Prologue IF YOU ARE READING THIS you have uncovered one of the four hidden scrolls I have compiled about the world of Avatar The scroll you have found contains sacred stories legends and facts that I have gathered so far about the proud nation of the Water Tribes its history its culture and the great tales of its past and present I hope that this information will be as useful and intriguing to you as it is to me As a great friend of the Water Tribes I ask that you keep this scroll safe and share it only with those you trust Beware for there are who wish to expose its secrets many
a Introduction Long ago in time of peace the Avatar kept balance between the four nations of the world the Water Tribes the Earth Kingdom the Fire Nation and the Air Nomads In these nations there are people who have mastered the ability to control their culture's native element an art form known as bending They call themselves Waterbenders Earthbenders Firebenders and Airbenders only the Avatar can manipulate all four elements When an Avatar dies his or her spirit is reborn into a bender of the next nation in the cycle of Water Earth Fire and Air This cycle provides a natural balance keeping any one nation from growing more powerful than the others As you know the four nations lived in peace for many generations But all that changed one hundred years ago when the Fire Nation attacked The leader of the Fire Nation at that time the
powerful Firebender known as Fire Lord Sozin had secret ambitions to take over the world by conquering the other nations When Avatar Roku died knowing that the next Avatar would be a child who needed training and maturity before he or she grew powerful enough to oppose him Fire Lord Sozin secretly began to build a fleet of massive ships and train an army of Firebenders and soldiers Throughout the years the Fire Nation's armada grew strong while the other nations remained ignorant Then using the energy of a passing comet Fire Lord Sozin attacked the Water Air and Earth nations at the same time Only the Avatar had the skills to stop the ruthless Fire Nation But when the world needed him most the Avatar did not appear Following the natural cycle since Avatar Roku was from the Fire Nation the next Avatar would come from the Air Nation Sozin's army wiped out all of the Air Nomads so the Avatar could never return Or so the world believed The war has raged for one hundred years The Air Nomads were believed to have all been wiped out Most of the great cities of the Southern Water Tribe were destroyed Many of the Earth Kingdom's cities were taken over by Fire Nation soldiers and hope was beginning to fade from the world Until the day the Avatar returned
