Earth Kingdom

土国 Earth Kingdom
Flag Emblem
Motto: 「土帝万岁！」 (Long Live the Earth King!)
Map of the administrative divisions of the Earth Kingdom
Capital and largest city	Ba Sing Se
National language	Terran
Ethnic groups	77% nonbender 21% earthbender 2% other
Religion	Celestialism
Demonym(s)	Terran
Government	Unitary absolute monarchy
• Earth King	Ainin
• Grand Secretary	Prince Chung-yang
• Privy Secretary	Duke Chee
• Chancellor	Lord Tsao of Ni-ma
Legislature	Consultative Assizes
Currency	Gold tael (金两)

The Earth Kingdom (EK, Terran: 土国) is a unitary absolute monarchy in the west-central area of the world. Bordered to the north by the Northern Sea, to the west by the Western Sea, to the south by Fryslân and the Central Sea and to the east by the Khanate, the Earth Kingdom sits at the centre of international activity and plays a key role in facilitating world trade through its stewardship of the Western Canal.

Comprising two royal domains, two autonomously ruled viceroyalties, two military-administered regions and a free city, the Earth Kingdom is a large nation known for its arid climate, its large swaths of rolling savannas and deserts, and the strong sense of regionalism in its peripheral and frontier areas. Home to several large cities including Ba Sing Se, Gaoling and Zaofu, the Earth Kingdom is one of the most populous nations in the world. The population of the Earth Kingdom is heavily concentrated within the core royal domain of the southeast, with two-thirds of Terrans residing in South Jidai. Ba Sing Se, the capital of the Earth Kingdom and the largest city in the world, is a primate city which dominates the economic, political and cultural life of the nation and the region as a whole.

The Earth Kingdom is an ancient realm which has been inhabited since time immemorial. Traditionally said to have been founded by the mythical Yuan Wong (First King) at the beginning of the current age, the Earth Kingdom began as a confederation of earthbender communities centered around the Ba Sing Se area. Gradually, migrations of culturally Terran peoples emanating from the proto-Earth Kingdom expanded throughout the continent and settled throughout the modern borders of the Earth Kingdom, occasionally coming into conflict with nomadic Acacian peoples to the east. Over the subsequent centuries, the power of the Earth Kingdom over its peripheral areas waxed and waned based on the prosperity of Ba Sing Se, the military power of the Earth King and the inward- or outward-looking focus of the ruling elites. In the centuries preceding the modern era, the power of the Earth Kingdom relative to its cultural region waned significantly, and culturally Terran states such as the Kingdom of Omashu and the Free City of Zaofu enjoyed prosperity and independence for many generations. With the accession of Ainin to the throne, the Earth Kingdom rapidly built up a large military force and undertook a protracted campaign to subjugate the other Terran states by a variety of diplomatic and military means, thereby reestablishing a unified Earth Kingdom that is coterminous with the Terran cultural region. Ainin's rule, known as the Kwangdi era, has also seen rapid modernization, the creation of a blue-water navy and greater involvement in international affairs, from the signing of the Treaty on Open Seas to Earth Kingdom participation in the Mexican War.

As an absolute monarchy, the Earth Kingdom is ruled by the Earth King, a monarch who is said to be divinely anointed to preserve peace and order in the world. The Earth King, who is selected by a privy council from the Tudo dynasty, is in turn advised by His Majesty's Government (HM Government)—a group of aristocratic ministers led by the Grand and Privy Secretaries and answerable only to the King. Though the Earth King legally retains all executive power, HM Government has a free hand in running the nation and the monarch rarely personally involves himself in matters of state. All lawmaking authority is vested in the Earth King, though a standing assembly of the Lords of the Realm known as the Consultative Assizes gives the monarch non-binding advice on whether to adopt proposed laws. Outside of the royal domain, the Earth King's authority is inconsistent and the monarch is represented only by a small cadre of viceroys, royal commissioners and magistrate judges. In several peripheral areas, the old pre-unification local nobility is granted almost total autonomy in the administration of local affairs in return for nominal allegiance to the Crown. In recent years, as a result of the dramatic modernization and expansion of the military during the Unification War, the military staff has seen its political power grow significantly and they are now viewed as a rival pole of power to the civil government.

The Earth Kingdom is the world's preeminent earthbending state, though it is neither the sole population of earthbenders nor dominated by individuals with bending ability. The Earth Kingdom is known for being the origin and home of a unique earthbending art, known as metalbending. On account of its large and technologically unrivaled army and navy, worldwide diplomatic presence, and major role in international commerce, the Earth Kingdom is considered a great power and projects power widely thanks in part to alliances with the Air Nation, Andorra, Cassland and the Free Territory.

Server history

The first Earth Kingdom was founded on the 23rd of December by Evangelos in what is now the Air Nation. This state controlled minimal territory and lasted a very brief time, eventually migrating into what is the current Earth Protectorate in Polaris.

The modern Earth Kingdom was declared on 17 January 2021 by the current Earth King, Ainin. The first settlement to be constructed was Ba Sing Se, centred on its illustrious royal palace near an existing NPC village. This territory soon expanded to include other nearby villages. The Western Canal also began construction at this time, with sand dug out from the canal's construction site transported by ship back to Ba Sing Se's docks. This sand was used to make sandstone to build the famous city walls. The construction of the canal marked the beginnings of the Earth Kingdom's strategy of naval hegemony and the foundation of the Earth Navy.

Further expansion followed on 28 January 2021, with the towns of Omashu, Gaoling, Cranefish Town, and Misty Palms being incorporated. This prompted the outbreak of the first Acacian War, which initially saw Acacians independentists seize vast swathes of territory in response to the expansion of monarchical authority. This war ultimately ended in an Earth Kingdom victory, as the Acacians could not agree on strategy or what an independent Acacia would like, with their cause not being revived again until the outbreak of The Brothers' War. While Gaoling and Cranefish Town fell relatively promptly, Omashu held out for much longer before it was captured by a joint operation of Earth Army cavalry and the Earth Navy's airforce.

Victory over the Acacians gave the Earth Kingdom a secure land frontier, so it turned towards expansion overseas. The prospect of war with the Free Territory loomed at this period, as the two powers both wielded impressive fleets and contested the Central Sea while being starkly ideologically opposed. This prospect ended with the foundation of Andorra, which invited the Earth King as well as the Free Territory's Comrade-General to take up the positions of Co-Prince in the new state. This inadvertently created the world's first major alliance, the Princes of Andorra.

The Earth Kingdom would respect this alliance with the outbreak of the Mexican War, following the attack on the Andorran ship Andorra by New Mexico. The Earth Kingdom did not participate in most of the serious land-based confrontations, leaving this task to its Free Territory ally. Instead, the Earth Navy focused on the destruction on the contentious Southern Island that had catalyzed the entire crisis. This operation was successful, in large part due to New Mexico being distracted by combat further north, and left the fort completely unusable. The beacon and New Mexican flags were also captured, which were donated to the Free Territory as gifts.

On 15 January 2022, the Earth Kingdom expanded yet further by annexing new territory immediately to its north, as well as an overseas colony further north.

History

Early history

According to the Classic of Origins, the first tome of the trio of Celestialist religious texts that serves as the origin myth of the Earth Kingdom, a builder spirit named the Badgermole was fashioned out of the cosmic energy of the universe and created an ordered world for man to live in. The Badgermole was said to have created a demiurge called the Dragon to help him fashion the world, but the latter rebelled and encouraged his wayward humans followers to reject order and give in to freedom. After a cosmic war between the mythical beings and their human followers, the Dragon was banished to a void dimension and the Badgermole, having completed his cosmic purpose, left the world to once again become part of the energy of the universe. In the second tome, known as the Classic of Nations, it was said that subsequent generations of humans forgot the teachings of the badgermole and gave in to freedom, selfishness and violence, stripping the earth bare of its natural wealth and destroying the peaceful worldwide community. According to the text, the despoliation of the world caused great calamities which were stopped by a succession of great heroes who in turn harnessed cosmic energy to create fire, air, water and earthbending. The earthbender hero, known as Da Kang (the Strongest One), was said to have proclaimed the end of the age of separation and taught the people to once again live frugal and ordered lives as the Badgermole had once instructed.

The text then states that Da Kang turned to his friend and anoited him to rule over the land and to stop the people from returning to chaos as Yuan Wong, the first king of the Earth Kingdom. According to the final Celestialist tome, the Doctrines of the Earth Kingdom, Yuan Wong founded a great walled city to preserve the ordered lifestyles of his people from chaos-loving marauders and penned a series of principles and meditations on the Earth King's relationship with his subjects and his cosmic responsiblity to rule justly and preserve universal order.

While this origin story is largely believed to be mythological and the historicity of the Badgermole, Da Kang and Yuan Wong have not been conclusively established, recent archaeological evidence from examination of the ancient caves beneath Ba Sing Se shows that the city is much older than commonly thought and that an early earthbender civilization once resided within the cave system. Furthermore, analysis of the city wall by master benders and geologists lends support to the theory that a small number of powerful earthbenders—possibly even one man—erected the ancient sandstone fortifications. The historicity of the Earth Kingdom's founding myth is a topic of current research at Ba Sing Se University.

Geography

TODO

Demographics

Bending

The majority of Earth Kingdom subjects are nonbenders, but the state does contain the majority of the world's earthbenders. Unlike other states, the national element is not given a great deal of serious accord and earthbenders are not inherently guaranteed to have higher status, privileges, or an easier time climbing the social ladder. Metalbending is, however, according a great deal of prestige. Anyone who can metalbend is likely to climb the ranks and find themselves in a powerful state position in a short time.

See also

• List of states
• Earthbending
• Princes of Andorra