An ancient and secret society, the Order of White Lotus transcends the boundaries of the four nations, seeking membership from both benders and non-benders.
To explain the complicated history of the Order, each of its eras will be explained in detail; including its change of purpose, membership, ideals, organization, and most famous events.
The Jasmine Era
Grand Lotuses:
A'amakualenalena
Tai Lin
Mun Shin
Nirmal
Mrinalini
Nachiketa
Bae
Hwan
Kraba
Nergui
Secretly founded by Avatar Del over 30,000 years before the time of Avatar Korra, the original purpose of the Order was to ensure the world's safety, along with the Avatar's safety, if ever the Avatar could not. Specially chosen by Del, the original order was made up of the worlds most powerful and wise individuals and only consisted only of 8 members; a bender and non-bender from each nation. Led by the first grand lotus, northern water tribe leader, A'amakualenalena, the order gained both fame and renown for its devotion and skill. It wasn't until 4 Grand Lotuses later that the order decided to expand its membership, so that its goal could be carried out swiftly and effectively. Expanding to over 150 members, the Order moved into what is now known as The Lily Era.
The Lily Era
Grand Lotuses:
Ambar
Iqniq
Roshan
Jnyandeep
Tora
Shi-Woon Yi
Naku
Jin
Zen Zai
Nilak
Lomahangva
Hinun
Qannik
Ulva
Dhargey
Understanding the leadership of Grand Lotus Ambar, the Order expanded into almost a secret military that no single nation could control. The world couldn't fathom such an organization had been kept so secret for so long, but trusted their goal and purpose. Each nation knew that the Order was no threat, but couldn't help to feel suspicious of their actions. Who would they target? How would they do it? And were they really trying to protect the world? Luckily, these fears were quelled by Grand Lotus Dhargey, an air nomad, now known within the Order as the most famous Grand Lotus to ever walk the face of the earth. With air bending skills beyond even the avatar's and leadership which nobody could rival, Dhargey became renowned for his smart decisions and revolutionary ideas. He believed that Order should pursue ideas rather than visions, because ideas lead to fruitful discoveries, while visions lead to impossible pursuits. One of his most famous battles was against the Avatar himself, when the Avatar was tricked to believe the order was full of traitors to the four nations. Barely surviving this confrontation, Dhargey unfortunately died before the order recovered from the atrocity. Fearing too much power, the Order decided to disband and would not reappear until 1000 years later in the White Jade Era.
The White Jade Era
Grand Lotus:
Ren'shaba
A lowly earth farmer in the Si Wong Desert, Ren'shaba had learned of the Order from his Grandpa, whose father had once been member of the organization. Entranced by what the Order once did and stood for, Ren'shaba made it his goal in life to revive the order to its former glory. Disguising his plans in the form of a game he invented, which he called Pai Sho, Ren'shaba spread the board game around the world. Watching very carefully, he kept an eye on those who won using one the most useless, but decisive pieces in the game… The White Lotus Tile (modeled after the order's old symbol). Using his influence and bold ideas to lure members, the Order of the White Lotus was reborn, but was known to the rest of the world as one of the most prominent Pai Sho clubs in the world. With the Order reborn, the order moved into what is now known as The Rose Era.
The Rose Era
Grand Lotuses:
Gorou
Yuudai
Sho
Fierce
Lakoto
Sitsi
Eros
Cupun
Keimizu
Chi
Anteros
Daruka
Aningan
Rakesh
Mukaya
During The Rose Era the order continued its disguise as a club in order to mask its action and goals, using the game as a way to recruit new members. However, the order faced a new threat in the form of a separation between two radically different sides within the order. One side wanted to end their dealings with the Avatar entirely and focus on the world, while the other side wanted to focus specifically on the Avatar and not the world. Unable to come to an agreement, the side that wanted to focus on the world broke off and to form their own order, The Order of the Jade Star, a tile which Ren'shaba had dismissed due to its effect on the game as the whole. Rather than ending the game, the Jade Star changed the entire game once it hit the board, thus causing it to be dismissed. Unable to prevent their departure, the number of members in The Order of White Lotus decreased substantially, but survived, focusing on the world rather than the Avatar. With the split, the Order moved in to The Chrysanthemum Era.
The Chrysanthemum Era
Grand Lotuses:
Liam
Tejaswini
Jin
Fei Yan
Koko
Bapoto
Jae-Hwa
Satoshi
Rin
Sho
Silvia
In The Chrysanthemum Era, the Order of The White Lotus continued to expand even after it's loses in the Rose Era. Unfortunately, The Order of The Jade Star did not survive after it was denounced by the Avatar. Feeling sorry for their brothers many members of the Order of the Jade Star rejoined the Order of the White Lotus. With the help of the Avatar the Order of the White Lotus returned to its original purpose set by Del.; which was to share ancient knowledge across national and political divides and to find each new Avatar, see to his or her training, and provide protection. For many years the Order help progress the world into a new era of cultural unity. That is, until Sozin's comet. Even though the Order knew about Sozin's comet and tried to prevent its terrible power, they were helpless before the rage and might it bestowed upon the Fire Lord and his loyal fire bending army. Unable to rally with the Avatar and unite the nations, the Order became secret once again, ever fearful of the Fire Lord destroying the Order once and for all. Making one of the boldest and craziest decisions ever thought of, Grand Lotus Silvia allowed the one person nobody would have dreamed become a member… the Fire Lord's own brother. Today, views are split as to whether or not this was the point the Order entered the Rhododendron Era, but one thing is absolutely agreed upon… the order was safe under the care of Grand Lotus Iroh.
The Rhododendron Era
Grand Lotuses:
Iroh
Kugu'Sha'Rai ( Current Grand Lotus)
Today, the Order of The White Lotus has transformed into a well-known and well established peace keeper between the four nations under the care of Grand Lotus Kugu. While the future is unclear, one thing is for certain, the Order of White Lotus will continue to support Avatar Korra and the world in anyway it possibly can.
P.S
The Green Side Still Burns
