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The 100 Year War
History: The war began 100 years prior to the start of Book 1, with the launch of the Fire Nation's massive assault on all of the other nations. It is unknown how quickly the Air Nomads were destroyed, though the Water Tribes were definitely hit early on. In the very first episode of Avatar, Katara says that the ship she and Aang explored was part of the Fire Nation's first attacks. The Southern tribe was either hit harder than the northern one, or didn't hold out as much, as they appear now to be almost completely gone, whereas the northern tribe still flourishes. As for the Air Nomads, it seems likely that they too were destroyed quickly. There are a number of reasons for this; first, both the Air Nomads and the Water Tribes have extremely few outposts, and not at all spread out. It would have been easy for the Fire Nation to wipe them all out simultaneously, especially with Sozin's comet aiding them. Second, Fire Lord Sozin would have known that the avatar had been born into the Air Nomads not long ago, killing all of them would have removed the avatar from his path if Aang hadn't run away. Therefore, it makes sense that the Earth Kingdom would have escaped much of the initial damage, as they are far more spread out and have a much bigger population.
Sozin's Comet: The beginning of the war was strategically placed around the coming of Sozin's comet, which somehow strengthens the power of firebending. How this comet was discovered, and how a rock flying through space can empower firebending is unknown.
Troubling Signs: Although the first attacks by the Fire Nation had to come as some measure of surprise for it to be so successful, there were signs. Monk Gyatso said that there were troubling signs (LOOK UP MORE INFO HERE IN THE STORM)
Recent Occurences: The Fire Nation has been actively occupying the Earth Kingdom at the very least since Admiral Zhao was a "Young Leuitenant serving under General Shu in the Earth Kingdom". (See Seige of the North, Part 2, it's where Zhao talks about the library). The most infamous event of the war, at least until before the show picks up with Aang's return, is Iroh's 600 day long seige of Ba Sing Se.
Current Status: The Southern water tribe is basically helpless, the Northern tribe's status is unknown, as far as whether or not they're sending warriors to help fight the Fire Nation. With the capture of Ba Sing Se, the Fire Lord's military conquest of the world seems all but complete. Additionally, Sozin's comet is going to return by the end of the summer, giving him the power to wipe out any and all who still oppose him.
Page Last Updated: May 1, 2008 5:04 PM
