The Earth Empire (Avatar Roleplay)

"Ah. My favorite," Iroh mused as he took the cup. He held it up to his mouth and pressed it against his lips as if to drink. He was sorely tempted to as it smelled delicious, but he knew better than to drink tea served by in an enemy's house.

He looked over at the girl, noting her skin color. He turned to the Emperor, "I see your staff includes Water Tribe girls. How are they faring with the loss of their home. Water Tribe settlements in the Fire Nation are progressing well under the Avatar's guidance."

His tone was faintly accusatory, but his message was clear. The Fire Nation was stronger than ever and the Avatar was still in good health.

Long Feng

"Please, drink up, Prince Iroh." Long Feng urged with a smile. "I had this tea made for a reason, you know. Unlike my predecessors, I am no fiend or barbarian. I will not have your tea laced with poison."

The Emperor took a seat at a nearby table and gestured for his guests to do the same. "And in an answer to your question, the Water Tribe people in our empire are doing quite fine. Oh, sure, there are lingering sentiments of racism amongst my people, since we have long been brainwashed into believing we are the best and the only people fit to rule this world. I would not be surprised to learn that the Water Tribers are being treated quite harshly, even as slaves, in more...backwards areas of our kingdom."

"But here, in the capital, and more civilized cities like it, we treat the Water Tribesmen as our equals. Of course, there will be those in any city or settlement that will treat our new citizens with scorn. It is to be expected. But I have put new laws into motion that I am confident will change the lives of the Tribesmen for the better, permanently. Right now, I am confident they live adequate lives, but in the next few years I expect things to get better for our new citizens." Long Feng concluded with an almost sincere smile. He took a sip of his tea and gave a content sigh.

"I compliment you again, Lady Katara. You make a most fine tea. Thank you again for fulfilling this role on such short notice. I will make sure your family will be compensated handsomely for your role here." the Emperor added, giving a brief nod to the young girl.

((I could take Zuko if you want, Warboss. I don't mind having another character.))

(If you like, you are more than welcome to take him. I have a rather modest idea of how to play him given Sean's bio and post, so I can give it a whirl, but you are more than welcome to it.)

Katara

Katara was uncertain of what to do, so she stayed back and tried not to get in anyone's way. Her ears were practically burning with the thinly sugar-coated lies the Emporer was giving the Fire Nation Ambassadors; the Water tribes were slaves, and any that weren't had to struggle to get by doing honest work.

Katara tried to keep her emotions in check, forcing herself to not glare at the Emperor every time one of his lies crossed his lips, though that was probably more for posterity anyways; can't look bad in front of guests or something like that, but it still didn't make her feel any better. Closing her eyes and taking a deep breath, she gathered herself and waited for a break in the Emperor's speech, "Would you like some more tea, my lord?" she asked, trying to smile.

Zuko

Zuko, also uncertain of the tea, feigned sipping the heated beverage. When his Uncle brought up the subject of the Water Benders, noting the girl serving tea, he began to notice the the girl seemed...uneasy, with almost every word the Emperor was saying. Long Feng wasn't being entirely honest with them, and he was certain that his Uncle also noticed, so he chose to stay silent about it at the moment.

This would be something to discuss with Uncle later, and preferably away from Azula.

(Crud Toph sneaks off and she's in the same place as her father. Oops.... -_-

Toph suddenly spit out her tea. Jin went wide-eyed at the girl's action. For someone who seemed high class, she had terrible manners. But she realized that Toph looked alarm. It would have helped if she could figure out why she was so starled, but it was hard. It's not like she could stare at whatever it was.

"Toph are you ok," Jin asked loudly.

'Sssh!! Don't say my name girl! I have to go. You don't mind paying for this right?" Without waiting for an answer, Toph was out the door. Jin looked at her and sighed. Maybe she should of stayed home.

Iroh frowned to himself at the Emperor's words. He had called him out on the tea so he had no choice to drink. He took a sip and nodded. It was indeed well-made. Luckily, he knew that Azula wouldn't take a sip of her tea no matter who told her too and he had warned Zuko beforehand to fake his sips. It was unfortunate, but he was at the center of attention at the moment and he had to distract the Emperor.

"This is very well-made, thank you Lady Katara," he told the Water Tribe girl with a nod. Inwardly, he sighed. Lu Ten would have lost his temper by now in his talk. His son had a Water Tribe sweetheart, though the boy thought he didn't know. He would have been angry to see her people at this man's mercy.

"So, you would have changed the policies of your Empire were you Emperor during the Siege of the North and South?" he asked, sounding thoughtful for his host's sake.

((Long Feng and company are not in the tea shop Toph was in, Toko. They're at the palace library. And I'll go ahead and take Zuko, since you've given me permission, Warboss.))

Long Feng, Zuko

"Of course. I am no brute, unlike my father and my ancestors before me." Long Feng stated. "I actually appreciate the value of human life. War is only a useful tool to getting what you want, I admit, but it can only do so much. War breds resentment, which in turn breds rebellion, and in the end the Empire as a whole is greatly threatened by small, dangerous sects of terrorists that are almost incapable of being completely stomped out. And further harsh tactics against the conquered peoples breds even more resentment and rebellion. In the end, no empire can stand against the constant threat of rebellion forever, unless one wants to take the route of complete and total genocide against one culture or people. And that is an option only the most vile of men choose. Within a hundred years, if not sooner, any empire that expands only via war would crumble from within."

Long Feng paused in his speech to take a sip of his tea. He quickly resumed, ignoring the previous signs of subtle rebellion that Katara gave off.

"But if war had been prevented in the first place, none of that would ever happen. If a more peaceful solution could be found, then things would be better off for this hypothetical empire. And in an answer to your question, Prince Iroh, of course I would! What happened to the Watertribesmen...it was barbaric, cruel, and needless. Thousands of lives, both Imperial and Tribesmen, were lost in a pointless battle! But for what, in the end? Territory? The Poles are a cold, harsh place that only the fit and the strong can inhabit. I have great respect for the Water Tribesmen for even attempting to live in such a desolate wasteland. But the Poles as a whole are useless to the Empire. They aren't even used for anything important. We have outposts out there, yes, but they barely hold fifty people in both Poles."

Long Feng paused once again in his tirade. He let out a heavy sigh and took another sip of his tea, which Katara gratefully refilled for him after he signaled her.

"Forgive me, Prince Iroh. The subjugation of the Water Tribes is a touchy subject for me." Long Feng said in a bitter voice. "I lost someone very dear to me there, when I was a child. My kind, loving great uncle Bumi. Unlike my cold and cruel father, he actually gave a damn about me. Now, where was I...? Ah, yes. In the end, did we truly gain anything from conquering the Tribes? We could not survive on their land, nor did we need it. Slaves, then?" Long Feng spit the word out distastefully. "No. We have more than enough people on the continent to do any sort of needed labor, and then some."

"The only reason my father and his advisors planned to conquer the Tribes was because of power. They were greedy for more power than they already had, which was quite enough. Our 'glorious' empire spanned an entire continent. We had peaceful relations with the Fire Nation, when Roku was alive. The Air Nomads, regretably, were no threat because they were extinct. The Water Tribes offered us no threat. But my father didn't care, and what power he had was not enough for that bastard. He wasted the lives of countless people all for more power. That word has grown to sicken me ever since I was a young boy."

Long Feng stared into his cup as he let those present in the room digest the load of information. After ten minutes of silence passed the Emperor went on.

"War should only be used if it proves necessary. Our war--no, our slaughter--of the Water Tribe people was hardly necessary. War for the sole purpose of expansion can only be used by the mad or the evil. And I assure you Prince Iroh, I am neither of those. I have long sought to distance myself from anything that resembles my father. I have long since tried to make up for the sins of the past, largely committed by my father and grandfather. I have adopted ten Water Tribe children, both male and female. All ten were homeless, their parents either dead or drunken lards. I have raised these children alongside my own daughter, and I love them as my own. While that can hardly make up for the past, I hope it is a step forward."

"The Air Nomads may never be rebuilt, I acknowledge that. One can hardly rebuild a people whose teachings has long been lost since my grandfather led a crusade of genocide against them. But I have had their temples rebuilt, and graves have been erected for the lost. I pray to the Spirits that honoring the dead may help to eventually restoring the Air Nomads as a whole. I do acknowledge that the sins of the past--wiping out the children of the Air, subjugating the Water Tribes--may never fully be washed away. But it is my hope that, during my reign, that these sins may at least be partially swept away. But...you are not here to listen to my endless monologues, now, are you?"

Long Feng gave a chuckle and finished his second cup of tea. "Forgive me. I tend to talk without end. I will stop for now. We are here to negotiate, are we not? Then let us start."

(Oh....well....I'm too lazy to edit my post so Toph-y could have sensed a palace gaurd instead.)

"Yes, I suppose we should get down to business," Iroh told him, somewhat taken aback from Long Feng's rant. It was strange, seeing the Earth Emperor as a human being, but that he was. He was made into what he was by circumstances, something which he was all-too-familiar-with. Still, judging from the Water Tribe girl's expression, things weren't going nearly as well as Long Feng would lead them to believe.

"I believe that there are a few trading disputes between our merchant classes and arguments over which islands in the Great Sea belongs to which Nation," he noted.

Long Feng, Zuko

Zuko, too, was momentarily stunned by the Emperor's speech. However, he caught something his uncle failed to pick up, and quickly responded to that.

"Wait. You said that Roku is dead. That's a lie. Avatar Roku is still very well alive." The prince pointed out. Long Feng looked over at the boy and smiled.

"Please, do not insult my intelligence, Prince Zuko. You and I both know that Roku has been dead for nearly a hundred years. Heh. The greatest secret of the Fire Nation: Avatar Roku has long been dead. If I were a lesser man, I would have taken advantage of that single fact. And quite frankly, I suspect the Avatar cycle has likely been broken too, unless the new Avatar is a waterbender. The Air Nomads were slaughtered a century ago by my grandfather. He personally saw to it that every single survivor from the initial attacks were killed off, one by one. Even if the Avatar survived that, he'd be over a hundred years old by now. Well past his prime to do any good." Long Feng stated.

Toph sighed as she made her way back to the palace. The last she wanted was to go back there, but she knew at the same time if she stayed away for too long that someone would notice. One time she was gone for a whole day. Her father had the upper ring ripped apart looking for her.

"What do I care?" Toph asked herself suddenly. "I do as I please." With a smirk, Toph headed in the opposite direction. Let her father be mad. She listened to no one.

"I assure you that Avatar Roku is very much alive," Iroh told Long feng, inwardly frowning. He might have know that the Earth Empire would find out, but he wasn't prepared for them finding out this soon.

"Remember, Avatar Yang-Chen lived to be 180 years old. Your ancestor, Avatar Kyoshi lived well into her 200's," Iroh pointed out.

Long Feng, Zuko

"True." Long Feng conceded. "However, let us look at the facts. Avatar Roku was a rather outspoken figure against the atrocities committed by my grandfather. On the day of the Water Tribe invasion, the man posing as Roku sent out an official statement condemning the invasion. He made no public speech, like he had done in the past. And the wording of the statement sounded to stiff and awkward to be from the actual hand of Roku."

"Combine that fact with several others, like that Roku hasn't made a public appearance in a hundred years, and I have come to the obvious conclusion: Roku has been dead for a century." Long Feng stated.

Back at the tea shop...

The tea shop owner, having heard the ruckus, stepped out from the back, seeing Toph fleeting form in the entrance of the shop before she was gone. Looking over to the girl she had been sitting with, he approached her with a look of regret, "I am sorry, ma'am. We have been a bit behind, what with the Emperor making off with our best tea server."

Katara

Katara was indeed surprised to hear that Avatar Roku was dead, and even thought she had only hear of him through rumors and stories, recounts of the hundred day siege of the North from some of the Northern water benders whose grandparents were involved, told that Roku was a great man, and Long Feng terribly downplayed him.

To say that he only disagreed with the Earth Empires' attack on the water benders was an understatement. It was told that, for one hundred days, Avatar Roku fought alongside the Water benders of the North, fending off, and defeating the invasion forces. However, months after the initial invasion, and Roku having left to continue his duties as the Avatar, the Earth Empire struck again, defeating the Northern Water tribe and enslaving the survivors, and the only thing Roku did, was send out an official statement.

Long Feng may not have been lying, but it was painfully obvious that he wasn't telling everything. More than likely, the Earth Empire was responsible for Roku's death, but why would the Fire Nation keep it secret?

((I'm fuzzy on the details, but I believe the invasion of the Water Tribes happened long after Roku died. I figure that, since Hama was a young girl when the Tribes were taken, they must have happened maybe sixty or seventy odd years ago. And maybe twenty or thirty years before that, the Air Nomads were wiped out. So Roku was long dead in this when the Water Tribes were defeated. Though it isn't hard to believe that the original prisoners would tell such tales. Or possibly mistake Iroh or Lu Ten for Roku.))

(She heard these stories from water tribesmen who had grandparents in the Water Tribe invasion who said that it was Roku, so they could have been mistaken; or it was Roku, but he died before they were attacked again. It makes sense that the Earth Empire would try to hide any information on their initial loss; if it had indeed taken place. In any case, they were just stories that she heard; whether there is any truth to them, remains to be seen, just think of it as something to work with.)

Jin shook her head.

"No your service has been find. That girl was just a little strange. I wonder who she was," Jin said, saying the last part more to herself. Jin then looked at the man and felt bad. "I'll have another cup of tea. Your most expensive please."

"If you are so sure, then why do you say so after all these years?" Iroh asked warily, neither confirming or denying the truth of Long Feng's words.

((Point taken.))

Long Feng

"Because I had no real use for this information until. The idea that Roku was still alive kept our peoples from destroying each other. I had no reason to destroy the already shakey peace we have." Long Feng replied.

"And your reason now," Iroh asked him with a frown. There had to be a reason behind why Long Feng was telling him now.

Long Feng

"It is quite simple, really. Sooner or later, the continued fear of Roku's possible retribution will not keep my more...eager generals and admirals at bay forever. And the Earth Empire's response in a war will not stop your brother forever either, Prince Iroh. I have word from a unnamed, trustful source in the palace that Ozai plans to wage war within the next two years, the consequences be damned." Long Feng informed the older man.

"It is my view that a war between our peoples would be quite damaging to the both of us, no matter who the eventual victor would be. I am sure you agree with this. But I have a plan to avoid all this in the first place. And it's quite simple, really. All you need to do is challenge your brother to an Agni Kai, kill him, and become Fire Lord."

Katara nearly dropped the tray she was holding, shocked by the words coming from the Emperor. She wasn't even sure if she was supposed to be hearing this, let alone what would, or could, happen to her and her family because she had. Looking back and forth between Iroh and Long Feng, Katara was becoming nervous about how this would turn out. Nervously, she thought to lower the tension a bit, going over to Iroh, "Would you like some more tea? And, thank you, I'm honored that you enjoy my jasmine tea."

"You speak of a radical change. Although Fire Lord Ozai and myself disagree on many things, he is still my brother," Iroh stated warily. He looked over at Zuko and Azula, wondering how they were taking this.

As expected, Azula was clenching her fists. The thought of treason and killing her father angered her greatly. She wanted to light the smug snake in front of them on fire.

Long Feng, Zuko

Zuko openly stared at the Emperor in shock before managing to regain his composure. The prince's cheeks colored slightly in both anger and embarrassment from breaking his stoic expression as he took in what Long Feng said. Just what was that man thinking?! Sure, Zuko would be one of the first to admit his father could be a better Fire Lord, but that didn't mean that Iroh had to challenge and kill his father to make things better! Just what was going through the Emperor's mind?

"But even family goes so far. Let's face it, Prince Iroh. Your brother and the people in his administration are nothing more than piety war-mongers. They're looking for any sort of excuse to bring the Fire Nation in a war against the Empire. While your brother may not be 'evil', per say, but you cannot deny that he is corrupt and hungers for a fight so he can 'bring the Fire Nation people into a new, prosperous era', as Ozai said himself in a recent speech. Your brother seeks to jeopardize everything that I've worked to accomplish. However, you would bring stability to the Fire Nation, and as the new Fire Lord, we could work together to lead our peoples into a new, brighter future." Long Feng replied.

Knowing Iroh, the old prince would understand the subtle implication in his response. Long Feng wished to seek and establish a grand alliance with the Fire Nation that could be beneficial to both their peoples. However, he would only make such an alliance if Iroh was Fire Lord. Long Feng himself knew that Ozai would never accept such an alliance, but his brother would be more open-minded.

Toph looked around. She had managed to make it into the middle ring. She wondered faintly if her Father or anyone else back at the palace had noticed that she was gone. They would probably soon and Toph grimace at the thought of being lectured. A sudden impulse to just run away came over her and Toph stopped.

'Could I really do that? Just leave? I am capable of taking care of myself, but...'

Toph shook her head and continued down the street.

"I... will have to think about this," Iroh told Long Feng, as though considering his proposal. Truthfully, he wished he wasn't in such a predicament. If only there was more time. The Order of the White Lotus was sure they were on the trail of the Avatar as they spoke. He knew that only the Avatar could truly establish balance. Otherwise, his would would see his killing Ozai as just a brother killing a brother in order to cease power. This situation was not looking good.

He set the tea aside, "Thank you for the tea. For now, I feel like retiring to my quarters, if it is all the same to you."