Avatar Gan Shao and the War of Betrayal
A Tale of Avatar Gan Shao
To understand the state of our world, we must first look at its past, at the age of blood, reverse
progress, and despair. The story begins with the end of Avatar Korra. This is told from the
perspective of Mei Shun, Professor of History at Ba Sing Se University.
-=-Ω-=-
Avatar Korra accomplished many things in her time. Many great things, in fact. After the defeat of Kuvira, the self-proclaimed “Great Uniter” of a fragmented Earth Kingdom, Avatar Korra unlocked a state of peace in the world and left to the spirit world to learn more about how she could further extend the bridge between human and spirit. Unfortunately, the details of Korra’s adventures in the spirit world are still a mystery to all but a few. She spent many years away from the world of humans learning the secrets of spirits, and becoming all the wiser for it. During the years Avatar Korra spent away in the spirit world, a sinister plot began to brew in the Earth Kingdom.
King Wu’s efforts to abolish the monarchy system in the Earth Kingdom did not go as planned, and separatist states began to form in the different regions of the vast nation. While seeming like a good idea at first, Wu’s objectives allowed the most wealthy and corrupt of the nation’s citizens to rise to power. Realizing this early-on, Wu began to regret his decision, but by then it was far too late. Several government figures had already arranged for Wu to lose power, the most vocal of these being Yin Lian, the former head of the Earth Kingdom’s economy under the late Earth Queen Hou-Ting. Yin Lian quickly rose to power among the local elections, promising prosperous times for the poor people of the kingdom and safer streets for the upper-class citizens. Yin, a powerfuland traditional earthbender, often brought up the idea of retaking the former Earth Kingdom landthat had been claimed by the United Republic of Nations and was rich in resources. He called it his dream, but it was nothing less than an obsession.
Not too long after Korra left for the Spirit World, Yin began his plan of destroying the United Republic. It started with his knowledge of the Avatar Cycle, knowing that soon after Korra had passed, he could begin a search for the new Earth-born Avatar. He slowly but surely recruited more like-minded officials, causing those that disagreed with him to mysteriously disappear soon afterwards. Upon building up enough influence over the Earth Kingdom populace, Yin Lian put into motion a plan that would forever change the world.
During this time, the Earth Kingdom’s economy boomed, utilizing a new mysterious energy to fuel
their tools, factories and machines. Deep in the spirit world, Avatar Korra came across a familiar
face, or rather, faces…
-=-Ω-=-
As stated previously, the exact details of Korra’s journey are still shrouded in mystery, but as she told the world in an announcement upon her return, she happened upon a deadly spirit in the Spirit World: Koh, the face stealer. Avatar Korra, while not known for having a calm and controlled demeanor, was impressively able to restrain herself and speak to the spirit without showing emotion. Koh could see what was happening to the spirits in the human world - the Earth Kingdom was draining power from the spirits as Kuvira once did. While likely more out of a sense of self-preservation than benevolence, Koh feared that the Earth Kingdom would build enough confidence to cross into the spirit world and directly harness the powers of their realm. Korra agreed with the old spirit, coming to the realization that unfortunately, the human world simply could not handle the spirits, for their power was too great.
Upon her return to the physical world, Korra announced to the world that she would be closing the portals once again, much to the anger of Yin Lian, who was enveloped in his own nefarious plan. At this point, Yin had assumed control of nearly the entire city of Ba Sing Se - not on paper, but he had every high-ranking government official under his thumb. He lived in the royal palace and slept where the Queen once had, essentially taking the role of Earth King. Unfortunately for Korra, Yin was a type of foe she had never encountered before: a person truly beloved by his Kingdom, he had boosted the economy for the poor and kept the upper class safer from thugs and bandits. However, these feats were by no means achieved without sacrifice. The once-plentiful forests surrounding Ba Sing Se and within its Agrarian Zone had been burned or ripped out of the earth, and many small villages on the border of the old Fire Nation colonies were bulldozed, with the citizens either forced to the mines, or in the case of the unlucky ones, killed. Propaganda was a favorite tool of Yin’s. He released photographs of the destroyed forests and villages, blaming the Fire Nation and the United Republic of Nations. The people of the Earth Kingdom were quick to believe the lies of the man they knew as their savior.
There came a day when Yin invited Korra to a formal dinner at the palace. Reluctant to attend at first, her strong will got the better of her and she eventually agreed, hoping to confront Yin about his questionable actions. . Yin, on the other hand, saw Korra’s arrival as his chance to create his vision of the world. His plan was simple, elegant and almost foolproof. The plan was to have his most skilled metalbenders sit close to Korra at every angle and on his signal, simultaneously attack the Avatar, likely counting on Korra’s lack of caution and the element of surprise. . Korra arrived and took a seat, not realizing this would be her last meal. Yin spoke graciously with her about the state of the world, letting her give her opinion on his actions. Yin began responding. “Avatar Korra, we are, of course, thankful for your wonderful work,” he said. Before he had finished his sentence, shards of metal had flown into her throat, from five separate angles at once, thus ending the life of the young Avatar.
Yin, very pleased with his work, knew his job wasn’t finished. He carefully covered up his terrible crime and announced that the Avatar had decided to return to the spirit world after discussing how the Earth Kingdom could use spiritual guidance. While the people of the world, apart from Yin’s own fanatics, were not foolish enough to believe his lies, they were also not foolish enough to challenge Yin and the impenetrable city head-on. The Earth Kingdom later claimed they had found the late Avatar killed by a spirit, to which the world once again responded with skepticism. This did, however, further inflame an already tense situation with the other nations, especially the Water Tribes. The search for the next Avatar had begun. It took four years of soldiers kicking down doors and imposing tests on young children before eventually, Yin found what he was looking for: the young Avatar, a boy born in the middle ring of Ba Sing Se.
The child was named Gan Shao, after his father of the same name, and was born in a complicated situation. The middle ring had become a divided place - it was left behind in the economic boost but remained wealthy enough to bring most of the city’s thieves and criminals to focus on it once Yin tightened security in the Upper Ring. Gan Shao’s father had lost his job due to automation in the farming industry, so when the royal guards came knocking on his door requesting the age of his child, he wasn't welcoming to them. Yin was looking for a four year old, as he knew the new Avatar would have been born when Korra had been killed. Yin expected these tests to take many years, as they often did, but he was lucky. Gan Shao, at first assumed to be an earthbender by his father, had once blasted a wave of fire in a tantrum, and had also turned his bath into an ice pond. His father had hoped to protect him, knowing it was the White Lotus who should deal with the Avatar. (It was later noted by a White Lotus member that Yin Lian had created false rumors of the Avatar being born in the southern Earth Kingdom to divert their focus.) When Gan Shao’s father refused the test, the guards made quick work of him and his family and took the now-orphaned infant to Yin Lian.
Yin's plans were finally beginning to take shape. Now that he had the Avatar in his hands, he
began to raise the young child as his own son, brainwashing and molding him into the weapon he
wished him to be.
-=-Ω-=-
Gan Shao lived what he believed to be a normal childhood under Yin. Few knew his true parentage, as the guards who were present during his abduction were among Yin Lian’s most loyal. While Gan Shao was still a boy, the Earth Kingdom became stronger and wealthier, taking over many small villages and turning them into mining towns. Yin would incessantly eliminate or buy off his political rivals while having trusted servants raise the Avatar. At the age of eight, when Gan Shao realized exactly who he was, Yin and his collaborators began to manipulate him more heavily. They scared him with horrible stories of the other nations and how they had wronged the Earth Kingdom. Yin told Gan Shao that the Fire Nation was an oppressive force in the world, citing the 100 year war, that the Air Nomads were weak willed and cowardly, and that the Water Tribe were uncivilized savages, constantly at war with themselves. Of all his lies, he was harshest towards the United Republic of Nations. He convinced Gan Shao that the United Republic had invaded the Earth Kingdom and stole its rightful land, igniting hatred in the young Avatar.
Gan Shao excelled in his physical training, much like the Avatar before him, but his spiritual side was not only discouraged by his mentors, he was outright barred from connecting with it, being warned that the spirits would manipulate him into following the other nations. His masters were either close followers of Yin or were forced to teach the Avatar through either physical force or blackmail and watched closely by Yin’s royal guard. Gan showed an interest in metalbending, often using his skill in the other elements to strengthen his strongest element: earth. He favored fighting in a metal suit, made from the strongest Earth Kingdom iron. However, Gan Shao had shut out his spiritual side completely - whenever a spirit attempted to connect, he would refuse and talk to Yin instead. A consequence of his attitude towards spirituality was an inability to enter the Avatar State, though not for lack of trying. This was a sensitive topic between him and Yin, who was deeply disappointed in Gan Shao’s failure to invoke his own full potential. Gan Shao admired Yin Lian as his father and his earthbending master, and was always looking to impress him. Sadly, the world's idea of the Avatar was completely opposite to what he was taught; he was taught that the Avatar was born to save whichever nation needed assistance. Yin would tell Gan Shao that the Earth Kingdom suffered before his birth, and that his arrival meant saving our land from the hostile invaders, the United Republic. Gan trained for many years, but could never learn airbending due to the spiritual nature of it and lack of a suitable master. Years passed, and by the age of 20, Gan Shao was almost a fully realized Avatar, with the exception of his airbending. It was at this time that Yin knew it was time to accomplish his dream - the destruction of the United Republic of Nations.
Whispers of a war made their way around the world, even with the tight suppression of information Yin had on the city. The United Republic pleaded for help from the other nations, but of the three, only the Fire Nation came in response. The Water Tribes and the Earth Kingdom had good relations in trade, and it benefited both the economies to stay at peace with one another. In their desperation, the United Republic looked to the Air Nomads, who were conflicted in this cause. Intervening and providing military aid would go against their pacifistic and isolationist beliefs, and despite many Nomads pleading with the Elders to take action, ultimately, they did not. Yin drafted most of the population that was able to fight, and the time came. The army marched towards Yu Dao, a major city of the United Republic. With the help of the Avatar in his suit of metal, they blasted through the city, completely destroying it. The horrors committed that day have been remembered in history as the day the Avatar betrayed the world. It's said that not one home was spared from the destruction of the Earth Kingdom, and that all able citizens who surrendered were taken to work in Earth Kingdom mines. After such an absolute defeat, there was one thing the world knew for sure - Republic City was next.
Fortunately, the United Republic would now have more help and a better idea of what to expect. After the Earth Kingdom’s show of raw destructive power, the other nations had finally seen the reality of the situation. At last, they saw Yin Lian for the threat he was, and they knew that his hunger for power would not stop at the United Republic. The Fire Nation, despite having lost numerous troops in its attempt to defend Yu Dao, continued to provide military aid to defend Republic City. The Chief of the Southern Water Tribe, having realized the importance of stopping Yin as soon as possible, sent a fleet of ships to Yue Bay and was able to convince the Northern Water Tribe’s Chief to do the same. Throughout all of this, the Order of the White Lotus had not been sitting idly by, either. Although small in numbers, they had used their influence and authority in the eyes of the people to assemble a sizable militia to defend the Capital. The militia consisted of rebel Earth Kingdom citizens, mostly farmers, merchants, and fishermen, that opposed Yin Lian’s informal regime. Notably, there are also accounts of a number of Air Nomads being present in these ranks, although whether or not they were sanctioned by the Council of Elders is unknown. Defenses were set up around the city, with ships, airplanes and skilled benders of all types prepared to protect Republic City.
The Earth Kingdom army began the strike on the city by sending in bomber airplanes, dropping them on the Fire Nation ships. Most of the bombers were shot down, but the damage was done - the first wave of ships were down. The second strike was a barrage of enormous rocks being sent from a distance by large teams of earthbenders, destroying many of the United Republic airplanes. The third and final strike was Gan Shao, sporting his characteristic suit of armor, and the army following behind him. The Avatar rapidly hurled giant hunks of metal through the air like cannonballs, sending planes into buildings and ships to the bottom of the bay. He ran through the city, fashioning large blades from metallic debris and slicing through building supports with ease. Finally, he jumped into the midst of fighters, taking on as many as ten people at once. The rest of the army followed, overwhelming the city’s defenses and forcing a retreat. The battle was a crippling defeat for all but the Earth Kingdom, and much of Republic City was left in ruins, but the Earth Kingdom did not emerge victorious without its own loss: the Avatar.
After the Earth Kingdom’s invasion of Republic City, the United Republic fell into ruin and Avatar Gan Shao was not seen again for many, many years.
Records of witness accounts claim that he simply disappeared in the midst of the battle.
The world was left at the mercy of Yin Lian, who, despite no longer having control of the Avatar, remained strong enough that no other nation could hope to challenge him, especially in their weakened state.
The details of Gan Shao’s disappearance had remained a mystery since then, and until now; the new Avatar Ullaq’s connection to his past lives have shed a light on the circumstances surrounding the matter, allowing us a glimpse into the past through the eyes of the Avatar himself.
-=-Ω-=-
Before the battle at Republic City, Gan Shao had never faced such opposition. He had grown up with firm beliefs instilled into him, ones that had never been challenged, and Yin Lian had hoped to keep it this way. Nonetheless, in sending Gan Shao to lead the charge into Republic City, Yin had exposed him to truths that went against everything he had taught him. On that day, the Avatar witnessed Fire Nation soldiers fighting alongside those of other nations in a struggle for peace. He saw Air Nomads not fleeing, but showing strength and courage. Water Tribesmen from opposite poles were banding together despite their differences, and even Earth Kingdom citizens were showing contempt towards and fighting against their own nation. Gan Shao, overwhelmed by confusion and uncertainty in the face of irreconcilable evidence against everything he had ever known, fled the Earth Kingdom army in the heat of the battle. The specifics of the Avatar’s life after this decision remain, as of now, unclear. However, it is likely that he spent decades traveling the world and coming to terms with his new reality. Given that most of the world only knew his appearance as a large man in a suit of armor, he was able to disguise himself with relative ease and avoid suspicion. In his travels, he encountered the consequences of the death and destruction he aided in. Torn up by guilt, he turned to his spiritual side. While he had always ignored the pleas of what he now knew was Raava within him, he now listened to her, allowing her to guide him. Aside from these details, not much is currently known about his life during this time.
Decades passed before anyone dared make a move against Yin Lian. Though he was now an elderly man, he remained a cold and imposing figure behind a thin veil of cordiality. Were it not for the fear he inspired in the hearts of even his allies, few would have continued to stand by him. Yin had dropped any pretense of democracy, and his progressive achievements in the Earth Kingdom were revealed to be short-term solutions that soon melted away into a deep economic depression. He bought himself some time by exploiting the United Republic’s resources the same way he had done to the Earth Kingdom’s, but it didn’t last forever. He imposed strict taxes and tyrannical laws on his own citizens, enforcing them through intimidation and force. Eventually, Yin Lian’s selfish actions weakened the Earth Kingdom while opposing forces continued to grow against him, with the Order of the White Lotus once again spearheading the resistance.
It took two and a half decades after the fall of Republic City and the majority of its defenders until an organized resistance was able to reassemble. They began by spreading information throughout the Earth Kingdom, exposing Yin Lian’s lies and propaganda for what they were and sowing dissent among the common citizens of the Earth Kingdom. The resistance continued by empowering smaller towns and villages to take back control of their settlements, strengthening their own forces and weakening Yin’s. This continued for several more years until the resistance formulated a plan to put an end to Yin Lian’s tyranny. The plan relied on a man named Lee Qeung, a former government official of the Earth Kingdom. Lee had seen the dark side of Yin before most, and left Ba Sing Se before the events of the war. He was now aiding in the resistance with other deserters of the Earth Kingdom army. Other Earth Kingdom deserters in the resistance spoke to his reputation as an honorable man worthy of leadership, even with his overly cautious nature. Given the feat they had chosen to undertake, they trusted that a healthy portion of caution would go a long way. Their plan was to invade the city of Ba Sing Se, eliminate Yin Lian, and instate Lee Qeung as the temporary leader of the Earth Kingdom.
We now know that during this time, Avatar Gan Shao had also joined the resistance, although he kept his true identity a secret. Now almost sixty years old, he had volunteered as a medic, assuming the role of a waterbending healer. It was during this same time that his unit was called to travel towards Full Moon Bay, near which the resistance was planning its invasion of Ba Sing Se. Knowing that a full-force attack through the walls was impossible, they struggled to devise a strategy for getting into the city. It was Lee Qeung that eventually decided that if they could not attack the city from the ground or from the sea, they would need to take to the skies and travel over the enormous walls. Unfortunately, calling for aerial aid from the Fire Nation would require fleets of planes and airships travelling to Ba Sing Se over the entire Earth Kingdom, which would undoubtedly draw too much attention. They had, however, heard stories from the airbenders in their ranks of trouble surrounding the Air Temples.
What had started as Air Nomads providing aid in the form of food, shelter, and other essential items to starving Earth Kingdom citizens had led to great numbers of poor and desperate farmers travelling to the temples in hopes of being treated with the same kindness. Unfortunately, the temples were not nearly large enough to support the number of travellers coming to them for help, and they were forced to withdraw back to their temples. The Earth Kingdom citizens, driven further into desperation and violence, began harassing and stealing from the Nomads and other travellers, attacking sacred spiritual sites, and even resorting to hunting wild sky bison to survive. Additionally, trade between the Air Nomads and the Earth Kingdom farmers and laborers had been steadily declining for years. Seeing that the conflicts in the Earth Kingdom were affecting the Nomads’ lives despite their isolationist culture was the push the Elders needed to finally take action. That is, as Lee Qeung had guessed, enough of a push for them to provide much-needed support in the form of flying bison, which could fly swiftly and stealthily through the sky. Given the herds of wild bison that flew above the mountain ranges of the northern and eastern Earth Kingdom, they would likely not raise too much suspicion when flying. Additionally, sky bison flying to Ba Sing Se from the Northern and Eastern Air Temples could avoid flying over densely populated areas rather than being forced to fly over the entire eastern Earth Kingdom.
After months of intense covert preparation, the day of the invasion finally came. Hundreds of men and women climbed onto the backs of flying bison, among them the anonymous Avatar Gan Shao. Lee Qeung, being the meticulously attentive man he was, had chosen to additionally send a fleet of ships stolen from both the Earth Kingdom and pirates in the Eastern Sea to approach Ba Sing Se from the south. These ships were largely empty aside from volunteer crews to sail them, and were sent to give the impression of a large approaching force. Guards on Ba Sing Se’s Outer Wall took the bait and gathered towards the south while the true invasion flew into the city on the backs of dozens of flying bison from the east, where none would expect an army to come from. By the time they were noticed, it was too late - they had passed the Outer Wall. The guards on the Inner Wall were notified, but they were few and far between and there wasn’t much they could do beyond hurling boulders into the sky which the graceful bison evaded with ease. They landed in the palace grounds, taking on palace guards by the dozen. Immediately, alarms began to sound and sections of the Inner Wall were lowered, allowing civilians to start evacuating into the Agrarian Zone. Hours passed before they realized that unfortunately, they had underestimated the number of guards Yin Lian would have dedicated to protecting the Palace.
Gan Shao had grown accustomed to living an ordinary life, relatively speaking. He had been feeling his body growing older and more vulnerable. He also hadn’t bent anything but water in recent years, and certainly not in combat. Nevertheless, his instincts were well-honed, and half a lifetime as a lone traveller through the darkest, most callous corners of the world gave him a combat intuition few could boast, despite his lack of practice. Spiritually, however, he was stronger than ever. The Avatar had joined the invasion prepared with his own backup plan if the invasion did not go as planned, so when he saw the resistance’s forces being overwhelmed by those of Ba Sing Se’s seemingly endless number of guards, he took a deep breath. He knew what he had to do. At that moment, in the midst of the battle, he noticed a disc of earth flying towards his head. Instinctively, he raised his arm, blocking the disc and shattering it to dust. With another breath, he unleashed a stream of fire towards the guard that had attacked him. He swung his arms before anyone could notice, creating a shockwave that knocked down several guards around him. Soldiers around him were beginning to stop fighting and stare as he closed his eyes. Before they could connect the dots, the earth began to shake, and the Avatar began to rise off the ground. Scraps of metal began to fly towards him and wrap around him, fashioning themselves into a heavy suit of armor. Fighters from both sides gasped and dropped their weapons as Avatar Gan Shao opened his eyes, revealing a bright, white glow.
Gan Shao had entered the Avatar State and begun to unleash a lifetime of rage and regret on the city of Ba Sing Se. The earth ripped apart and buildings crumbled to the ground as he moved his arms and legs. The Palace, along with the palace grounds, were demolished completely, but Gan Shao wasn’t finished. Whether it was due to a fit of rage, a lack of control over the Avatar State, or merely an act of assurance remains unknown, but the Avatar did not show restraint. From a distance, he saw a frail, decrepit old man struggling to make his way out of the pile of rubble that used to be a palace with the aid of several guards. Though his appearance had changed drastically, Gan Shao recognized him instantly - Yin Lian. Gan Shao rode swiftly on a wave of earth towards him, unsure of what he would do when he reached him, until Yin and the Avatar finally met face-to-face once again. Witnesses described the intensity of their meeting as overpowering as the guards defending Yin fled, leaving him defenseless in the hands of the Avatar. Gan Shao continued to shake the ground, though apparently not focusing his efforts on Yin. He collapsed large portions of the Upper, Middle, and finally Lower Rings of Ba Sing Se. Meanwhile, Yin Lian had fallen to his knees in front of him, his expression somehow more apathetic than ever. It was now clear to those who had not already escaped the wrath of the Avatar that such an immense show of power was hurting him. The ground shook more and more fiercely until finally, it stopped, and Gan Shao collapsed in front of Yin.
Yin Lian, abandoned by even his most loyal men, was quickly arrested by the resistance, who decided to let him live his final days in prison. They also decided to appoint Lee Qeung as King, reestablishing the Earth Kingdom monarchy and tasking him with rebuilding the Earth Kingdom, although it would be many generations before it could be restored to anything near its former glory. Due to the absence of the United Republic of Nations at the end of what had now started to be called “the War of Gan Shao”, the White Lotus assumed responsibility over the rebuilding and leadership of Republic City, with the four remaining nations voting unanimously to declare the city an independent and neutral city welcome to people of all nations. The War took a toll on the world’s settlements, its population, and its technology, and while all of these are still recovering, it will be some time before they return to the state they were in before Gan Shao’s time. The enormous cultural effect of the War of Gan Shao must also be noted, the most important of which being the fear of technology and modern ways of life that it brought about. Many believed, and still do, that technological advancements and the modernization and urbanization of civilization are at least partially at fault for the War and its incredibly bloody consequences, and thus advocate for and have regressed to their old ways of life. There remain some, on the other hand, who actively embrace progress and technology. The world, while scarred, does as it always has done and will do, and continues to turn.
However, Avatar Gan Shao’s story as we know it ends here, even with the help of Avatar Ullaq. We know that Gan Shao spent his time wandering the physical and spirit worlds before eventually disappearing forever. It came as a shock to the people of the world when the Fire Sages and the White Lotus both were unable to locate the new Avatar following Gan Shao’s disappearance.
Theories existed, ranging from the idea that Gan Shao was still alive somewhere to the thought that the Avatar cycle had ended completely. Following the events of the War of Gan Shao, many even doubted the Fire Sages, claiming that the Fire Nation was planning to use the new Avatar like the Earth Kingdom had used Gan Shao. These theories were finally put to rest decades later when Avatar Katsu, a young adult firebender from Republic City, revealed himself to the world. Even more surprisingly, only a few years passed before Avatar Katsu was no more and the next Avatar in the cycle was found - Avatar Jinju, once again a grown airbender. Jinju claimed that the spirits had spoken to him, telling him that he would not be Avatar for long. Sure enough, only a few years after mastering the elements, Jinju lost his connection with the Avatar spirit and was once again simply an airbender. After Jinju, it took many years for the Avatar to return, but recently, we have encountered the latest Avatar: Ullaq. His arrival has shed some light on the matter; it is now known that in his final days, Avatar Gan Shao worked to convince Raava to end the Avatar Cycle, telling her that the Avatar Spirit contains too much power for any one individual to hold for an entire lifetime, opening the door to corruption. Raava agreed, and upon Gan Shao’s passing, devised a new strategy. In order to keep balance in the world while avoiding corruption, Raava would merge with host benders she deemed worthy when she believed that the world was in need of the Avatar, staying with them as long as the world required it and they had not been corrupted, then moving on. Only time will tell if this new legacy will last as long and be as successful as the previous Avatar Cycle, stretching from Avatar Wan to Avatar Korra, or whether it will end in disaster, such as the story of Avatar Gan Shao. One thing is for sure - the shape of the world will have been changed forever.
Avatar Gan Shao and the War of Betrayal
A documentary detailing Avatar Gan Shao's story, made by Lhili (Motherlly) and Nel (Nelium) from the Four Nations Media Team!
Historical Document Author: Mei Shun Publisher: Ba Sing Se University Faculty: World Histories
