| "The Saowon are a powerful clan that controls Ma'inka Island, in the eastern part of the country, [...] It's both one of the most prosperous and heavily fortified territories in the nation outside of the capital." |
| — Rangi informs Kyoshi.[1] |
Ma'inka Island is one of the islands in the eastern Fire Nation, and is shaped like a fish's head.[2] When the noble clans held power in the Fire Nation, the island fell under the traditional influence of the Saowon clan. In the early 3rd century BG, it was considered the most prosperous and heavily fortified territory outside the Fire Nation Capital itself.[1]
History[]
Phoenix-eel spirits traditionally dwelled in the caverns under Ma'inka Island. Shortly after Avatar Yangchen became a fully-realized Avatar, she traveled to Ma'inka Island, where unseen forces had been dealing damage to the edges of the Saowon villages. After meeting with Duke Zolian and his heir Earl Lohi, Yangchen interpreted the will of the spirits and made a deal that the spirits would leave if the humans stayed more than three li away from the cenotes.[3][4]
Only a short time after Yangchen struck her bargain with the Saowon, the disobedient branch houses on Ma'inka started to violate the boundary, with some using machinery to try to mine deeply buried material on the island. In response, the spirits cursed the children of the Saowon to never wake from their slumber. Desperate for help, the Saowon turned to Yangchen once more, even though she was dealing with a new crisis in the shang cities. After arriving on Nujian from Jonduri, Yangchen furiously lectured the duke and his heir about how simple the deal was, and watched as they cut their top-knots to show their dishonor.[4]
Yangchen made her way across the island on her glider, landing in a clearing and walking onward for half an hour, finding the plot of land cleared by slashing and burning, an encampment constructed on bamboo piles, sluice chutes and a blunt-force mechanism. She also saw that the phoenix-eels had since made their displeasure clear by crushing the longhouses and bamboo scaffolds in certain places. As she headed deeper within the forest, she heard whispers of nonsense close to human language, and saw more unusual phenomena before arriving at the cavern. She saw the dark phoenix-eels as water rose from the cavern, and they came rushing at her, refusing to relent or renegotiate as General Old Iron agreed to. As their tendrils reached to her, they showed Yangchen a vision of her sister, Jetsun, in the Fog of Lost Souls. When it was over, she begged them to stop, grabbing by their attention by proposing a plan that would mean that the Saowon would be harmed for more than just one lifetime. When she left, the physical world became predominant once more, and three days had passed outside the cenotes. She delivered terms to the Saowon that forced them to wear their dishonor for fifty years, and to take on many quirks of behavior that would exclude them from court. Although Lohi despaired at the new deal, Yangchen warned him of what a twice-betrayed spirit would do, and encouraged the Saowon to seek to rise again one day in the far future. After finding a letter from Zongdu Chaisee, she returned to Jonduri as soon as possible.[5]
In the next months, the Saowon did honor the terms of their treaty with Yangchen and the spirits. However, they refused to just accept their reduced status, and began to rebuild their old fortresses on Ma'inka Island using imported goods such as stone from Taku, planning to regain their power through violence in the future.[6] Eventually, the island's inhabitants also decided to discard the second pact with the spirits, causing the phoenix-eel spirits to turn dark once more by the life of Avatar Kuruk. A bad dream brought the Water Avatar to the caverns under Ma'inka, where he destroyed the phoenix-eel spirits. He was found by Nyahitha shortly after, who brought the bedraggled Avatar to the jungle, and partially healed some of the damage done to his spirit.[7]
Under the leadership of Lady Huazo, Ma'inka Island and the Saowon clan prospered, becoming one of the wealthiest territories in the Fire Nation.[8] Ma'inka did not suffer the poor harvests and fisheries that much of the nation did during the end of Fire Lord Zoryu.[1] However, Huazo and her son Chaejin were kept under house arrest by Zoryu at the end of the Camellia-Peony War. The Saowon clan was disgraced, and their relatives in Ma'inka could not act militarily without risking the lives of Huazo and Chaejin.[9]
Inhabitants[]
References[]
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