"Man, that's one violent history."

Korra nodded at Bolin's comment. "Yeah, but then again what led to the United Republics?"

"Good point," Bolin noted. "But seriously…"

The tapestry they were looking at in Wercheg Castle was depicting a battle, what looked to be a primitive form of a sea landing. Korra could not properly identify the sides, but she had to guess that one side was the Nords and the other side were Vaegirs, at least based on what they had encountered before. The tapestries went on around, mostly depicting major battles that had shaped the course of Nord history.

The next tapestry, however, showed something different. It showed the Nords at work, building a village, working the land as farmers, and craftsmen making both tools and works of art. And looking at it was another person, a woman with dull red hair in a ponytail wearing a subdued orange travel robe and a red cape hung around her shoulders.

"Many forget that the Nords are not just warriors," the woman said. "But skilled artisans and traders."

"That happens a lot," Korra answered as she gave Bolin a brief elbowing.

"What? Oh, right," he said as he shrugged. "Hey, sometimes you act what people expect."

"Either way looking at people through a stereotype belies a lot about of them," Asami noted. "I mean, in Veluca I heard more than one person deriding the Swadians as pumped up and arrogant."

"Not without reason," the woman said as she sighed. "But where are my manners. My name is Lady Isolla, formerly of Suno."

"Asami," the ex-CEO said.

"Name's Bolin."

"Mako, good to meet you."

Korra held out a hand. "My name's Korra, pleasure to meet you."

Isolla raised an eyebrow briefly, but shook. "Likewise. Say, were you the ones who raided Dramug Castle last week?"

"That was us, yes," Korra explained. "Why?"

"Impressive. Word of it has spread - the Vaegirs spoke of your abilities and rumors fly. A woman who could disperse flame and wield water like an extension of her body, and two brothers who wielded fire and earth as a sword and hammer. Wielding the elements with skill far beyond even our best."

"Flowery," Asami remarked with a smirk.

"They forgot to mention you," Korra noted. "The woman who can beat up guards with her own two hands, no bending required."

"Thanks."

"I'm certain you have all earned your skill and power." Isolla looked to Korra directly. "I apologize for the directness, but I must ask: where are you from, Korra? I've never met someone like you before. Your friends could pass off as half or quarter Khergit, but you..."

"We're all from far away," Mako explained as he was leaning against a wooden post. "In fact we didn't exactly expect to end up in Calradia, but it's a very long story."

"We never expect where we end up," Isolla said, running her hand through her hair briefly and seeming to accept Mako's answer. "So, what brings you four to Wercheg, seeking a chance to ply your skills?"

"Exploring Calradia," Asami answered. "We don't know a lot about it, so we've been exploring and trying to learn about its people, figure out what we want to do here, that sort of thing."

"What about you?" Korra asked. There had to be a reason why she asked if they were looking for work.

"I was hoping to find support," Isolla explained. "You see, I am the rightful ruler of Swadia."

"Wait, isn't that Harlaus?" Bolin asked. "So if you're supposed to be the ruler, why's he in charge?"

"He usurped the throne," the would-be Swadian queen explained, "He's a distantly related uncle of mine, a cousin of my father, the late King Esterich. My father had no other children, and had named me as his heir numerous times in front of the Counts of Swadia and the public. No law bars a woman from reigning in her own name - in fact, Swadia has had numerous warrior queens in its past, all of whom are well remembered."

"Let me guess," Korra said as she remembered one of Iroh's warnings, "Harlaus decided that a woman on the throne wasn't okay?"

"He denounced my father's decision to name me his heir as a sign of madness, and therefore I had no legal right to the throne as a mad king cannot name an heir once madness has taken him. So, as the oldest male relative of my father, he was the next in line for the throne. I am certain that the magistrates who ruled in his favor were bought."

"And no one thought that was suspicious?" Asami asked incredulously. "I mean, even if the magistrates were bought, wouldn't command of Swadia's armies defaulted to you?"

"They answer the call of the king, and a number of counts such as that fiend Delinard had Harlaus' side of the matter." Isolla's hands gripped into fists. "In fairness, I did my cause no good by denouncing the lot of them as traitors when Harlaus made his claim, but I would not bend my knee to one who usurped the rightful ruler of Calradia's greatest kingdom. One day, I will prove him wrong and take back my father's throne."

The group was quiet for a moment and Korra frowned, thinking back to Unalaq's efforts on the Southern Water Tribe. "How did you escape?" she asked.

"Huh?" Bolin asked.

"I doubt that if you declared him and his supporters traitors that they would just let you walk away," Korra explained. "I mean, my uncle usurped my father's place in succession, but he had planned things so my father got himself exiled rather than take action directly. And when my dad became a threat to his plans again, he tried to have him arrested for a crime he didn't do."

"I see I am not the only royal who has had such an uncle," Isolla said. "Were you able to help your father reclaim his throne, or are you like me, exiled from home?"

"Well, I kinda killed my uncle…" Korra said uneasily before Asami gave her a tap on the shoulder. "Ah, sorry. I should clarify, I was never in the line of succession. My dad was exiled - wrongfully, yeah, but he found a new life and was happy with it. That, and my duties kick me out of succession anyways."

"But if the truth was revealed, wouldn't your father take his rightful place?"

"The events that forced us to Calradia happened before that all got sorted," Asami cut in. "So we don't know and we aren't even sure how to head back."

Isolla nodded. "Still, at least you were able to avenge the wrong. One day, I hope to be able to do the same."

"So how did you get away from your uncle?" Bolin asked. "I mean, if Korra's uncle tried to get her dad arrested again when he was just there, wouldn't Harlaus try to kill you?"

"I'm almost certain that he tried to have me murdered. One night, a soldier from a count's army - he refused to say which one - lead me out of Swadia, warning me that some of Harlaus' followers were planning to murder me to ensure he had no challengers. Ever since then, I have journeyed across Calradia and even beyond, seeking allies who would see law rule out." Isolla sighed, looking towards the door. "Jarl Irya has been a good host, but he seems to care little for Swadian affairs save how it will allow the Nords to conquer more territory."

"I noticed a violent history," Asami said as she gestured to the tapestries.

"Yes. The Nords came to Calradia originally at the ancient empire's behest. They are fine seamen, and were an ideal people to man it's galleys and unrelenting heavy infantry," Isolla explained. "The Nords, however, misinterpreted this claim as a gift of all Calradia when the empire collapsed."

I guess colonizing other lands isn't purely a Fire Nation thing, Korra thought in amusement. "And thus some of the wars?"

"Some," she admitted. "In fairness to the Nords, most of the settlements the Nords now live in were built by them, but some as they drove south and east were claimed from Swadia or the Vaegirs. They've held these lands over some degree in the years that followed, and it's become accepted that the Nords are here to stay."

"Seems like Calradia fell onto hard times," Mako said. "I mean, what with the wars and all."

"And the kings are all fighting for their share of the clay," Bolin said as he glanced towards the tapestry showing the Nords assaulting the Vaegirs. "Will it ever end?"

Isolla shrugged. "Many kings have tried. My father had hoped to bring the Rhodoks back into the fold, and almost managed to decapitate them when he learned of their council in the field of Jelkala. But, after a well fought battle, Graveth stopped it and my father knew better than to try and occupy a now angry populace standing behind their new, battle proven king."

To Korra's surprise, Isolla did not seem to be too perturbed by the fact her father had failed. "Hard fought battle?" she asked.

"My father never held much ill will towards Graveth - it was a skillful, honorably ran battle and he respected Graveth personally as a commander."

"Fair enough," Korra said as she shrugged.

"Now, if you'll excuse me, there are other matters I should attend to." Isolla nodded to them and walked away as soon as they had returned the nod.

"So," Mako said. "We going to do anything about that?"

"I dunno, kinda seems like an Avatar job," Bolin noted. "I mean, this is the sort of thing the Avatar does, right? Fixing injustices like that?"

"I'm not so sure," Korra answered as she rubbed her chin briefly. "I mean, it's hard not to want to help her, but I don't think we're getting the whole story. She might not know something that changes the context entirely."

"We could ask Delinard," Asami suggested as she took a step forward. "I mean, he was there, so he might be able to explain it better."

"Next time we meet him, I'd rather not accidently burn that bridge by sending him a letter."

"Speaking of letters, you guys understand those symbols at the bottom of the tapestry?" Bolin asked and Korra felt a fit forming in her stomach as she looked at the inscriptions that lined the bottom of the tapestry and realized that they weren't just decorative, but they were writings.

"... we use completely different writing systems," Korra said as she put a hand on her face. "Just great," she said. "I can't believe I didn't think of that sooner."

"Add finding a decent university to the list?" Asami asked. "I mean, if my book's going to be of any use we'll need to be able to translate the writings."

"Couldn't hurt to look into that," Mako said. "At least the words are the same."

XXXXXX

Adopting an earthbending stance, Bolin hit the ground with his foot, bringing out a small chunk of compressed dirt and stood to face Korra, who was also in an earthbending stance.

"Hit me!" she shouted.

Bolin hesitated, numerous scenarios running through his head briefly. What if he broke one of her limbs or worse, her neck by hitting her with his earthbending? What if she suffered memory loss from the hit, or any other number of horrible things?

But he was not going to aim for the head, and she was wearing Asami's padded armor as that was basically pro-bending practice gear. They would be safe enough.

He launched the rock towards Korra's stomach and she took it directly, trying to break it with her arm as it hit and she staggered, wincing at the hit.

"You okay?" Bolin asked.

"I'm fine," she bit back.

"I'm really not sure this is a good idea, Korra," Asami said as she and Mako were sitting nearby watching them practice outside of Wercheg.

"Look, I need my earthbending back and the key is holding my ground," Korra answered hotly. "I was able to break that boulder a bit. Hit me again, Bolin, and don't hold back!"

Bolin glanced towards Mako and Asami, both of whom gave him a brief look and Mako shrugged. So he brought up another boulder and launched it at Korra. She met it head on, the boulder stopping and cracking along the middle as she struck the center and it fell. Korra's hands were starting to bleed, though.

"Okay, I can't do this," Bolin said as he put his hands up. "I mean, I'd like to help you fix your earthbending, but if it's going to involve trying to hurt you badly, I can't."

"Relax," Korra said as she drew water from her waterskin and held it around her hands, wincing and the water fell. "Okay, maybe I shouldn't try to take it with my hands. Let's stick to shoulder checking it."

"After you took an arrow there?"

"Hey, that healed, it's fine."

"Look, Korra, I know that the traditional root of earthbending is a solid stance, but I don't think standing there getting mashed by boulders is a really solid stance."

"So what should I stand my ground against, a charging Mecha Tank?" she asked as she made a small indent on the ground with her weakened earthbending and then poured some water in, crouching down and using the puddle to heal her hands.

Asami blanched. "Uh, Korra, do you really want to hold your ground when you've got a fifty ton murder machine hurtling towards you?"

"Fair point," Korra admitted as she looked up. "But I don't know how else to do it. I learned earthbending my holding my ground. You'd be surprised how hard a large snowball is."

"They trained you in earthbending by throwing snow at you?" Mako asked in surprise.

"Taught me to hold my ground with it," she corrected as the cuts on her hands looked to be healing. "Ah, that feels good… nah, the idea was get me used to the idea first, then actually start doing it. Technically he could have skipped it since I was already earthbending, but he thought that it'd be best to make sure I really understood the roots." Korra smiled faintly. "He had me use my waterbending to break the snowballs apart; take the hit and break it, rather than try to redirect the attack like I'd usually do."

"Speaking of redirecting," Bolin asked. "Any idea if your lightning's any good, Mako?"

"I'd rather not try it until I'm a little more certain," he explained. "I mean, I probably could, but I'd rather wait a little longer before trying it just to see if I have it."

"Well, if you want to try redirecting the charge in my gauntlet shouldn't be too much," Asami said as she reached for it with a grin.

"Ah… no thanks, electricity to the heart in a mishap is not something I'm looking forward too."

"Coward," she retorted with a mock smirk that did not seem to reassure Mako.

Wonder why, Bolin thought, it was clear to him that Asami was just teasing. Bolin shrugged as Korra stood. "So, you sure about this? I don't want to hurt you."

"Yeah, I think I learned my lesson. Take it with the side, not my hands."

"Okay," he said as he brought out another chunk of rock, smaller this time, and launched it towards her. Korra took the hit directly to her raised forearms and held firm, the only showing of it being her being pushed back slightly and the boulder broke apart as it hit her.

"You break that?" Bolin asked.

"I think I got a fracture point or two," she said as she checked her arms. "Let's keep going."

XXXXX

"So," Mako asked uneasily later that day, "How long do you think Korra's going to be hurting like that? You know, having rocks thrown at her to get her earthbending going."

"I'm not sure, when she puts her mind to something she doesn't let pain stop her," Asami answered as they were making their way through the market to resupply on food.

They still had another day or two worth of food, but feeding four people and a giant polar bear dog had quickly eaten off of Korra's initial estimates of food. In fact, part of the reason they had been able to put off buying more was the rations they got on the caravan trip, though as prices for food were high in Dhirim they decided to wait as, being recently untouched by war, Wercheg was likely to have far better prices.

And now Mako found himself helping Asami find something they would all eat while Korra was tending to her bruises and Bolin was checking out the view of the bay. "The fish looks to be good," he commented as he gestured towards a fishmonger. "Looks like he's smoking it too; that keeps it fresh enough to save for a bit."

Asami nodded. "I'll head there after; you think Bolin would like beef? Looks like someone's selling some dried stuff over there."

"We'd probably eat most things," he said as he glanced towards a pair of men walking past.

"Did you hear? The Swadians and Vaegirs made peace," one carrying a large keg said.

"Huh; think that's going to stop Ragnar from hitting the Swadians?" the other one carrying a large jar of something black and sticky asked.

"Probably not; if anything he'll start the war sooner!"

Mako glanced back towards Asami. "You heard that, right?"

"Huh?" she asked, turning as she was about to hand some money to the merchant.

"Just a political tidbit; I'll tell you later," he said with a shrug.

"Not a lot of guys go with the lady to buy food," the merchant remarked and Mako immediately felt his gut tighten.

"We're, ah, no, we haven't… ah…" he said, tugging at his red scarf as he tried to find a good way to put it.

"We're not together," Asami said cooly. "We're just getting supplies for our next trip with our friends."

"Sorry, didn't mean to imply something that wasn't there," the merchant said with a shrug. "Say, you lot were on the caravan that came from Rhodok territory, right?"

"Yes, why?" Mako asked, suddenly on guard.

"You might want to head back if you've got anyone there; rumor has it that the Rhodoks just declared war to assert their claim on Weyyah Castle." The portly merchant glanced around. "Kinda hope it doesn't go too far beyond that; I've got a cousin down there."

"We, ah… we're not from around here," Mako said. "Foreigners as far as Calradia is concerned."

"Ah. Well, either way a pleasure doing business with you."

After getting the rest of their shopping done, they made their way to the tavern again with two full rucksacks with enough food for at least a week, though much more heavily based on meat than the initial supplies any of them had. Korra was looking over the map outside, leaning against Naga.

"Hey," she said as she looked up. "Got everything?"

"Well, I hope you like fish and meat, because that was a lot of it," he explained. "We did get some grain for the horse, though, and that ought to last longer. No Bolin?"

"Still sightseeing, probably," she said. "So, looking at the map, I'm figuring we could cut south, pass by Jayek in case we need emergency supplies, then go to Fenada and see that watchtower Bolin was interested in," she pointed her finger along the map to show the route. "Then head south and either cross the river or see if we can't find a boat nearby."

"Sounds good," Asami said as she put her rucksack down. "When do we want to head out? I'm figuring we could at least wait until first light tomorrow."

"Dawn works," Mako said before pausing and looking towards the castle. "Hang on, I'm going to go get Bolin, make sure he doesn't get into any trouble."

XXXXXX

The first sign of trouble as they approached Jayek the next morning was a farmer riding a horse with all haste.

"Sea Raiders are coming!" he shouted as he passed them.

"Wait, hold on!" Korra called, pulling on the reins. "Naga, head after him!"

The polar bear dog barked an affirmative and began to run after the other rider while Mako and Bolin brought their horse to a stop.

"Hey, stop!" Korra shouted. "What're you talking about!"

The rider finally slowed down and turned to look at her. "Sea Raiders, they're coming right for Jayek! You'd better ride hard to get away from them!"

"How many?" Korra asked.

"A whole longboat's worth at least!"

Useful, Korra thought sarcastically as she nodded. "Alright, thanks. You better get going."

"I know," he answered as he gave the horse a kick on the side. "Hyah!" he shouted and the horse galloped away full speed.

"You think we're ready?" Asami asked.

"Let's see what's going on first," Korra answered as they headed back. "But if we can help somehow, I don't see why we shouldn't. Maybe we'll be able to speed up an evacuation or something."

XXXXXX

It only took half an hour to get to Jayek, a small village in the rolling hills backed up against much larger ones that formed a ridge line at least two stories tall. As they rode up the dirt road from the settlement's west, about thirty men were preparing for battle, most of them young with a few older ones. Most looked to be using old or poorly made equipment.

An old man walked up to them, wearing a simple beige tunic and his hair was thoroughly greyed. "Welcome to Jayek, but I'm afraid you came at a poor time."

"We heard, Sea Raiders," Korra explained as she nodded to her friends and they started dismounting. "Can we help at all?"

"We'll take every warrior we can," he said as he looked towards the warriors getting ready.

"These men are all we have to defend ourselves; men too young to be part of our liege's normal retinue or levies, and a few older ones as well."

"Why're your levies called up?" Asami asked, frowning as she pulled her helmet off of Naga's saddle. "I thought the Nords were still at peace."

"Jarl Turya called them up intending to meet the Sea Raider threat directly. He wanted to concentrate his forces; but he seems to have been outmaneuvered. We sent a rider to Wercheg and to Alburq Castle, but… we may have to just flee."

"Why not just do that?" Bolin asked. "Pick up the stakes, get clear, and come back when it's time."

"If we flee, all our hard work will be stolen and looted. We've worked so hard this season, and now to lose it all…"

"I'm not ready to throw in the towel," Korra said as she looked around, taking in the environment.

To their east and continuing to the south were the ridgelines. There were slopes that could be traversed, but not as an attack; the slope was too steep for a charge and would give the defenders too much time to respond and tire the attackers. To the west was the gentler slope they had come up, but that also required taking a long way around. And in the north the ridges ended rather close to the village, though Korra's view of the closer parts of it were obscured by the stone houses built close together. She knew the reality: the village was just too exposed once those ridges were bypassed and there was a semi-favorable slope.

And the defenders did not look to be ready for it; the fact that the village did not even have a fence, let alone a decent palisade, just emphasized that. Though all those arming up were muscular and looked like they knew what to do, their equipment was shoddy. Thick fur coats that were probably normally worn in the winter was the norm, though a few of the older men wore metal armor. Shields were predominant, but most looked to have been passed down one too many generations. Their arsenal was something, though; everyone at least had an axe and they had a number of spears as well, with a few archers milling about checking their bows.

Inhaling, Korra looked to the others. Mako was grimacing at the state of the defenders and Bolin seemed a bit uneasy, though Asami had her hand on her chin thoughtfully. "Hey, Korra. You think we could close off a few routes in?"

"What do you mean?" she asked as Asami pointed to the north.

"Barricades. Wall off the gaps between houses and use that to delay the attacks, or at least encourage them to move around."

"I'm not sure if we have the lumber to do it," the elder said.

"Actually," Bolin said as his face brightened a bit, "That might work. I won't be able to wall off all of it, but I might be able to at least block off a few spots. Earthbending," he added as the elder was still giving him a confused look.

"Where would the raiders usually come?" Korra asked.

"Usually they would approach from the north," he said, pointing to the slope that ended the ridge. "But they also loop around, coming down the ridge from the south."

"If we do some blocking off, they might decide to come from the south; I doubt they won't have a scout checking out the place," Mako finally said.

The elder paused, then nodded. "Alright, do what you can. I just hope we can hold until the Jarl can get here…"

"I think we can," Korra said as she looked to them. "How're they armed? Similar to your guys?"

"To the veterans, yes, and use similar tactics like shield walls."

Korra smirked. "What's the weakest side of one?"

The elder's eyes went wide as he realized where she was taking it as she outlined her proposed plan of attack. With no objections and feeling like the best way to do it, they spent the next ten minutes frantically working to get the barriers up and prepare for the attack. As soon as they were done, they waited, checking their armor and hoping for the best.

"Always the hard part," said one of the older warriors standing near where Korra had sat.

"Waiting?"

"Aye," he answered with a nod. He looked like he should have been in a retirement home, not armored for war. "It's the slow silence. You know that soon, you will be fighting for your life. Kill or be killed. But until then, it is just an inevitability. A ghost you can't hurt."

She nodded, looking at her helmet. Her shield was lying next to her along with the hatchet. If there was another chi blocker or four in the mix of raiders, they wanted to be ready. She also had the hunting knife on her belt, again in case she needed it, though she did not expect to have to drop to the melee weapons.

"So, think this'll work?" Asami asked as she was checking the insides of her gauntlet.

"In broad scope? Yes. In detail?" Korra shrugged. "That I'm a bit fuzzy on."

"Look alive!" Mako shouted as he was waiting on top of a roof, "I've got movement to the south; looks like the raiders!"

Korra shot to her feet. "Okay, everyone to their positions, let's do this!"

The militia reacted, forming a shield wall along the south entrance to the village, two rows deep with the archers behind or climbing onto the roofs. Korra, Mako, Asami, and Bolin waited with the archers while Naga stayed behind one of the houses, all of them waiting for Korra to give the signal.

"Steady…" Korra said as she saw some of the younger warriors shaking as they held their spears. The Sea Raiders closing in were more clearly visible to her now. Most of them had chainmail armor and all of them carried shields, but that was the end of the similarities. Some carried bows, most carried axes, some had spears, and towards the middle of the formation she could make out men in thick brown armor.

"Huscarls," one of the older archers said as if the word was a curse.

"I'm sorry?" Korra said as she tightened the shield around her arm.

"Those men in the middle; it's a captain and his own best men. Huscarls in war are like elite bodyguards," he elaborated as he received confused looks from the non-Calradians.

"Right," Asami said as she checked the charge in her gauntlet. "Korra?"

"Alright, hold the shield wall and start peppering them with arrows; thin them out a bit if you can but keep them focused on the front. Mako, Asami, Bolin, let's move!"

As the four moved to the left side, she heard the militia readying to absorb the charge and were drawing any of their throwing weapons as the archers began to fire. Waiting with Naga, Korra counted down mentally as she glanced out from behind to watch the formation charging in, shields raised towards the shield wall. A few archers were trailing the group, launching arrows back at the militia.

"Wait… wait…" the Nord militia leader warned as they closed in. "Thrust!" he shouted and suddenly the air was full of noise of battle - spears shattering, metal clanging against metal, men screaming and dying.

"Now!" Korra ordered and they sprang out, rushing towards the open flank of the Sea Raiders. Korra drew water from her waterskin and whiplashed it into the group as Mako launched fireballs and Bolin kicked up a chunk of rock to launch in. The bending attacks crashed into the flank, knocking them into each other and staggering the assault, allowing the militia to get a few good hits in and several Sea Raiders collapsed - one getting a spear thrust into his mouth.

"Sven, now!" one of the Sea Raiders shouted and the last line of them broke off and charged to meet them. Asami was the first one to make contact, grabbing a spear thrust towards her and using it as leverage to pull herself in close and electrocute the Sea Raider, who fell with a scream. Naga charged in behind them, grabbing another one and flinging him into the mass by her teeth, further disrupting the center of their formation.

As Korra met another raider in melee as he tried to split her head open, she saw the charging attackers faltering for a moment at the shock and being entangled. Korra smirked as she knocked the raider onto the ground, waterbending an icy blade around her wrist. Stabbing the raider in the face, she knew they had a chance. It did not matter how good your men were individually if they were too shaken to fight. And shock was one powerful tool.

But as Mako bashed a raider with his riot club before shooting another fireball into the mass, the risks of her plan became obvious. The raiders that had peeled off the formation to meet them had prevented them from capitalizing on that shock. They paid a terrible price for it as Naga bit down on one and tore his sword arm off before swatting him aside, but they had stopped them from truly destroying their cohesion.

And with a salvageable flank, the Sea Raiders were regaining their momentum against the militia, breaking the older shields and as the men in the center of the Nord shield wall fell, it all went downhill.

"They've broken through!" one of the militiamen screamed.

"Get out of here, RUN!" another added, and the shield wall completely collapsed as the few who held it found their heads and limbs hacked off by the raiders, and the rout began in full.

"What now?" Bolin asked as they finished off the last of the Sea Raiders who had given their lives interdicting them.

"We have to do something!" Korra answered as she looked around quickly. "Take out as many as you can; we can still save the village!" If they could just get the Sea Raiders to call it quits…

Easier said than done, Korra realized as they rushed in behind the Raiders as the captain was trying to stop them from running off and pillaging. That was their chance - while the Raiders were running rampant, they had to take out the captain and any of his lieutenants.

"Men, we've got… ah damn it," he cursed as he looked at her. "Alright, let's end this now. Kill the adventurers!"

"You first!" Mako answered as he unleashed a volley of fireballs at the Huscarls, who simply raised their shields to block them as Naga roared. The three Huscarls looked to their captain and all four men drew throwing axes, aiming them for the polar bear dog as she rushed forward with the others.

The Huscarls threw their axes and they caught Naga directly - two to her back left leg and one cut into her right foreleg, causing her to trip and slid into the ground with a whimper as her balance had been taken out from under her. The fourth axe had missed and Korra ducked behind her shield, the axe embedding itself into the top and gave her a view of the new indent.

"Naga!" Korra shouted as she lowered her shield.

"Help her, we've got these guys!" Asami shouted as the Huscarls charged them.

"Mako, watch out!" Bolin shouted as one of them had managed to charge up close to Mako with a large, two handed axe. One Huscarl had gone for each of them, turning the battle into a series of duels.

The captain had gone for her, a sword in hand. Korra didn't let him close in, dropping to the side and freezing a stream of water as it came out of her waterskin into a pointed shard of ice. The shard hit the captain's armor and broke through the leather he wore but did not get through to the mail as it shattered. His momentum had remained and their shields met and the sword was coming down for her shoulder.

She dropped to the side, keeping the pressure on his shield as she spun around behind him. He followed after her but had lost time from his swing and she used that to drop onto her right hand and sweep his legs out from under him.

He hit the ground with a grunt but swung his sword forward, forcing Korra to step back and drop behind her shield again. He climbed back onto his feet and brought his shield down in time to block Korra, pushing back against her and the metal in the center of the shield crashed against her chest and staggered her, followed shortly by him slashing with his sword.

The sword came down and she blocked with her shield before he dropped down himself and knocked her legs out from under her. Landing on her back as she heard Asami scream, Korra put her shield up in front of her as the captain continued to smash against her shield, the force of every blow forcing Korra's arm back until the shield was almost hitting her in the face.

The blows stopped as a fireball shot over her head and hit the captain's hand, and as Korra pushed back she leapt to her feet, knocking the Sea Raider captain backwards. As he staggered back, the captain lost his grip on his sword.

"Captain!" a Huscarl shouted as he slid back after being kicked away by Asami (her back bleeding), throwing an axe to him. The captain caught it and brought it against Korra's shield, hitting it and embedding it into the metal frame beneath the hide. He tugged at it and pulled her forward, but the axe remain wedged within.

The two were staring face to face, Korra having a full view of the other man's face. Beneath the metal of his helmet, his dark red beard was all too similar to blood as he snarled and moved to headbutt her. Korra moved her head to the side just in time and released the straps holding her shield to her arm, then kicked him. Still holding onto the shield with his axe, he looked up at her as Korra quickly drew the full contents of her waterskin and attacked.

The captain ducked behind his shield as the water came down, but Korra aimed low and froze him in place by his legs. Korra glanced around quickly as she had a moment; Asami was still fighting her opponent but had the upper hand, Mako had burned his opponent's face but the Huscarl was still going, and Bolin had broken his opponent's shield. Naga had staggered onto her feet, mauling a Sea Raider and his friend who had come out from the pillaging to help their captain.

"Not bad," the captain said as he drew another axe from his belt - his last one - and hacked at the ice. Korra rushed forward, grabbing her hatchet and running towards him. He saw her coming and brought the shield down to block the hatchet, and the hatchet's front end broke against the shield.

"Need something stronger than that!" he shouted as he pushed back, causing Korra to stagger. "I think your friend will make a nice new cape too! Nice and white!" He took a step forward out of the broken ice.

"You have to get past me first," Korra answered, grabbing him as he swung high and flinging him over her shoulder, turning as he his the ground with a grunt and pushed himself back up, shaking his head.

She charged again and as he raised his shield, leapt up and used the shield as a springboard to jump over and behind, keeping herself between the captain and Naga as she went through the motions to draw another shot of water from her waterskin. Nothing came out and Korra grit her teeth. Pay attention to your ammo! she admonished herself as the Sea Raider chuckled.

"All out of water, eh? Any last words before I kill you?"

Korra glanced around quickly. Asami had dealt with her opponent who was now curled into a fetal position, the man's helmet still sparking with the remains of the electricity that had taken him down. Mako and Bolin, on the other hand, were the ones who needed help as they had been forced back by their two opponents and Mako was bleeding too. She had to deal with the leader herself.

He charged and Korra responded, throwing her weight against his shield before he could swing down. The force of the weight caused him to stagger and she took the opportunity to grab his shield and twisted. The captain shouted as his arm was being turned, but he released the shield and Korra found herself spinning from the momentum before she felt something hit the shield. Hitting the ground with a grunt and dropping the shield as she fell, she found herself right next to Naga. The polar bear dog had taken another axe to the leg and seemed to be down, but whoever had hurt her had paid dearly for it.

Korra pushed herself back up, rooting her stance as the captain came for her again even though he had lost his shield. He swung to the right, but she countered, grabbing his arm and forcing him back. He tried to deck her across the face with his free hand, but she blocked it with her right. He went high as he was forced to take a step back, and she caught the pommel of the axe with both hands and pushed it back before spinning around and kicking him, causing him to fall backwards onto his knees.

He recovered quickly and counter charged, crashing into her with his shoulders and knocking her into Naga. Raising his axe, he brought it down towards her as she countered with an uppercut. The uppercut did not connect.

But something else did, knocking him back with a scream as something brown crashed into his chin and dented the lower rim of his helmet. Korra looked down and noticed a chunk of the ground was missing. Glancing at Naga, she smirked. She knew what it meant.

"You can fucking earthbend!?" the Sea Raider captain shouted as he recovered, wiping blood from his face as he stared at her in shock. "I thought you were a waterbender!"

"I am," Korra retorted as she raised her foot and brought it down, a pillar of earth shooting up beneath her opponent and knocking him onto his back. Korra followed through, spinning a kick into the pillar and sent the top of it towards her opponent.

He rolled to the side, evading the rock that slammed into the ground and shattered into a crater as he staggered back up. Korra slugged him in the chin, unprotected by his metal helmet, causing him to stumble before she finished it, knocking him to the ground with a leg sweep. As he hit the ground, she brought another chunk of rock from the pillar into a rough ball, and brought it down directly into his head, crushing it beneath the rock.

Staring at her bloody work, the final boulder cracking into thirds as she caught her breath, Korra looked up and saw her friends walking towards her. Mako and Asami were supporting each other, badly bleeding while Bolin was smiling despite the cuts he had gained.

"Haha, you've got your earthbending back!" Bolin shouted.

"You guys okay?" Korra asked as she realized how badly they had been torn up; they were out of the fight.

"Not for much longer," Asami explained. "Korra…"

She looked towards the village. The Sea Raiders were regaining their cohesion after they had split off to plunder and found themselves being driven back not only by the veterans in the militia and a few who had regained their wits to come back and fight, but also townsfolk who were charging, one Sea Raider losing an eye to a pitchfork shoved right into it from an angry looking woman with an apron.

"The final blow," Korra muttered as she realized what they needed. This had to end now. "Bolin, follow me! We're gonna quake 'em!"

Bolin's eyes widened for a moment before he beamed. "Aw yeah!"

The two ran into the center of the village as the Sea Raiders had dropped into a circular formation with an opening towards the entrance that the two benders were now running towards.

"What're we supposed to do?" one asked.

"Where's the captain?!" another Sea Raider asked as he cut down a townswoman who had grabbed an axe.

"Incoming!" another shouted as Korra and Bolin both leapt into the air, punching the ground as they landed.

The ground rippled and cracked. Grass, cobblestone, and untilled soil alike split apart, rushing through the Sea Raider formation and knocking most of them to the ground. The two followed through, bringing out chunks of cobble into makeshift boulders and launching them into the formation. Those who still stood collapsed under the impact.

"RETREAT!" one of them shouted as he started to push himself up, "Move, get to the longboat!"

"Do we even have enough left for that?!" another asked as they hastily picked themselves up and began to run, dropping their weapons as they fled with the townsfolk chasing after them. And the people who had minutes ago been victims were now dragging down anyone they could catch in a frenzied chase.

For their part, Korra and Bolin collapsed, panting and catching their breath as the Sea Raiders fled Jayek.

XXXXXXX

"Feel better?"

"Save it," Asami answered, "you've done enough; you need to rest some rest before you try to heal again."

Korra nodded. "Alright, but we really should speed it along. Those slash wounds didn't look pretty."

"I know," Asami answered as she glanced down at her side. She had taken a Huscarl's sword to the backside and it has slid along to her left. The armor she wore had stopped the worst of it, but it was a bleeding wound that had come in contact with the ground and was quite dirty when they were finally able to start tending to injuries.

The Sea Raiders had routed, a mere thirty men left by the time the townsfolk stopped chasing them away. The Sea Raiders unfortunate enough to find themselves at the hands of the townsfolk were beaten to death by the bloodthirsty mob. None of the four freelancers felt able to intervene, nursing wounds or worn out by the struggle. The last surviving veteran of Jayek's militia had cut off the Sea Raider captain's head - or what was left of it - and put it on a broken spear, but the remaining Sea Raider dead beyond the limits of the village center had been left where they died.

And the process of cleaning up the aftermath had started; Korra using her training and fresh water from the well to try and stabilize as many of the wounded as she could. But even with what she did, it had still been a victory that had cost too much. Almost all of the militia had been killed, only one veteran and a few surviving wounded (most of whom now missing limbs) had remained, and at least two dozen civilians had been killed or severely wounded as the Raiders had begun pillaging.

And now, they were resting. Naga had fallen asleep after her wounds had been tended to, while Mako was sitting on a roof, his wounded leg straight as he kept watch.

"All this," Korra muttered. "For what? Money?"

"That, and glory," the village elder said. "Compared to fighting a war, this is an easy way for young warriors to get a few notches on their axes. The old homeland's got an abundance of young men, after all, and the farmland there isn't as bountiful as it is here in Calradia, not that they've had famine in decades..."

"So they get them out here raiding," Korra said, "pillaging and looting, and getting killed off but keeping them from causing problems at home." The Avatar shook her head. "I mean, if they were low on food and the like, fair enough sometimes you have to make a hard choice to keep your people alive. But why pillage and burn other people just to get rich quick? That doesn't last once you run out of targets."

"Better than being an unknown," the elder responded.

Asami nodded slowly as she understood. "Sometimes, you've got people who just want to pillage and burn." She glanced up. "Say, we never got your name."

The elder raised an eyebrow before nodding. "No, I never did tell you. You can call me Elberg."

"I'm sorry we couldn't do more," Korra said as she looked towards the row of dead villagers, the bodies covered with blankets for now.

"So am I," he said as he closed his eyes. He had been crying earlier, but after a few minutes alone had either managed to put himself together or was holding it off. Given the way he looked away, Asami suspected the latter. "But without your help, I'm not sure what would have happened."

"I just… I just feel like we missed something," Korra continued as she looked towards where they had attacked the Sea Raider formation, still littered with broken equipment that some villagers were searching through. "Like there was something we could have done."

"It was always a long shot, Korra," Asami said. "Don't beat yourself up over it; the Sea Raiders had a contingency in case something like what we did happened, we adapted and kept fighting. And in the end, we managed to force them to run."

"Why did they run, though?" Bolin asked as he walked over, Pabu on his shoulders. "I mean, they had what, half their guys left still? If they had stuck around and fought, they probably would have been able to cut us down. I mean, we were beyond the end of our rope and brave as they were, those villagers were going to - were, getting cut down by any of the Raiders that stood and fought."

"How many would they have lost, though?" Elberg explained. "They need to sail back home, after all, and with their captain gone…"

Korra nodded. "Well, let's take what we can get."

Elberg nodded and left to deal with another matter.

"So," Asami asked, "Feel good to be an earthbender again?"

"Yeah," Korra answered with a faint smile. "I guess I just had to keep working at it and needed to really hold my ground. Not just stand in front of something, actually hold my ground."

"Well, at least we know it's just going to take time," Asami said with a faint smile.

"So," Bolin said as he curled his lip. "Those uh, Huscarls… really scary dudes. I mean, I thought chi blockers were bad. And those guys trained to fight benders!"

"They weren't really finessing it," Asami noted. "Chi blockers were successful because they were agile and went for disabling immediately. Those guys lacked that entirely. They did what they did by brute force."

"Which can be done with a suitably stubborn person," Korra noted as she leaned against a stone wall. "Plus, that armor had to help. Though, why didn't your gauntlet work on them?"

"It did," Asami answered as she looked at it. "The leather they wore over the mail just acted as an insulator, plus it was hard to actually grab one when they kept moving those wood shields and their axe handles were wood too; I'm sure it wasn't good for them, but wood is a good insulator."

Korra nodded slowly. What Asami did not mention was that the gear had only been part of it. She was agile, skilled, and strong for her build, but he was still much bigger than her and had an advantage in raw muscle. Combined with his sword, he was able to power through any efforts at blocking and could overwhelm her if he had managed to keep her in place. Mako and Bolin had a similar problem, though Bolin had wrestled with his opponent before using his earthbending to break the grapple.

"Hey, who's that?" Asami asked as she noticed a man hurrying in from the west.

"Not sure," Korra said as she turned and Elberg came back out.

The man who ran into town came to them and stopped, dropping a bit and putting his hands on his knees. "Elder Elberg… Jarl Tuyra… he's going to be here in twenty minutes with his men."

"A little late," Korra noted.

"With troops, escorting supplies and healers," the man added.

Asami pushed herself up. "We should probably meet him."

Korra turned, then nodded as Mako made his way down.

Twenty minutes later, a host of soldiers with an all too close resemblance to the men who had attempted to sack Jayek an hour earlier marched in, lead by an old man whose beard was tied at the end with a single braid. He was wearing armor not unlike that worn by the Huscarls and was escorted by more men similarly equipped.

"Elder," he said, "You have my deepest apologies. I drew away your defenders hoping to engage the threat far from here, and was outwitted. I… how did you survive?"

There's a man who can swallow his pride, Asami noted. He was taking his failure personally and not trying to deflect it.

"These four," Elberg answered, gesturing to her, Korra, Mako, and Bolin. "If they weren't around, I'm not sure we would have survived. In the end, I think it's safe to say they saved Jayek."

"Don't sell yourselves short; we couldn't have taken all of them on," Korra said. "Your fighters, they died holding the line."

"Aye," Tuyra said as he looked between them. "But… you four are not from Calradia, are you?"

"No," Asami answered. He was not just asking because they did not look Calradian. She could tell he was aware of something.

"Not from Calradia, but no less brave. And powerful; I didn't think it was possible for more than one element to be bent by one person," Elberg continued as he gestured to Korra.

"Indeed?" he asked. "That is a… fascinating ability."

"Uh, thanks?"

"No need; if anything, I should be thanking you," Tuyra said. "You defended my responsibility when I failed to do so. When you had no reason to go against the Sea Raider threat. I cannot repay this debt with words or coin."

Asami turned towards Korra and shook her head slightly. Korra glanced back and nodded. "Hopefully you'll never have to," Korra said.

"Now then," the Nord Jarl said as he looked to Elberg. "I've brought men to help with reconstruction and I'll be leaving some, the warriors drawn from here in addition to an extra guard, to hold down the area. Take a stock and tell me what's been lost."

"Yes, my lord," Elberg said as he lead Tuyra towards a storehouse, leaving the four alone while the Nord reinforcements dispersed to positions around the town.

"Something's fishy," Mako said as he folded his arms. "He seemed to pick up on us very quickly. Like, he had half expected people like us."

"What do you mean?" Korra asked as Asami picked out someone who stood out distinctly from the other Nords. Someone wearing a green outfit that resembled a dress, and had a pair of folded up fans on her belt along with a traditional Earth Kingdom style short sword.

"Guys," Asami said, "you might want to check out the woman who just showed up with the Nords."

"Whoa, is that a Kyoshi Warrior?" Bolin asked, jaw dropping.

"Should we talk to her?" Mako asked as he glanced over. "I mean, by the looks of it she's probably found her own thing to do, but…"

"It couldn't hurt," Korra said as they walked over. As they did, the Kyoshi Warrior stopped unloading a large wicker basket and turned to look at them.

"Avatar Korra," she said, lowering her head briefly before turning back to her work. "So, I don't suppose you can explain what happened in more detail?"

"Uh, pleasure to meet you too, and you mean us being sent here, or the village?"

"Us being sent here, I think it's a little more complicated than some event that only happens every ten thousand years," she answered with more than a bit of hostility as she unloaded another basket. "And you were at the center of it."

Don't tell me she's blaming Korra for this, Asami thought as she suppressed the desire to put a hand on her forehead.

"Sorry," Korra said. "You were probably told as much as I knew; I tried to fuse with Raava again to restore the Avatar Cycle, didn't go as planned."

The Kyoshi Warrior grunted noncommittally. "Well, at least you haven't been slacking off in the city since then."

"Uh, there something I'm missing here?" Bolin asked. "Miss, er…"

"Tomoe," the warrior woman supplied.

"Right, is there something I'm missing? I mean, I thought the Kyoshi Warriors were friendly with the Avatar. I mean, taking after the last earthbender one and all…"

"Hey, that was a few hundred years ago," she retorted. "Times change, and we haven't had much help with the bitch queen of Ba Sing Se and her oppression. So, you going to ask?"

"Huh?" Korra asked, frowning. "What do you mean?"

"'Which Kyoshi Warrior is Sokka and Suki's child?' 'Could you tell a story about Zuko's attack on the island?' 'Did Ty Lee really join the Kyoshi Warriors or was that a one-off?' Everyone asks those questions when they meet us."

"Uh… sure?" Bolin answered uncertainly.

"None of their kids joined - trained, never joined; no, and actually joined."

"People have a select view of history," Asami explained as she shook her head. "Well… we should probably let you get to work. You want any help?"

Tomoe glanced up, then to Asami's bandages. "You should probably be sitting in a bed to heal… but thanks."

"So, how'd you join this 'Jarl'?" Mako asked.

"I was looking for work, he was looking for extra hands to fight the Sea Raiders. I've only got one real skill set to apply, after all."

"How bad are the raids going to be?"

"There's at least another month, more likely two or three, before they really hit hard," Tomoe explained as she started to unstrap a larger barrel from the wagon. "Though, you could probably easily talk him into letting you join."

Korra shifted uncomfortably. "Join as in be a mercenary, or help out?"

"Either, though so far he seems reasonable."

"We've mostly been exploring Calradia at this point," Bolin explained. "Y'know, learn more before we make any decisions."

Tomoe shrugged before pulling a barrel off the wagon. "Don't let me stop you. The Avatar's supposed to be more than one little island anyways. So, how many got away?"

"Raiders? About thirty, though most dropped their weapons." Mako explained. "Why?"

"Hmmm; just enough to sail a longboat if I understand things right. Though, they'll probably meet up with another group." Tomoe glanced around as she put it down. "Not that I blame you for not going after them; it looks like it was a close fight, but I can't help but wonder what happened to them."

XXXXXXX

Miles to the north, the weary and terrified Sea Raiders could see their longboat ahead. "We made it!" one shouted and as they reached the longboat, they collapsed as desperation no longer drove them on.

"What was that?" another one, Arne, asked. "I mean, where did those benders come from? I've never SEEN bending like that!"

"I don't know," Selvig said, the red bearded veteran falling to his knees. "But… home. We need to get home…"

"They didn't chase us, let's get a breather first," Erik said as he bent over in his chain mail armor. "Then row home…"

Arne nodded as he sat down on the beach, the warm sand pushed away by his mass and getting into the thick fur coat he wore. They had made it… and had nothing to show for it.

"How're we going to explain this to Einar?" Selvig finally asked. "He's not going to be happy that we got his son killed…"

"Nevermind not recovering his body or looting anything," Arne muttered. "I don't know."

"Try for Ballion?" Erik suggested. "Or maybe sail to another part of Calradia; blend in with the rest of the foreigner mercs?"

"We're Nordmen," Selvig shot back. "We can't just run and hide."

"Perhaps I can offer a solution," another voice said. Arne looked around, unable to see who it was.

"Who's there?" he asked as he looked up at the rim of his longboat and saw an old man wearing dark red standing at the rim.

"I am known by many names," he said, "but I have a proposition for you…"

"And why should we listen to you?" Selvig asked. The old man simply lifted a nearly skeletal hand and the sand suddenly began to shift and the rock beneath them pushed Selvig above the sand bank, the others scattering back away from it.

"Point taken," Selvig admitted.

XXXXX

"Before you go," Elberg said as they were getting ready to leave the next morning, "here; some of the loot from the battle."

Korra turned as she saw the elder holding a sword and two others carrying folded up armor. "What's this for?" she asked as she finished packing the saddlebag.

"A thank you, and your share of the loot," Elberg explained. "You killed their captain yourself; you deserve some of the loot even if you didn't pick any yourselves."

"We've already got armor and your smith helped fix everything of ours that was damaged," Korra said as she looked at the brown, banded armor that one of the Huscarls had been wearing. "Besides, that's probably not flexible enough for the way I fight."

Asami glanced over. "You know, we might not use it, but armor is worth a lot of money, Korra. Especially good stuff like this."

Korra nodded to her before turning to the elder. "You sure you don't need the money yourself? I mean, you guys just got raided."

"We would not have a need if you hadn't taken action," the elder said, "besides, Jarl Tuyra is lending us a lot of assistance. He's good about caring for us, of holding his end of the feudal obligations. We can spare this small gift for your efforts."

Korra glanced at the others. "What do you guys think?"

"Couldn't hurt to have some more money," Mako said. "Plus, they've got the other sets, right? That'll probably help them cover a lot of costs."

"Still," Bolin said, "we're not going to use it, right? I mean, we're already armored up as much as we want to be. Unless?..." Bolin looked at Asami.

"Nah, I probably wouldn't do well weighed down," she explained.

"Are you sure?" Elberg asked as the two men with him were looking at each other with raised eyebrows. "You earned this."

"Thanks, but we can't use it and our expenses aren't that big," Korra finally answered.

Elberg's eyes went wide in shock before he bowed his head. "Thank you, but, I can't in good faith let you leave without something for your efforts." He held the sword forward. "Here, take the sword at least. By the looks of it, it had been made in Swadia. A fine arming sword worthy of a hero, and our smith sharpened it after the battle damage."

Korra glanced at it before nodding and taking it. "Thank you," she said as she glanced to the others as the townsmen walked away. "So, off to Fenada?"

"We could just head for Curaw instead; I mean, I got a great view at Wercheg," Bolin said as he mounted up, Mako behind him.

"Your call," Korra said as she climbed up on Naga, who had more or less healed from her injuries the previous day. She had initially planned on walking, but when she said it Naga started pushing against her. She knew what it meant; Naga was up for carrying them.

"Shall we?" Asami asked as she climbed onto Naga's back, and they left the village.

XXXXXXXX

End Chapter

- The first big 'battle' for the Krew. A taste of what they will be getting their necks into as the story goes on and armies get involved.

- One thing that always bugged me about village battles was that other than possibly capturing a lord, you got no loot or prisoners. I mean, the enemy lose their horses (always a plus), but still, those fights are also usually meatgrinders due to forced close quarters and minimal room for tactics, so they tend to be expensive as all hell to fight. And you don't even get a relation bonus with the town or their lord for saving it unless its a Bandit Infestation. :(

- Speaking of that; the militia. Generally I always felt that Warband needed some sort of levy system; that is, villages and such have a "garrison" of low tier units, the lord of said village can call them up, and when not in service said levy defends the village. That way you aren't constantly having to head back and smash that stupid lord who keeps going for your village with 25-30 untrained and poorly armed men and your villagers can't do anything about it. The same villages that can spew out units like Rhodok Veteran Spearmen in massive numbers with sufficiently high relations and prosperity. So, that's what I did here: part of a levy still in the village, but a second line of less experienced troops who wouldn't be called up if it wasn't full scale war. So, that's where the troops came from.

- Huscarls were probably more badass than many of us remember them being in-game, at least once we were experienced at playing the game. This is in part because I want the elites, the iconic 'super' soldier of each faction, to actually stand out as a reason for that faction's power. In game, they're glorified mooks who are effectively expendable (especially once we have levels and points in Trainer). Here… I want them to be worth that reputation. I want a Swadian Knight to be feared as the fast moving medieval main battle tank he is. I want the Rhodok Sharpshooter feared as the anti-material-crossbow wielding sniper he is. I want Khergit Horse Archers feared as the !*#$%& pains in the ass they are running around in circles long after their main force has been wrecked. The catch is that they're not going to be nearly as common as they are in-game. And I mean encountered in enemy armies; generally you only see a few top tier elites in them except for armies that have seen few defeats or Kings. So, I'm going with that rather than "you can raise an army of all Swadian Knights that's got almost 200 dudes in it".

- As for Tomoe; the Krew weren't the only ones who were dragged into Calradia, but not everyone will be interested in joining Korra or story relevant. I just wanted to have a Kyoshi Warrior around damn it! Especially given we haven't heard anything about them since A:TLA. My headcanon is that Hou-Ting taxed Kyoshi Island to ruins to try and spite Korra in recompense for Aang's actions since the Kyoshi Warriors were on very good terms with him and helped him a lot (and maybe some sort of twisted victim-blaming over Azula capturing them and stealing their clothes to infiltrate Ba Sing Se…)

- Korra is not necessarily going to help the claimants; and if she does it won't necessarily involve a massive civil war. However, meeting the claimants gives Korra more to talk about when she actually meets the monarchs without having to backtrack around. Plus, a chance to show that Korra doesn't take things immediately at face value anymore; she's been manipulated by enough politicians :P

- Worth noting that the Sea Raider's armor is indeed valuable, even in-game going by true price and a recommended source of money, but historically as well. Generally, chain mail and similar armors would be looted by the victors, either to use themselves as it was good protection, or to be sold for a lucrative price. Looting was part and parcel of medieval warfare, after all, and good equipment is expensive to buy. Really, the game spoils us by not making us have to pay for equipment save for companions. Imagine having to pay almost a thousand Denars just to give your Nord Warriors their armor, and that's without getting into their shields or weapons.