Post by Ozai on Dec 27, 2010 17:07:25 GMT -5
Full Name: Ozai of Royal Clan Kasai
Titles: Phoenix King, Your Majesty, Lord or My Lord
Gender: Male
Age: 42
Birthplace: Royal Palace, Kazan, Fire Nation
Loyalty: Fire Nation
Status: Shortly before the arrival of Sozin's Comet Ozai proclaimed himself the Phoenix King in anticipation of his conquest of the world. He still upholds this title for himself, and prefers to be addressed as "Your Majesty", though he will settle for "Lord". In practical terms, he is a the leader of Rising Phoenix.
Height: 6'1"
Weight: 200 lbs. (approximately)
Hair Color: Black
Eye Color: Gold
Distinguishing Features: Tall, broad-shouldered, with long black hair and a spike of beard.
Appearance: Ozai’s face and form are known throughout the world; what call have we for further descriptions?
Ozai is a large man, not overly tall but powerfully built. Firebending requires as much physical training as mental, and he certainly shows it, even after losing the firebending and being cooped up for a month. This physique notwithstanding, he is still swift. Muscular but not musclebound, he moves like a predator, both when fighting and when at rest.
Appearing expressionless at first, his face shows none of the cruelty that has moved across (or behind) it over the decades. His features have a square cast to them: a broad forehead and a long jaw. His chin ends in the spike of his beard, which emphasises the angles of his cheeks and jawline. It is somewhat longer than in the days before his imprisonment, but still neat.
Like his beard, Ozai’s hair is black, showing no signs of greying. It is also straight, resistant to tangling, and has also grown longer. Even as Firelord, Ozai kept his hair longer than was normal. His bangs are also long, either framing or curtaining his face depending on how he tilts his head. With his beard, they give him a very distinctive appearance. Ordinarily he still wears it partly boudn up by a steel imitation of his five-tongued Fire Lord crown.
His eyes, perhaps, are the most noteworthy of all his features. Together with his thick eyebrows, they are certainly the most expressive. Gold, like many in the Fire Nation, they seem to shine and shimmer with his mood. Usually, of course, he keeps them veiled, not being one to share his feelings. But when angry or off-guard, his eyes will always show it while the rest of his face remains impassive.
Ozai is very fond of wearing black and red. By happy coincidence, those happen to be the national colours of the Fire Nation, and no change in dress code was needed for Ozai to be in fashion. He prefers robes, when he can wear them. Even his unique armour is reminiscent of robes, with heavy brigandine shoulder guards beneath the flaring pauldrons, and even heavier skirts guarding his upper legs. To clarify, they appear heavy; Fire Nation metallurgy is not so backward as all that. Besides, Ozai is used to the weight. Unlike so many of his officers, he does not scorn a helmet, either. He realises just how impressive a headpiece of black metal, with flared wings, piercing spike and red plume, trailing a mail coif, can be. He has no problem with a mask, either, though his is black, with a fanged mouth specifically made to enhance his voice, rather than muffle it. He is also fond of affecting a cape, of black brocade mingled with fiery patterns of red silk.
The wide-brimmed hat and black scarf he keeps are for unknown purposes.
Personality: Ozai is not a nice man. Over the years he has hardened his heart, making himself cold and uncaring. He is manipulative, using his gifts to control rather than help people. He is unforgiving, allowing resentment to turn into consuming hatred. Most of all, though, he is ambitious.
Ambition dominates him. He thirsts after power for its own sake; the only appetite left in him. When or how this passion came to him even he cannot remember, nor does he really care to. Perhaps it was just ambient in the royal palace, and he drank it in as other children might drink poison, mistaking it for a treat. Maybe it was natal to him, the curse of the line of Sozin, and he gave it rein where his brother checked it.
However his ambition began, by the time he became a man it was in full force. At that time he had other qualities. He was not cruel in his youth, and although stern he was not cold. He did care for the welfare of the Fire Nation; he did care for his family. He was intelligent, and in his own way sensitive. But, as his mind began to turn more and more on the question of power, he began to see his human emotions as weakness, hindrances to his desire for power. By the fire of that very ambition he burned the weakness out of himself, and he welcomed pain as an aid to this purgation.
He thought himself rid of kindness, love, compassion. His intelligence remained. For that matter, so did his ability to understand what other people thought or felt, although not in the sense of sharing their feelings. He became a heartless schemer, manipulating others through loyalties and emotions he had rejected. He could and did rule with fear, emphasising his power through cruelty that no-one dared blame. But he could also rule through charm. For he can be charming. Charming enough to make one forget his cruelties, charming enough to persuade tens of thousands that he is their saviour, that he is the man destined to bring order and peace to the world.
Incidentally, he believes that. He does really believe the world would be better under Fire Nation rule. For him, it is a simple question of fitness. He who has the most power is the most fit to govern, since it requires power to bring about and maintain peace, and it is peace that most people desire. Further, it takes talent to wield power effectively, and it is likely not surprising that Ozai considers himself the most talented man to ever live.
How much did his defeat change him? Firstly, it gave him a deep, personal hatred of Avatar Aang. Of course he had always hated the Avatar impersonally -- he did not believe in the concept of balance, and resented whatever deity had sought to impose this false philosophy on the world. Furthermore, as a boy and an Airbender, Ozai had always despised Aang, considering him unworthy of the great power Fate had gifted him with. But since that unspeakable day, his perception of the Avatar cannot be the same. He wants revenge just as much as he wants to reclaim what he lost.
Strangely, though, he could almost thank Aang. His defeat and subsequent imprisonment gave him time to think, away from the stress of the court. Of course, many of his thoughts were daydreams about what he would do when he was free -- he hated being caged like an animal. But he also reflected on his past. How he came to be in his cell, what he did wrong. He has had to admit: he made a few mistakes, and that he was partially to blame for what ultimately happened.
Still, what’s done is done. As nobody cares about Ozai, so he does not trouble himself to care for anybody. With the possible exception of his daughter, for whom he is still desperately searching; and, just maybe, of the woman he loved and lost, though he hates her as well.
Family:
- Azulon Kasai, father, deceased
- Ilah Kasai, mother, deceased
- Iroh Kasai, older brother, 50s
- Lu Ten Kasai, nephew, deceased
- Ursa Kasai, wife, 30s-40s
- Zuko Kasai, son, 16
- Azula Kasai, daughter, 14
History: Ozai was born the second son of Fire Lord Azulon and Fire Lady Ilah. As his older brother Iroh was favoured of Azulon, no-one would ever have predicted that it would be Ozai who would succeed his father. Given the youthful Ozai’s caring if stern disposition no-one would ever have predicted that he would become a tyrant even crueler than his father.
Perhaps they would have found a hint in Ozai’s rivalry with Iroh. Although both young men were kind and intelligent, Iroh always seemed more out-going and forgiving. Ozai, on the other hand, would brood, never forgetting an insult. Almost equally matched in every way, including firebending, Iroh's age always made him objectively better than Ozai. He always held the edge in their father’s eyes, and eventually the world. What began as a friendly rivalry turned bitter – at least on Ozai’s part.
The young Fire Nation prince travelled much, but never far. He was interested in many things: in ancient history, in modern philosophy, in tactics, in firebending disciplines. At first, it was mere curiosity that had exhausted what the capital island could teach. Then it was a desire to surpass Iroh. Then, as his outlook darkened, it became a desire to surpass himself.
The first time he actually examined his changing relationship with Iroh – and his father – was when his brother slew the last of the ancient dragons. The "Dragon of the West" would go on to bring terror to the Earth Kingdom, but in Ozai’s heart his brother had become the enemy. It could not remain a rivalry. Not when there were no dragons left to slay ... no way for Ozai to prove himself Iroh’s equal.
He continued his travels for a time. In a bid to win his father's approval, and to surpass his brother, he set out to hunt the Avatar. For three years he travelled the world, chasing rumours. He found a few airbenders, survivors of the genocide, and killed them, but no Avatar.
His failure, of course, just made him look worse. Smarting with humiliation, he returned to Kazan
Now he would devote his time to the court. With Iroh away on the battlefield, he thought he could earn his father’s love by being a dutiful son. Azulon would have none of it. He viewed Ozai’s attempts at winning his regard as sycophancy. Blind in his devotion to Iroh, he was almost painfully careful not to show his other son favouritism.
Dark flames kindled in Ozai’s heart. His firebending instructors found themselves nervous as they saw this expressed in his exercises. His anger was giving him increased power, but it was the focus that was truly frightening. They reported it to Azulon, who shrugged. Neither masters nor Fire Lord could see that the anger was just the tip of the flame. At the fire’s heart burned pure hatred.
For a time, the flames were held in check. Hatred was balanced by love. Ozai had been married to the Lady Ursa, and for a while his tenderness found an expression. Together they produced two children; a firstborn son Zuko, and after him a daughter, Azula. For a while, Ozai thought he understood the joy Iroh had always found in the company of others. He took time out of his training and court duties to spend it with them. He renovated the old mansion on Ember Island, where he would vacation with his family. Yet, even in conjugal bliss, Ozai’s hatred grew. And changed.
Ambition. He could see how Azulon ruled the world. Ozai moved from resenting that power to craving it. As for his brother ... what of him? He was no longer important, except as a rod against which to measure Ozai’s own abilities. And Ozai felt more certain with every year that he had outgrown that rod.
In observing how his father ruled, Ozai came to realise that certain elements were not to be found in a Fire Lord. Azulon was hard. Azulon was cold. Azulon was cruel. From the records, Sozin had been the same way, to a lesser extent. And Ozai saw why. The world itself was hard. To rule it, a man must be harder still. He set out to assimilate his father’s character, so that he could one day assimilate his station.
In doing so, Ozai grew distant from his wife and children. Love was one of those elements that a Fire Lord could not possess. The visits to Ember Island stopped. He began to favour Azula over Zuko, seeing in his younger child a reflection of himself. Or ... so she would think, when she grew old enough.
He had been aware of the rivalry between his children for some time, and it had bothered him. Until now. Now he saw it as a way to train them, sharpening them on each other. As it had been with Iroh and himself – the younger generation would mirror the older. He seemed to favour Azula, encouraging her "monstrous" ways, especially her arrogance. But he had his eye on Zuko. Although Zuko was older, he was the underdog in this relationship. Everyone viewed him as inferior to his sister, even Zuko himself. Ozai knew that in that weakness lay his strength, for he read the same determination in Zuko that had driven him to surpass Iroh.
Still, there were definite flaws in Zuko’s character. He lacked control, for one thing. Worse, he was attached to his parents, and to his uncle and cousin who would visit the capital now and again. Worst of all, he was too prone to run to his mother, and hide behind her, when difficulties beset him. If he were to succeed to the throne himself one day, these impurities had to be smelted out.
Ozai pondered over this, but he pondered other things as well. He really did have not time for his family, as he moved to take over the royal court. Secret meetings with courtiers and nobility, ministers and generals on leave, became commonplace. Bribes flowed like wine at the banquets Ozai would host. Each of the classes that frequented the palace became impressed with an aspect of Ozai’s personality. The courtiers appreciated his grasp of intrigue (and bottomless purse). The nobles appreciated his fine taste. The ministers appreciated his understanding of policy and the classics. The generals appreciated his natural talent for leadership and strategy. And the servants and guards appreciated that if they crossed him they would be beaten within an inch of their lives and sent to rot in some remote colonial prison camp.
Came the news of Iroh’s withdrawal from Ba Sing Se. Ozai sneered. What a pathetic man his brother was, giving in to sorrow when he should have razed the city for vengeance. But Iroh’s unfitness to rule should now be clear to all the world. Ozai pondered that, and decided to approach his father with the suggestion that, Iroh having no heir, he should be made Crown Prince.
He had not seriously expected his father to go along. Azulon was blind where it came to Iroh. Ozai did have some idea, though, of using his father’s refusal as an excuse to depose him.
Azulon’s response surprised even Ozai. Hard-hearted as he knew the Fire Lord to be, he had not expected a command to murder his own grandson. Ozai bowed his head in apathetic acquiescence. Azulon, fully aware of Ozai’s growing cruelty, considered it settled.
The old fool. Ozai had no intention of killing his heir. Casually he told his wife of the order, and his intention to carry it out. She begged him not to, but Ozai pointed out that such defiance would be treason. As long as Azulon was on the throne, Ozai had to obey. Desperate, she suggested that maybe they should remove Azulon from power. Ozai turned away in horror, and smiled. After a show of reluctance, he agreed.
Several things happened that night. First, Ursa killed her father-in-law. Second, one of Ozai’s servants bribed the Fire Lord’s chamberlain and obtained Azulon’s will. Ozai destroyed the document, which named Iroh successor to the dynasty, and wrote out a beautiful forgery naming himself instead. Third, Ozai smuggled his wife out of the palace and the city, breaking his last bond to the prince he had once been.
Then the funeral, and the proclamation of Azulon’s will. There was little protest at Ozai’s ascension; most of the court was already in his camp. His first act as Fire Lord was to officially banish Ursa on suspicion of high treason and those most horrible of crimes, murder of a kinsman and a king.
Afterwards, his official life dragged on, consisting mainly of interminable strategy sessions about the campaign in the Earth Kingdom. During one such session, his son Zuko interrupted a senior general. Ozai took immediate notice. Here, at last, was a chance to deal with the flaws in his heir. He reprimanded him for his insolence, and ordered his son to an Agni Kai. Not with the general, who meant nothing to Zuko, but with himself.
Ozai was disgusted. Zuko refused to fight, even at a direct command. Such cowardice could not be set aside. Ozai determined to teach his son the most necessary of lessons: that familial love was one luxury a Fire Lord could not afford. Love only brought pain, and Zuko would bear the scar of that lesson for the rest of his life. To drive it even further home, Ozai banished his heir to search the world for the missing Avatar, hoping that resentment would cauterise the weakness in Zuko’s soul. The only thing that mattered in the royal family was power, the respect of it in others and the desire for it in oneself. His heir must come to comprehend that, or perish.
With Zuko gone, Ozai could lavish even more time his daughter. He carefully fostered the image that he doted upon her. He spoiled her in every way, and showed her such favour that his ministers muttered into their beards about nepotism. He was impressed with her talents, to be sure. She was as natural a leader as she was a firebender – good enough to give him the thrill of taking safeguards against a possible coup. Azula never saw it, though; not even the outline of the elaborate charade. He was merely setting her up as a foil for her brother, whom he expected would one day return and demand his birthright.
Three years passed in these harmless amusements. Then he received a message from his son – and the shock of his life. Zuko had found what he'd been sent out for. The Avatar had returned, apparently unchanged after a hundred years.
Ozai had to work hard to control his anger. He paced the length and breadth of the palace, scattering guards, servants and ministers as he prowled through the halls. Nobody seemed to comprehend the depth of this catastrophe. The Avatar had returned, the Avatar who had in a previous life tried to stop Sozin, the Avatar who had a blood feud with the Fire Nation for exterminating his kindred in this incarnation. Everything was changed, now.
Ozai eventually regained control of himself. He sat, and brooded, and plotted. Finally, as reports came in, he grasped an interesting fact: a rivalry between his son, still doggedly pursuing his mission, and a certain Commander Zhao. Good, thought the Fire Lord. A rival was what his son needed. And surely, one or the other would capture the Avatar, who was only a boy after all. To that end, he promoted Zhao to admiral.
He was puzzled more than anything when his spies reported that Zhao had captured the Avatar, only to lose him again to an unknown person whom they named the "Blue Spirit". A firebender who fought with dual dao ... Ozai considered this, and decided that possibly Zuko was more obsessed with defeating his rivals than the Fire Lord had at first thought.
Despite the setback at Pohuai, Ozai was pleased to hear of Zhao’s plans to invade the North Pole. He was not so pleased to hear of Zuko’s death, but nobody ever guessed at that. He was toying with various ideas for the future of the Northern Water Tribe and the Admiral when news reached him that the armada had been destroyed, Zhao was dead ... and Zuko was not only alive, but that he had been persuaded by his uncle to abandon the Fire Nation.
“Iroh is a traitor. And your brother Zuko is a failure.” With those words, he began another game. One that pitted Azula and Zuko head on, in a fight that could conceivably lead to the death of one or the other. Azula did not see that, of course. Maybe, if Zuko proved himself up to this new challenge, it would let some of the arrogance out of her.
He followed his daughter’s antics as best he could, while reorganising his army and navy after the massive defeat. It ate at him, that loss in the North Pole. Not the incalculable waste of resources. Not even the loss of Admiral Zhao. It was the reports of the monster that had accomplished such a defeat. It was the Avatar at work. Boy or not, he had just shown himself to be many times the threat of the lingering Earth Kingdom resistance.
Speaking of which, the Fire Lord was not at all mollified to hear that Azula had renamed Omashu "New Ozai". Such a blatant attempt at flattery was sickening; he thought even his daughter knew him better than that. Still, he let it slide. She still thought he adored her, and there was no need to dispel the illusion. But then, finally, he had good news.
Ba Sing Se had fallen. After the debacle of Iroh’s retreat, the city had seemed as impregnable as ever. But Azula proved her talents once again, restoring Ozai’s faith and fear. Not only was Ba Sing Se captured, but Zuko had returned to his senses – and killed the Avatar! Ozai actually gave a sincere laugh of relief at that particular report. True, he would be reborn to the Water Tribes, but by the time he was identified the world would be Ozai’s and the Avatar could be dealt with as the Fire Lord saw fit.
After celebrating the return of his son and daughter, Ozai set about restructuring the Earth Kingdom as the Earth Provinces. His goals for the conquered realm, however, were being thwarted by incessant rebellions. Here, there and everywhere earth-benders and non-bending patriots were fomenting unrest, making guerilla raids, and generally being a nuisance. It was the more maddening because Ozai’s plans were largely beneficial to the Earth Kingdom. He was going to give them order, unity, prosperity, and was not asking that much freedom in exchange. People were happier if they could rule their own affairs, after all. But before he could begin reconstruction, he needed peace, and peace was exactly what their stubborn resistance was preventing.
There was, of course, the irksome report she brought him of the impending invasion. As both a reward and a further test, he decided to let her and Zuko devise a strategy. Or ... well, that was how it was meant to be. Yet Zuko was persistently absent from the planning sessions, which irritated Ozai far more than the paltry invasion. His spies reported that Zuko seemed unhappy – was there no pleasing the boy? He had respect, he had power. What more did the prince want? The Day of Black Sun came and went. Azula’s plan went flawlessly. Although Ozai was a little disappointed that they failed to catch the Avatar in the trap.
That is, considered apart from the mere fact that the Avatar was alive. Azula had lied to him. There was no question of doubting Zuko -- the boy had never learned to lie, and he was sincere as the Sun. Ozai was angry, angry enough to nearly lose his calm. He ordered his son out of the room so that he could master himself. Then Zuko made another announcement. He had decided to turn traitor!
Anger that threatened to overwhelm him when it had no vent immediately calmed, for a release was right in front of him. He had only to delay for a few more minutes. To wile away the time, he decided to torture his son before his execution. So Ozai told the delicate story of many years before, when Ursa had sacrificed herself for her son. Zuko reacted predictably. Then, sensing the end of the eclipse, Ozai pronounced judgement and prepared to deliver the coup de grace to his family’s shame.
It was not quite the surprise hearing about the Avatar had been. Still, one could say that having Zuko redirect the lightning strike was quite a different kind of shock to the Fire Lord. In any case, the traitor prince was gone. He left a thoughtful, if still angry, Ozai in the burning throne room.
Now, there had been one meeting that Zuko did attend. One meeting -- not to deal with the paltry invasion of the Fire Nation, but about the vexing problem of the continuing recalcitrance of the Earth Kingdom. Zuko had actually been quite helpful in that. Well, not really. Ozai did not need to be told that the Earth people had strong wills, nor did he need to be told how to break them. But it was heart-warming to see his children coming up with these points. Filled with paternal joy as well as overmastering ambition, Ozai made his proclamation.
On the eve of the Comet’s return to the world, Ozai made another proclamation. The Fire Lord was the ruler of the Fire Nation, of the West. But in twenty-four hours Ozai would rule the entire world. He needed a new title. So, passing the title of Fire Lord over to Azula and thereby making her his regent, he had himself crowned as the Phoenix King, ruler of the world destined to rise from the ashes of conflict. He set off, and on the day of Sozin’s Comet, launched his final offensive.
Once Zuko turned traitor and was known to have met up with the Avatar, Ozai was expecting some sort of counter-stroke. He did not, of course, realise just how much damage a group of children could cause to an elite airship fleet, but that was irrelevant. Even if he failed to create a charred swath of devastation through the Earth Kingdom (culminating in melting Omashu to slag -- that would teach that senile old lunatic), killing the Avatar once and for all would be an even more pointed example of his power. As well as immensely satisfying on a personal level. And the little snot fell right into the trap.
Aang was truly powerful. Ozai had to admit that the boy was likely stronger than him. But strength means nothing if not properly used. There was no way a mere boy, with only a few months of training beyond his natal airbending, could match the Lord of Fire. At last, the Avatar would die, and by Ozai’s hand. At last, order would be imposed. At last ... Ozai got to see the Avatar that destroyed his fleet at the North Pole.
He had been so caught up in his power that he had half-forgotten the reports and the history texts. He remembered them then. After overcoming the initial fear and gaining some space, Ozai thought he could still use his superior skill to best even the Avatar State. He was wrong. It was an error that cost him more than any mistake he had ever made.
He had feared death. It was, he had thought, the only way he could lose his power. As the Avatar pronounced judgement he felt terror worse than any he had experienced before. But he did not beg. He would die with as much dignity as a man suddenly shorn of his dreams can muster. Something happened, though. At the last second Aang left the Avatar State, and went back to being a snotty brat. He couldn’t do it! Ozai laughed – aloud or internally he will never be sure – and stood up. "Even with all the power in the world, you are still weak." So true, so true ... and yet, how horribly strong was that weakness!
Ozai was caught off guard once again. He really had thought that the Avatar had turned away in defeat. What else could the boy do, since he couldn’t finish it? What really took him by surprise though -- it wasn’t the counter-attack. He had no idea what was going on. Nothing had ever mentioned anything like this! Not the most ancient history, not the wildest fragment of myth -- nothing! Whatever the Avatar was doing, it should have been impossible!
It was not possible for Ozai to have been more helpless. He couldn’t move as the Avatar’s hateful hands touched him. He couldn’t move as he felt his chi being ripped out of his body. He couldn’t move as he felt the Avatar’s own disgusting chi wash over him, penetrate into him, and rip out something that meant more to him than life itself.
That was traumatic enough, but when he realised what he had lost ... it was too much. Physically exhausted, emotionally drained, mentally tortured, Ozai could not help but collapse. And listen to a gaggle of juvenile half-wits make immature jibes at his expense. That wasn’t all he heard, though. The Avatar, being the idiot he was, casually told his allies the secret of the technique he had used.
It was not far from that bare pinnacle to a cozy prison cell. Zuko had usurped the throne, of course -- it figured the bastard would be at least illegitimate in his succession since he couldn’t be by birth. Everybody was happy -- except for the defeated Fire Nation, but the conquerors never inquired into their feelings. Too bad for them. Although Ozai tottered on the brink of depression for several days, his thirst for revenge was stronger than any melancholy. Soon his guileful tongue had invoked a similar sentiment in his guards -- why should they serve the boy who had sided witht heir enemies and seized control of the country through the aid of a barbarian?
Not all of the guards were swayed. But enough were that when Zuko went on his ill-advised trip to Ba Sing Se, a month after the Comet, Ozai's own wardens set him free from the tower prison. Not a few of the guards accompanied him into the countryside, where he sought shelter at the villa of a trusted retainer. There he was put in contact with Rising Phoenix, a secret loyalist organization that had grown up in the wake of Zuko's usurpation. He was conducted to their base, where the chief officers acknowledged him as their sovereign.
Rising Phoenix was well-organised and already had a fair number of followers, with a network spread throughout the Fire Nation and a number of high-placed moles in the palace and the military. Following Ozai's escape, they stepped up their propaganda campaign and began acting to sabotage Zuko's administration. Soon, they had moved to stirring up riots and launching guerrilla raids on Fire Nation installations.
Two months later, the Fire Nation is on the verge of total civil war. Everything is going well; all Ozai needs now to uncover the way to regaining his firebending and coming up with a plan to rid himself and his followers of the threat posed by the Avatar.
Skills:
- Unarmed Fighting: Ozai was once the world’s greatest firebender. Once. That gift, his birthright, was taken from him – it need not be said by whom. Ozai’s firebending techniques remain with him, however, and it translates into a powerful unarmed fighting style. It is very old – having given rise to later forms, it has nearly been forgotten itself. It is based on seven disciplines: the ways of the bear, tiger, mongoose, crane, mantis, cobra, and dragon. Although his attacks are aggressive, they are precisely controlled; and those who expect a weak or even basic defense are in for a truly painful surprise.
- Swordsmanship: Ozai is also a proficient swordsman. He trained in the use of the jian – the "gentleman of weapons" – as a young man, more out of a desire to excel in all arts than any real goal of becoming a master warrior. Although he neglected them for many years, since being freed he has devoted much time and energy to an intensive training regimen that has brought him back to good form.
His defeat has built up in Ozai a powerful rage, that, when unleashed in combat, resembles berserker fury. He is faster and much stronger even than one would expect – for imprisonment has not weakened the tone of his muscles a whit. He is not impervious to pain, however.
Weaponry: Jian: A plain, double-edged blade of fine steel, measuring three feet from pommel to tip.
Strengths:
- Drive: Ozai's spirit is an indomitable engine, fuelled by ambition and hatred. He will never give up on trying to achieve his goals unless someone finds a way to dissuade him -- and that has never happened.
- Intelligence: Ozai is quite perceptive and cunning. He was trained in tactics and politics, and he has had ample experience in the intrigues of his court.
- Charismatic: He was also trained in oratory, and has a good deal of personal magnetism. He knows how to use his presence to either charm or terrify those around him into doing what he wants.
Weaknesses:
- Anger: Ozai's temper has only grown worse since his defeat. He could easily lose control of himself, leaving himself open to a more collected opponent in a fight. More subtly, his hatred can cloud his judgement in his long-term planning.
- Love: Not that love is a weakness (although Ozai thinks it is), but Ozai has denied and buried his feelings for Ursa for so long that, should they be brought forth, he would not know how to handle them and be open to emotional or physical.
Role Play Sample: So, there's a group trying to rescue me?
Ozai was flattered. He had half-way thought that, once news of his loss of bending was spread, people would forget about him. But it appeared that Azula was insane, so he supposed that if anybody wanted a competent leader, they would have to turn to him, sooner or later.
He was laying on the floor of his cell. Staring at the ceiling and wondering: What are their plans? Did they really intend to put him back on the throne? Or just use him? Not that it mattered. Once he was free, Ozai would master the situation. He used others; they did not use him. His mouth quirked at that. In retrospect, his power over others had given him little pleasure. Still, what else was there?
His thoughts turned then to what he would do once he was out. He had rehearsed it many times before, until the familiarity was comforting. First of course he would gather information about world events. Who ruled in Ba Sing Se? In the North? Was that impossible Bumi still alive? And so on. Second, find means of communicating with the high ministers. They would be more than happy, he was sure, to secretly co-opt the country out from under Zuko, and the new Fire Lord would not even notice. Finally, have agents ascertain the people's mood.
With the support of the people, Ozai would be invincible. He would lead a full-scale revolution, and break Zuko's heart. The Avatar would be no help, as he knew the Airbender could never turn his power against civilians. Then, once the Fire Nation was his again, he could lay a trap. Somehow force Aang to confess where he had learned that technique so that Ozai could also learn it. He would regain his bending, possibly becoming even more powerful. Then he could finally exact his vengeance.
The best way to do that, he had decided, was to simply undo what Zuko, Iroh and the Avatar had worked so hard to achieve. Destroy the Earth Kingdom and the Water Tribes as he had originally intended, amalgamating them into one prosperous empire. Prove their ideas of how the world should be wrong forever. Then, kill them all off, one by one, culminating with Aang so that the Avatar would suffer longest.
He sighed. Such a pretty dream.
Your Name: Flammifleure (Flam) or Vulpes
Other Characters: Kelaj, Masamune, Ren, Shinko, and Qing-Yu.
Titles: Phoenix King, Your Majesty, Lord or My Lord
Gender: Male
Age: 42
Birthplace: Royal Palace, Kazan, Fire Nation
Loyalty: Fire Nation
Status: Shortly before the arrival of Sozin's Comet Ozai proclaimed himself the Phoenix King in anticipation of his conquest of the world. He still upholds this title for himself, and prefers to be addressed as "Your Majesty", though he will settle for "Lord". In practical terms, he is a the leader of Rising Phoenix.
Height: 6'1"
Weight: 200 lbs. (approximately)
Hair Color: Black
Eye Color: Gold
Distinguishing Features: Tall, broad-shouldered, with long black hair and a spike of beard.
Appearance: Ozai’s face and form are known throughout the world; what call have we for further descriptions?
Ozai is a large man, not overly tall but powerfully built. Firebending requires as much physical training as mental, and he certainly shows it, even after losing the firebending and being cooped up for a month. This physique notwithstanding, he is still swift. Muscular but not musclebound, he moves like a predator, both when fighting and when at rest.
Appearing expressionless at first, his face shows none of the cruelty that has moved across (or behind) it over the decades. His features have a square cast to them: a broad forehead and a long jaw. His chin ends in the spike of his beard, which emphasises the angles of his cheeks and jawline. It is somewhat longer than in the days before his imprisonment, but still neat.
Like his beard, Ozai’s hair is black, showing no signs of greying. It is also straight, resistant to tangling, and has also grown longer. Even as Firelord, Ozai kept his hair longer than was normal. His bangs are also long, either framing or curtaining his face depending on how he tilts his head. With his beard, they give him a very distinctive appearance. Ordinarily he still wears it partly boudn up by a steel imitation of his five-tongued Fire Lord crown.
His eyes, perhaps, are the most noteworthy of all his features. Together with his thick eyebrows, they are certainly the most expressive. Gold, like many in the Fire Nation, they seem to shine and shimmer with his mood. Usually, of course, he keeps them veiled, not being one to share his feelings. But when angry or off-guard, his eyes will always show it while the rest of his face remains impassive.
Ozai is very fond of wearing black and red. By happy coincidence, those happen to be the national colours of the Fire Nation, and no change in dress code was needed for Ozai to be in fashion. He prefers robes, when he can wear them. Even his unique armour is reminiscent of robes, with heavy brigandine shoulder guards beneath the flaring pauldrons, and even heavier skirts guarding his upper legs. To clarify, they appear heavy; Fire Nation metallurgy is not so backward as all that. Besides, Ozai is used to the weight. Unlike so many of his officers, he does not scorn a helmet, either. He realises just how impressive a headpiece of black metal, with flared wings, piercing spike and red plume, trailing a mail coif, can be. He has no problem with a mask, either, though his is black, with a fanged mouth specifically made to enhance his voice, rather than muffle it. He is also fond of affecting a cape, of black brocade mingled with fiery patterns of red silk.
The wide-brimmed hat and black scarf he keeps are for unknown purposes.
Personality: Ozai is not a nice man. Over the years he has hardened his heart, making himself cold and uncaring. He is manipulative, using his gifts to control rather than help people. He is unforgiving, allowing resentment to turn into consuming hatred. Most of all, though, he is ambitious.
Ambition dominates him. He thirsts after power for its own sake; the only appetite left in him. When or how this passion came to him even he cannot remember, nor does he really care to. Perhaps it was just ambient in the royal palace, and he drank it in as other children might drink poison, mistaking it for a treat. Maybe it was natal to him, the curse of the line of Sozin, and he gave it rein where his brother checked it.
However his ambition began, by the time he became a man it was in full force. At that time he had other qualities. He was not cruel in his youth, and although stern he was not cold. He did care for the welfare of the Fire Nation; he did care for his family. He was intelligent, and in his own way sensitive. But, as his mind began to turn more and more on the question of power, he began to see his human emotions as weakness, hindrances to his desire for power. By the fire of that very ambition he burned the weakness out of himself, and he welcomed pain as an aid to this purgation.
He thought himself rid of kindness, love, compassion. His intelligence remained. For that matter, so did his ability to understand what other people thought or felt, although not in the sense of sharing their feelings. He became a heartless schemer, manipulating others through loyalties and emotions he had rejected. He could and did rule with fear, emphasising his power through cruelty that no-one dared blame. But he could also rule through charm. For he can be charming. Charming enough to make one forget his cruelties, charming enough to persuade tens of thousands that he is their saviour, that he is the man destined to bring order and peace to the world.
Incidentally, he believes that. He does really believe the world would be better under Fire Nation rule. For him, it is a simple question of fitness. He who has the most power is the most fit to govern, since it requires power to bring about and maintain peace, and it is peace that most people desire. Further, it takes talent to wield power effectively, and it is likely not surprising that Ozai considers himself the most talented man to ever live.
How much did his defeat change him? Firstly, it gave him a deep, personal hatred of Avatar Aang. Of course he had always hated the Avatar impersonally -- he did not believe in the concept of balance, and resented whatever deity had sought to impose this false philosophy on the world. Furthermore, as a boy and an Airbender, Ozai had always despised Aang, considering him unworthy of the great power Fate had gifted him with. But since that unspeakable day, his perception of the Avatar cannot be the same. He wants revenge just as much as he wants to reclaim what he lost.
Strangely, though, he could almost thank Aang. His defeat and subsequent imprisonment gave him time to think, away from the stress of the court. Of course, many of his thoughts were daydreams about what he would do when he was free -- he hated being caged like an animal. But he also reflected on his past. How he came to be in his cell, what he did wrong. He has had to admit: he made a few mistakes, and that he was partially to blame for what ultimately happened.
Still, what’s done is done. As nobody cares about Ozai, so he does not trouble himself to care for anybody. With the possible exception of his daughter, for whom he is still desperately searching; and, just maybe, of the woman he loved and lost, though he hates her as well.
Family:
- Azulon Kasai, father, deceased
- Ilah Kasai, mother, deceased
- Iroh Kasai, older brother, 50s
- Lu Ten Kasai, nephew, deceased
- Ursa Kasai, wife, 30s-40s
- Zuko Kasai, son, 16
- Azula Kasai, daughter, 14
History: Ozai was born the second son of Fire Lord Azulon and Fire Lady Ilah. As his older brother Iroh was favoured of Azulon, no-one would ever have predicted that it would be Ozai who would succeed his father. Given the youthful Ozai’s caring if stern disposition no-one would ever have predicted that he would become a tyrant even crueler than his father.
Perhaps they would have found a hint in Ozai’s rivalry with Iroh. Although both young men were kind and intelligent, Iroh always seemed more out-going and forgiving. Ozai, on the other hand, would brood, never forgetting an insult. Almost equally matched in every way, including firebending, Iroh's age always made him objectively better than Ozai. He always held the edge in their father’s eyes, and eventually the world. What began as a friendly rivalry turned bitter – at least on Ozai’s part.
The young Fire Nation prince travelled much, but never far. He was interested in many things: in ancient history, in modern philosophy, in tactics, in firebending disciplines. At first, it was mere curiosity that had exhausted what the capital island could teach. Then it was a desire to surpass Iroh. Then, as his outlook darkened, it became a desire to surpass himself.
The first time he actually examined his changing relationship with Iroh – and his father – was when his brother slew the last of the ancient dragons. The "Dragon of the West" would go on to bring terror to the Earth Kingdom, but in Ozai’s heart his brother had become the enemy. It could not remain a rivalry. Not when there were no dragons left to slay ... no way for Ozai to prove himself Iroh’s equal.
He continued his travels for a time. In a bid to win his father's approval, and to surpass his brother, he set out to hunt the Avatar. For three years he travelled the world, chasing rumours. He found a few airbenders, survivors of the genocide, and killed them, but no Avatar.
His failure, of course, just made him look worse. Smarting with humiliation, he returned to Kazan
Now he would devote his time to the court. With Iroh away on the battlefield, he thought he could earn his father’s love by being a dutiful son. Azulon would have none of it. He viewed Ozai’s attempts at winning his regard as sycophancy. Blind in his devotion to Iroh, he was almost painfully careful not to show his other son favouritism.
Dark flames kindled in Ozai’s heart. His firebending instructors found themselves nervous as they saw this expressed in his exercises. His anger was giving him increased power, but it was the focus that was truly frightening. They reported it to Azulon, who shrugged. Neither masters nor Fire Lord could see that the anger was just the tip of the flame. At the fire’s heart burned pure hatred.
For a time, the flames were held in check. Hatred was balanced by love. Ozai had been married to the Lady Ursa, and for a while his tenderness found an expression. Together they produced two children; a firstborn son Zuko, and after him a daughter, Azula. For a while, Ozai thought he understood the joy Iroh had always found in the company of others. He took time out of his training and court duties to spend it with them. He renovated the old mansion on Ember Island, where he would vacation with his family. Yet, even in conjugal bliss, Ozai’s hatred grew. And changed.
Ambition. He could see how Azulon ruled the world. Ozai moved from resenting that power to craving it. As for his brother ... what of him? He was no longer important, except as a rod against which to measure Ozai’s own abilities. And Ozai felt more certain with every year that he had outgrown that rod.
In observing how his father ruled, Ozai came to realise that certain elements were not to be found in a Fire Lord. Azulon was hard. Azulon was cold. Azulon was cruel. From the records, Sozin had been the same way, to a lesser extent. And Ozai saw why. The world itself was hard. To rule it, a man must be harder still. He set out to assimilate his father’s character, so that he could one day assimilate his station.
In doing so, Ozai grew distant from his wife and children. Love was one of those elements that a Fire Lord could not possess. The visits to Ember Island stopped. He began to favour Azula over Zuko, seeing in his younger child a reflection of himself. Or ... so she would think, when she grew old enough.
He had been aware of the rivalry between his children for some time, and it had bothered him. Until now. Now he saw it as a way to train them, sharpening them on each other. As it had been with Iroh and himself – the younger generation would mirror the older. He seemed to favour Azula, encouraging her "monstrous" ways, especially her arrogance. But he had his eye on Zuko. Although Zuko was older, he was the underdog in this relationship. Everyone viewed him as inferior to his sister, even Zuko himself. Ozai knew that in that weakness lay his strength, for he read the same determination in Zuko that had driven him to surpass Iroh.
Still, there were definite flaws in Zuko’s character. He lacked control, for one thing. Worse, he was attached to his parents, and to his uncle and cousin who would visit the capital now and again. Worst of all, he was too prone to run to his mother, and hide behind her, when difficulties beset him. If he were to succeed to the throne himself one day, these impurities had to be smelted out.
Ozai pondered over this, but he pondered other things as well. He really did have not time for his family, as he moved to take over the royal court. Secret meetings with courtiers and nobility, ministers and generals on leave, became commonplace. Bribes flowed like wine at the banquets Ozai would host. Each of the classes that frequented the palace became impressed with an aspect of Ozai’s personality. The courtiers appreciated his grasp of intrigue (and bottomless purse). The nobles appreciated his fine taste. The ministers appreciated his understanding of policy and the classics. The generals appreciated his natural talent for leadership and strategy. And the servants and guards appreciated that if they crossed him they would be beaten within an inch of their lives and sent to rot in some remote colonial prison camp.
Came the news of Iroh’s withdrawal from Ba Sing Se. Ozai sneered. What a pathetic man his brother was, giving in to sorrow when he should have razed the city for vengeance. But Iroh’s unfitness to rule should now be clear to all the world. Ozai pondered that, and decided to approach his father with the suggestion that, Iroh having no heir, he should be made Crown Prince.
He had not seriously expected his father to go along. Azulon was blind where it came to Iroh. Ozai did have some idea, though, of using his father’s refusal as an excuse to depose him.
Azulon’s response surprised even Ozai. Hard-hearted as he knew the Fire Lord to be, he had not expected a command to murder his own grandson. Ozai bowed his head in apathetic acquiescence. Azulon, fully aware of Ozai’s growing cruelty, considered it settled.
The old fool. Ozai had no intention of killing his heir. Casually he told his wife of the order, and his intention to carry it out. She begged him not to, but Ozai pointed out that such defiance would be treason. As long as Azulon was on the throne, Ozai had to obey. Desperate, she suggested that maybe they should remove Azulon from power. Ozai turned away in horror, and smiled. After a show of reluctance, he agreed.
Several things happened that night. First, Ursa killed her father-in-law. Second, one of Ozai’s servants bribed the Fire Lord’s chamberlain and obtained Azulon’s will. Ozai destroyed the document, which named Iroh successor to the dynasty, and wrote out a beautiful forgery naming himself instead. Third, Ozai smuggled his wife out of the palace and the city, breaking his last bond to the prince he had once been.
Then the funeral, and the proclamation of Azulon’s will. There was little protest at Ozai’s ascension; most of the court was already in his camp. His first act as Fire Lord was to officially banish Ursa on suspicion of high treason and those most horrible of crimes, murder of a kinsman and a king.
Afterwards, his official life dragged on, consisting mainly of interminable strategy sessions about the campaign in the Earth Kingdom. During one such session, his son Zuko interrupted a senior general. Ozai took immediate notice. Here, at last, was a chance to deal with the flaws in his heir. He reprimanded him for his insolence, and ordered his son to an Agni Kai. Not with the general, who meant nothing to Zuko, but with himself.
Ozai was disgusted. Zuko refused to fight, even at a direct command. Such cowardice could not be set aside. Ozai determined to teach his son the most necessary of lessons: that familial love was one luxury a Fire Lord could not afford. Love only brought pain, and Zuko would bear the scar of that lesson for the rest of his life. To drive it even further home, Ozai banished his heir to search the world for the missing Avatar, hoping that resentment would cauterise the weakness in Zuko’s soul. The only thing that mattered in the royal family was power, the respect of it in others and the desire for it in oneself. His heir must come to comprehend that, or perish.
With Zuko gone, Ozai could lavish even more time his daughter. He carefully fostered the image that he doted upon her. He spoiled her in every way, and showed her such favour that his ministers muttered into their beards about nepotism. He was impressed with her talents, to be sure. She was as natural a leader as she was a firebender – good enough to give him the thrill of taking safeguards against a possible coup. Azula never saw it, though; not even the outline of the elaborate charade. He was merely setting her up as a foil for her brother, whom he expected would one day return and demand his birthright.
Three years passed in these harmless amusements. Then he received a message from his son – and the shock of his life. Zuko had found what he'd been sent out for. The Avatar had returned, apparently unchanged after a hundred years.
Ozai had to work hard to control his anger. He paced the length and breadth of the palace, scattering guards, servants and ministers as he prowled through the halls. Nobody seemed to comprehend the depth of this catastrophe. The Avatar had returned, the Avatar who had in a previous life tried to stop Sozin, the Avatar who had a blood feud with the Fire Nation for exterminating his kindred in this incarnation. Everything was changed, now.
Ozai eventually regained control of himself. He sat, and brooded, and plotted. Finally, as reports came in, he grasped an interesting fact: a rivalry between his son, still doggedly pursuing his mission, and a certain Commander Zhao. Good, thought the Fire Lord. A rival was what his son needed. And surely, one or the other would capture the Avatar, who was only a boy after all. To that end, he promoted Zhao to admiral.
He was puzzled more than anything when his spies reported that Zhao had captured the Avatar, only to lose him again to an unknown person whom they named the "Blue Spirit". A firebender who fought with dual dao ... Ozai considered this, and decided that possibly Zuko was more obsessed with defeating his rivals than the Fire Lord had at first thought.
Despite the setback at Pohuai, Ozai was pleased to hear of Zhao’s plans to invade the North Pole. He was not so pleased to hear of Zuko’s death, but nobody ever guessed at that. He was toying with various ideas for the future of the Northern Water Tribe and the Admiral when news reached him that the armada had been destroyed, Zhao was dead ... and Zuko was not only alive, but that he had been persuaded by his uncle to abandon the Fire Nation.
“Iroh is a traitor. And your brother Zuko is a failure.” With those words, he began another game. One that pitted Azula and Zuko head on, in a fight that could conceivably lead to the death of one or the other. Azula did not see that, of course. Maybe, if Zuko proved himself up to this new challenge, it would let some of the arrogance out of her.
He followed his daughter’s antics as best he could, while reorganising his army and navy after the massive defeat. It ate at him, that loss in the North Pole. Not the incalculable waste of resources. Not even the loss of Admiral Zhao. It was the reports of the monster that had accomplished such a defeat. It was the Avatar at work. Boy or not, he had just shown himself to be many times the threat of the lingering Earth Kingdom resistance.
Speaking of which, the Fire Lord was not at all mollified to hear that Azula had renamed Omashu "New Ozai". Such a blatant attempt at flattery was sickening; he thought even his daughter knew him better than that. Still, he let it slide. She still thought he adored her, and there was no need to dispel the illusion. But then, finally, he had good news.
Ba Sing Se had fallen. After the debacle of Iroh’s retreat, the city had seemed as impregnable as ever. But Azula proved her talents once again, restoring Ozai’s faith and fear. Not only was Ba Sing Se captured, but Zuko had returned to his senses – and killed the Avatar! Ozai actually gave a sincere laugh of relief at that particular report. True, he would be reborn to the Water Tribes, but by the time he was identified the world would be Ozai’s and the Avatar could be dealt with as the Fire Lord saw fit.
After celebrating the return of his son and daughter, Ozai set about restructuring the Earth Kingdom as the Earth Provinces. His goals for the conquered realm, however, were being thwarted by incessant rebellions. Here, there and everywhere earth-benders and non-bending patriots were fomenting unrest, making guerilla raids, and generally being a nuisance. It was the more maddening because Ozai’s plans were largely beneficial to the Earth Kingdom. He was going to give them order, unity, prosperity, and was not asking that much freedom in exchange. People were happier if they could rule their own affairs, after all. But before he could begin reconstruction, he needed peace, and peace was exactly what their stubborn resistance was preventing.
There was, of course, the irksome report she brought him of the impending invasion. As both a reward and a further test, he decided to let her and Zuko devise a strategy. Or ... well, that was how it was meant to be. Yet Zuko was persistently absent from the planning sessions, which irritated Ozai far more than the paltry invasion. His spies reported that Zuko seemed unhappy – was there no pleasing the boy? He had respect, he had power. What more did the prince want? The Day of Black Sun came and went. Azula’s plan went flawlessly. Although Ozai was a little disappointed that they failed to catch the Avatar in the trap.
That is, considered apart from the mere fact that the Avatar was alive. Azula had lied to him. There was no question of doubting Zuko -- the boy had never learned to lie, and he was sincere as the Sun. Ozai was angry, angry enough to nearly lose his calm. He ordered his son out of the room so that he could master himself. Then Zuko made another announcement. He had decided to turn traitor!
Anger that threatened to overwhelm him when it had no vent immediately calmed, for a release was right in front of him. He had only to delay for a few more minutes. To wile away the time, he decided to torture his son before his execution. So Ozai told the delicate story of many years before, when Ursa had sacrificed herself for her son. Zuko reacted predictably. Then, sensing the end of the eclipse, Ozai pronounced judgement and prepared to deliver the coup de grace to his family’s shame.
It was not quite the surprise hearing about the Avatar had been. Still, one could say that having Zuko redirect the lightning strike was quite a different kind of shock to the Fire Lord. In any case, the traitor prince was gone. He left a thoughtful, if still angry, Ozai in the burning throne room.
Now, there had been one meeting that Zuko did attend. One meeting -- not to deal with the paltry invasion of the Fire Nation, but about the vexing problem of the continuing recalcitrance of the Earth Kingdom. Zuko had actually been quite helpful in that. Well, not really. Ozai did not need to be told that the Earth people had strong wills, nor did he need to be told how to break them. But it was heart-warming to see his children coming up with these points. Filled with paternal joy as well as overmastering ambition, Ozai made his proclamation.
On the eve of the Comet’s return to the world, Ozai made another proclamation. The Fire Lord was the ruler of the Fire Nation, of the West. But in twenty-four hours Ozai would rule the entire world. He needed a new title. So, passing the title of Fire Lord over to Azula and thereby making her his regent, he had himself crowned as the Phoenix King, ruler of the world destined to rise from the ashes of conflict. He set off, and on the day of Sozin’s Comet, launched his final offensive.
Once Zuko turned traitor and was known to have met up with the Avatar, Ozai was expecting some sort of counter-stroke. He did not, of course, realise just how much damage a group of children could cause to an elite airship fleet, but that was irrelevant. Even if he failed to create a charred swath of devastation through the Earth Kingdom (culminating in melting Omashu to slag -- that would teach that senile old lunatic), killing the Avatar once and for all would be an even more pointed example of his power. As well as immensely satisfying on a personal level. And the little snot fell right into the trap.
Aang was truly powerful. Ozai had to admit that the boy was likely stronger than him. But strength means nothing if not properly used. There was no way a mere boy, with only a few months of training beyond his natal airbending, could match the Lord of Fire. At last, the Avatar would die, and by Ozai’s hand. At last, order would be imposed. At last ... Ozai got to see the Avatar that destroyed his fleet at the North Pole.
He had been so caught up in his power that he had half-forgotten the reports and the history texts. He remembered them then. After overcoming the initial fear and gaining some space, Ozai thought he could still use his superior skill to best even the Avatar State. He was wrong. It was an error that cost him more than any mistake he had ever made.
He had feared death. It was, he had thought, the only way he could lose his power. As the Avatar pronounced judgement he felt terror worse than any he had experienced before. But he did not beg. He would die with as much dignity as a man suddenly shorn of his dreams can muster. Something happened, though. At the last second Aang left the Avatar State, and went back to being a snotty brat. He couldn’t do it! Ozai laughed – aloud or internally he will never be sure – and stood up. "Even with all the power in the world, you are still weak." So true, so true ... and yet, how horribly strong was that weakness!
Ozai was caught off guard once again. He really had thought that the Avatar had turned away in defeat. What else could the boy do, since he couldn’t finish it? What really took him by surprise though -- it wasn’t the counter-attack. He had no idea what was going on. Nothing had ever mentioned anything like this! Not the most ancient history, not the wildest fragment of myth -- nothing! Whatever the Avatar was doing, it should have been impossible!
It was not possible for Ozai to have been more helpless. He couldn’t move as the Avatar’s hateful hands touched him. He couldn’t move as he felt his chi being ripped out of his body. He couldn’t move as he felt the Avatar’s own disgusting chi wash over him, penetrate into him, and rip out something that meant more to him than life itself.
That was traumatic enough, but when he realised what he had lost ... it was too much. Physically exhausted, emotionally drained, mentally tortured, Ozai could not help but collapse. And listen to a gaggle of juvenile half-wits make immature jibes at his expense. That wasn’t all he heard, though. The Avatar, being the idiot he was, casually told his allies the secret of the technique he had used.
It was not far from that bare pinnacle to a cozy prison cell. Zuko had usurped the throne, of course -- it figured the bastard would be at least illegitimate in his succession since he couldn’t be by birth. Everybody was happy -- except for the defeated Fire Nation, but the conquerors never inquired into their feelings. Too bad for them. Although Ozai tottered on the brink of depression for several days, his thirst for revenge was stronger than any melancholy. Soon his guileful tongue had invoked a similar sentiment in his guards -- why should they serve the boy who had sided witht heir enemies and seized control of the country through the aid of a barbarian?
Not all of the guards were swayed. But enough were that when Zuko went on his ill-advised trip to Ba Sing Se, a month after the Comet, Ozai's own wardens set him free from the tower prison. Not a few of the guards accompanied him into the countryside, where he sought shelter at the villa of a trusted retainer. There he was put in contact with Rising Phoenix, a secret loyalist organization that had grown up in the wake of Zuko's usurpation. He was conducted to their base, where the chief officers acknowledged him as their sovereign.
Rising Phoenix was well-organised and already had a fair number of followers, with a network spread throughout the Fire Nation and a number of high-placed moles in the palace and the military. Following Ozai's escape, they stepped up their propaganda campaign and began acting to sabotage Zuko's administration. Soon, they had moved to stirring up riots and launching guerrilla raids on Fire Nation installations.
Two months later, the Fire Nation is on the verge of total civil war. Everything is going well; all Ozai needs now to uncover the way to regaining his firebending and coming up with a plan to rid himself and his followers of the threat posed by the Avatar.
Skills:
- Unarmed Fighting: Ozai was once the world’s greatest firebender. Once. That gift, his birthright, was taken from him – it need not be said by whom. Ozai’s firebending techniques remain with him, however, and it translates into a powerful unarmed fighting style. It is very old – having given rise to later forms, it has nearly been forgotten itself. It is based on seven disciplines: the ways of the bear, tiger, mongoose, crane, mantis, cobra, and dragon. Although his attacks are aggressive, they are precisely controlled; and those who expect a weak or even basic defense are in for a truly painful surprise.
- Swordsmanship: Ozai is also a proficient swordsman. He trained in the use of the jian – the "gentleman of weapons" – as a young man, more out of a desire to excel in all arts than any real goal of becoming a master warrior. Although he neglected them for many years, since being freed he has devoted much time and energy to an intensive training regimen that has brought him back to good form.
His defeat has built up in Ozai a powerful rage, that, when unleashed in combat, resembles berserker fury. He is faster and much stronger even than one would expect – for imprisonment has not weakened the tone of his muscles a whit. He is not impervious to pain, however.
Weaponry: Jian: A plain, double-edged blade of fine steel, measuring three feet from pommel to tip.
Strengths:
- Drive: Ozai's spirit is an indomitable engine, fuelled by ambition and hatred. He will never give up on trying to achieve his goals unless someone finds a way to dissuade him -- and that has never happened.
- Intelligence: Ozai is quite perceptive and cunning. He was trained in tactics and politics, and he has had ample experience in the intrigues of his court.
- Charismatic: He was also trained in oratory, and has a good deal of personal magnetism. He knows how to use his presence to either charm or terrify those around him into doing what he wants.
Weaknesses:
- Anger: Ozai's temper has only grown worse since his defeat. He could easily lose control of himself, leaving himself open to a more collected opponent in a fight. More subtly, his hatred can cloud his judgement in his long-term planning.
- Love: Not that love is a weakness (although Ozai thinks it is), but Ozai has denied and buried his feelings for Ursa for so long that, should they be brought forth, he would not know how to handle them and be open to emotional or physical.
Role Play Sample: So, there's a group trying to rescue me?
Ozai was flattered. He had half-way thought that, once news of his loss of bending was spread, people would forget about him. But it appeared that Azula was insane, so he supposed that if anybody wanted a competent leader, they would have to turn to him, sooner or later.
He was laying on the floor of his cell. Staring at the ceiling and wondering: What are their plans? Did they really intend to put him back on the throne? Or just use him? Not that it mattered. Once he was free, Ozai would master the situation. He used others; they did not use him. His mouth quirked at that. In retrospect, his power over others had given him little pleasure. Still, what else was there?
His thoughts turned then to what he would do once he was out. He had rehearsed it many times before, until the familiarity was comforting. First of course he would gather information about world events. Who ruled in Ba Sing Se? In the North? Was that impossible Bumi still alive? And so on. Second, find means of communicating with the high ministers. They would be more than happy, he was sure, to secretly co-opt the country out from under Zuko, and the new Fire Lord would not even notice. Finally, have agents ascertain the people's mood.
With the support of the people, Ozai would be invincible. He would lead a full-scale revolution, and break Zuko's heart. The Avatar would be no help, as he knew the Airbender could never turn his power against civilians. Then, once the Fire Nation was his again, he could lay a trap. Somehow force Aang to confess where he had learned that technique so that Ozai could also learn it. He would regain his bending, possibly becoming even more powerful. Then he could finally exact his vengeance.
The best way to do that, he had decided, was to simply undo what Zuko, Iroh and the Avatar had worked so hard to achieve. Destroy the Earth Kingdom and the Water Tribes as he had originally intended, amalgamating them into one prosperous empire. Prove their ideas of how the world should be wrong forever. Then, kill them all off, one by one, culminating with Aang so that the Avatar would suffer longest.
He sighed. Such a pretty dream.
Your Name: Flammifleure (Flam) or Vulpes
Other Characters: Kelaj, Masamune, Ren, Shinko, and Qing-Yu.
