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Path towards Harmony [AU Legend of Korra Quest]

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Korra and Harmonic Convergence IV (Month 12, part 17)
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    • Winning vote:
    [X] ...you'll free your parents, and all fight together.

    Korra and Harmonic Convergence IV (Month 12, part 17)​

    ...you'll free your parents, and the three of you will take down your uncle together!

    With that decided, you decide to barge into the scene! That'll give you the element of surprise and let you get your parents out of Unalaq's hands quickly. Following the trail of Desna and Eska, you rush in, using the Air around you to speed you up, and then take a leap into the air...

    "...!?"

    "What the-!?"

    "Is that...!?"

    ...and then crash land in front of Unalaq and his group of soldiers!

    Not giving them any time, you blast away the soldiers guarding your parents with blasts of Air fired from your fists. Your mom promptly takes this opportunity to start Healing herself and your dad. As for the soldiers, by the time they've recovered, the surrounding Water Unionists have barged in and take the opportunity to start fighting them.

    All said, you've created a rather nice mess~!

    You smirk at your uncle, who has his full attention on you now, face red with fury.

    "Avatar Korra! What is the meaning of this!?" he yells at you.

    "I should be asking you that!" you say, getting into a fighting stance. You can't help but notice that, once again, Desna and Eska are backing off, leaving their father to his own devices. Good. "Why did you sic Raava and Vaatu on us!? And why did you capture my parents!?"

    "Hmph!" He's calmed down a bit, but still is regarding you with contempt. He hasn't even bothered getting into a fighting stance of his own! "I told you. The time had come for Raava and Vaatu to be freed, and so I freed them. As for your parents, they chased us down and accosted me, the nerve of them!"

    "That's not how I would put it," says your dad from behind Unalaq, now healed and ready to go. "After all, didn't you trespass on sacred ground and defile it? Naturally, someone had to make sure you were held accountable." He gets into a fighting stance. "And who better to do that than me, brother?"

    "You're no brother of mine!" spits out Unalaq at your dad, words filled with venom.

    "Of course not," says your mom. "You made sure of that!" she adds, accusing him, getting into her own fighting stance at your dad's side.

    Unalaq laughs. "Ha! I suppose you have some proof? Or are you just desperate to push your husband's failures onto me?"

    Unsurprisingly, she doesn't respond to his provocation. But what she does do is. She smirks at your uncle, much like you would. "You'll see," is all that she says in response.

    Unalaq gives her a suspicious glance, but she reveals nothing. "Hmph. This is pointless. There is nothing you can... do!?"

    He looks down, and notices that his feet have sunken a bit into the ground. He twists his head around to look at you, and you stick your tongue out at him. "Forgot about me~?" you say in a sing-song voice.

    "You! Let me go!" he demands.

    "Hmmmmm... okay!"

    You then stomp down hard, and release him from the Earth... leading to him flying out of the ground. Stunned, he's not able to repel the jets of Water from your parents, which blast him into some nearby trees. After landing on the ground, he slowly starts to recover. Your parents take this opportunity to come to your side. The three of you approach him slowly and cautiously (more than you would like, to be honest, but it was your mom's idea), moving as one unit as he gets up.

    "You... stop this defiance at once! I am your king!" demands Unalaq of the three of you.

    "No," is all you say back in response, and then you and your parents launch Water blasts at him!

    He then finally responds to your combined attack with bending of his own. As it turns out, he kept several water skins on his person, and pulled the Water out of them to make a shield and deflect your attack. He then solidified his shield into ice and fired shards from it! Your parents deflected and dodged them, while you simply melted them with your Fire-breath. But why is he doing this? He must know that this won't be enough to...

    It then comes to you. In the distance, you can sense spirits approaching. Must be dark ones, since this is the North. So, his plan is to use them as a distraction and escape?

    Well, you're not letting that happen!

    You stop your Fire-breath and instead create a rapidly swirling sphere of Air, putting it in the way of the ice shards. Not just that – it redirects them at your uncle! Your parents, realizing what's going on, add their own attacks, creating an icy barrage!

    "Tch!"

    Your uncle, promptly gives up and hides behind a tree for cover, dispelling his shield. But he swipes the ice out of the air to refill his water skins. But now that he's hiding, you stop your swirling winds and ask your parents to keep up the attack. You, meanwhile, prepare something of your own...

    Your parents move in and Unalaq comes out from his cover. He's prepared water tendrils and strikes out with them at your parents, who whip around and dodge them. Your dad focuses more on attacking Unalaq and your mom focuses more on defending the two of them. They make a good pair. You trust them to hold fast while you focus...

    Calm yourself...

    Take deep breaths...

    Devide your chi, positive and negative...

    Circle it and circle yourself, moving in sync...

    Despite the battle, you find it easier than ever to focus. Maybe it's because of all the work you did on Spirit Projection... it doesn't take much time at all for you to ready your lighting. You hold fast to your crackling chi as it surges through your body, waiting... waiting... waiting...

    ...NOW!

    "...!?"

    There was a brief moment where Unalaq was open, having just attacked your parents with his tendrils. He was wide open! In that moment, you run the lightning through your legs to speed yourself up, and hold as much there in reserve as you can. You then leap at Unalaq, crashing your feet into his chest, and let the lightning surge through him!

    "AAAAAAAAGH!?!?!"

    The water around his arms dissipates as he gets sent flying through the trees, crash landing in the distance. Your roll through your Lightning-infused kick and land on your feet, unfazed and full of energy still. Your parents join you and the three of you search for Unalaq, finding him out cold on the ground. Congratulating yourselves for a job well done, you grab Unalaq by the leg and drag him over to Desna and Eska. The two of them are accompanied by the Water Unionists, who have taken care of all the soldiers.

    Desna looks down at his dad. "...wow. Told him how you really felt, didn't you?"

    Eska gives her dad a curious look. "You didn't, like, kill him, did you?"

    "..."

    You take a quick moment to check his pulse. Nope, still alive!

    The twins breathe out a sigh of relief.

    "You can take him from here, right?" you ask.

    The twins glance at each other, and then at the Water Unionists. Cue one of them speaking up, asking if you could instead take him to somewhere like Republic City or the Southern Capital. After all, there will never be a better time to remove this man from power than literally right now, while he's unable to stop them. Desna, Eska, and the Water Unionists will be able to handle things in the North if you do.

    Well, when they point it that way, it does make sense... and you're looking forward to seeing your uncle's face when he wakes up and realizes what happened.

    So, you agree, and the three of you start heading back to the Spirit Portal, dragging him behind you.

    (Unalaq is defeated! Where to take him?)
    [][Unalaq] Republic City
    [][Unalaq] Southern Capital

    (Both of these will happen. Which happens first?)
    [][Priority] Dumping Unalaq somewhere takes priority.
    [][Priority] Checking in on Biyong and Vanra takes priority.

    QM Note: Note that it's much faster to get to Republic City than to get to the Southern Capital.
     
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    • [X][Unalaq] Republic City

    [X][Priority] Checking in on Biyong and Vanra takes priority.

    I've lost patience with this guy, and he's actively interfered with a major undertaking built around keeping everything from going to shit.
     
    [X][Unalaq] Southern Capital
    [X][Priority] Dumping Unalaq somewhere takes priority.

    This, technically, is an internal water tribe matter. Dragging other nations into this could cause problems. Raava and Vaatu fall under Avatar business, but putting a political prisoner into a prison belonging to another country...
     
    Korra and Harmonic Convergence V (Month 12, part 18)
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    • Winning vote:
    [X][Unalaq] Southern Capital
    [X][Priority] Dumping Unalaq somewhere takes priority.

    Korra and Harmonic Convergence V (Month 12, part 18)​

    After talking it over, you and your parents decide that you'd rather not have to drag your uncle around like this all day. But then where to take him? While it's tempting to drag him all the way back to Republic City, that also means that you'd be responsible for watching over him. Besides, you'd also have to glide all the way back to that portal with him in tow, while the portal to the South Pole was much more accessible.

    So, you all decide to make the former king the Southern Water Tribe's problem.

    Crossing back into the spirit world, you see that Vanra and Biyong are both still unconscious. However, the spiritual auras surrounding them are gently swaddling them rather than violently and threateningly surging. The Spirit Sages and Tenzin are watching over them, but they're all relaxed now.

    Looks like it's almost over.

    You walk over to Asami and give her a kiss. She gives you a warm smile and then glances down at your uncle, her expression turning to confusion.

    "...is that your uncle? Where are you taking him?" she asks.

    "The South. I'll be back soon," you say as you start walking off again.

    You then stop and walk back over to her. "Biyong and Vanra are okay, right?"

    Asami chuckles. "Yes, Korra, they're doing fine. But they'll need to rest until Harmonic Convergence ends in a few hours."

    "Oh, well if the Spirit Sages are going to stick around and watch over them, want to come with us to the South?" you offer.

    "Uhhh..."

    Asami turns to Haiko, Rika, and Zumaq, who all wave her off.

    "...okay then."

    With that settled, your group of five cross into the southern portal and emerge at the South Pole. The southern lights are still dancing in the sky. Since you're tired of carrying your uncle around, you swaddle him in gentle winds before creating an Air Wheel for the rest of you to ride on. In the Air Wheel, the ride to the southern capital is smooth and fast, taking only a few hours. Along the way, you pass a group of retreating light spirits dragging the Light Oni away, and have a laugh at its plight.

    Once you get near the southern capital, military outposts start to pop up. The capital itself has no wall, so the people stationing them are meant to act as guards. Eventually, a few soldiers come out and motion for you to stop, so you slow the wheel down and let it dissipate. The soldier who was about to question you freezes in place as soon as she realizes who you have in tow. She then starts frantically chatting with her companions and then runs inside the nearby outpost to make some calls.

    Not long later, the four of you are being brought into the capital while your uncle is put in chains and taken away. Your group go not to the royal palace, which seems to have been converted to a museum recently, but to an office building near the harbor. Inside the building, you meet several representatives of the southern United Front, including Kya and Sira.

    While Sira greets you all warmly, Kya wants to get down to business immediately and demands to know how and why you managed to drag an unconscious Unalaq here.

    "Well, the how is that we beat him up, duh," you say in a teasing manner. When Kya gives a look, you decide to go along with her and be a bit more serious about things. Be a proper Avatar and such. "Okay, so the whole story is pretty long. Starting from the beginning... you know how my uncle was all about reconnecting with the spirits?"

    Kya, Sira, and the others nod.

    "That was all a ruse. Maybe he actually liked spirits or maybe he didn't, but really he was just using them... and all of us. His goal was to take control of Raava and Vaatu and use their power for his own ends. Probably start with outright conquering the south via the spirit portal and the moving on Republic City next. We had to stop him!"

    Kya nods. "I see... so, then, befriending the spirits was a way for him to gain their support. We did notice some light spirits gathering outside the city, but they dispersed on their own not too long ago."

    "They must have realized he wasn't coming and ran off," adds Sira. One of the other delegates suggests chasing them down and interrogating them, and a few leave to arrange for just that.

    Kya turns her attention back to you. "Speaking of the spirit portals, did you leave them open?" she asks.

    "For bow," you reply. "I have to get back to the Spirit World and make sure things are okay there before going back home."

    "Are you going to leave them open permanently?"

    You give Kya a confused look. "...should I?"

    "It's up to you," she says. "You're the Avatar, so-"

    "So what?" you say, interrupting her. "I'm the Avatar, yeah. But what does that have to do with the portals? My role is to maintain balance. I can do that whether or not they're open."

    Kya and Sira look at each other for a moment and talk in whispers before Kya turns her attention back to you. "Okay. So... having those portals open and reconnecting the Water Tribes... that's a big change. And we're not sure if it's a good idea or not to have them open, which is why we were going to follow your lead."

    "It's not solely my decision to make, is it?" you ask back. "What would you all want?"

    "...give us some time to think about it, okay?" asks Kya.

    "Of course!" you say with a smile. "I'll be back tomorrow. Can we go?"

    "Oh yeah, of course. See you tomorrow."

    And with that, you, your parents, and Asami leave the southern capital... but only for now.

    (Where do Korra and friends spend the night?)
    [] Remain in the spirit world. (auto-skip to next day)
    [] Take everyone back to Republic City. (must write-in what you'd like to do in Republic City)

    QM Note: Last vote will be in the next part!
     
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    • [X] Take everyone back to Republic City. (must write-in what you'd like to do in Republic City)
    -[X] Frantically try to find out what effects permanently open spirit portals would have in an international and spiritual sense before everyone else asks you what to do with them.
     
    karmaoa said:
    [X] Take everyone back to Republic City. (must write-in what you'd like to do in Republic City)
    -[X] Frantically try to find out what effects permanently open spirit portals would have in an international and spiritual sense before everyone else asks you what to do with them.
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...

    lol. write-in approved.
     
    [X] Take everyone back to Republic City. (must write-in what you'd like to do in Republic City)
    -[X] Frantically try to find out what effects permanently open spirit portals would have in an international and spiritual sense before everyone else asks you what to do with them.
     
    [X] Take everyone back to Republic City. (must write-in what you'd like to do in Republic City)
    -[X] Frantically try to find out what effects permanently open spirit portals would have in an international and spiritual sense before everyone else asks you what to do with them.

    For as mature as this Korra incarnation has been, let us not forget that she's barely not a teenager
     
    Korra and the Spirit Portals (Month 12, part 19)
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    • Winning vote:
    [X] Take everyone back to Republic City. (must write-in what you'd like to do in Republic City)
    -[X] Frantically try to find out what effects permanently open spirit portals would have in an international and spiritual sense before everyone else asks you what to do with them.

    Korra and the Spirit Portals (Month 12, part 19)​

    When you, your parents, and Asami return to the Spirit World, you find that Biyong and Vanra are still out cold. The spiritual auras around them have receded to the point where they're like fine silk cloaks covering their bodies.

    "Will they be okay if we take then back to Republic City?" you ask the Spirit Sages. "I can watch over them from there."

    The Spirit Sages give you curious looks, and the Spirit Sage of Water asks you if something is the matter. And yes, something is the matter! It's these Spirit Portals! You don't know if you should leave them open or not! So, you need to figure out what exactly leaving them open would do to the world, both internationally and spiritually!

    To make matters worse, when you ask the Spirit Sages what they think of the matter, they say they'll go along with whatever you decide. Great! That's not helpful!

    But, yes, you can take Biyong and Vanra out of the Spirit World without causing any problems at this point, so it's time to go home! You put on your wing-suit while the others get in the hot air balloons, and head back to Republic City. You're the first one through the portal, and it's already night-time when you set foot on Spirit Portal Island. Next is your mom and dad, carrying Vanra and Biyong with them...

    "...! What the-!?"

    ...and when they set foot on this side of the portal, vines from the banyan grove tree suddenly lash out and grab your two friends!

    You and your parents are too surprised to react in time. Biyong and Vanra get carted off into the massive root system of the banyan tree. The spiritual energy of the forest surrounds them and starts mingling with their own. It reminds you of something... a very long time ago, when your family first moved here, the White Lotus also had you meditate between the roots of this great tree. Does the tree remember that? Or is it simply reacting to the presences of Raava and Vaatu?

    You're still pondering it by the time the others – including Tenzin – come out. Rika and Haiko look at once ready to blast the tree and have it let them go, but Tenzin talks her out of it.

    "They'll be fine," he insists.

    "Are you sure?" asks Rika.

    "How can you know!?" asks Haiko.

    "We can trust the banyan-grove tree. Right, Korra?" says Tenzin.

    Silently, you walk over to the tree. Placing a hand on it, you feel the energy of tree as well as the forest connected to it. All the other spirits... all the plants... all the animals... everything. Vanra and Biyong are there. Vaatu and Raava are there. They're all connected together.

    "...Yeah. They'll be fine," you finally say.

    Rika accepts it, but Haiko remains a bit skeptical and decides that she'll stick around here.

    With the decided, the rest of the group splits off. Rika and Zumaq go back to their home in Uptown, and the trio of Lon-Hu, Aoza, and Zenruk return to Tiger Ward. Your parents head home, to also alert Haiko's dad about her decision and the families of Biyong and Vanra about why they're not coming back home tonight. Tenzin decides to stick around the forest as well, though he gives you the advice to go to Air Temple Island and ask for advice there. And Asami decides to join you on your frantic quest for knowledge.

    You can't thank her enough for her support.

    The two of you hop on a ferry and head to Air Temple Island. You're greeted warmly by the monks living there and offered tea. Once you explain why you've shown yourself, they of course agree to talk with you. New spirit portals are a serious matter.

    You and Asami are escorted to a large dining room and offered a meal, which you both heartily accept. No way you're skipping dinner! During the meal, you're joined by several monks – and happen to notice that others are making phone calls in the background – who talk over the matter of leaving the portals open or closed. They emphasize this it's ultimately your call as the Avatar, but they want to provide appropriate guidance.

    First, you can consider the already open Artificial Spirit Portal near your home. In all the years you've lived there, there's only been one major incident with it – the one with Zaheer long ago. Other than that, the portal has been mostly quiet and the forest around it peaceful. Someone brings up the light and dark spirits and the trouble they caused, and another monk points out that this should cease since Harmonic Convergence has passed. Without Raava and Vaatu to lead them, they should disperse. But even if that doesn't happen, you and your friends can handle them, you add.

    This leads to the second point, which is that most spirits are capable of coexisting peacefully with most humans. Most spirits are not Raava and Vaatu and most humans are not – to use a dated example – Admiral Zhao. Daily life in Republic City, a place that hosts thousands of spirits without issue, is itself proof of this. One monk points out, however, that because things are like this currently does not mean that things will be this way forever. The nature of this world is change, after all, whether orderly or chaotic.

    As the monks talk the matter over, several guests arrive. Some of them are ex-Equalists, including Totola. Some of them are Water Unionists, including Vanrir. And some of them are members of the various councils of Republic City and of the Harmonic Republic. You fill them all in on what happened earlier today, expecting the news to spread pretty quickly overnight and in the morning.

    And you ask them to give you their opinions on whether or not the portals should be left open.

    In a word, you would describe their opinions as mixed. In fact, it almost leads to arguments and fistfights, so you have to do an odd thing for you and help keep tempers cool alongside the monks.

    There are those in favor of leaving the portals open. With Unalaq gone, the Water Tribes have never been closer together, so it's fine to have them connected. The economic and social benefits of fast travel between the poles can't be understated either.

    There are those in favor of leaving the portals shut. Developing the areas around the portals might lead to their spiritual presence weakening and them closing on their own. And leaving the South vulnerable to a capture by the more populous North is risky.

    There are maybe a few more people in favor of leaving them open than shutting them, but no firm consensus by the time you head home and go to sleep. But when you wake up on the morning of the last day of the month, you feel that you've come to a decision. You know what you'll say to Kya and Sira, to Desna and Eska, to the people of Republic City, and to the world.

    What you will say is...

    [] ...the spirit portals will be left open.
    [] ...the spirit portals will be closed.
    [] (more detailed write-in; subject to QM approval)

    QM Note: Next update – seeing what happened with Biyong and Vanra, last check-ins on the North and the South, and the end of this quest's main updates!
     
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    • Aaaaaaaaaah I don't know what to vote someone convince me

    Things to consider:
    Canon is not necessary
    There will be some big changes coming from having the spirit kites embedded in our friends. More spirit stability? More chaos?
    There's been a lot of international war in the past ~5 years or so. Spirit portals can encourage that with fast travel and strategic locations OR discourage that with more trade and a more culturally unified water tribe presence.
    Our cousins seem to have more overt control over the north WT than in canon given that significant portions of NWT soldiers essentially aided them in a coup d'état of their father, so maybe NWT won't be as hilariously imperial as in canon?
    The convergence is passing, but the light/dark spirits have been making a big mess leading up to now. With Raava and Vaatu under control, will spirit portals and increased spirits be fine? Really wish we could Avatar dream-vision talk with Wan and get more history knowledge context.

    I'm leaning slightly towards keeping the portals open, but a decent argument will easily tip me either way
     
    Based on what we know so far leaving the portals open seems fine. If the Water tribes can get along then let them. Hell this may lead to a peaceful unification that both sides can live with. That's not a problem, Unalaq's methods and vendetta against his brother were the issue.

    Furthermore, loosing track of shit in the spirit world is what got us into this mess in the first place, having people be able to interact with spirits more casually will mean better information flow to alert us to the next sealed evil in a can.
     
    Taijutsu_ said:
    Our cousins seem to have more overt control over the north WT than in canon given that significant portions of NWT soldiers essentially aided them in a coup d'état of their father, so maybe NWT won't be as hilariously imperial as in canon?
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...

    To clarify this point, it's less that Desna and Eska have control and more that they don't want to be in control - they want to do their own thing. Aiding the NWT soldiers and the Water Unionists let them not be royalty, and also means they don't have to deal with their dad's nonsense anymore. Since the Water Unionists are involved, peaceful unification is likely.
     
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