how they attacked

[Horyo]

Aug 2, 2008 17:20:39 GMT -5 asian malaysian said:

^^ Interesting theory, Horyo. It would make their raids on the Southen and Nothern Water Tribes somewhat counter intuitive if they had nothing the Firenation wanted. I just dont see the waterbenders getting involved in the war if they werent attacked first.

The Avatar would eventually have to learn waterbending. So capture the waterbenders, but exterminate the airbenders?

[asian malaysian]

^^If you captured the Avatar, arguably the water tribes could have been left out of the war altogether.

[Horyo]

But they didn't capture the Avatar.

They went to take the waterbenders in hopes that they'll keep the Avatar from learning it.

[asian malaysian]

^^ I admit that it is a possible explanation for them capturing waterbenders and earth benders, Horyo. I just thought if that was the goal, the first thing they would have done is search for the Avatar to see if he had already made his way there. The Fire Nation's first raids started over sixty years ago according to Hama (say at least 40 years into the war). Im not even sure if Sozin was still alive when the first raids began. M&B have said in interviews that by Ozai's time, the hunt for the Avatar was long considered a fool's errand. And yet, they went back searching for the last waterbender of the Southern Water Tribe, Katara. Given the location of the Nothern and Western Air Temples, they would also have had to hunt down all benders in the regions surrounding both those temples.

[Horyo]

I think Sozin was the only one who searched fullheartedly, but saw that he would never find him and marked everyone a captive.

I think that by the time of Kya, they felt the watertribes might rise again, so they didn't want any chance of resistance.

[asian malaysian]

^^ Could be. Still, there was no way they were going to capture every single earthbender in the earth kingdom without Sozin's Comet.

[godhunter]

I agree with Horyo here. The waterbenders were not exactly the type to involve themselves in a world conflict, but I doubt after fifty years of their trading partners being attacked they would have taken up a stance against the Fire Nation. Also the Fire Nation was interested in making sure that they were the only power in the world. Having waterbenders still around might not be a legistical problem but it would definately mar their reputation, and so long as there are free people the chance of rebellion grows. The Earth Kingdom was simply impossible to invade *le shrug*

There is also something that hasn't been considered yet. Why are there only two waterbending tribes? Its not like they are big tribes either. For there to be a big enough population of watebenders to not interbreed there must have, at one point, been either more tribes hanging around or at least many more people. If you remember the Southern Tribe, that measly place couldn't have housed more than a few hundred people, and that is hardly enough to sustain a population and culture for thousands of years.

[Turbo]

^^ The Southern Water Tribe is only so small and unpopulated was because of the attack there years ago.

But I do agree with you. Only two city-like sizes of places can't really hold an entire culture. And I always wondered about the rest of the Water Tribe continents. Why aren't they habited? Well, then again that's why they're called the Water Tribes.

[asian malaysian]

^^ Look at the Air Nomads. It seems hard to imagine them having enough of a population to build the temples that they had. I guess its one of those issues deemed resolved by M&Bs Ex Cathedra declaration.