Earth Kingdom: Bending and Culture

[Saijin]

/Appearance\

The people of the Earth Kingdom express wide variety in their appearances throughout the vast lands of the empire. Those residing in the rural areas often wear clothes similar to those of peasants. Royals and the wealthy, as illustrated by Toph Bei Fong, as well as the rest of the Upper Ring of Ba Sing Se, usually wear robes similar to Japanese-style kimonos, Korean Hanbok, or traditional Chinese formal outfits, especially during parties and events. Men may grow beards and/or mustaches; younger men may have the same style but wear their hair down. Their skin complexion is usually fair, tan or brown, uniquely various throughout the Kingdom, especially compared to the homogeneous appearances of the other bending groups. They most typically express light brown, deep brown or green eyes. They usually wear green, yellow-green, tan or brown clothing, though they have been seen wearing outfits of other colors.

/Culture\

From the technology-driven refugees under the Mechanist to the initially isolationist inhabitants of Kyoshi Island, the culture of the Earth Kingdom is far less monolithic than those of the other nations. This is likely due to its size. The common aspect of these different cultures is their rather simplistic and somewhat archaic nature, especially in comparison to the more advanced and refined Fire Nation.

But the fact that they are tough doesn't mean they don't have any games or attractions. In Omashu, the game first played by Aang and invented by King Bumi is based on the mail delivery system of Omashu, which Bumi has referred to as "The World's Greatest Superslide." In Ba Sing Se, an apparently common game played in alleys is a form of football that employs earthbending. Also, an attraction in Ba Sing Se is the Zoo.

Season
Each of the Four Nations is influenced by their own distinct, dominant season; the Earth Kingdom's is spring, the time when most living things on Earth are reborn. To this effect, more Earthbenders are born during the spring than any other time of year and their powers are at their strongest during the springtime.

Natural Resources and Foods
Though at first glance they would appear to be the most simple of substances, rock and stone turn out to be the Earth Kingdom's greatest natural resources, as such are widely used and manipulated into just about everything, from small tools to entire metropolises. While the Earth Kingdom as a whole does not make use of fossil fuels nearly as much as the industrialized Fire Nation, coal is mined in certain villages for fuel. The timber of their forests also serve as fuel along with being lumbered for building.

As a result of the various minerals it contains, an ample amount of vegetables manage to sufficiently grow within the rich, fertile soil of the Earth Kingdom, while fruits and nut trees are equally as abundant. Wild game and domesticated animals thrive in the lush forests and farmlands, adding beef and poultry to the Earth Kingdom citizens' diet.

Government
The Earth Kingdom is a large nation divided into provinces and major cities which are subdivided into smaller townships or separate towns. The capital of the Earth Kingdom formerly is Ba Sing Se. While there is a central ruler of the Earth Kingdom, known as the The Earth King, who dwelled within Ba Sing Se, some larger cities, such as Omashu, have kings of their own; the exact nature of this hierarchy is unknown. However, the Earth Kingdom's central form of government is a Confederate Monarchy. At one time, proud warrior-kings ruled their lands personally and often brutally, but over the generations, the Earth Kings ceded more and more control over the day-to-day operations of their city to the byzantine governmental structure that sprang up around them. The Earth King now is little more than a figurehead who lives a lavish lifestyle surrounded by sycophants, lending one of his royal seals to whatever decrees and laws his advisors suggest.

It is eventually revealed that the Earth King has little true power, being little more than a figurehead. While he is greatly revered, possibly even worshipped, most of the governmental power in Ba Sing Se is trusted to various advisers and counsels such as Long Feng, the Grand Secretariat of Ba Sing Se & Head of the Dai Li. It is also implied that the Ba Sing Se government chooses to make use of little power beyond its own fortified city, which perhaps explains the dire situation in much of the Earth Kingdom.

The government in Ba Sing Se is incredibly oppressive, similar to a system of fascism. All of the power is focused on a single dictator, Long Feng, and the level of control exhibited on the population ranges from severe economic and social regimentation, feelings of superiority over others, and forcible elimination of opposition by methods such as brainwashing. The government of Ba Sing Se is also incredibly bureaucratic, an illustration of this is the fact that processing a request to meet with the Earth King may take up to 6-8 weeks or that proper clearance is required for posting up something as simple as a lost animal flyer. Its leaders also make use of sixty-seven different seals, each used on various occasions, for the approval or processing of documents and orders.

/Military\

Since the Earth Kingdom is geographically the largest of the four nations, it possesses a large variety of combat organizations and personnel.

Army
Due to the majority of its territory being landlocked and segregrated by mountainous terrain, the Earth Kingdom is most dependent on its land-based army forces. Like the Fire Nation, the Earth Kingdom armies consist of benders and normal foot soldiers. Soldiers, both benders and non-benders, carry a wide variety of weapons, from spears, swords, and other various polearms, to more unusual weapons such as hammers, axes, and sickles. Nonbending soldiers typically wear a helmet shaped like a mix of a Conical straw hat and a spinning top, along with a neckguard underneath, are more heavily armoured, and wear boots. Earthbenders' helmets are pointed and are decorated with the Earth Kingdom emblem. They are also barefooted, as called for by a principle of earthbending. Officers wear yellow armor in place of the regular green armor.

Earth Kingdom soldiers in various parts of the Earth Kingdom tend to wear slightly different colored uniforms than that of others. For example, the guards at the gates of Omashu wore slightly different uniforms than other Earthbenders in other parts of the Earth Kingdom. The Earthbenders who captured Iroh in "The Spirit World" wore yellow and light brown. General Fong's soldiers wore light green, the ferry guards of Full Moon Bay wore brown on tan uniforms, and the personal guards of the Bei Fong family wore a cream colored uniform. The non-bending soldiers of Omashu wear leaf-green colors, while other non-bending soldiers across the Earth Kingdom wear a drab olive green. At Ba Sing Se the soldiers on the walls have more diverse uniforms, with black and gold colors.

The cavalry consists of Ostrich Horses, which can vertically climb short distances and run at high speeds. They are also used as civilian transports.

Earthbenders use stones shaped like the Earth Kingdom emblem as artillery and catapult projectiles. These person-sized round coins are invaluable weapons to the Earthbenders. The coins can be lined up side by side to make a defensive mobile wall, or stacked to make an impromptu lookout tower. Skilled Earthbenders can use these coins as a vehicle and "ride" in the hole in the middle of the coins.

By consulting with various Earthbenders, the Earth Kingdom inventor the Mechanist was able to design and perfect metallic, multi-segmented, earthbending-powered tanks which were actively used in the Fire Nation invasion. The Earth Kingdom tanks are piloted by a crew of four Earthbenders who work to move the caterpillar-like vehicle by pushing off the ground with their feet. Thanks to their multiple segments, the tanks are able to navigate on uneven terrain and even climb over elevated obstacles. Hatches on the sides of the tank open and close, allowing Earthbenders to fire stone projectiles at the enemy.

Navy
Not much is known about the Earth Navy, save that it is likely inferior to that of the Fire Nation. The Earth Kingdom's General Fong explicitly stated that invading the Fire Nation with its ships would be suicidal. Zuko also mentioned that his ship crashed into an Earth Nation ship, to use as an excuse for the damage done to it when he sent it for repairs at Zhao's harbour.

Dai Li
The Dai Li are the cultural enforcers of Ba Sing Se. They are under the direct command of Long Feng, the culture minister, and function as a sort of secret police; arresting and re-educating anyone who breaks regulations concerning mention of the war. In addition to distinct uniforms, they are notable for sporting stone gloves and shoes, which can be used to great effect as weapons through Earthbending. Though they serve the Earth King, they are loyal only to Long Feng. However, after the events of the coup d'état led against the Earth Kingdom capital, they have pledged loyalty to Azula. It is the Dai Li who are responsible for tearing down Ba Sing Se's walls to allow the entrance of the Fire Nation army invasion force and the eventual firm occupation of the capital city. The Dai Li are seen again during the series finale, where they are summoned by Firelord Azula. Azula, unsatisfied with their performance and fearing that they will eventually betray her, banishes the Dai Li from the palace. They are not seen again afterwards.

According to the online flash game, "Escape from the Spirit World," the Dai Li was created several centuries before the start of the story by avatar Kyoshi to preserve the cultural heritage of Ba Sing Se. This was in response to a peasant uprising against the government and the forty-sixth Earth King. She currently regrets having created the Dai Li, as she had no idea how corrupt they would become at the time.

They appear to be modeled after the government agents of Qing Dynasty China, generally known as the Dai Li. The organization may also be named after Dai Li: the feared Spymaster of Chiang Kai-Shek before and during the Second World War. Currently the Dai Li are loyal to the Earth King.

Kyoshi Island Warriors
The Kyoshi Island Warriors are an all-female group of fighters led by Suki on Kyoshi Island. Their fighting style and clothing honor that of their founder, Avatar Kyoshi, although the most current fighters do not implement any of the bending arts in their physical movements. Clad in ornate, green armor and Kabuki-like makeup, designed to intimidate opponents, Kyoshi Island Warriors use metal fans as their primary weapons, but it is later revealed the warriors additionally utilize katana and wrist shields. Holding the fans like extensions of their own arms, they aim to turn the strength of their opponents against them, a principle also hinged upon in waterbending. Traditionally, only women are trained as Kyoshi Warriors, however there have been exceptions over the years.

Although Kyoshi Island had long remained neutral in the war, following the Avatar's arrival on the island, the Kyoshi Island Warriors were inspired to assist the Earth Kingdom army in its attempts to resist the Fire Nation. They accomplish this not by serving on the front lines, but serving as guards for refugee ferries to Ba Sing Se. The warriors appeared again in "Appa's Lost Days" where they struggled to protect Appa from capture at the hands of Princess Azula, Mai, and Ty Lee. Following the confrontation, Azula, Mai, and Ty Lee infiltrate the city of Ba Sing Se disguised as members of the Kyoshi Warriors, confirming the real Kyoshi Warriors' defeat. They appear again in the series finale after being freed from prison. Ty Lee is now a member of the Kyoshi Warriors and it is implied they now know Ty Lee's chi blocking techniques.

Council of Five
The Council of Five is a group of five high-ranking Earth Kingdom Generals, including Generals How and Sung, who decide the best use of their armies fighting outside the walls of Ba Sing Se. It is the Council of Five who designs and implements any war plans, which includes the best means of protecting the capital city as well as the proposed invasion of the Fire Nation. In addition to this, the Council also controls the Kings Guards, an elite force of guards who protect the king. The Council of Five has been together for as long as there has been a king of Ba Sing Se, and up until Long Feng came into power, it has always worked hand in hand with the Earth King to ensure the city's well being.

Under Princess Azula's execution of the coup d'état against the capital, all members of the council have been taken captive by the Dai Li and are currently being held under house arrest. It is assumed that they were rescued when the White Lotus members liberated Ba Sing Se.

[Saijin]

/Earthbending\

Humans first learned earthbending by observing and imitating the Badgermoles, large subterranean creatures that use earthbending to see and interact with the world. The first people to learn earthbending were two lovers, Oma and Shu, from warring villages who used the art to meet in secret beneath the mountain that separated their people.

Earthbending is generally based on the Hung Gar style of Kung Fu, which features heavily rooted stances and strong kicks and punches. The martial art is based on the movements of animals, among them the Tiger and the Crane. The Tiger represents Hard Power, while the crane embodies Soft Power. There are exceptions to this facet, as the blind earthbender, Toph, uses a style based on Southern Praying Mantis Kung Fu. Unlike other bending disciplines, earthbending stresses the aspect of neutral jin, which involves listening and waiting for the right moment to attack.

Earthbenders are known to stand their ground. More skilled earthbenders absorb and intercept attacks before overwhelming the opponent with superior force. Some can tunnel through the earth to out-maneuver their foes. Earthbenders have been shown to use objects to augment their bending.

Earthbending is not limited to rock or soil alone. An earthbender additionally can manipulate other earth-based substances; these include mud, slurry, sand, meteors, crystals, and coal.

There is also a race of desert dwelling earthbenders have developed the ability to manipulate sand. They use this skill in a variety of unique ways, including combat and travel.

Fighting Style

Earth & Stone Levitation
The most common attack, involves levitating nearby earth and stone of numerous sizes (more powerful benders can move larger masses), and propelling them at foes by punching or kicking motions.

Rock Shield
A levitated slab of rock can also double as a shield when positioned in front of a Bender. This can also be performed as a slab or sheet of bedrock thrust out of the earths surface.

Earth Sinking
More advanced Earthbenders, such as Master Yu and General Fong, can forcibly sink their opponents into the ground, imprisoning them or even suffocating them in earth.

Earthquakes/Fissures
Striking the ground with feet, fists, or hammers creates localized earthquakes or fissures to throw opponents off-balance. This same process can be used to sculpture a landmass or to slice large chunks of rock clean of a surface to create avalanches or rockfalls.

Quicksand
By turning the ground to quicksand to immobilize an enemy, or catapult into the air and soften the earth to ensure a safe landing. They can also do the reverse of this, compacting sand together to create harder projectiles or a firmer grip on the ground.

Rock Slide
If an earthbender is near a cliff or mountain, he or she can cause many rocks of a multitude of sizes to fall down on his or her opponent.

Earthen Column
A more powerful version of rock projectiles, involving forcing columns of rock out of the ground. Using a similar principle an earthbender can shoot a stream of small ruts and protrusions from underground at their opponent. This can also be used to enhance the benders jumps. It is however limited to the ground and does not have the same range as a rock projectile.

Earth Material Manipulation
Earthbending is not limited to rock or soil alone. An Earthbender can also manipulate coal, gems, crystals, and other earth-based material, like meteorites.

Rock Hanging
Earthbenders also possess limited magnetic capabilities, allowing them to grasp vertical surfaces and cling unsupported to earthen structures. The Dai Li are the only ones that have demonstrated this ability, although it may be that they are using their earth gloves to cling on the surfaces.

Earth Compression
It is possible for Earthbenders to compress large chunks of rock into smaller, denser chunks, or to compress several smaller chunks into one big piece of rock.

/Earthbending Master Level\

Earth Tunneling
Earthbenders can move through the earth to out-maneuver their foes either by opening tunnels or by pulling the earth past them, literally swimming through the ground.

Earth Armor
Earthbenders can bring rocks, dusts, pebbles or crystals around them and mold them to fit their body and create something similar to armor. They can also hide inside the earth by bending the rock around them as a shell.

Earth Wave
The Earthbender creates a wave of earth that they ride on and use as a form of transportation. They can also force a wave of earth outwards, and use it as an extremely powerful offensive attack.

Earth Launch
While Earthbenders like being routed to the ground some like Toph can't see in the air they can quickly move rock beneath them and launch several tens of feet into the air whether to catch airbourne opponents or to travel faster. Both Toph and Bumi do this in "Sozin's Comet, Part 2: The Old Masters" and "Sozin's Comet, Part 3: Into The Inferno".

Remote Earthbending
If an Earthbender is suspended from the ground, but is aware that there is earth somewhere near, the Earthbender can focus his energies and bend that earth out of his physical reach out of sheer concentration.

/Special Techniques\

Sandbending
Sandbenders are Earthbenders who have adapted to live in the Si Wong Desert. They use Earthbending in a specialized style, which emphasizes the manipulation of sand. They move quickly in the desert on specialized wooden catamaran sailers that are propelled by bending miniature, localized sandstorms behind their sails. Because sand is sediment which travels in flows, their style resembles Air and Waterbending more than earthbending. It is displayed that most, if not all, Earthbenders are capable of easily bending sand, but because of the loose shifty nature of sand it is not an easy transition for the average earthbender

Mudbending
It has been seen that earthbenders can bend earth in mud as well.

Rock Gloves
The favored weapons of the Dai Li. Agents wear the rock gloves on their hands and can use them in battle by Earthbending them like a stone punch at an opponent standing across the room, using them to snatch someone from behind without getting close enough to be detected, or locking them like cuffs around a person's wrists or ankles. Agents can also use their bending to bond them with stone walls, allowing them to climb up like spiders. Also, each of there joints can be shot similar to dart with enough force to pin themselves like needles to walls.

Detection
A technique originally used by the blind badgermoles, skilled Earthbenders are able to sense vibrations through the ground, "seeing" by sensing their surroundings and making a mental image of it.

/Weakness\

Earth Connection
An earthbender's powers are firmly rooted to the ground they stand on. Removing them any substantial distance from the earth, such as in the air or on the ocean, strips them of their ability to bend. Particularly powerful Earthbenders, such as Bumi, are able to bend effectively with the smallest gestures, and quite possibly with sheer concentration.

Metal and Wood
An extension of the last weakness, because the majority of them don't know how to bend processed metals, the bending abilities of an Earthbender can be negated by securing them within a metallic barrier, separating them from any contact with the earth.

Reliance on the Lower Body
Earthbending is at its strongest when the feet are in direct contact with the ground, enabling them to transfer their kinetic energies into their bending for fast and powerful moves. This weakness is very similar to how disabling a waterbender's arms prevent them from bending.

Information thanks to Avatar Wiki