Water Chief Irelia
"Irelia would lead the Northern Water Tribe with pride and heart..."
Introduction
Irelia is the current Northern Water Chief. He is an individual who has lived an accomplished life, working his way up towards Chiefhood as a Water Tribesman commoner. Much can be learned from studying his life. This article features his story, leading towards his greatest achievement yet: Chiefhood.
Table of Contents
Character
Personality
A driven man, Irelia is the type to seemingly never truly know when to quit. He’s on a constant mission, and whatever that mission may be, he won’t cease until he’s achieved whatever goal he’s after. He possesses an iron exterior, unwilling to let any person, thing, or idea get in the way of his goals, unless absolutely necessary. Due to this, many may see him as stubborn, a man stuck in his ways and unwilling to see the perspective of another. Irelia, aware of his own drive and “fault”, would argue that he’s simply a man who knows what he wants.
Under this exterior, however, is a person with a surprising amount of compassion and love for those around him. His goals are never selfish, never unpossessing of not only his own wisdom, but the wisdom of those he cares about. While he’s made mistakes, and his goals aren’t always “correct”, he’s one to reflect on his own actions and seek true justice and betterment of the world, even if he should be the one at fault in the first place.
In his many previous and current positions of power, Irelia is one to have gained much wisdom over the years. While he still has much to learn, as anyone does, he is wise enough to know how to achieve his goals, how to help others, and how to fix his own mistakes.
While his redeeming traits are sometimes overshadowed by drive and strong belief in himself, at the turn of night, Irelia is a caring, wise individual with a love for those around him and a desire to do what he believes is right, and refuses to let anyone get in his way.
Physical Description
He wears what is typical of the Northern Water tribe, only with an energy of regality and higher status. He often wears a long, navy cloak with a polar bear-fur trim, over a traditional amauti. He can usually be seen in octopus seal leather boots, with again, the fur of a polar bear as a trim. Most notable of his attire would be his silver headpiece, a simple yet regal accessory that he’s almost never caught not wearing.
Life
A Torrent in the North
As mentioned, Irelia was born in the Northern Water Tribe to a pair of loving parents. Not much is to be said of his early home life, as it was the same as any other. Both fortunately and not, it would end up being the most normal thing about his childhood.
Irelia had always been a driven boy. Willed to best his peers, to succeed in every regard, he was quickly recognized as a great power in the making. He dreamed big, wishing for greatness and to shine brighter than anyone around him. This would, sadly, incur jealousy and fear from his peers. They saw him as a polar bear dog in a room of arctic hens; a fearsome powerhouse surrounded by those simply attempting to live their lives. This drive would net him only one friend, that being a girl named Noey.
The pair’s childhoods were rather torrential, as Noey would come to incur the same backlash from the community that Irelia had. Hurt but undeterred, their friendship would keep each other going through a world that seemed to be a little more difficult just specifically for them. Their elders would often give them harder tasks than their peers, and less help, often saying something along the lines of, “If you’re so strong, why can’t you just do it yourself? Surely there’s nothing too difficult for Irelia and his little friend.”
Together, Irelia and Noey were unstoppable, even in the face of the hardships their own community threw at them. Noey was a fantastic supporter, an ally to someone who just wished for a friend once he obtained the power he wished for. Without her support, counsel, and trust, Irelia himself doubts he’d be where he is today. This dynamic would continue into their adulthoods.
A Surge of Doubt
Over the years, however well she hid it, Noey began to feel overshadowed by Irelia. Time and time again he would overcome challenges, reaching for the stars, and Noey’s job would be to simply be his support when nobody else would. As much as she cared, couldn’t she achieve her own glory? Her own honor, her own victories?
To Irelia’s dismay, Noey began taking up the role of not his supporter, but his rival. When faced with a challenge, she wouldn’t stay to the side so Irelia could best it and half the glory, she would attempt to take the glory for herself. This confused and angered Irelia, as although he wanted to be the best, he didn’t want to topple even his only friend. How could she put him in this position? How could she try to take what he’d work so hard for?
Soon this new dynamic came to a head, and the two lashed out at each other. A pointed conversation turned into an argument, and an argument turned into a full blown battle. Irelia emerged the victor, but his prize was the true loss of his only friend. Noey wanted nothing to do with him, seeing as he clearly couldn’t respect that she had her own goals. The two parted ways to pursue different paths, both of them alone.
Irelia walked the path of waterbending mastery, wishing to earn the title of master and finally earn the respect of his tribe. Leaving his hometown of Yue Liang, he left for Catori, and was greeted with an entirely new and different atmosphere. He found not the simple, comfortable lifestyle of his childhood home, but instead people who shared his same passion for greatness and honor. In his home, being the best was easy enough, as everyone else wanted to be unassuming and simple. Here, however, he had competition. He both hated and loved it.
The previous master, a woman named Sangilak, was fierce, precise, and seemingly perfect. Never made a mistake, and allowed her disciples the same allowance for error. Irelia loved this environment, and wanted nothing more than to prove himself to this woman. However, that would prove difficult, as he nor his peers ever seemed to meet her impossible standards.
After a particularly difficult training session, 1 on 1 with his master, Irelia, begrudgingly, succumbed to crying. Stressed and tired after years of grueling work, he’d emerged the best of his peers. It, however, was still not enough for Sangilak. He asked, through tears, what he could be doing better. Why he still wasn’t good enough, why he still wasn’t a master.
Sangilak, unswayed emotionally by his tears, simply explained he wanted to be a master for the wrong reasons. After his years of training with those so similar to him, he’d failed to make a single friend. He’d failed to help anyone, he’d failed to put aside winning for the betterment of others. She explained that though water is powerful and unforgiving, it is healing and therapeutic in the same breath. She told him he must be both to truly master the element.
After that, Irelia truly, for the first time, took a good look at himself. What kind of person was he, to choose his own pride over his only friend? How could he have chosen to “best” her over keeping her friendship? Why couldn’t he have just let her be happy and achieve her own greatness alongside him? Why was everything a competition?
Questions flooded his mind, distracting him from his training. Those he once could beat with ease now wiped the floor with him. As Sangilak’s retirement grew closer, he knew he had no chance of becoming Master anymore. However, for reasons once odd to him, he was happy. Happy for his peers, for the opportunities they had. Happy for his tribe, for how lucky they were to have such an excellent selection of candidates for master. Happy for Noey, wherever she was, for the greatness she was surely achieving now that nobody was around to hold her back. At least, he hoped.
The night before the new master was announced, Irelia made his way to Sangilak’s quarters. He thanked her for the lessons she’d given him, and although he knew it wasn’t him, he was happy for the new master. He explained that as happy as he was for them, it still hurt that he’d failed in his dreams of achieving something great, and asked to be excused from the ceremony of naming the next master the following day.
Sangilak simply told him no, that he wasn’t excused, and asked him to leave. Stunned, he did as he was told, walking back to his home with a puzzled look on his face. Could this be punishment?
The next day, to both Irelia’s surprise and the surprise of his peers, Irelia was crowned the next Northern Master. He went through the motions of accepting as if he were dreaming, feeling as if there had been some kind of mistake. After the ceremony, Irelia approached the former master, asking why she had chosen him. She replied that among all of her students, he had been the only one to face his flaws and work to change them. He was humble and content in the face of defeat, yet his drive still clearly remained. He’d possessed all the makings of a good master, and although his skill in bending had suffered for his distracted state, he’d already previously proven his skill. In Sangilak’s eyes, Irelia was the best choice.
The Healing Waters
After that, Irelia took every opportunity as a blessing, he taught his pupils humility and respect among their bending moves, to be courteous and kind among fierce fighters. He instilled the many lessons he had learned in life in his pupils, and in doing so, believed he was carving a better and brighter future for his tribe. His work, however, was far from finished.
Irelia thought of Noey almost every day after he’d lost her friendship. While just a friend, she used to mean everything to him. Not having her felt like he was missing his other half. It took him a long time to accept he may never see her again.
This would change, however, half a decade later, when Irelia was invited to the announcement of the next Northern Elder. Attending as a simple formality, Irelia was shocked at the news that none other than Noey would take up the mantle of Northern Chief.
He’d immediately requested an audience with her, wishing to at least make amends for his past mistakes and poor judgement. Upon meeting with her, he profusely apologized for every way he’d wronged her. He told her that, although he was still learning, he’d made changes in his life to be a better person. Although he didn’t expect her forgiveness, he wanted her to at least know he regretted his choices.
Noey, instead of lashing out, simply hugged him. On the verge of tears, she proclaimed that even with the mistakes Irelia had made, she missed him. Irelia hugged her back, and from then on, the two were inseparable once more. Noey asked Irelia to be her advisor, and even though it meant giving up his position as master, he gladly accepted.
Through thick and thin, Noey and Irelia learned together, and had each other’s backs. Even when it came to Irelia leading a rebellion with the Southern advisor, Kodalaq, Noey was right by Irelia’s side. Although initially intending to give the Northern chiefdom to Noey, she decided that Irelia instead should be the Northern Chief.
After that, Irelia would lead the Northern Water Tribe with pride and heart. Though still stubborn and competitive, Irelia has learned many lessons, and fights tooth and nail not for his own glory, but for the glory of his beloved Water Tribe.
Photo Pending...
Irelia
Political Figure:
Northern Water Chief (Current) Reign:
313 AG - Present Previous Water Chief:
Water Chief Vesrok (308 AG - 313 AG) Nation:
The Water Tribes Current Residence:
Agna Q'ela
Appearance
Year of Birth
283 AG
34 Years old
Children
Eyes
Dark Ocean Blue Eyes
Hair
Short Brown Hair
Skin Tone/Pigmentation
Warm Almond Skin
Height
61"
