Acacian people
Acacia is an unrecognised country, consisting of NPCs in the savannah biomes to the north of the Earth Kingdom. There have been three distinct revolts for independence launched by Acacians: the Acacian War and the two simultaneous revolts of The Brothers' War. All of these have failed in their goal of achieving a lasting independent Acacian state.
History
The Acacian people have existed since before the arrival of the bender nations. The culture spread, and still does exist, over a large area to the north of the Central Sea. While they shared a language, inter-village contact was relatively rare with each acting effectively independently. The two things that kept this culture as one coherent body can be identified in a shared religion and the clan system, creating a common set of values which could be used to ensure trust across communities and incentivising some travel and trade across community lines.
This culture was disrupted upon the arrival of the bender nations, in particular the Earth Kingdom. Upon its expansion into what is now Gaoling, Omashu, Cranefish Town, and Misty Palms Oasis, local nobles that were adjacent to the Acacian homeland saw their powerbase dislodged by the absolutist power of the Earth Monarchy. This caused the Acacian War, a major revolt against Earthbender rule that saw vast swathes of the country rise in revolt. While not truly Acacian, these peoples were related to the Acacians further north and employed their symbols and cultural references to legitimise their new nation.
Acacian War
Main article: Acacian Crisis
The Acacian cause was instantly outgunned at the outset of the war, so shock tactics were heavily employed. Bombs were often set off around Ba Sing Se and achieved substantive psychological impact, while pitched battles were usually lost. The use of a large VBIED against the south of Ba Sing Se in response to the fall of Gaoling to Earth Kingdom forces saw the cause effectively collapse, as many turned on each other within the movement and the prospect of foreign support evaporated. While Omashu held out for many months more, it too was subjugated by a joint offensive operation by the Earth Navy and cavalry units.
Brothers' War
Main article: The Brothers' War
The Acacian cause was relegated to the background for many months after this, before flaring up in the original Acacian heartland. In the Khanate Grazing Lands, Acacian villages were ruled over by the Khans where vast amounts of tribute, primarily ores and rare gems, were given to the Great Khan in exchange for protection from hypothetical enemies. This state of affairs and the resentment it bred ultimately led to The Brothers' War, as Abughr of the Nassid clan claimed the throne of a Kingdom of Acacia for himself. His older brother, Brahnir, soon was forced to follow suit. This fraternal tension between two rival claimants to the Acacian throne is sometimes argued to have made the Acacians lose the war before it had really begun, as the two would struggle to coordinate on strategy and could not unify their forces.
Abughr's kingdom was decisively defeated at the Battle of Yurts-Dehna, where an Acacian advance on the Khan's colonies was repulsed, the army surrounded, and the capital pillaged. Abughr lost his life in this encounter and the largest Acacian army, some 10,000 soldiers strong, was lost. Brahnir's kingdom held out for much longer, being a smaller target and due to the Khan's forces being misled at the prospect of a "Northern Army" of independent Acacians coming to relieve their southern cousins. This force did not exist at any point and was solely a rumour made by Acacians desperate for a victory after the death of Abguhr. Brahnir's kingdom would come to an end at the Battle of Khashlem, where the Acacians were able to mount an effective defense against a far larger Khan army but was ultimately pinned down and cut down by superior Khan numbers.
At the defeat of Khashlem, many refugees fled into the Northern Canal knowing that the Khans would not dare attack the international waterway. These refugees were picked up by the Order of the Red Flower and transported to safety at Mexico City and Freeport, saving many Acacian works of art. Some of these would populate the newly acquired territory of the Air Nation known as the Northern Protectorate. While the Air Nation name for this site is Sky's Canyon, it is known in Acacian as Setarnez Brahnir, meaning "Strength of Brahnir's People".
Geography
The Acacian people are primarily defined around their faith and their territory, which consists of savannah areas north of the Central Sea. Indeed, their name comes from the native acacia wood trees. The landscape they reside in consists of many large hills and rivers, with small valleys joining these areas together. This homeland of forests and large hills contributed to the autonomous nature of Acacian governance, as no one village can ever be truly said to occupy the same land as another.
Government and politics
With the exception of wartime where kings or military councils have ruled, most Acacian villages have been ruled on a day-to-day basis by clan elders, who adjudicate with their lieges and organise tribute where necessary. While this is the standard setup in most Khanate Acacian villages, this arrangement has been largely displaced in Earth Kingdom territory where local power is replaced instead by military governors installed by Ba Sing Se.
Economy
Acacia has a large degree of mineral wealth, leading to its mines being highly prized by many rulers. Due to its lack of historic centralisation, technology remains relatively underdeveloped and large-scale trade is rare.
Demographics
While the Acacians coexist with many peoples, such as the Khans, Mexicans, and Earthbenders, determining exact figures is difficult for a state that does not officially exist. Certainly, however, there are many places where Acacians constitute a large majority.
Culture
Due to the highly autonomous nature of villages, the rise of major clans such as the Nassids, Abbusids, and Vannids, has proven the only way to organise Acacians across long distances. The claims of Brahnir and Abughr to the title "King of Acacia" were partly motivated by a rivalry over the leadership of their clan, the Nassids. Clan membership is a relatively loose concept as, while it is intended to be a familial tie, those who are considered family or not can extend out many generations from the "main" family line. As a result, while some elders might be able to determine a link, most clan members will have no idea how they are related to any other given clan member unless they are closely related.
The autonomous nature of Acacian villages has also denied the ability to form large armies or bureaucracy, while the terrain is deeply unfavourable for nomadic pastoralism. As a result, the "Acacian Warrior" ideal is widespread. This archetypal figure acts as the hero of their village, clad in heavy armor and wielding an axe, and possesses a fiercely independent spirit. This ideal largely informed the fighting style of Acacians in both of their recent conflicts in one way or another. During the Brothers' War, powerful Acacian infantry units served as an obstacle to the light Khan cavalry, but could not be treated as legionnaires due to this spirit of independence - every man fought for personal glory. During the Acacian War with the Earth Kingdom, the strategy of independent units striking sporadically and with the goal of maximum psychological impact did not necessarily align to the martial ideal of the Acacian Warrior but did align to the fierce independent nature and the need to demonstrate prowess on an individual level rather than cooperate as a large military unit.