Forrest Cameranesi, Geek of All Trades

The story of the first Avatar, inspired by many events peripherally mentioned in The Last Airbender.

Long ago, when the world was still ruled by spirits and great animals, human nations began to war with each other and to despoil the world. This brought them into conflict with the spirits.

During this time, a wise fisherman from the northern tribes observed the play of the ocean and moon spirits, how the moon would push and pull the waters of the ocean, and learned from them how to bend water likewise, becoming the first bender. He taught his people what he had learned, and with this new talent his tribe became prosperous in harmony with nature.

Inspired by this unexpected insight in humanity, the spirit world devised a plan to bring balance to the human nations. A spirit in the form of giant Lion-Turtle found the fisherman at sea one day. He bent the spirit of this first waterbender, linking his spirit to the spirit of the world itself, giving him the potential power to bend all four elements, creating the first Avatar.

Simultaneously, animal spirit guides were sent to a chosen few people in the other nations, to teach bending of the other elements; Badgermoles to teach earthbending, Dragons to teach firebending, and Sky Bison to teach airbending. The first Avatar was then sent on a mission by the Lion-Turtle to visit each nation, to find these chosen ones, live with them, learn their element and their way of life, rally them together, and unite their respective nations. The Avatar doesn't want this responsibility, he just wants to stay at home and relax in peace and prosperity with his people, and he doesn't understand why others are so bent on their power trips anyway. But the Lion-Turtle pleads with him that the world needs him, that he alone can heal mankind and restore balance to the world, and he is persuaded to give it a try.

The Avatar first visits the main continent to the south of his native waters, what would eventually become the Earth Kingdom, where he finds many warring villages. He tries, with little success, to build peace between them and with the spirit world, to teach them to relax and not be so uptight about all the things they are warring over. He eventually meets Oma and Shu, lovers from two warring tribes on opposite sides of a mountain, and the first Earthbenders, who have learned their art from Badgermoles beneath said mountain. The Avatar befriends them, shows them that he too has a Bending skill, and learns Earthbending from them. In doing so he also learns their way of steadfast resiliance in the face of opposition, and the stillness and patience to wait for opportunities, which is a change from his people's relaxed ways of flowing around obstacles and finding alternatives instead of pressing difficult issues. This helps convince him that despite the apparent futility of it thus far, he must remain steadfast and press on in his mission as the Avatar. But his training is interrupted when when Shu is killed in the battle between his and Oma's tribes. Oma nearly destroys them both in retaliation, but the Avatar talks her down, reminding her of her own philosophy: be still, be strong, remain dedicated to your cause, and see opportunities whether others would not. Instead of destroying the two villages, she and the Avatar take advantage of the tragedy of Shu's death. They use their Earthbending to build the city of Omashu on top of their mountain, dedicated in Shu's memory; and after this breathtaking feat of power, Oma declares the war between their villages over.

Thereafter Oma travels the lands with the Avatar, building peace amongst the warring tribes and mediating between men and spirits as they go. But they soon realize the great threat posed by the expanding empire of Ba Sing Se, whose strategy consists of strongly defending their own borders while closely watching the play of their neighbors wars, and then just as each war ends, conquering both victors and victims in their weakened state, thus expanding their empire. Even with Earthbending and Waterbending, the Avatar concludes that they stand little chance of stopping that behemoth. Though Oma would stay and fight, and positions Omashu as the strongest enemy of Ba Sing Se, the Avatar insists that they must find another way. So they travel across the sea to the volcanic archipeligo where the Fire Nation would some day be born, seeking the power of fire to use in their intended war against Ba Sing Se. There they meet the Sun Warrior Tribe, who have learned Firebending from the Dragons. After initial hostilities, they are forced to prove themselves to the Sun Warriors through a series of difficult trials. The Avatar wishes merely to pass them by and find someone else who will teach him Firebending, but Oma insists that there may be no one else; he must remember what she has taught him about steadfastness, and withstand their trials. They eventually prove their worth, win the Sun Warriors' aid against Ba Sing Se, and the Avatar is taught Firebending. It proves a most difficult subject for him, very much unlike Waterbending, even more so than Earthbending; he is forced to put a kind of brute force and passion into his training, not merely standing strong but taking the initiative and forcing his way through, finding a strength, energy, and vitality he did not previously know he had. But when he eventually masters Firebending, the Avatar becomes a great warrior, forceful and unflinching, and dives headlong into his plan to defeat the empire of Ba Sing Se.

But first, as Oma reminds him, he must complete his training by learning Airbending. Together with Oma and his Firebending teacher from the Sun Warriors, he seeks out the mysterious nomads seen riding Sky Bison, figuring that they of all people would be the ones to learn Airbending. But the nomads, being nomadic and travelling by air, are very difficult to find. Eventually they track a Sky Bison across the south seas to what would become the Southern Air Temple, where they learn to their surprise that all the nomads have learned Airbending as part of their breath-centric spiritual practice. But the nomads are extremely hesitant to teach the Avatar Airbending, knowing he intends to use it to defeat Ba Sing Se in war; for they believe in peace above all, never condoning the use of force, but instead seeking personal freedom via complete detachment from all things. The Avatar asks to at least be allowed to study their spiritual ways, if not Airbending, as they remind him much of his own people's relaxed attitude, and he fears that he may have lost something of himself in his training in Earth and Fire. After some time studying with the nomads, he realizes that simply defeating Ba Sing Se in war will not accomplish his goal of bringing harmony to the world and healing mankind. Instead, he decides on a different battle strategy, one only feigning force, without the intention to use it except as a very last resort. Even then, the Airbending masters are hesitant, but after consulting with the spirits, they are persuaded, and the Avatar is taught Airbending. His training consists of learning to let go of the great burden of his mission and actually enjoy life; he is, in a way, forced to take a vacation, which he finds very difficult with the fate of the world weighing on his shoulders. Eventually he realizes that he is not responsible for the world, and even if he fails it will be no worse off than if he had never existed. Learning to let go brings him the freedom required to master Airbending, and at last his training is complete. But still, he must come down again and complete the task the spirits have set before him.

Now fully realized in his power, the Avatar and crew travel with his reluctant Airbending teacher on a Sky Bison, back to his home lands, to rally their forces to the continent. They then travel back to the fire archipeligo to rally their allies there as well. Then they travel to Ba Sing Se, sailing easily over its supposedly impassible walls, and enter the halls of its king, the Avatar demonstrating his immense power during the battle to get inside, aided by Oma and the master Sun Warrior, while the Air Nomad monk whips up a sandstorm around the city as a distraction. Once inside, the Avatar strikes a deal with the king of Ba Sing Se. If the king continues his path of war and conquest, the armies of fire and water, which are even now massed against him, will storm his shores and unmake his empire; and with the Airbenders' ability to fly right over their walls, and the Avatar's immense power, Ba Sing Se itself will be erased from the map. Or, preferably, the king may stay his hand, stop the war, and devolve partial sovereignty to those who have already been conquered, in which case Omashu, their greatest rival, will join as a free province of the kingdom, equal with all the others; Oma will teach Earthbending to the army of Ba Sing Se, and with it the city will be made truly impenetrable; and on his next life, the Avatar will be reborn in Ba Sing Se, and he will build its domain into a true kingdom of the earth, unrivalled amongst the nations of the world.

The king concedes, and the war is ended.