However, the man got sick, and sent a younger relative, Hei-Ran, as a temporary replacement.Īs soon as Kuruk lay eyes on Hei-Ran in First Lord's Harbor, he was determined to pull every string he could to make the assignment a permanent one. Kelsang was assigned as chaperone for their first trip as well as a man of the Sei'naka clan in the Fire Nation. They were brought before the temple's abbot and Kuruk's masters, and were disciplined for their lack of caution. Once, Kuruk and Jianzhu sneaked into the bison pen in the Southern Air Temple for a joyride, and were caught by Kelsang, who pinned them to the wall with a blast of air that rippled their cheeks for minutes on end. His good behavior was largely down to being allowed a sky bison at the end of his airbending training. He complied instead of fighting tradition, and even invented a new technique of creating a cushion of air under a heavy object so it could be slid and moved over a floor with care. Kuruk and Jianzhu suffered through their traditionalist masters lecturing the Avatar throughout his mastery of earth, fire, and air. In spite of the boy's uptight personality, the two of them cemented a close friendship as soon as their first Pai Sho game concluded. The only one who agreed with him on this front was a young man from the Gan Jin tribe, Jianzhu. Kuruk struggled with why this was a detriment, as the elements were all connected. He was first taught by a wizened master from Ba Sing Se, who deemed his loose form a detriment, as he was not adopting the proper attitude of an earthbender. Īlthough Kuruk excelled at earthbending, his form was initially considered improper. His announcement as the Avatar was celebrated with a great feast in Agna Qel'a, attended by dignitaries from the Earth Kingdom and the Fire Nation. He was given a glowing crystal by the sages, and was astonished when he successfully managed to earthbend and raise the crystal in the air. The sages of the tribe determined that Kuruk was the Avatar through their nation's traditional procedure, and when the time came, they revealed this to Kuruk. Kuruk was born at the Northern Water Tribe in 345 BG.
He eventually ended the worst dark spirit incursion by weakening an especially evil and powerful spirit, Father Glowworm, in a titanic battle.
Physically and psychologically weakened, he spent much of his free time pursuing a hedonistic lifestyle to cope with his stress and spiritual affliction. Only his spiritual mentor, Nyahitha, knew about the sacrifices and loneliness he endured.Īs he secretly destroyed dark spirits in the mortal and Spirit World, Kuruk began to neglect his regular duties as the Avatar.
To prevent others from being affected with the same sickness that tormented him, Kuruk opted to repeatedly face the wrathful beings on his own. This clash was only the first of its kind, as an increasing number of dark spirits began to cross into the mortal realm to wreak destruction. His hopes were dashed, however, after a brutal confrontation with a dark spirit resulted in a deep spiritual corruption that began to fester within him. Native to the Northern Water Tribe, he was a powerful and gifted bender who dreamed of changing the mortal world for the better by uniting the people and acting upon the foundations laid by Yangchen. Jim Meskimen Image gallery (11) Kuruk was the Water Tribe Avatar immediately succeeding Avatar Yangchen and preceding Avatar Kyoshi.