Elder Samten
Life
Samten was born in the Spring of 281 AG in the Eastern Air Temple. She never knew who her birth parents were, but was told that they had kept themselves distant from her intentionally in order to teach her to live without earthly attachments. This particular tenant of Air Nomad philosophy is one that, especially in recent years, has fallen out of use, and it’s one that Samten completely rejected as she grew alongside her new family. She was no less an Air Nomad because of these attachments and would argue with any ancient philosopher that she became a better person and airbender because of them.She spent most of her childhood in the Eastern Air Temple, studying and training her airbending. Most of her training was spent with her twin brother Nel, who seemed to have a natural aptitude towards the physical side of bending. While she loved the time she spent there, finding several lifelong friends in her fellow temple-mates, she easily accepted an offer from Elder Jinji to transfer to the Western Air Temple, feeling as though she could accomplish more there. While it was a difficult and quick change, suddenly being across the world from the people she had grown so close to, she quickly rose through the ranks to become a nun under Jinji’s tutelage. Once she found her bison companion, she named him Nilak in honor of her old elder who had trained her so well. She still regularly interacted with her old temple-mates, writing to her brother and another apprentice named Amal. At the recommendation of Guru Div, who would later become a close friend, she also encouraged them to make the journey to Western to play her and Apprentice Nomu in airball.
She spent a large portion of her life working towards her mastery of airbending, but it was never something that came easily to her. While she did reach the final stage of her master tests around the same time as her brother, she quickly realized how difficult the final phase would be. Feeling in over her head, she took a step back from her training for the first time in many years and instead turned to the more spiritual aspects of airbending. She became the first Keeper of the Air Nomads, spending months recounting her experiences with the Red Lotus. Out of all the decisions she made in her life, Samten never regretted anything more than getting involved with the criminal organization. She hadn’t been a member since she had been in the first phases of her master tests, but she still held much resentment and remorse for her passive complicity to many of their crimes, including the attack on Republic City. While she used that event to free former Water Chief Ullaq and officially leave the organization behind her, she didn’t think she would ever be able to fully atone for her actions. At the very least, she would do what she could to expose the inner workings of the Red Lotus through her work as a Keeper. Taking an extended period away from her airbending training was one of the better decisions she made. She was able to focus on improving the quality of life for the Nomads, working alongside other Keepers to construct libraries throughout the temples and organizing cultural events like the Autumn Equinox Festival alongside Elder Jinji. She even established the unofficial national anthem of the Air Nomads, with a simple song about cups that she would play to encourage other Nomads in the middle of their mastery tests. It was during this period of time that she also grew closer to Elder Jinji and Guru Div, both as mentors and friends. Her job as a Keeper also allowed her to travel much more, allowing her to spend much more time with one of the most important people in her life.
Samten had her first encounter with Fire Lord Kozoku as a nun in the Western Air Temple, and though very few words were exchanged there was something about that interaction that stayed with her. Their paths crossed time and time again as she traveled across the world with her fellow Nomads, and she treasured the various flowers and precious stones that they would exchange each time they met. Once she became a Keeper, she was allowed to visit Caldera much more frequently, learning more about Fire Nation culture and history as she did. The time she spent with him was often cut short by his numerous duties as Fire Lord and her responsibility to the Keepers, but neither of them minded all that much. Even so, it came as quite a shock when, in 305 AG at the age of 24 he surprised her with an engagement ring in a cave near the place they first met. Unbeknownst to her, he had spent the day working with Jinji and then Water Chief Ullaq setting everything up. That day was one of the brightest and warmest in Samten’s life, surrounded by loved ones who had eagerly been anticipating and planning the engagement.
A few months after the Autumn Equinox Festival and the ascension of Southern Elder Nel - or Snelder, as she affectionately began to call him - in early Spring of 307 AG, Samten was approached by Jinji and the Council with a test. Should she pass, she would become the newest Elder of the Air Nomads. Though the process was long and draining, Samten and fellow Nomad Maari became the two newest Elders of the Air Nomads. While Samten had just moved into the Southern Temple to better support Nel, she quickly transferred to the Northern Temple, which is where she now calls home. She spent the first several months of her time there creating much-needed space for new Nomads and developing a new standard of testing for each rank. Finally, after several years of planning and rehearsal, she married Fire Lord Kozoku in the Summer of 307 AG. When the day arrived and the floods of guests poured into the venue, she wasn’t sure what would happen. She certainly didn’t expect the surprise appearance of a Fire Nation cult or what felt like the entire world’s population attending. Nevertheless, being surrounded by so many friends from all walks of life made the ceremony one of the best experiences in her life. Samten treasured, and continues to treasure the relationships that she’s made with people from all around the world.
Following her inauguration as Elder, Samten worked to improve many aspects of the Northern Air Temple, primarily in an effort to rectify its diminishing population. She constructed numerous rooms within the caverns beneath Northern, and worked with existing foundations from previous iterations of the temple to create residential areas suitable for its increasing population. She also remodeled and expanded several dated architectural aspects of the temple, including its farm and storage room. Working alongside many dedicated Northerners, she slowly brought life back to the temple, as numerous gardens were planted within its walls and Nomads slowly began to migrate to help with revitalization efforts. As of 314 AG, she embarked on the biggest expansion project yet: building a large bridge to connect the main temple to a nearby mountain. For the first time in its history, Northern has expanded beyond the original mountain it was situated on. She oversaw the construction of the new portions of the temple, including three large towers, a meditation area, and a quaint cafe for any Nomad to enjoy.
Samten worked alongside numerous Air Nomads in her efforts to revitalize the Northern Air Temple, yet there was one Nomad in particular whose passion for Northern stood out to her. In Winter of 313 AG, Samten made Guardian Rai the first official Abbot of the Northern Air Temple for his vital contributions and dedication to making the temple the best it could be. With his help, Samten held numerous festivals and events in the Northern Air Temple, including the traditional bison-claiming ceremony and a global celebration of the Earth. Both continue to make efforts to improve the Northern Air Temple today.
Relationships
Year of Birth
281 AG
36 Years old
Spouses
Siblings
Elder Nel
(Brother)
Children
Gender
Female
Eyes
Light, gray
Hair
Medium Blonde
Skin Tone/Pigmentation
Pale White
