If one looked at a map alone, they might find themselves wondering how the Earth Kingdom might have been brought so low by a power like the Fire Nation; the former is a continental hegemon, boasting a landmass nine times that of the latter and a population almost eleven times in number, while the latter had long struggled to maintain a singular political authority, split between a host of squabbling warlords and petty aristocrats.
The Earth Kings in Ba Sing Se had reigned as hegemons over a continent-spanning empire for almost four thousand years by the time the daimyos were finally leashed to the authority of Caldera City, offering their fealty and spiritual allegiance to the Fire Lord hosted within. Those first steps of military and political consolidation were cemented with the creation of the Fire Sages, wise monks, and master fire benders who conveyed the will of the Fire Lord across the nation, defending the holy mandate of the dragon throne with their lives. Even with this increased centralization, the Fire Nation was little more than a shadow of the glory of its continental neighbor; while the Fire Lord commanded the respect and theoretical obedience of his vassals, those vaunted monarchs existed as little more than figureheads, passive observers to the violent internecine conflicts that often raged between the great clans of the nation, their private armies wreaking havoc over petty feuds and personal greed. Even as Caldera City grew into a prosperous center of culture and learning, the rest of the nation was left far behind, though a few other urban centers proved successful enough to share in the prosperity of the capital.
It was only after the nation had endured several reformations, one conducted with the assistance of the Avatar, that some manner of stability was secured; while Caldera City remained a figurehead, the formation of the Royal Procession and the formalization of new oaths between the Fire Lord and their vassals allowed for a truly unified identity to begin to form. The Camellia-Peony War was perhaps the greatest turning point for the Fire Nation; waged almost three hundred years before the reign of Sozin, it was the event that allowed Fire Lord Zoryu to begin the multi-generational project of centralizing power in the dragon throne. This was not a peaceful process, though the might of the Royal Procession and the savviness of the Fire Sages allowed the throne to cement its authority in the centuries that followed, reducing the one all-powerful regional warlord to little more than a landlord class. Under the guidance of the Fire Lord and his scholar-bureaucrats, the Fire Nation flourished, new ideas and technologies spreading across the nation with the aid of the throne. While the isles leaped into modernity, the hegemon that was the Earth Kingdom entered its third century of decadence and stagnation, and the once-mighty Earth Kings were reduced to little more than puppets and figureheads for ambitious landowners, aristocrats, and bureaucrats.
The Fire Nation had prospered for centuries since the reformation and the young Fire Lord Sozin inherited a prosperous and stable kingdom, one that sat on the cusp of greatness. There were few men as ambitious as the young autocrat and it did not take long for him to abandon the arch-conservatism of his father, instead embracing a modernist creed that would see the Fire Nation propelled into the future. It took only a few years for the last vestiges of the old power structures to be wiped away, the institutions of debt slavery and tenancy farming smashed to make way for commercial agriculture and the fledgling industrial economy. What little force the last gasps of feudal reaction were able to muster were promptly incinerated on the steps of the palace, the Royal Procession reaffirming that which was always known: they were the sword and shield of the Fire Lord, the final answer to any question of their sovereign's authority.
It was under Sozin that the Fire Lord truly became the master of the Fire Nation, not just the lord of those who held its yoke. The royal council was reformed into a series of bureaucratic ministries, noble retinues formally disbanded to make way for a national army, generous welfare programs were instituted, and a standardized education system was established to move the nation forward as one. The nation's culture, once restrained to isolated monasteries and institutes in the capitol, began to flourish as the commonfolk were allowed to express themselves for the first time, grand exhibitions ensuring that this new generation of literary and artistic masters would be cemented into the national pantheon as new heroes of modernity. These reforms and countless others won not just the loyalty but the adoration of his people, their devotion sufficient to drown out any voices that warned of the darker things to come. Had his efforts been constrained to the Fire Nation, it is likely that Sozin would be remembered as one of the greatest monarchs to have ruled in that country, immortalized as a great reformer and liberator; instead, he is remembered as the man most responsible for plunging the world into a century of chaos and violence.
The Hundred Year War, also known as the Great War or the National Endeavor within the lands of the Fire Nation, would be both his greatest legacy and his greatest crime. The genocide of the Air Temples was merely the first of a century of crimes, the conquest of the Earth Kingdom bringing famine, slavery, and pillage with it as the army ravaged the ancient cities of that once venerable polity. Sozin's reforms had primed the nation for this endeavor, ensuring that it was well-equipped to seize the northwestern Earth Kingdom, allowing the Fire Nation to exploit what had traditionally been the most prosperous and stable states of the once-dominant hegemon. The aristocratic commanders and undertrained serfs deployed by the Earth Kingdom proved little match to the well-equipped professional army boasted by the Fire Nation, the advanced technologies deployed on the field simply weighting the situation even further against the defending forces. Under Fire Lord Azulon, Sozin's son, the prosperity and industry of the Fire Nation grew to previously unimagined heights, fueled by the resources and cheap labor provided by the colonies and occupied territories. His rule oversaw nearly seventy years of war, the steady gains of the army providing the necessary political cover required for the political marginalization of the Fire Sages, that once widespread and influential organization reduced to a shell of itself after a series of thorough thorough purges, only those sages willing to offer their complete allegiance to the Fire Lord and his aims being allowed to remain.
It was the ascension of Fire Lord Ozai that saw this great machine of empire fire begin to falter; the secondborn son of Fire Lord Azulon, Ozai was able to secure his seat through plotting and politicking in the court while his brother and the favored heir, Iroh, oversaw the conduct of the war directly. Crushed by the death of his son, the former crown prince offered little resistance when his younger brother usurped his position, claiming the throne of the Fire Nation in a (mostly) bloodless palace coup after the conveniently timed death of his father. While Sozin and Azulon were both near-absolute autocrats, they each possessed a deep understanding of the necessity of strong state institutions to carry out their will upon the Fire Nation and the broader world, an understanding that Ozai evidently lacked as he sought to centralize power into a far more unwieldy personalist dictatorship. This became evident in the first days of his rule when the new Fire Lord oversaw a purge of many base-born and nonbender ministers at the higher ranks of the government, replacing them with highborn friends and cronies. Favor towards the previously decimated aristocratic classes became a common sight under Ozai's reign, the old families finding new strength and wealth in the service of a master who once more favored their heritage and blood. Those who had feared the fire of the Dragon of the West soon found themselves wishing desperately for his return to political prominence, the sadism, spite, and egomania of the nation's autocrat soon coming to dominate society in a way that his predecessors never truly had.
Sozin and Azulon may have been tyrants, but it was not hard to see that they were loved by their people; the war they waged brought great wealth and power to the Fire Nation, and their careful governance ensured that it was suitably distributed to ensure the support of the population at large. While Ozai would not dismantle the near century-old welfare and benefit programs erected under Sozin - such a move would have been political suicide, plain and simple - the devotion that his people offered was evidently derived far more from fear than any kind of true love. Such was cemented most firmly when, almost two years after his rise to power, the Fire Lord brought his thirteen-year-old son before the court for a mockery of an Agni Kai; the court watched with muted horror as their crown prince prostrated himself before the autocrat, offering his fealty and supplication, only for his father to press a hand against his face and set it alight.
Talk of the banished princeling would invite scorn from those who sought the favor of Ozai, though his reputation in the Fire Nation at large remained decidedly more… mixed. Rumors had spread of his sins, carried by associates of the Dragon of the West, and a great many found themselves sympathetic to the plight of the young prince who had sought to shield the common soldier from the callousness of his seniors. While some among the court would sneer at those efforts, there remained an undercurrent of cautious optimism in the young crown prince, a hope that his ascension might one day bring an end to the tyranny of his father and a restoration of the righteous governance that had previously seen them through the sacrifices of the National Endeavor.
Few expected his rise to come in the fashion that it did, however.
\=l=/
The imperial palace has changed much over the last century.
The reign of Sozin had seen its transformation from a decadent but outdated bastion of decadence into a modern center of state, rebuilt from the ground up to provide a suitably luxurious and well-defended nerve center to the newly centralized Fire Nation. The palace had served as a testament to the autocrat's devotion to the new, its designs pulling from the new school while its halls were filled with the artistic products of the latest generation of fire nation virtuosos. All manner of wonders had filled its halls then, though the reign of Fire Lord Azulon had seen foreign artifacts introduced into the mix, trophies taken from the other nations becoming a common sight in the lengthy halls of the palace. Whilst Sozin had made his home a testament to progress and national pride, Azulon saw fit to make his a celebration of conquest, his favor often falling upon those generals who succeeded in acquiring particularly desired artifacts. The palace had taken on a more spartan appearance beneath Ozai; while prone to personal decadence, the autocrat seemed to favor the discomfort and awe inspired by the architecture of the palace alone.
It was through those black and gold halls that two ministers walked, though their pace was that of men who were only just managing to restrain themselves from running and had yet to decide if they would continue to display such self-control. They were dressed in the usual ceremonial wear expected by high-ranking members of the court, crimson robes with golden accents, with black and gold ceremonial pauldrons to symbolize their standing in the court. Each had their greying hair drawn into a formal topknot, their beards carefully groomed to project a sense of wizened dignity; both had been prepared for a formal ceremony, not the crisis that arose in its place.
The war situation has developed not necessarily to the Fire Nation's advantage.
That is not to say that they had faced military defeat on the field of battle - by all metrics, the Fire Nation's army was as strong as it had ever been - but it was evident by now that the conflict had become politically untenable. Fire Lord -
Phoenix King now
, Qin supposed - Ozai had departed from Caldera City having promised that he would bring the world to heel, offering his daughter and designated heir as the Fire Lord in his place. The girl had the makings of a good ruler; she was cunning, ruthless, and one of the greatest firebenders of her generation - perhaps even the
prior generation, if Ozai's unwillingness to spar with her was true - but she was also
fourteen and the responsible thing would have been to appoint a regency. Still, such things could have been settled in time had things proceeded as planned…
But it was evident enough now that they had not.
The pair slowed as they passed several servants, pausing their conversation as they passed; the walls had ears in the palace and it wouldn't do for either of them to be seen as panicking in a time like this. Qin found himself envying the composure of Minister Saojo, the younger man comporting himself with all the grace of a sage, his genial smile seeming almost genuine until it faded away as they passed the servants and continued their hurried discussion. They had been in the midst of a meeting - the Ministry of Infrastructure often found itself collaborating with the Ministry of Wartime Technology - when one of the man's aides had burst into the room, a scroll clutched tightly in hand. In any other circumstance, Qin would have been quite perturbed to find that the little upstart had been spying on the mail that passed through the capitol's hawkcotes, though it had proved quite advantageous on this occasion.
To put the matter quite plainly, Fir-
Phoenix King Ozai had been defeated.
The scroll had been sent from one of his companion vessels, advising that the entirety of the fleet had been destroyed by an intervention from the Avatar himself and that the Fire Lord had fallen in personal combat against that spirit-infested
boy. If he was honest with himself, Qin was far more distraught by the news that the project he'd spent the last year and a half working on had just gone up in flames than he was by the prospect of Ozai's death - the man was quite possibly the
most demanding superior that he'd ever had the displeasure of working under - but if the monarch was in fact dead, it would mean poor things for national morale. This disaster alone would have been recoverable; regrettable, certainly, but not a mortal blow by any means.
He suspected that the other bureaucrat would have kept that bit of knowledge to himself if he hadn't been present in the room when it was delivered, but that slip of luck had ensured that the two of them were
plotting theorizing together when one of
his men had arrived. The message that his agent carried was a mere account, though one that proved
most distressing when brought together with the message from the air fleet.
Pr-
Fire Lord Azula was just deposed in an Agni Kai.
It was unclear whether or not she actually
was Fire Lord at the time of the duel, though the results of it were evident enough; the traitor prince had arrived at her coronation and challenged her to the ritual combat, the duel ending in a predictable way as she subjected him to the might of her birthright, lightning bending… only for the prince's water tribe concubine to strike her down through some manner of trickery.
If events had occurred the way that the man had described them, something that he had little certainty in given the almost fantastical tone the young fellow took, it would have invalidated the results of the duel… though evidently, the sages in attendance hadn't thought so as they'd deemed fit to crown Zuko as the new Fire Lord.
This was… less than ideal.
Zuko had been absent from court for much of the last three years, banished for his supposed insolence in one of the Fire Lord's war meetings. While never brave enough to voice it, Qin had been appalled by the mockery of an Agni Kai that had preceded the banishment; while he could be hard on his boys at times, he had never raised a hand against one of them, let alone a
flaming one. That discomfort didn't mean much though seeing as he hadn't
done anything at the time besides watch, and he found himself wondering just how merciful the boy would prove to be now that he sat upon the dragon throne. The prince's association with the Avatar left him less than hopeful when it came to the prospect of mercy: the Northern Fleet had learned just how much brutality the boy was capable of when they were dragged beneath the freezing arctic waters of the north, and a part of Qin wondered if he should be making himself scarce before the new Fire Lord started making lists.
That was evidently what the Chancellor had opted to do if the smoke coming from his estate was any indication; Mezao had always been an ardent supporter of Ozai, so it was little surprise that the ornery bastard had opted to flee while he had the chance. Self-immolation was also possible, though his gut told him that the old dog wouldn't just give up quite yet. Such a rapid departure was perhaps the wiser course of action, but… well, the Minister of Wartime Technology had found himself far too enamored with his silks and sake to jump ship just yet.
There was a chance that
something could be salvaged, after all.
"It seems to me that we'll need a new chancellor shortly, dearest friend."
The Minister of Infrastructure, a man who was most certainly
not his friend, gave him a leery side-eye before offering a slight nod. Qin had never liked how nasally the man's voice was, though the words spoken often made up for that mild annoyance in the quality of their content.
"A sentiment I very much agree with… friend. We'll want to find someone quickly, preferably present them to the Firelord directly rather than letting the matter come before the cabinet."
The older bureaucrat chewed on his cheek for a moment before offering a nod: the young Fire Lord would likely be inclined to seek the advice of his ministers given his inexperience, something that would almost certainly prove a mistake given the sorts of men that Ozai tended to appoint. While Qin was not so deluded as to believe himself an exception to that, he at least knew that he and Saojo were sensible; the same could not be assured about the Minister of War or the Minister of Domestic Harmony, nor any of the other cronies that the Fire Lord had seen fit to hand pick.
No, they would most
certainly be best suited by helping the Fire Lord pick someone who wasn't liable to get them all killed by the Avatar.
"They'll need to be a new name. Someone respectable, but not tied up in any of the current politics of the cabinet."
The other minister's laugh was mirthless.
"And not tainted by association, of course."
"If it must be said, I
suppose that would also be a boon."
"A sensible point. Do you have anyone in mind?"
They threw a few names around as they swept into Qin's office, the elder minister not pausing as he went to pour out a glass of sake, hesitating for a moment before doing the same for his companion. The options that first came to mind were… less than optimal.
Quite abysmal, really.
The most prominent individuals in society these days were war heroes, something that would usually be a boon for the selection process, but had the potential to backfire here given the new Fire Lord's apparent distaste for the current conduct of the war. More problematic with involving that sort was their typical political background: those that were usually elevated into the social arena had typically either affirmed their loyalty to Ozai or were associated with one of the military cliques.
While Qin had decent relations with several of those groups of general - those kinds of connections paid when they were the ones responsible for reporting on the quality of your work - he knew better than to think that they'd offer anything but opposition to the Fire Lord if he planned to get in the way of their incomes. It wasn't at all uncommon for newly taken land to be carved up between the officers involved, their family members often granted appointments in the area as a reward for their work in pushing the borders of the nation even further. They'd need a Chancellor from one of the cliques that wouldn't be outright
hostile to the policies that their new lord sought to implement, while also serving as a sufficient counterbalance to his less…
considered positions.
But who?
He paused.
Considered it.
"I think I might know someone."
"Refrain from holding me in suspense, Minister."
He rolled his eyes at the insolence of the callow youth, his voice still thoughtful as he spoke.
[] "She's an associate of the Finance Minister - that alone is a good in, but I'm told that she also carries a fair amount of weight with the admiralty club and the mercantile concerns here in Caldera. The mercantilist clique is well established in court, though I find it unlikely that our new liege will share Ozai's disfavor; her appointment might prove a sufficient reinforcement to raise them back as a counterbalance to Ozai's clique and the militarists. Even more importantly, I imagine that she'll understand the importance of maintaining our economic position in these uncertain times; after all, if things falter too much, we risk far more than what is ultimately a minor dynastic squabble…"[] "She's my niece - a close association is dangerous, I know, but it might prove worthwhile here. She associates with the national associations here in Caldera, not Ozai's, the youth ones; I know you're not fond of the modernist movement, but it might be useful to attach them to our government, let some new blood into the court in order to take attention away from reliable hands such as yourself and I. It might make the conservatives uncomfortable, all the talk of meritocracy and youth, but I wouldn't mind throwing up a distraction to take attention away from us in these trying times…"- [] "She's a relative of the governor in Yu Dao… don't give me that look, young man, I know she's mixed, but the Fire Lord seems to hold a misplaced sympathy for foreigners and mongrels. She's a colonial, so we can at least expect her to know her place and heed our counsel; their kind is always quick to listen to their betters when it comes to this sort of thing, especially since she'll be without other friends in the court. More importantly, we can expect her to advocate for the interests of the colonies, which would hopefully offer a starting point in talking the Fire Lord down from whatever foolishness he might be contemplating in the colonies.
"That… could work. Hmm. Is she reasonable?"
"She's…"
[] "Orthodox" (Devoted Clique, Firm Orthodoxy)[] "Moderate" (Loyal Clique, Personal Interest)- [] "Revisionist" (Uncertain Clique, Personal Interest, Moderate Divergence)
[] "Radical" (Disloyal Clique, Substantial Divergence)
"... by the standards of her associates, at least."
The silence lapsed on for a moment as the two men considered her feasibility, the younger finally offering a slight nod.
"See to it that she's brought to the palace. I want to take her measure; if she passes muster, we won't waste any more time."
A decision was made, and the two men wasted no further time.
