Avatar: the Last Nichebender

[medicine cat]

I've been watching Avatar with my friends for the first time, and decided to try something new!
This tribe's society will be based on the four bending elements:
RULES:
- Of course, what would an Avatar playthrough be without an avatar? At all times, the tribe will have an avatar. When the current Avatar of a nation dies, the next Avatar is born to the next nation in the following order: fire, air, water, and earth, before going back to fire again.
- The Avatar tribe contains the four nations:
    - Airbenders: Air nichelings value freedom above all. Their abilities might include cracking, speed, and stealth. Their outer two gems are pink.
    - Earthbenders: Earth nichelings value stability. Their highlighted abilities are collection, defense, and digging. Their gems are green.
    - Firebenders: Fire nichelings value power and order. Their highlighted abilities are strength, heat resistance, and venom. Their gems are orange.
    - Waterbenders: Water nichelings value adaptability. Their highlighted abilities are fishing, swimming, and cold resistance. Their gems are blue.

We start the story with the four element representatives given a set of gene possibilities to represent their nation, and then a randomly generated Avatar assigned to their nation based on their traits they spawn with. The Avatar's gems are yellow.

Here is our starting group: from left to right, their names are Bloodforged, Dreamwhisper, Solarsong, Defender, and Bane.
Bloodforged is the founder of the earth faction within the tribe. The youngest of the tribe, Bloodforged is a bit impulsive, which is uncharacteristic of Earth nichelings. However, her personality and her youth doesn't mean she lets others push her around. She is outspoken and firm.
The first Avatar is the young Firebender, Dreamwhisper. Dreamwhisper is modest and sweet, careful not  to let her Avatar status make others feel insecure or overshadowed. She devotes her time diligently into her training with the help of her cousin, Solarsong.
Solarsong is the leader of the Fire faction. A Firebender through and through, she is bold and is quick to put others in their place if they disrespect her. She is very protective over her younger cousin, Dreamwhisper, and the young Earth founder, Bloodforged.
Next is Defender, the Airbender. Defender is a gentle, peacemaking soul, and is always the first to try to solve an argument. 
The oldest of the group is Bane, the Waterbender. Bane is cold and calculating, thinking hard before making any decision. He can often be seen as unemotional. He often argues with Defender, considering him too frivolous and forgiving of others' trespasses. However, he gets along well with Solarsong, who is closest to his age.

DAY ONE, BOOK ONE
The first days in the tribe are spent gathering food supplies by the main four members, while Dreamwhisper works diligently on her elemental bending skills. She grows into a young adult, mastering fire and beginning to work on Air with Defender. The two grow very close, to Solarsong's surprise.
Not long after Dreamwhisper matures into an adult, Bloodforged follows and becomes an official Earth master.

One day, though, a bearyena attacks the clan. All but Bane are in range of the creature, so they run at it in hopes to defend the tribe. However, something fateful happens. 
"I'll try to distract it!" Says Defender, darting from side to side. However, he fumbles, and the creature directly strikes him in the chest. The mighty bender falls. Horrified and enraged, the usually calm Dreamwhisper unleashes the rage of fire on the creature. Nearly effortlessly, she aims directly at the creature, and with the help of the other benders, it falls- leaving Dreamwhisper to rush to her dead mentor, heartbroken.
"It's okay," says Solarsong softly. "It's going to be okay."
Dreamwhisper does not respond. How is she going to ever continue training or forget her friend?

One day while she is walking along the shore, she stumbles across a wanderer male collecting berries. "Who are you?"
The male flattens his ears. "I'm Proctus.." he circles Dreamwhisper. "Could it be that you are....?"
"The avatar?" Finishes Dreamwhisper. "How did you know?"
"I am an Airbender," purrs the nicheling. "We are known for our spiritual sense."
"Well, we are looking for more Airbenders, if you're interested," says Dreamwhisper. "Our last..." she trails off, and the airbender seems to understand, so he cuts her off and spares her from having to explain.
"Well, I'll join your tribe," he says. The two begin to walk back to camp together.
"It really is a blessing that you chose to join us," says Dreamwhisper. "In fact, I was halfway through my airbending training. I'd prefer to finish it before moving on to the next element."
"I see," says Proctus. "I would be happy to oblige and assist you in your Airbending training, Avatar."
"It's.... Dreamwhisper," she corrects him gently. "Please, you can call me Dreamwhisper."

"I like this one a lot better than our old Airbender," says Bane to Solarsong. "He seems a lot more logical about what he does. Less... 'kumbaya', if you will."
"Don't be disrepectful," says Solarsong to her friend. "I didn't really speak to him, but he meant a lot to Dreamwhisper. She is fine with this new mentor, but will never love him like she loved Defender."

A little after Proctus's arrival, a new male joins the tribe through the Earth faction. His name is Pummel. He has an energetic, youthful look on life and is attracted to joining the tribe because of Bloodforged's similar ideals. Pummel isn't very smart, but he tries.

Bane dies of old age, causing some concerns as Dreamwhisper is now done training in Airbending and should be moving on to her next element, which traditionally would be water.
"It's okay," says Bloodforged. "I can teach you Earthbending!"
However, soon there is little time to master Earthbending- Solarsong has little time left. She calls Dreamwhisper into the Firebending den one day, where she lay dying. Her breathing is labored and shallow.
"I want you to lead the fire faction when I go," says Solarsong. 
"Are you sure I'm able?"
"Of course," purrs Solarsong with pride. "You're the Avatar." She dies soon after. Dreamwhisper now must balance being the leader of an elemental faction and training in Earthbending.
 

[medicine cat]

DAY 28, CHAPTER 2
CURRENT AVATAR: Dreamwhisper
FIRE: Dreamwhisper
EARTH: Bloodforged
AIR: Proctus

A bearyena comes into tribe territory. The tribe takes it down, but it strikes Pummel in the chest, leaving him with grave wounds and eventually killing him from the injury a few days later. Bloodforged takes the loss pretty hard.

A new male enters the tribe. His name is Nol. He is an airbender- which is unusual, considering his darker fur color. He's quiet and sweet, though. 

Talk begins to stir of the tribe moving to another island. The factions come together to discuss. As custom,  Dreamwhisper the Avatar facilitates the meeting. It takes three meetings for the tribe to come to a concensus.
"Third try's the charm," says Dreamwhisper nervously. "We will start with Air."
Nol and Proctus look at each other and quietly discuss before shrugging. "We don't really have much of an opinion; we'll go anywhere."
"Fair," says Dreamwhisper. "Earth?"
Bloodforged flicks her tail. "Let's go East! seems hospitable."
"Got it." Dreamwhisper is silent for a moment, and thinks of what Solarsong would have wanted for the Fire faction. She then looks at the other two factions before her. She takes a breath. "We will go East."

The tribe arrives to the next island. They land in Grass Adventure.

Dreamwhisper masters the art of Earthbending, finally, and hopes for a Waterbender to come along so she can master the final element.
A bearyena arrives and kills Proctus. The rest team up to finish it off.

An elderly male wanderer joins the tribe by the name of Lance. He is an Earthbender, and has a sense of mischief about him. It can get annoying, but behind this mischief he holds a deep insecurity.

Nol dies of old age, and some time after... so does the Avatar. The tribe waits in silence for a new Avatar to come along and give them guidance. 

Though not the Avatar, a new female joins the tribe- Poisonbreaker. SHe becomes the leader of the fire faction.

Lance dies of old age. However, the tribe is soon restored to their former number, because a new male joins. His name is Grave, and he is a relaxed Earth nicheling.

[medicine cat]

DAY 87, CHAPTER 3
FIRE: Poisonbreaker
EARTH: Bloodforged, Grave

Bloodforged is old now, and she knows she has not much time left. One day, she takes aside Grave. He has to come to her, since by now, she is blind.
"Grave, I have been here, with this tribe, with the Earthbenders, longer than you've been alive. Probably longer than your father's been alive."
"I'm aware, Bloodforged," Grave says respectfully.
"I want you to promise me something, alright?"
"Anything," says Grave, bowing his head, before realizing she can't see.
"I want you to be the next leader of the Earthbenders. I want you to live to see the next Avatar, too; and I want you to teach them all the things you can and live to see them thrive."
"I will try my very best, Bloodforged."

A new female enters the tribe. Her name is Feisty, and she is a firebender. Despite her name, she is mild and is much too docile to be considered the typical firebender. Unfortunately, this causes she and Poisonbreaker to argue almost incessantly, with Poisonbreaker calling Feisty a disappointment of a Firebender and Feisty calling Poisonbreaker ornery. They grow to have a deep hatred for each other.

Soon, another nicheling joins the tribe- this time a young male named Piercer. He is a Waterbender, and has a very laid-back disposition. He becomes best friends with Grave, who is tired of breaking up arguments from within the Fire Faction. He looks nothing like a typical Waterbender, but no one questions it- it has been far too long without a water representative.

A new female joins the tribe, only a little older than Piercer. Her name is Vessel. Vessel is a follower and doesn't like to fight or speak up for herself much, making her shy, even for being a Waterbender.

It is a cold, rainy day, and Bloodforger, after a long life, dies, leaving the last of the founders up amongst the stars.

[medicine cat]

DAY 87, CHAPTER 3
FIRE: Poisonbreaker (Leader), Feisty
EARTH: Grave
WATER: Piercer (Leader), Vessel

Another new female enters the tribe. Her name is Bait. She is very relaxed, and  makes fast friends with Piercer, who is enchanted by her.

Poisonbreaker dies of old age, making Feisty leader of the Fire faction.

After some time, Bait and Piercer announce that they are going to have the first official child of the tribe. Piercer treats her like royalty, ensuring she doesn't have to do any work while she is carrying their child.

Feisty dies of old age, leaving only the water and earth benders... Until a new member joins the tribe. Her name is Chant, and she is a gentle Airbender. However, she is not the airbender avatar that everyone has been working for, being born before Dreamwhisper died. She befriends the shy vessel, but butts heads a bit with Piercer due to him being too relaxed- after all, he is leader of the Waterbenders and is going to be the father of the tribe's first child.

A new female joins the tribe soon after- her name is Dash. Dash is brave, and is also an airbender- but something is special about her.
"I'm looking for nichelings to train me in the other bending arts," she states boldly. "I'm the Avatar."

Discussions fly throughout the tribe- none were around during the age of Dreamwhisper, so they have no one to compare this Avatar to. Most are impartial to this new avatar, but Bait doesn't like her.
"She's far too cocky. Not my taste," she says. 
However, Dash approaches Piercer, asking for instruction in the art of Waterbending.
Vessel dies.

The Water child is finally born- a small, red female who they name Isle. She is docile and sweet, and is especially close to her father, often sitting by to watch him teach Dash waterbending. She often annoys the Avatar by trying to get in the way between them, participating in the lessons, often causing Dash to snap. 

"Stop being so harsh on her," hisses Bait. "she's only a child."
"A child that's going to get hurt if she gets in the range of a water move on accident," retorts Dash. As a result, Bait takes Isle on her own to learn how to Waterbend.

A bearyena comes into the tribe. It attacks and kills Vessel. Bait goes after it, and in retaliation, it gravely damages her left front leg. The others manage to take it down, but in the meantime, she bleeds out too fast for the waterbenders to heal her. Isle is left heartbroken, and has to wait for her father to finish training Dash before he can train her. However, by now, Isle is as good at Dash as waterbending due to her diligence, which makes Dash a bit jealous.

[medicine cat]

DAY 142; CHAPTER 4, BOOK 2 p. 2
AIR: Chant (Leader), Dash (Avatar)
WATER: Piercer (Leader), Isle
EARTH: Grave

Dash finishes her training with Piercer, and Piercer finishes training Isle soon after. Dash moves on to train with Graves in Earthbending.

Two new members join the tribe. The first of the two is Obelisk. He is mischievous, and joins the water faction. He doesn't get along very well with the members of the airbending faction,  considering them boring. He gets along well with the other factions, though, which makes Chant think that possibly something happened to him to make him dislike Airbenders.

The other new member is an older male named Capitol. Despite his proud name and background, he is very timid and insecure, making him a very unusual Firebender. He makes friends with the young Isle, who is impressed by the idea of Firebending.

Isle comes of age soon, making her a full adult in the tribe. Piercer advises she look for a mate, and nudges her toward Obelisk. She asks Obelisk, and they agree to become mates. Soon after, they announce they are having a child, which overjoys Piercer.

Grave dies halfway through the Avatar's training. Instead, she asks for assistance from Capitol to assist her in Firebending, to which he obliges.

An injured young teenager joins the tribe by the name of Illusion. He is an airbender, and walks with a limp due to a crippled hind right leg. He doesn't get along well with the other Airbenders, and prefers to hang around the other elements. He often butts heads with Dash, who considers him disrespectful.

Isle and Obelisk's child is born- a daughter with beautiful blue eyes named Oceanic. She is calm and composed- more so than any other waterbender.

Not long after her birth, a new member joins the tribe- An adult female named Duchess. She is a gentle earthbender.

[medicine cat]

DAY 167; CHAPTER 5
FIRE: Capitol
AIR: Chant (Leader), Dash (Avatar), Illusion
WATER: Piercer (Leader), Isle, Obelisk, Oceanic
EARTH: Duchess (Leader)

Oceanic grows into a teenager and begins taking formal lessons from Isle about Waterbending.  

Capitol dies of old age. Dash begins learning Earthbending again from Illusion.

A bearyena comes after the tribe. It kills Piercer and Obelisk. The tribe takes it down, though, and they befriend the young bearyena it left behind.

A new male joins the tribe, named Iverson. He is brave and noble and is an airbender.

It is eerie for the tribe members, who think he looks just like Dash. They bring him to her. Even Dash agrees that they look similar, and she approaches him cautiously.
"Who are you?" The Avatar circles him, squinting suspiciously and flattening her ears.
"My name is Iverson. Of the Silverfoot Airbender Clan."
This name is unfamiliar to all clan members but Dash, whose entire body tenses up in disbelief. "It can't be!"
"Then, who are you?"
"I am the Avatar," says Dash. "Dash."
"Our family tells stories of you!" He says. "You left before I was born- nay, before I was even a thought. I never thought I'd meet you."
"Who is your father?" asks Dash. "Your mother?"
"Zachary and Cassie. I left home in search for adventu-"
"A miracle! You are my brother!" Shouts Dash, tackling the male. 

The two grow extremely close, Iverson updating Dash on the happenings of their native home. They tend to bicker a lot, but it is a joke amongst the others because they are so alike and yet they can't be around each other for long without arguing.

Dash finishes her training with Duchess.

A young, teenaged male joins the tribe. His name is Lamar, and he is a shy firebender. He becomes good friends with Duchess and Chant, who help mentor him in leading the Fire faction with their own experience as leaders. Dash asks him to help her finish her firebending training, and he does, making Dash the first Avatar to master all four elements.

Iverson and Chant become mates, and later announce that they are having a child. The clan rejoices- a niece or nephew of the Avatar?

[medicine cat]

DAY 184; CHAPTER 6
FIRE: Lamar
AIR: Chant (Leader), Dash (Avatar), Iverson
WATER: Isle (Leader), Oceanic
EARTH: Duchess, Illusion

Lamar becomes the full, adult leader of the Fire faction.

It is decided that it would be a good idea to move islands- the tribe begins to make talk of where to go. One day, the Avatar calls everyone together to get their opinions.
"As per tradition, we will start with fire. Lamar, where does the Fire Nation think we should go?"
"North," says Lamar.
"Okay," says Dash. "Air faction, where shall we go in your opinion?"
"We also suggest North," says Chant.
"Water?"
Isle looks at her daughter, Oceanic, and they both shrug. "We'll go anywhere."
"Finally, Earth."
Duchess shrugs. "I was thinking West but North is fine."
It is decided- the tribe moves on.

Illusion dies shortly after arriving on the new island.

Very shortly after they arrive on the island, Chant is ready to give birth to she and Iverson's child. She is rushed to a nest, but it is a stillborn nicheling. Chant and the whole tribe are heartbroken.
"Try again," encourages Dash, leaning on her friend.
"Dash, you don't understand," says Chant, her voice trembling. "I don't have enough time left. I'm too old to have another child. It's too late." She sighs. "I am sorry." Dash tries to change her mind, but Chant is right- she dies some days later.

A bearyena comes into the tribe and kills Lamar. However, a new male joins soon after- His name is Crux, and he is a quiet, calculated earthbender. However, he doesn't get along with Duchess, thinking she's too sensitive.

Another wild female joins the tribe soon after- Her name is Blessing, and she is a waterbender.

 

[medicine cat]

DAY 211; CHAPTER 7
AIR: Iverson (Leader), Dash (Avatar)
WATER: Isle (Leader), Oceanic, Blessing
EARTH: Duchess (Leader), Crux

The new island has been conquered, and it is decided that the tribe should move again. Dash brings together a discussion of where to move.
"We will start with the Air faction," says Dash. She looks at her brother. "Where shall we go?"
Dash seems cold and lifeless since the death of Chant. "I don't think we should move yet," he says.
"Okay," says Dash. She looks to the Water faction. "Ladies of the water tribe, what do you think?"
Isle watches Oceanic and Blessing bicker a little before talking over them. "We don't care- we'll go anywhere."
"Then we will move on to earth," says Dash.
Duchess and Crux talk to each other quietly. "We think West," says Duchess.
Dash thinks to herself for  bit. Personally, she wishes to stay on the island a bit longer for Iverson's sake, but this island won't stay good forever- it's best to move on. "We will go West."
The tribe arrives on a large, peaceful meadow area.

Some time after they arrive on the island, Dash dies of old age, leaving the tribe without an Avatar. One night, Isle calls Oceanic into her corner of the den.
"Oceanic, it is our time," says Isle. "The next avatar is to be born to the water tribe. Are you excited?"
Oceanic smiles and leans on her mother. "Yes. But I will miss Dash dearly."

Duchess also dies of old age, then Isle. There begins to be concerns about the tribe aging without getting any new members.

Thankfully, when patrolling one day, Iverson stumbles across a young teenaged female named Spectra. She is shy, but after gaining her trust, she joins the tribe. It is revealed she''s an Earthbender. She takes over when Crux dies.

Iverson dies and rejoins his sister. A bearyena comes and kills the old members of the tribe, leaving Spectra alone.
Thankfully, a new male joins the tribe- a reserved, calm firebender named Soleil. He kills the bearyena, but not in time to save Spectra from dying. He dies eventually.
 

[akyra]

On 12/16/2019 at 4:11 PM, medicine cat said:

Vessel dies. 
 

A bearyena comes into the tribe. It attacks and kills Vessel. Bait goes after it, and in retaliation, it gravely damages her left front leg. The others manage to take it down, but in the meantime, she bleeds out too fast for the waterbenders to heal her. Isle is left heartbroken, and has to wait for her father to finish training Dash before he can train her. However, by now, Isle is as good at Dash as waterbending due to her diligence, which makes Dash a bit jealous.

but... vessel was already... dead?