Authors Note: I started feeling the desire to write again and realising that The Snake in Lion's Clothing would require a week of research to remember and re-plan and re-learn, re-read etc. what I had planned, I decided I'd prefer to start afresh - sorta - 1k words in Chapter 1 and the interesting premise and world (an AU btw - to make the ATLA universe more 'realistic') make writing The Dark Lord in the Iceberg a much more attractive proposition than attempting to continue (or re-write) ASLC.
BTW No blue light when Ice Berg cracked open, so Prince Zuko wasn't able to find 'Hakoda's Tribe' (The village doesn't have a name and due to sporadic fire navy patrols, even non-isolationist tribes like Hakoda's sometimes relocate when ships are spotted nearby).
Also the spirit of Ravu which is now joined to Tom has done a bit to civilize his evil a bit - basically instead of being okay with killing innocents in the name of power, now he's okay with killing enemy combatants, traitors, criminals, etc. in the name of restoring balance.
-Hope you enjoy, looking for a beta and please review.
Chapter 1 - Burgeoning Plans
Ouroboros Gate - Thank you I'll try and keep it interesting.
Sethnut - Thank you.
Previously
"Sokka, we get it - you're a great warrior! Now lower the spear and let's talk to our new friend...?"
"Tom." I smiled at her and went to shake her hand - but she shook my forearm? Weird.
"Nice to meet you, Tom. Sorry about Sokka, but he does have a point - how did you get in that iceberg? and what was that noise? the light? why aren't you frozen?"
"I'm not sure, I seem to have forgotten a few things and can only explain the noise." At their perplexed expressions, I gestured for them to follow me to the top of the crater. "Come, come."
"What is that thing?" Sokka was wide-eyed clutching his spear. I smiled genuinely.
Chapter 2:
I pondered what to do next as I sat by the coast of the village skinning the tiger seal with the bone knife the (absent) Chief's son Sokka lent me - naturally I couldn't take control of or ally with the Fire Nation given my now-outed status as 'The Avatar' - I'd either be killed immediately, used as a pawn and then killed or face an even more tragic fate such as being dismembered and locked away for however long I lived - and unfortunately even my wandless magic failed me in this new world, so I couldn't just disillusion myself and imperio whomever I pleased, not that it would even work on someone with such a dominant will as Fire Lord Ozai - no, in this new world 'bending' was the only magic accessible to me... At least Lady Hecate had granted me a young vessel with likely the largest power potential in this new world, I smirked at the thought.
I smiled as I thought on Elder Miyana/'Gran-Gran' - throughout the week the woman had admirably answered my questions and slyly tried to push me closer to Katara and Sokka. I quite enjoyed the time I spent with Chief Hakoda's tribe and I admired their collaborative culture and leadership traditions - due to the harsh environment and elevation of community-based goals over personal goals it mostly lacked the backstabbing, corruption, whining and bickering of both the muggle and wizard world on earth and the fire nation and earth kingdom(s) here - the strongest (usually man) became the Chief and when they died or suffered a big enough defeat the tribe would vote on a new Chief, who from what I gathered was as often the previous Chief's strongest child as not.
From what I had gathered, the majority of the southern tribes had long since isolated themselves deep into the icy tundra's, forests and mountains of the south pole such that even the the few non-isolationist tribes who fought back didn't know where they were.
After Sozin's genocide of the Air Nomads, he attempted the same with the water tribes, tricking the 'Betrayer of the South', Chief Shenlock, into sharing detailed maps and intelligence with promises to 'use his personal power and friendship with Avatar Roku to peacefully support him as the first Chief of the South' similarly to how he'd convinced the Betrayer of the Air Nomads, Monk Afiko that he'd throw a bloodless coup to install him as High Elder of the Air Nomads
By the time Sozin wiped out the air nomads and Shenlock realized Sozin's duplicity it was too late - the veteran forces which had just defeated the air nomads turned their attention south, the fire nation troops coming from the southern air temple even wiping out most of the northern coastal settlements the evening of Sozin's comet. The mirror attack from the Northern Air temple to the Northern Kingdom was defeated, though not until after defeating the measly patrols and torching dozen of villages and several towns.
Unlike Afiko who Sozin ironically executed for treason, Shenlock was said to have cowardly taken his own life to escape his shame and what would have likely been a painful 'interrogation' and execution - treason was just about the most heinous crime imaginable to a water tribesman and I doubt the wrathful and grieving mob would have cared much that he had been blind to Sozin's true plans.
After fully unlocking Aang's memories 2 days previous I would guess that the majority-pacifistic monks either foresaw their destruction and for some esoteric reason did nothing to prevent it, were completely surprised or that they pretended to be caught unawares with the pacifists staying behind to cover the survival of anyone who didn't want to die at the hands of firebending nazis - survival is a human instinct which ought to have expressed itself successful among a race capable of Flight - even if said race had surety of 'the spirit world' or whatever supposed peaceful afterlife may or may not exist.
I much preferred going North than looking for a master among the southern tribes, the reason being that centuries previous an avatar had united the disparate tribes of the North and started a dynasty which both lacked the traitors and cowards of the south and possessed a unified navy, army and Throne.
The same reason the Romans invaded Britain and not Ireland is the same reason I preferred to learn (and possibly conquer or control) the North instead of the South, it had 1 throne instead of hundreds, was more prosperous and its forces were able to fight my greatest enemy (The fire nation, due to Ozai's reasonable desire to control or kill me) head-on instead of through guerrilla attacks.
Whereas the south sent raiders to spy on, sabotage and launch guerrilla attacks on the over-extended fresh recruits of the fire nation, the Northern Kingdom (now ruled by Chief Arnook) had proudly withstood the fire nation in their fortress cities, giving at least as good as they got and keeping much of the Fire Navy (and often Army) dedicated to deterring the North from attacking their homeland, colonies and annexed territories, for which they suffered both the continuous attrition of loosing ships in the northern seas and the occasional armada whenever someone brazen enough tried to defeat them where they're strongest.
From what I had gathered only a fool would attack waterbenders near the poles, fire benders near their volcanos or earth benders underground with anything other than overwhelming odds. This would have applied to the air bender's too - since if they hadn't been so pacifistic the invading troops could have been easily blasted off their mountains, boulders sent down to SQUASH them and if they were especially warlike - their flying Bisons could have been armoured Flying Tanks...
I went back to skinning and my burgeoning plans for world domination.
Onwards and upwards..