The Bending Arts - Earth

[Cute Things In Jars]

Traditional Earthbending

[Stage One:]
Stage one [1] of the traditional earth bending style is very simple. You cover the basics of bending, and at the end of this stage, you'll most likely be able to move a few stones here and there. This is not to be underestimated. Earth bending basics can still be deadly.

Rock Throw
The bender stomps one foot forward on the ground, causing a stone to lift from the ground. They then punch forward to send the rock hurdling at their target.

Rock Wall
The bender begins like they would for Rock Throw, stomping to raise a stone. The only difference is, they add no additional steps. A wall of hardened earth should raise in front of the bender.

Stone Spike
With a stomp and thrust forward, a single, medium sized spike jets from the ground towards the opponent. With an additional push, the spike may be detached from the ground and launched like a missile.


[Stage Two:]
After the bender has mastered the fundamentals, they move on to stage two [2]. Stage two works with many techniques that can turn defense into offense, or vice-versa.

Stone Armor
The bender causes several rocks to cover their body, aiding in defending against attacks. The bender may then launch these stones forwards at their opponent.

Wall Thrust
A combination of the Rock Wall and Rock Throw techniques learned in stage 1. The bender begins by stomping in front of them to raise a Rock Wall. They then punch forward with both fists, sending the wall at their attacker.

Stone Pillar
The bender slams their palms on the ground, creating a large upward moving pillar. The bender can move behind the pillar and punch at it, sending large disks of stone like the Rock Throw technique. Several disks may be sent (max 5).

Rock Barrage
The repeats the same steps as with Rock Throw, only after they stomp, they step forward with the other foot and punch forward. This sends several rocks at the target. (up to ten [10] rocks, medium sized)


[Stage Three:]
With advanced defenses in place, the bender moves on to learn more subtle attacks, springing up from the ground next to the target, instead of flying at them.

Stone Dome
The Bender widens their stance, then curls down to their knees. Several loose stones form a barrier around them. The bender may then make a sudden outward punching and stand up to send the stones shooting at high speeds in a full 360 radius. This move is dangerous when fighting with allies.

Rock Spikes
The bender clenches and rotates their hand. As they do, a field of small spikes jets from the ground to slow or control the opponent's movements.

Dual Spike
The bender stomps forward and claps their hands. As they do, two [2] large stone spikes shoot from the ground at the target in an X shape.


[Stage Four:]
Stage four [4] deals with the most powerful and deadly of the earth bending arsenal. Many of these moves are near fatal and finishers. This stage is not to be taken lightly, and is the most feared of all.

Block Assault
With a sharp lifting movement, the bender raises two [2] massive blocks of earth. The bender then pulls their hands towards them, causing the blocks to collide together, crushing what ever is between them.

Land Slide
The bender takes two stomping steps forward then motions upwards with their hands. A large mountain, about 30ft high, rises from the ground with the bender at it's peak. The bender then punches forward once more, sending the entire thing crashing down on the target.  

[Cute Things In Jars]

Shifting Earth

[Stage One:]
Stage one [1] is simple. The bender uses sweeping movements to sink the earth and move it around. Basic skills will be moving the ground and making holes

Shifting Earth
The bender focuses on a patch of earth they wish to move. They then make a corresponding movement with their foot, usually in a sweeping fashion. The patch they focused on will shift in that direction.

Pit Fall
The bender makes a small circle with their foot, then stomps on it. An area of earth, designated by the bender, sinks 10ft downward, trapping attackers.

Mud Slick
This isn't true mud, as the bender cannot add water to the earth, but this attack causes the ground to have the consistency and feel of mud, making it just as slippery.


[Stage Two:]
Stage two [2] Involves using the previous skills to trap opponents in more complicated and potentially deadly traps.

Sunken Tomb
Prerequisites: Pit Fall
After performing the Pit Fall technique, the bender slides their foot to the side, like in the Shifting Earth. A large slab of earth covers the pit fall, making for a holding cell, or slow death trap if you're a douche

Stone Fist
The bender takes a step forward and stomps. As they stomp, the punch outward with an open hand. When the hand is fully extended, the make a fist. A large stone fist shoots up from the ground and grabs the target.

Spinning Earth
The bender makes continuous sweeping motions with their feet. Large patches of earth beneath their target begin to churn and spin, throwing them off balance.


[Stage Three:]
Stage three [3] involves a lot of AoE based moves. These are dangerous if not used carefully, as they could harm the user's allies, and the user themselves.

Earth Swimming
The Bender has become an expert at shifting the earth around their bodies and battlefield. As such, they have learned to travel through the ground at great speeds, allowing them to set up traps from beneath the surface.
Note: no attacks may be used while underground.

Tidal Quake
The bender slides their foot in front of them, while following along with their hands. A small wave of earth is churned up and attempts to crash down on the target.

Fissure
The bender stomps in place, then slide's one foot outwards to widen their stance. As this happens, the ground opens up into a large fissure. This fissure can be sealed again my closing the bender's footing.


[Stage Four:]
In stage four [4], the bender's abilities are at their finest. Simple traps now turn into death traps.

Stone Maiden
Prerequisites: Sunken Tomb
After the Sunken Tomb has ensnared an opponent, the bender claps their hands together. Several rock spikes shoot from the walls of the tomb, killing whatever is inside.

Stone Drain
The bender makes a spiral sweep with their feet. The target is sucked into the earth in a whirlpool of dirt. They will be crushed under the dead weight of the earth.  

[The Wild Hunt]

Earthly Mirage

[Stage One:]
By studying water and airbending in their traditional and basic form the practitioner will learn the basic flow of energy and how to manipulate the earth in it's most loose and malleable form.

Conversion
If there is no sand, the user can stomp and send out a wave of their chi to convert an amount of earth equal to the chi spent into sand. Trainee chi can get you a 10 meter radius converted into sand instead of earth. Novice can convert 20, adept 30, and a Master can convert fifty.

Flow
The practitioner will make a fluid movement with either their hands or their feet. The sands will respond by moving in a wave in that direction. This wave is only up to 6 feet tall but it is think and heavy and can act as a deterrent to oncoming assailants as it will bury them in sand, which they then have to spend time trying to get free of, which isn't all that hard.

Twist
The practitioner will twist an open hand and which makes the sand beneath an opponents foot twist suddenly. This can create imbalances when opponents are running as the sand under them will be moving, often causing them to fall or spin with it, throwing them off for just long enough for a sand bender to take an advantage.

Shift
The user takes a strong stance and makes a wave with either a hand or a foot. The sands they focus on will suddenly shift quickly in the direction of that wave, making for a surprise below an enemy.


[Stage Two:]
With the basics down packed a sand bender now learns to make more impressive sand based attacks that are more dangerous to their enemies, while focusing on flowing freely instead of directly influencing like traditional earth benders tend to do.

Ride the Wave
By swinging their arms the bender will force the sands either below them or in front of them to rise and move backwards before rushing forward in a much larger wave that overtakes and forces back most things that aren't rooted to the ground. Alternatively the user can ride a wave of sand over large expanses of ground by keeping up the motion that created it.

Ripple
With a punch or stomp to the sand the practitioner sends a ripple through it towards an enemy in what looks like a resonating wave. When it arrives near an opponent it will make the sand below them burst upwards, knocking the enemy skyward. This ripple moves rather fast, almost seconds after the contact with the ground the sand will arrive at it's target.

Military Movement
Sand benders at this level can hide in the sand below ground and pop up like a mole somewhere else in that sand pit by quickly swimming below it. No bending can be done while underground.

Whip
The practitioner will spin and deliver a quick kick through the air with sand trailing through the air behind their foot. The sand will whip outwards towards the opponent and deal painful lacerating damage to a foe much like a water whip. This has the added effect of leaving sand in the wound. This can also be done through the hands if they were previously on the ground.


[Stage Three:]
Through practice the earth bender becomes a true sand bender with movements too fluid to be earth bending but too strong not to be. Here the merits of their training become more evident.

Give and Take
The user will pull one hand back and turn their body 270 degrees while the sand on that side of their body is pulled backwards. Upon the end of the turn they will force that hand outwards, sending that sand around their body and straight towards a foe. The impact is as strong as if an air or water bender hit head on but not so much as if earth had hit them. It does, however, have very stinging pain attached as you are being assaulted by a stream of sand.

Sand Dune
The practitioner stomp and bend low in a wide stance with closed fists. They will then push upwards with their palms and bodies to raise the sand they created or are around into a large, slippery dune. Then from atop this dune they will send slabs of the sand or even earth that is caught in it down the dune towards enemies.

Twister
When a large amount of sand is present a Sand bender can begin moving in a fluid circular motion that causes the sand to churn and spin around them self rather quickly.

Veil
A sandbender can make a heavy layer of sand coat their body to protect against an attack, and then force it outwards towards an opponent hazardously.


[Stage Four:]
At the highest level Sandbenders will make waterbenders and Earthbenders alike envious of their skills.

Rupture
By stomping on solid ground a fissure will crack beneath the foot of the user and extend past the enemy. They will then raise their arm to the sky and make a semi circle forward. This will raise a huge amount of sand from that fissure and send it forward with enough force to knock over trees and collapse buildings without structural soundness.

Sand Tornado
By flailing like an airbender a sandbender can cause all the sand in an area to spin around them in a potentially huge tornado.  

[The Wild Hunt]

[ＵＮＳＴＯＰＰＡＢＬＥ ＦＯＲＣＥ] ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀

User can create, alter, and preserve push. Push is relative towards the complete and absolute force used on the earth itself. With push, the bender can alter and shift the form of earth itself by crushing down on it, it can be moved and held by the sheer will alone. The earth is levitated by said will and moved. Gestures and movements for this style have been simplified as opposed to the traditional style of earthbending, mere hand gestures will be able to perform the techniques.

▰ ▰ ▰ STAGE ONE

In this stage, the bender has began learning of the style of push bending, it may seem simple but it truly isn't. Training would take moving small pieces of earth from the ground and even plucking pieces of earth from large land masses to become skilled in push bending. By the end of this stage, the bender should be able to lift small rocks, pebbles, and stone to hurl and throw. The bender is also able to levitate small pieces of earth to use during battle and it does require large motions and gestures like a swing of the whole upper body and the arms as well.

▰ ▰ ▰ STAGE TWO

The next stage shows progression but too far from absolute perfection, from lifting and moving small pieces of earth to raising up large chunks of earth from the ground and moving them to your leisure. Though you are able to pluck larger chunks of earth from the ground and from huge land masses, it still has a heavy strain on you while doing so. This stage lowers the amount of gestures that needs to be done while performing bending, now, it only requires arm motions and the stomping of ones feet.

▰ ▰ ▰ STAGE THREE

You've reached an incredible height of earthbending knowledge, having trained rigorously throughout the years, moving and crushing large forms of earth has become easier for you. Upon training mentally and physically, the movement of larger chunks of earth has no strain upon you and all forms of earth taken at this point are light in your hands. You are able to crush the earth and condense it as well as tear it apart to form shards to fire or provide heavy artillery to deal with groups of enemies. You feel as if you are unstoppable, but there is a breaking point that will further strengthen you in push bending. Pushbending only requires the movement of the arms at this point to perform the techniques.

▰ ▰ ▰ STAGE FOUR

The constant use and struggling to carry the earth on your shoulders will throw you into a painful strain that will weaken you for three whole days (irl time). Within these three days, your push bending abilities are weakened significantly and only release from the bending entirely will cure this. No bending for three whole days. Upon the third day, it will feel as if you yourself have become lighter, that you have become like the earth that you have lifted for so long. The training ends on the third day and you step out of the shadow to become a master of push bending. With stage four complete, the bender will be able condense huge forms of earth into tiny forms of earth, crush them apart to form earth-based ammunition to fire, create mid-air walls of earth, slam humongous chunks of land down on enemies, and even ride upon the earth itself as you lift it. Hand gestures have been simplified to a wave of the hand or the thrusting of both palms.

 

[The Wild Hunt]

[THE OPEN PALM] ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀

A very precise form of earthbending - one which may be emulated in all other disciplines. A version of earthbending that revels in pinpoint accuracy as well as swift countermeasures, manipulation of present structures and ultimately lethal reactions. Furthermore, a style that relies on the decimation of opponents and their vitals by means of piercing attacks opposed to overt blunt force. In many ways it takes inspirations from airbending in that it focuses on avoiding and striking back, and waterbending in that it strives on reversals and perfectly timed counterattacks.

▰ ▰ ▰ STAGE ONE

• Earthen Spear: One

A core and fundamental offensive ability. You lower your palm and from the ground rises a large earthen spike, pointed like a spear. In this stage, that is all there is to it - a thrown lance of earth that you may launch at an enemy and control with 'adequate' precision, able to make the slightest variations from the original thrown trajectory.



• Rigorous Defense: One

Earthbenders are renowned for their skill at the core of both combative styles - offense and defense. Offensive earthbenders fling boulders and topple hills with vicious landslides, while defensive benders formulate bodies of armor and walls of stone. Due to the precision of the Palm's technique, they may very quickly conjure defenses to their body, leashing earthen defenses from the ground much as a traditional earthbender may - but with a twist. At this stage, a single earthen spear will thrust forward from your defense upon impact with the solid structure, potentially impaling enemies or piercing through their techniques as an added countermeasure.

▰ ▰ ▰ STAGE TWO

At the second stage, the practitioner of the Open Palm learns to properly make quick alterations to their casted techniques - and they also begin to learn the way of the Open Palm, a core fundamental of the style.

• Earthen Spear: Two

The Earthen Spear grows more deadly - sharper. In addition to adding an extra spear to the artillery, the spear is more powerful, precise, quick and effective. The bender begins to learn more and more how to alter the flow of a technique, and thus the spear will change its trajectory greatly even after being thrown. Finally, the spear may be forcefully fragmented or (if fragmented by another technique) will split into sharp crystal-like shards that will launch forward and seek to impale an unsuspecting opponent.



• Rigorous Defense: Two

The Rigorous Defense may now thrust several sharp earthen spears at will. The size of the defense can range to a small forearm sized floating guard to a large body-sized dome. A great advantage to the rigorous defense becomes that it may be constantly manipulated and varied with simple hand and wrist, and or feet motions; it acts as a mobile defense and countermeasure system.



• Open Palm [Passive Active]

The Open Palm is a precise measure inspired by the core fundamentals of waterbending - push and pull, counterattacks, reversals. The Open Palm carries a passive benefit that is barely notable - the user's palms are extremely durable, almost impenetrable. They are hardened as if stone when in combat. The maneuver itself involves sliding your palms against an incoming technique and assaulting the technique with your Chi - essentially a gesture meant to attack the core foundation of an ability and decimate it from within. The technique, if assaulted with equal Chi, will be destroyed near instantaneously and disperse without causing harm. An Earthbending technique can even be what is essentially hijacked and launched back at the opponent, though weaker and slower than its original velocity.

▰ ▰ ▰ STAGE THREE

• Earthen Spear: Three

With the third level of Earthen Spear, you can create six highly mobile spears. They move very quickly and can follow a target for an extended period of time - nearly thirty seconds of relentlessly chasing them. However, of course they can be tricked as they are not entirely easy to control. At least one hand must be free to control each individual spear with a single fingertip, with the palm itself controlling the sixth spear. Enemies can use the terrain to their advantage to lose the spear that follows them.



• Rigorous Defense: Three

The third rigorous defense is a spiraling shield that rises before you and launches - consistently - projectile spears of earth outward if met by kinetic or otherwise force. It will fend off attacks and throw attacks of its own in reaction. This technique will follow you, but is only large enough to cover one side of your body.



• Neutrality

Neutrality is a way of fighting that is exceptionally deceptive. The technique itself was developed in Zaofu by the armed metalbending militia. You empower your arms and legs with reinforced metal or earth and as a result increase your mobility leg-wise and your close quarter destructive capability. Neutrality has a third prong in that it allows the user to leap and strafe from the ground by using platforms of earth hastily made from the floor. These miniature platforms are barely visible but can launch the user upwards of thirty feet. Impact from the fists will result in extreme damage to the bones and the destruction of lower ranked techniques.

▰ ▰ ▰ STAGE FOUR

• True Earthen Spear

The True Earthen Spear is a companion to the elite earthbender - it is more than just an ability that will be used and discarded. It is a technique that can be described as 'irritating'. While the previous incarnations of the earthen spear increased the quantity of spears, this technique goes all the way back down to one. However, this one spear becomes nearly impossible to be rid of, as even if blown into small chunks they reform into a solid structure again and again. The user controls the spear with the tweaking of their fingertips or the waving of an open palm, and it follows the enemy relentlessly, effortlessly breaking apart into smaller more precise objects and then easily reforming to the large and sharp impaler that it was created as. The spear can be accelerated to move absurdly quickly or decelerated to fool an enemy as to the rapidity of the technique.



• True Rigorous Defense

This ability creates a shell that will spring out of the ground and defend the user, then retract quickly, disappearing from sight. The shell will follow the user underground, meaning it provides a great defensive precaution for sour situations. The mere utility of this technique alone in that it is a near absolute defense is enough to warrant its Chi. It will barely remain at all if hit by a level four technique however.



• Dismantle

Pinpoint strikes are largely a focus of the Open Palm - the destruction of large and pronounced abilities with smaller ones, and the evasion of abilities that seem intimidating with mere evasions and small reversals. This ability creates a fist of earth that generally hovers around your own fist, or covers your hand like a glove, that can launch out extremely rapidly and will lodge itself into large techniques and dismantle them. It will target the base or pressure points of people or their abilities - acting similarly to the Open Palm technique itself. If it collides with a technique of equal rank, they are both destroyed, with the fist splintering inside of the technique and assuring its destruction. Until it is destroyed, though, it acts as a mobile line of defense that will destroy weaker techniques before they can find their target, while also quickly being able to launch at the opponent and punch their face out.



• The Closed Fist

A variant of the True Earthen Spear. The user closes their fist and proceeds to slam it against the ground, manipulating the resulting shockwave to pursue the opponent or opponents and spring forth at their location, launching a dozen large earth spears to follow them. The spears may be fragmented into razor-sharp objects to continue the pursuit or embolden the battlefield to the user's favor. This technique can follow up to three enemies and launch up to eighteen spikes total. The resulting spears follow for an extended duration, making them exceptionally difficult to avoid.