Welcome to our first plot drop! It is up to the writers to decide where their characters were during this moment, and how they were involved. If they are a Fire Nation citizen, were they one of the protestors? Were they among those who came rushing to help? Or did they simply hear an exaggerated retelling of the event through the grapevine? If they’re not from the Fire Nation, does this make them doubt that the Fire Nation will ever be able to contribute to the world’s peace?
Events from this plot drop may be written about in self-paras or character interactions. You can have your characters experience this event directly, or mention it in conversations with other characters. If you have any questions, including questions about how your character could be involved in this plot, please send me a message on discord or through the main!
You can keep track of plot development around this plot drop in this cheatsheet here.
***
Today is the Fire Nation Council’s first meeting since the fall of Ozai.
The throne room in the royal palace is eerily silent, despite the nine men seated at the table in front of the empty throne. The men are stoic, staring off into the space in front of them, all wearing matching looks of solemn determination. They all avoid looking at the three empty seats at the table.
“All rise for Fire Lord Zuko,” the guard stationed by the door announces, breaking the tension-filled silence. It does not escape anyone’s notice that the usual string of titles that should follow his royal announcement are absent. Son of Ozai, blood of Fire Lord Sozin, Sovereign ruler of the Fire Nation and Earth Kingdom. The councilmen rise and bow their heads, the noise of chairs scraping against the floor filling the room, followed by the steady footsteps of the Fire Lord making his way to the throne.
He takes his seat at the throne, where Fire Lords Ozai, Azulon, and Sozin once sat before him. Almost immediately, a man with narrow eyes and a sharp chin steps forward from his seat at the table’s right corner closest to the throne.
“Fire Lord Zuko, it is with great honor that we stand in front of you today, eager to serve you and our great Nation.” He pauses. He never would have dared to speak in this way in front of Fire Lord Ozai. He knows he would have been burned with a flick of a hand the moment he had stepped forward. But the new Fire Lord does not move to do anything of the sort, so the council member continues, “We are all guilty of the crime of going against our conscience to follow Fire Lord Ozai’s orders during his reign. However, we did all that we could under the circumstances to dissuade the evil tyrant from committing the most atrocious of actions. Although we are representatives of the people of the Fire Nation, please have mercy as you consider that we are first and foremost humans--husbands and fathers with our own families to take care of. Despite knowing that it was wrong to allow Fire Lord Ozai to continue his horrific crimes, I could not do anything more than I have done in fear of endangering my children, my daughter Mai and my infant son, Tom-Tom.”
He pauses again, allowing the familiar names to settle in the Fire Lord’s mind. It is clear why he was chosen to make this speech.
“Ozai’s most loyal followers are no longer with us.” Everyone’s eyes flick to the three empty seats at the table. “Admiral Chan was killed in combat while fighting for Fire Lord Ozai during his siege of the Earth Kingdom, while Governors Su and Wong have fled the capital with their families and belongings. At your coronation, you spoke of rebuilding a future of peace and harmony for the Fire Nation and the rest of the world. Every single man standing here in front of you right now is ready to help you build that future, if you would have us. We are your humble and loyal servants.”
“We are your humble and loyal servants,” the eight other councilmen echoes, bowing their heads.
The throne room falls silent once again as the councilman steps back to stand by his seat. The others wait with bated breaths for the Fire Lord’s response.
Instead, they are met with the sound of the door being thrown open by a guard, clearly frazzled and out of breath. “Forgive me, my Lord, councilmen,” they watch as he pants out between heavy breaths. “I’m afraid I have some urgent news--there is a situation in front of the royal plaza.”
They all wait for him to continue. “Well? What is it?” one of the councilmen finally snaps.
“Er-- well, there are some citizens gathered at the Palace courtyard. They have uh, signs and stuff. And pitchforks. The palace guards have been containing the crowd all morning, but they’ve grown exponentially and things are starting to get heated.”
“What do they want?” a different councilman demands to know.
“Well…,” the guard hesitates.
“For Agni’s sake! Spit it out!”
“They’re angry about this meeting,” the guard says quickly, as if saying the words faster would make them less offensive to his audience. “Something about lack of representation of the people…” he lets his words trail off before pushing forward again, “The Head of Palace Security sent me to inform the Fire Lord, while others have been sent to look for the Avatar and his companions to help in case things get violent.”
***
Word about the mob of Fire Nation citizens gathered in front of the Fire Nation courtyard spreads like wildfire.
The real story is a simple one-- a group of angry Fire Nation commoners gathered to demonstrate their anger that the corrupt politicians who eagerly served under Ozai would be allowed to continue in their leadership positions. The group began attracting more of a crowd and as they grew in number, so did their anger and aggression. Fortunately, the Fire Lord, the Avatar, and others arrived to diffuse the situation before things could escalate into violence.
As the news travels through the grapevine however, each retelling becomes more and more exaggerated. By the time the dignitaries and leaders of the other nations hear the news, there are false embellishments included in the story like an Agni Kai between the new Fire Lord and a Fire Nation peasant, and that the Avatar himself had led the angry mob.
The Hundred Year war may be over, but the Fire Nation now faces an entirely different kind of conflict. As people who suffered within the Fire Nation since Sozin’s rule rise to demand justice, noble families with long family histories with powerful names stand firm, determined to protect their prestige and wealth as they step into the new age.
The whole world is watching to see how the so-called newly reformed, improved Fire Nation will move forward.
Zuko’s self-para - The Fire Lord was calm and authoritative as he opened the town hall meeting by promising the attendees, “I promise that i am listening. everything said today will be taken into consideration when I begin to develop our plans for transformation.“ He warns all participants to be respectful and calm during this event.
Qin Lee’s self-para - Qin Lee calls for transparency from the new Fire Lord, as well as appropriate punishments for everyone who played a part in the Fire Nation’s cruelty. As a former soldier of the Fire Nation, he has “seen gruesome things nobody here in Caldera City could possibly imagine” but beyond just the soldiers, “...the entire world has a blame in the Fire Nation’s past actions. It is time to mend that.”
Ming’s self-para - “I would like to make it crystal clear: We do not want a revised council. We want the members in it to be abolished from their roles.” Ming calls for the need to have council members voted into their positions to truly represent the Fire Nation citizens. She also requests that the Fire Lord establishes a national Day of Remembrance for the lives lost during the war.
Teo’s self-para - Teo shares his shocking discovery of "a hidden library filled with documents and records of every council meeting in the last years of the war, details on the council members private dealings, and explicit evidence that these men are all traitors not only to the people of the Fire Nation, but the world as a whole.”
Smellerbee’s self-para - Smellerbee came to the meeting representing the Freedom Fighters. She says: “If the fire nation intends at all to make reparations to the people it has slaughtered, injured, used, and imprisoned then the entirety of the council needs to be eliminated. and that includes the fire lord.”
Ukano (Mai’s Father, NPC) - Ukano speaks as a representative of all the council members. He claims the council’s innocence, placing all blame on Ozai. To Teo’s alleged discoveries, he questions the motives of the non-Fire Nation boy. To Zuko, he warns against ostracizing his upper-class citizens by “wrongfully” persecuting the council members. Instead, he proposes “proper punishment” of Ozai and Azula, the real criminals.
Mai’s self-para - Mai talked with her father, one of the council members. He asked her to speak to Zuko about him getting off easy; it is clear that he feels no real remorse. Reluctantly, she agreed. The next morning, she heard the protestors on the street.
Zuko’s self-para - Zuko promised the angry protestors: “Things will be different. things will be better. not just for you who have suffered here — but for the entire world who has seen pain wrought on it by our forefathers’ error.” He had a promise for the council members as well: “I will need to forge bonds of trust with all of you that will remain on my council. ... let it be known that this council will not remain as it currently is. ”
Aang’s self-para - Aang tried his best to calm the angry protestors. “I know you all want this meeting to go well! So do I! But you’ve gotta give Fire Lord Zuko a chance to make things right before you go forming an angry mob!”
Qin Lee’s self-para - Qin Lee gave a speech in front of protestors: "It's time to stand up and never allow the Phoenix to once again rise. We must insist that for the safety of those who will follow us. For our children and the children of their own!"
Ming’s self-para - Ming got swept up in the crowd of protestors. She gave a speech: “We are here. You can not turn a blind eye onto our suffering any longer. We demand representation. We demand the people who have hurt us, all of us, pay the price for corruption and power they have held."
Suki’s self-para - Suki rushed to help calm the protestors. She caught the end of Ming’s speech, and was confused to see her there.
Ty Lee’s self-para - Ty Lee reflects on her past and her role in the war. As usual, she feels optimistic, even as she stands in the middle of the protestors.
Sokka’s self-para - When Sokka comes across the protestors while staying at the Fire Nation palace, he begins taking ideas to write down a petition for the people. He promises to take it to Zuko.
Suki & Ming interaction - Suki promises Ming that change will come. The crowd seems to take this as a promise for a better tomorrow, and a good number of them break away.
The people’s protest and Fire Lord Zuko’s promise that the council will be undergoing some changes have left the council members uneasy and Fire Nation citizens unsatisfied. Another council member has fled the city in the middle of the night, while the remaining eight have held their heads high, determined to keep their status, wealth, and power.
Although there haven’t been any more large-scale protests since the day of the first council meeting, the general discontent of the people is undeniable. Feelings of displeasure and resentment have always been present among the Fire Nation citizens, especially those from smaller, poorer villages who faced the brunt of the cost of living in heavily militarized states. This change in leadership is being hailed as an opportunity to enact some real lasting change, and people are determined to take advantage of this opportunity to the fullest.
Fire Lord Zuko has yet to administer any changes to the council yet. But as Avatar Aang said when addressing the crowds on the day of the protest, it is much too soon to expect too much from the new Fire Lord.
It seems that Fire Lord Zuko is extending an olive branch to the people, however, as he has announced a town hall meeting where select members of the community representing the interest of the people will be able to speak and make their thoughts known in an organized and efficient manner. The people chose their representatives to speak on their behalf at this meeting, and they can only wait to see how the Fire Lord and other Fire Nation nobles with corrupt pasts will respond.
Admin Note: This meeting will take place through a chain of self-paras amongst our characters. Zuko will open and close this meeting to provide an exposition and a conclusion. Members with characters participating in this meeting should prioritize these self-paras so that the group’s plot progresses. Zuko’s self-para opening this meeting will be posted within the next 24 hours.
If you want your character to speak at this event, please make sure to leave a react to my message in our “plotting” discord chat. It will be assumed that the Fire Nation people chose these speakers as their informal representatives, and characters do not necessarily have to be Fire Nation citizens in order to participate. Characters can also choose to speak to defend Zuko and the Fire Nation nobles in front of the public. If necessary, NPCs will be brought in to speak at this meeting as well. For example, I may bring in Chan or Mai’s dad to speak as representatives of Fire Nation nobles. Characters who are not speaking at this event can also respond to self-paras that people post with their own character’s responses as if they’re in the crowd in order to establish their feelings towards what is being said.
Threads taking place outside of this meeting (both before and after) can continue, but please make sure that your character doesn’t know anything they shouldn’t yet!
Current order of self-paras: Zuko, Qin Lee, Ming, Teo, Mai’s father (NPC), Smellerbee, Aang, Zuko
