stands as one of the wealthiest and most powerful nations on Sylos, with a royal family tracing back to the early 1800's.

> "Burns Never Heal" - Fire Nation motto
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## History

### The Great War (1391-1742)

The Fire Nation was at war with Warthall from 1391-1742, and were under his control from 1742-1762. They had the 2nd highest casualty rate (per 1000 people) of the Great War. 94 million people died during the war, 47 million of which died during the Black Plague. The Dynasty of Firelords (all of which have been humans) were able to fend off Warthall’s Armies for 351 years, until the great invasion of 1742. It is reported that 32 million soldiers from the Fire Nation died during the Great War, half of which died during the initial invasion of the Forsaken Army. At the start of the war, the Kingdom had a population of 122 million people. By the end, they had a mere 28 million left. That means that during the 351 years of war, the nation lost 77% of its population.

### Post Great War (The Long Depression) (1762-1833)

Like many countries hit hard by the Great War, the Fire Nation had lost many of its resources, riches, and manpower. What was once a country of over 100 million people with some of the greatest minds in the world had become a fraction of its former glory. Much of the country suffered malnutrition and disease from foot shortages and poor living conditions. Much of the middle class became homeless and poor, and those who were once high-born were now scraping along the bottom of the barrel with everyone else. For the next 20 years, the nation as a whole struggled with rebuilding after the war, and both cultural and ideological divides separated the once unified Fire Nation.

The majority of the population took a purist stance on who could and couldn’t be considered citizens of the Fire Nation, adopting an extreme ideology against outsiders. Those who were not human or were not born of Fire Nation descent (at least one parent as a Fire Nation citizen) were considered lesser beings, and were treated harshly by citizens. This period was known as **The Five Year Purge** (1767-1772), where nearly 4 million people were killed and over 6 million people were displaced from their homes and forced to leave the nation due to persecution. Those who were not of the human race were sent to imprisonment camps, where they were either worked to death, died of disease, or executed. Humans who were not natural born fire benders were terrorized and burned alive by angry mobs. The few who lived through this savage treatment were crippled for the rest of their lives with 3rd and 4th degree burns covering their entire body.

### Civil War (1833-1841)

Following incredible disapproval ratings across the country, a civil war was started to oust the reigning Fire Lord, Fire Lord Razgar Ragnaros.

### Reign of the Phoenix King (1847-1942)

This era was the peak of the Fire Nation's existence. During the Reign of the Phoenix King (Augustus Balthalzar, the 19th Avatar), the Fire Nation was built up to be superpower, with much more power, land, and influence than ever before in its history.

### The Ash Massacre (July 17th, 1942)

The Ash Massacre was a mass killing in which Augustus Balthalzar and 22 of his descendants were murdered in an attempt to purge the Balthalzar family line and any relatives of The Phoenix King, Augustus Balthalzar. The massacre occurred on July 17th during a family celebration of the birth of Noah Balthalzar (born July 14th, 1942).

When the family was done enjoying dinner, Augustus stood up to propose a toast. A bottle of rich, aged champagne was brought out for the family to enjoy. However, they were all unaware that the bottle had been swapped out for a bottle laced with acid. Augustus Balthalzar, Teresa Balthalzar, Issac Balthalzar, Victoria Balthalzar, Adam Balthalzar, Jessica Balthalzar, Cassandra Tupolski, and Derrick Tupolski all died from internal acid burns after drinking the poison. While the 8 family members were dying, a dozen of the butlers dropped their platters and towels, pulled out knives and began stabbing those who hadn't drank it. Baby Noah's throat was cut while still caressed in his father's arms, before Leroy knew what was happening. 11 people were stabbed or slit to death. Alexander Balthalzar, Leroy Balthalzar, Blake Harkin, Mary Balthalzar, and Adrian Musano were the only survivors.

Alexander and Leroy were able to fend off the remaining attackers, but their luck had run short. Just as they killed the last attacker, the doors were shut, the windows were boarded, and jars of liquid fire began raining from the ceiling as more assassins attempted to burn them alive. They had no way of defending themselves, and began burrowing their way through the castle walls. Alexander and Leroy were the only two to survive the fire, but they would be severely scarred and would have 3rd degree burns for the rest of their lives.

Those murdered by acid:

* Augustus Balthalzar (1800-1942)
* Teresa Balthalzar (1904-1942)
* Issac Balthalzar (1909-1942)
* Victoria Balthalzar (1911-1942)
* Jessica Balthalzar (1914-1942)
* Cassandra Tupolski (1923-1942)
* Adam Balthalzar (1925-1942)
* Derrick Tupolski (1925-1942)

Those murdered by stabbing:

* Benjamin Balthalzar (1909-1942)
* Joseph Balthalzar (1927-1942)
* Jamus Balthalzar II (1931-1942)
* Samson Balthalzar (1931-1942)
* George Harkin (1931-1942)
* Henry Balthalzar (1934-1942)
* Christopher Musano (1934-1942)
* Jamuson Balthalzar (1935-1942)
* Lauren Balthalzar (1937-1942)
* Gustaf Musano (1941-1942)
* Noah Balthalzar (1942-1942)

Those murdered by fire:

* Mary Balthalzar (1930-1942)
* Blake Harkin (1934-1942)
* Adrian Musano (1937-1942)

The Ash Massacre resulted in the collapse of the Fire Empire and was a major setback to the Fire Nation's prosperity and global dominance. The Balthalzar family went from 25 to 2, and both Alexander and Leroy would be forced to rebuild the family name from scratch.

### Imperial Civil War (1942-1956)

Following the Ash Massacre, a massive civil war broke out throughout the entire empire. Of the 19 states that made up the Empire, 14 seceded and began rebelling against the empire while fighting between themselves for power. It wasn't long before foreign powers began taking advantage of the situation and taking land back in the chaotic war. Then the conquered people of the many states began rebelling against their leaders, causing many of the states who seceded to face fighting on multiple fronts.

### The Burned Wars

The Burned Wars were a series of wars where the Fire Nation attempted to invade the Earth Kingdom, but ultimately failed. The first three wars were headed by Alexander and Leroy Balthalzar, while the fourth war was lead by Robert Balthalzar when he became the Firelord.