Earth Kingdom

## Location

Location of the Earth Kingdom in Green

Earth King Kuei

The Earth Kingdom is the Largest Nation of the Eastern Continent of Mobius. It is the home of the Earthbenders who are Humans, Afrakanas, Angaraks, Easterlings, Orcs, Trolls, Forest Elves, Goblins, Hobgoblins, Gnomes, Dwarves, and Jungle Trolls.

## Government

The Earth Kingdom is a confederacy, and as such it has a central government as well as regional governments which administer territories outside the capital of Ba Sing Se. The central government is formally headed by the earth monarch whose role has historically fluctuated between a powerless figurehead and an imperial ruler with *de jure* autocratic powers. The monarch is assissted by the Grand Secretariat of Ba Sing Se, ministers, and the extensive bureaucracy of Ba Sing Se, while the Royal Earthbender Guards traditionally have served as personal protectors and enforcers for the Earth Kings and Queens. By the time of Avatar Kyoshi, the Earth Kingdom sages were also crucial for the daily governance of the country.

The local governments throughout the Earth Kingdom are highly diverse with the races who live in the Earth Kingdoms. The Earth Kingdom is divided into subnational kingdoms, provinces, prefectures, and semi-autonomous city-states such as Zaofu. These are led by kings, sultans, shahs, maharajahs, governors, chieftans, chief magistrates, and mayors who can govern their lands mostly as they see fit. Many offices in the Earth Kingdom, including those of subnational kings and governors, can be passed on hereditary. This can be partially attributed to traditions, yet also to extensive corruption. In fact, corruption was so ingrained in the Earth Kingdom's administration that it was considered to be a natural part of how the country's leadership did things by the time of Avatar Kyoshi. In general, the Earth Kingdom was interwoven militarily, but bureaucratically little influence was often exerted upon the constituent towns and regions by the imperial government, especially outside of the major cities. Isolated regions like the Si Wong Desert are havens for criminals, and many agricultural regions have little or no contact with officials from the central government. In addition, the Earth Kingdom has no unified system of laws, with each town having its own legal code. Complex organization within the government is not seen outside of Ba Sing Se and its surroundings, such as Full Moon Bay. Regardless, early earth monarchs held great power and could act with impunity.

## Military

Since the Earth Kingdom is geographically the largest of the four nations, it possesses a large variety of combat organizations and personnel.

### Army

Like the Fire Nation, the Earth Kingdom armies consist of benders and normal foot soldiers whom are mostly of Humans, Afrakanas, Angaraks, Easterlings, Orcs, Trolls, Forest Elves, Goblins, Hobgoblins, Gnomes, Dwarves, and Jungle Trolls who are the races who live in the Earth Kingdom. Soldiers, both benders and nonbenders, carry a wide variety of weapons, from spears, swords, and other various polearms, to more unusual weapons such as hammers, axes, and sickles.

The cavalry consists of ostrich horses, which can vertically climb short distances and run at high speeds. These, along with eel hounds, are also used as transports.

Earthbenders use stones shaped like the Earth Kingdom emblem as artillery and catapult projectiles. These person-sized round coins are invaluable weapons to the earthbenders. The coins can be lined up side by side to make a defensive (and mobile) wall, or stacked to make an impromptu lookout tower. Skilled earthbenders can use these coins as a vehicle and "ride" in the hole in the middle of the coins.

#### Council of Five

The Council of Five is a group of five high-ranking Earth Kingdom generals, including Generals How and Sung, who decide the best use of their armies fighting outside the walls of Ba Sing Se. It is the Council of Five who designs and implement any war plans, which includes the best means of protecting the capital city as well as the proposed invasion of the Fire Nation. In addition to this, the Council also controls the King's Guards, an elite force of guards who protect the king. The Council of Five has been together for as long as there has been a king of Ba Sing Se, and up until Long Feng came into power, it has always worked hand in hand with the Earth King to ensure the city's well-being

#### Terra Team

The Terra Team is an elite platoon of earthbenders under the command of General Sung. They are considered by him to be a capable group. Their uniform differs slightly from regular Earth Kingdom soldiers.

### Navy

Not much is known about the Earth Kingdom Navy, except that it is likely inferior to that of the Fire Nation. The Earth Kingdom's General Fong explicitly stated that invading the Fire Nation with its ships would be suicidal. Three junk ships used by the Dai Li patrolled Lake Laogai. Additionally, given that earthbenders require a physical connection to the earth to bend, being on a wooden or metal boat would render the earthbenders almost totally powerless, unless the ships carried earthen projectiles. Without benders, the Earth Kingdom Navy would be at a severe disadvantage in terms of naval combat compared with the Fire Nation or the Water Tribes.

### Air Force

The Earth Kingdom also acquired the specifications for the hot air balloons, which were once Fire Nation exclusives, and incorporated them into their own line of warfare, albeit modified to bear the Earth Kingdom emblem and colors.

### Kyoshi Warriors

The Kyoshi Warriors are an all-female group of fighters led by Suki on Kyoshi Island. Their fighting style and clothing mimic those of their founder, Avatar Kyoshi, although the most current fighters do not implement any of the bending arts in their physical movements. Clad in ornate, green armor and Kabuki-like makeup, designed to intimidate opponents, Kyoshi Island Warriors use metal fans as their main weapons. It was later revealed the warriors also utilize katanas and wrist shields. Holding the fans like extensions of their own arms, they aim to turn the strength of their opponents against them, a principle also hinged upon in waterbending. The female warriors do not take kindly to training outsiders, let alone men, in these unique methods. Traditionally, only women are trained as Kyoshi Warriors.

### Dai Li

The Dai Li are the cultural enforcers of Ba Sing Se, created by Avatar Kyoshi after a peasant rebellion in Ba Sing Se. In addition to distinct uniforms, they are notable for sporting rock gloves and shoes, which can be used to great effect as weapons through earthbending.

## Residents

### Executive Branch

 General Fong | Warlord of Army
 General Lee | Admiral of Navy
 General Zhou | Air Marshall
 General Sung | Head of Special Forces (Dai Li and Kyoshi Warriors)

## Culture

The Earth Kingdom seems to resemble the Ming and Qing dynasties of China, with the exception of Gaoling, which appears to culturally resemble the Tang dynasty. The buildings in Ba Sing Se look like those in the Forbidden City. The people of the Earth Kingdom also possess a Chinese appearance, the king himself wearing the clothing of a Chinese Emperor during the Qing Dynasty. There are some exceptions, however, for instance: the citizens of Kyoshi Island seem to have a more Japanese appearance; King Bumi had a wardrobe, which did not really follow a defined style; and some of the peasants in the Earth Kingdom, such as Song, wore Korean-style clothing.