Southern Water Tribe City

The Southern Water Tribe City


The Southern Water Tribe is the southern division of the Water Tribes. Its people are concentrated in its capital, a large harbor city at the coast of the South Pole,undefinedbut many also live in small settlements throughout the pole. The Southern Water Tribe is a confederation of several smaller tribes, led by chieftains and elders, who form a council that jointly govern the South Pole, although ultimate leadership is still given to the Nrthern Water Tribe Chieftan.

Origins
Originally, the Water Tribe existed as one nation, solely based in the North Pole. However, following civil unrest, a large group of warriors, waterbenders and healers journeyed to the South Pole to engender a new tribe. Due to the division, the two sects evolved differently. Even though their cultures were still similar, the people of the North and South developed completely differently in regard of society and politics. The Southern Water Tribe was far less hierarchical than the North, enjoying a high degree of gender equality. The Southern tribesmen eventually built a massive inland city as their political and cultural center, and the tribe began to prosper, even though it never reached the size and importance of the North. During these years a tradition of celebrating the Glacier Spirits Festival began, where the day before the winter solstice, the people would fast and meditate, and the tribal elders would commune with the spirits as they danced in the sky to create the southern lights.

The Southern tribesmen also began to travel around the world. One group of Southern waterbenders discovered the Foggy Swamp in the Earth Kingdom thousands of years before the modern day. They decided to stay because of the abundant amounts of water there, engending the Foggy Swamp Tribe in the process. However, as the Foggy Swamp tribesmen maintained isolation, the people of the South Pole were mostly uninformed of these events. In time, the Southern Water Tribe had grown into a strong nation, with its capital filled with hundreds and hundreds of capable waterbenders of both men and women.

Council Chambers
One of the main buildings within the city, where the Southern Water Tribe council gather and discuss the ruling of the state.

Compound
The Southern Water Tribe compound lies deep within the South Pole. It is a small, isolated encampment that was built mainly for the purposes of warrior training and also the Avatar's tutelage. It is secured by thick ice walls and a large gate. The enclosure features several watchtowers, large buildings for shelter, an obstacle course and sub-level pens lined with hay for fauna. A large raised platform made of ice is located in the center of the camp, both for Korra's bending training and combat practice. Members of the White Lotus stand on a wooden pavilion overlooking the platform, where they monitor ongoing progress. Sentries from the White Lotus also man the watchtowers and clear any individual wishing to enter or exit the encampment.

Frozen Tundra
A significant stretch of tundra covers most of the South Pole. In contrast to the mountainous landscape of the North Pole, the frozen plains of the South are broken only occasionally by mountains. The harsh terrain was made all the more dangerous by a brutal, unending storm that had battered the South for centuries. Known as the Everstorm, this spiritually-charged blizzard rendered the land uninhabitable. Dark spirits were known to haunt the tundra's ice caves.

Within the tundra lies a great frozen forest where many dark spirits reside. In the center of this sacred forest is a portal to the Spirit World, which is only accessible by the Avatar on a solstice. It is also the source of the southern lights.