[Avatar: The Last Airbender] Kolta

[Lexielai]

Kolta

Basics

Name: Kolta


Series/Fandom: Avatar: The Last Airbender


Age: 17


Gender: Male


Sexual Orientation: Heterosexual

• Appearance
• Personality
• History
• Equipment
• Skills
• Personality Traits/Quirks

• Appearance
  
  Height: 5'11"
  
  
  Weight: 170 Ibs
  
  
  Hair: Blonde kept in wild, shoulder-length locks
  
  
  Eyes: Turquoise
  
  
  Body: Athletic
  
  
  
• Personality
  
  Kolta has always defined himself by his failures. He has a talent for finding the downsides to every situation, and rarely sits down long enough to congratulate himself on success before he looks for something else to improve on. It’s something he prides himself on: the belief that he’s superior to other people because he is wiser and more humble than they are. In truth, it’s just a massive ego overdeveloped by a keen intelligence—not to be confused with wisdom.
  
  
  He views himself as a leader, who must be strong and supportive of the souls he meets around him. Vulnerability is a weakness he hides as much as he can from the people around him until he can deal with it by himself. Many activities are conducted in much the same manner. Kolta always wants to do everything alone and hates relying on others. He doesn’t trust anyone else to look out for him or do what needs to be done, so he hefts the entirety of his goals and responsibilities upon himself.
  
  
  Yet, even strong pillars begin to crumble when an immense pressure is exerted upon it. Kolta’s greatest frustration lies with his incapability of being his perfect ideal. Despite the image of confidence he displays, Kolta continuously battles with himself and his emotions. He struggles to find a place or purpose for himself in the world, and is confused about why his life has been the subject to so much loss and turmoil. Instead of making peace with it he pursues blind hope in the Spirit World, where he hopes to find answers.
  
  
  Family is a sore subject for him, and his experiences with them have left him closed off. He harbors a resentment towards them for abandoning him even though he realizes it’s not necessarily their fault, and strays away from exposing his inner demons to anyone else. Kolta feels immensely ashamed about how weak and fearful he was, and hides it. He models himself after the memory of his lost sister: courageous, adventurous, and helpful. Although it conflicts with his quiet and reflective demeanor, Kolta strives to become more like her someday. In many ways he has.
  
  
  Although typically serious, Kolta’s protective shell is weakest in stressful times and when he’s cooking. Both are strangely opposite circumstances, but the great emotion he bottles up inside is released when his guard is down. It doesn’t matter if it’s because stress breaks the dam open, or if it’s because he relaxes himself enough to open the gates inside. He’s not a particularly humorous or excitable individual, but his reflective acceptance makes him a good listener and understanding of others even if he disagrees with their opinions.
  
  
  Like many individuals, Kolta holds a few quirks to his personality. He enjoys singing and music, but is far too embarrassed to do either in public. He’ll sometimes practice the arts when he’s alone, in between talking to himself about one thing or another. The act of speaking out loud helps him think, as long as no one’s listening to think he’s a weirdo.
  
  
  His curiosity further makes him a rather nosey person, who can’t stop himself from eavesdropping on others and moseying around in others’ business. Kolta wants to take care of the people around him, but is oftentimes unsure of how. That’s something he yearns to learn in the future.
  
  
  
• History
  
  Spirits have long haunted Kolta’s family. Since the age of his distant ancestor, Avatar Kuruk, his family has maintained a tumultuous love-hate relationship with the mysterious spirits—valuing some; despising others. Koh, the face-stealer, is the most infamous among their enemies, and can never be forgiven for his heinous crimes...or so Kolta had been told.
  
  
  Before his birth, Kolta’s mother had been a renown healer in the Northern Water Tribe. For reasons unspoken, she had left the safety of her home to travel to the Earth Kingdom and support the war. There she met his father, a young earthbending soldier at the time, and the two later had his elder sister, then his brother, and finally him.
  
  
  Kolta grew up safely in the walls of Omashu with his mother while his father fought in the war. The man made irregular return trips home, but was almost always need back on the battlefield to command the troops. Still, despite the erratic times he was able to see his father, he managed to live a relatively normal childhood until his early teenage years.
  
  
  When he turned thirteen on the day of the summer solstice, he was treated to most of the typical generosities by his friends and family. His sister, however, had the idea in mind that they’d go on an adventure together. According to her source, a mysterious ruin would appear in the nearby forest once every five years on the summer solstice, and she wanted to check it out with him. Despite his apprehension Kolta desperately wanted impress her with his courage and adventurousness—both qualities he wasn’t exactly known for—so he went along with it.
  
  
  At first the ancient ruins proved to be fascinating. Strange creatures were depicted coexisting with humans along the wall, including what appeared to be lion turtles supporting human settlements. His sister was excited beyond belief, but Kolta a bit less so. The sentiment didn’t last long. Soon after, what could only be described as spirits began flooding the halls. The ruins turned to utter chaos as the spirits’ rampage threatened to collapse the structure, leaving Kolta and his sister to desperately flee in order to survive.
  
  
  When he finally found the exit and entered the soft, comforting grass nearby, he motioned to congratulate his sister...except she was nowhere in sight. Neither were the ruins present, which he swore were there just a moment ago. They had vanished.
  
  
  He felt horrible; his sister was gone, and he blamed it on himself for going along with the stupid idea in the first place. He stormed over to the nearby pond, where he kneeled in quiet, mournful solitude. The solstice was nearing its end, but in its last few moments Kolta called out in anger against the spirits, pleading for them to return his sister home.
  
  
  Instead the visage of two koi fish appeared in the water. He ignored them to desperately continue his angry rant. That is, until they shone a bright white, and suddenly Kolta silenced himself to stare transfixed at the harmonious dance between them. Black, and white; Yin, and Yan; good, when there was evil.
  
  
  In a rage better suited for a firebender, Kolta attacked the water with all the strength he could muster. He entirely did not expect the water to respond to his call and shoot off as a powerful wave, slamming into the forest nearby.
  
  
  When he returned home to to his family, the expected outrage came true. His brother blamed him for losing his sister, and his mother was so distraught she didn’t leave her room for three days. In time they resolved their irrational anger, but the feelings of loss remained. His brother had forgiven him and her mother returned to her cheerful self, but they all knew that it was just a facade. It was as if a void had opened itself in their hearts that could never be sealed.
  
  
  From that day on he became obsessed with spirits and the supernatural world. He knew it was unlikely to bring his sister back, only he didn’t care anymore. Kolta spent days in the local library and with travelling mystics learning as much about the Spirit World as he could. He learned nothing about the mysterious ruins or his sister, but found the answers to a few questions he never realized he had.
  
  
  Often his peers would jokingly mock him for his strange yellow hair. He never thought much of it before. Now he suspected it had something to do with the Spirit World, only both his brother and mother claimed they had no idea. One of them had to have been lying, but he didn’t pursue it further. Instead he showed his mother his incredible new skill: waterbending.
  
  
  He expected a few things, from surprise to joy, but he didn’t expect fear. His mother told him to never waterbend again under any circumstances, and absolutely refused to teach him anything that she knew. Kolta didn’t get much of a chance to argue when his mother was suddenly recalled back to the Northern Water Tribe, alone apparently, leaving him and his brother on their own in Omashu until she came back. She never returned.
  
  
  Years later, once Kolta was old enough to take care of himself, his brother had left to join the war. Living alone seemed easy enough, but he was soon found it far too difficult to stay in his empty home in Omashu. So he abandoned his possessions and home in the care of a select few he trusted and travelled around in pursuit of more information about the Spirit World.
  
  
  Eventually his travels led him south to Kyoshi Island, where Kolta resolved to finally confront one of the only family he had left about his connections to the Spirit World: his father, last reported to be in Ba Sing Se.
  
  
  
• Equipment
  
  Jian Sword
  
  
  
  
  

  

  
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  Misc. Items: Pots, pans, chopsticks, kitchen knives, water cask, and several pouches.
  
  
  
• Skills
  
  Waterbending
  
  
  
  
  Advantages:
  
  As the most versatile element, waterbending allows Kolta to adapt to any circumstance. Between creating ice, healing, and normal waterbending, his tools allow him to handle nearly anything. Furthermore, waterbending becomes stronger in the presence of the moon, and immensely powerful during the full moon.
  
  
  
  
  Disadvantages:
  
  Waterbending is impossible during a lunar eclipse. Unlike fire or air, waterbending is limited by the quantity of water around it, leaving Kolta at a significant disadvantage with deprived of water. In additon, because waterbenders depend on primarily upper body and arm movements, waterbenders are almost entirely helpless when their arms are bound or disabled. Finally, waterbending's power increases with more intense emotional states, but at the expense of all control.
  
  
  
  
  Level of Expertise:
  
  Untrained
  
  
  Jian Swordfighting
  
  
  
  
  Advantages:
  
  Jian swords are double-edged multipurpose weapons built for precision cuts and effective thrusting. Kolta's swordfighting style focuses on agility and fluidity that allows him to dodge around attacks and strike at the opponent's weak points.
  
  
  
  
  Disadvantages:
  
  As the "Weapon of Gentlemen," the Jian sword lacks brute force. It can be defeated by those with longer range, and is able to be easily overpowered when challenged. Large scale attacks and powerful abilities, particularly earthbending, are most effective against the Jian sword as it is almost incapable of blocking attacks.
  
  
  
  
  Level of Expertise:
  
  Limited, sporadic training, but good grasp of the basics.
  
  
  Other Skills: Cooking [Master], Singing [Novice]
  
  
  
• Personality Traits/Quirks
  
  Character Strengths: Reflective, understanding, intelligent, calm, considerate
  
  
  
  
  
  Character Flaws: Arrogant, emotionally distant, overly expectant, unsatisfied, fearful, deceptive, self-repressed
  
  
  Likes: Cooking, waterbending, romance, accomplishment, learning new things, singing
  
  
  
  
  
  Dislikes: Cruelty, stubborn or narrow-minded people, public speaking, cramped spaces
  
  
  
  
  
  Hobbies: Cooking, practicing waterbending, singing
  
  
  
  
  
  Quirks: Daydreaming, eavesdropping, talking to himself, snoring
  
  
  
  
  
  Motivations: Satisfying his curiosity, finding a purpose
  
  
  
  
  
  Aspirations: Find his sister, master waterbending, reunite his family, become his ideal self