Western Kingdom Trading Company

"The dying miners didn't matter to the company. They had outlived their use."

— Gyatso explaining Yama's death and the morals of the Western Kingdom Trading Company.

Western Kingdom Trading Company
General information
Notable members	Yuming Qixia Oh Wen
Affiliation	Omashu
Purpose	Trade along the South Sea
Chronological information
First appearance	"A Way Through"
Last appearance	Epilogue (The Reckoning of Roku)

The Western Kingdom Trading Company is an Earth Kingdom trading organization that works all around the South Sea. They conduct general trade which includes mining, flora, and fauna. After years of research to find the location of Lambak Island, a small team was dispatched under information that it was uninhabited and to look for a special rock or mineral.

History

Mining village

The Western Kingdom Trading Company was mining outside of a village for years to the point of ruined soil, broken land, and poisoned water. The miners who could not afford moving away kept working in the mine. Eventually, in 67 BG, more and more of these miners got sick, leading to the point of the entire village dying. The company did not care about the dying miners and prepared to take their leave with the area's minerals cleared. Since they had dug so much, a sinkhole opened during an Air Nomad relief mission. It swallowed the mountainside, along with the village and Gyatso's sister Yama, leaving no survivors.

Investigation of Lambak Island

After years of research, a team of two scientists, mother and daughter, requested Guo Xun for permission to investigate Lambak Island, the queen denying their request. Regardless, in 66 BG, the company dispatched the pair, Yuming and Qixia, along with six earthbending guards. Looking for a special mineral, they set up camp on the northeastern coast. One night two of the earthbending guards went on a hunting trip, where they encountered Sozin's group. There, the short and tall earthbenders fought Dalisay, Kozaru, and Sozin. They were killed and the rest of the group went on, unaware of what happened to them, just that they disappeared one night.

As Yuming and Qixia studied the flora and fauna, examining and wondering aloud, the four remaining earthbending guards spent their time sparring, fishing, and complaining about the island. The group experienced many things that were endemic to Lambak Island such as firefly-starlings, dragon paw fruit, and gorilla tarsiers. They filled dozens of scrolls, documenting much of the items of interest on the island. Eventually, Yuming and Qixia started venturing outward from the beach, always accompanied by two guards, returning by night. A few days later, they began moving their camp inland slowly.

Throughout their time in the island, the native scout, Malaya, stalked them without their knowledge, gathering information. When she saw them moving inland, she met with the clan chief, Ulo, who instructed her to deter the earthbenders from the island. Amihan, the other scout, worked along with Malaya, in an effort to get the Western Kingdom Trading Company to leave. Amihan used her airbending to condense and close in the fog around the company's group, thickening the fog, so Malaya could steal their supplies and force them to leave the island. The earthbenders called out in confusion stumbling around, their eyesight obscured. As they walked around in the thick fog, Yuming bumped into Malaya as she was stealing the guards' packs, with the scout's own vision impaired by the fog. Yuming called in surprise when she and Malaya broke apart, wondering if she had bumped into Qixia. However, she responded that she was in fact elsewhere, just a few steps away. As Qixia commented about the mystery of the fog, it let up, leaving Malaya in the view of the earthbenders. Malaya began to run away, causing the group's guards to chase after her. Yuming pleaded with the others not to hurt the native islander as a guard raised a wall of rock to block Malaya's way. Nevertheless, the scout was able to jump over, escaping on her gorilla tarsier.

All the while, Amihan led the large earthbender, Oh Wen, away from the rest of the group. Using her airbending, she cut off his ear, carved his face and armor, as well as tossing him into the sky, leaving him with a broken arm, multiple lacerations, and unconscious upon the fall. After Malaya escaped and the other earthbenders were unable to find Oh Wen, they moved on, presuming him dead. They continued their move inland, Yuming and Qixia stopping occasionally to inspect items of interest along the way.

Oh Wen, despite his many injuries, managed to somewhat nurse himself back to shape, creating a makeshift sling. One day, he managed to spot Roku walking through the forest, causing an rockslide to fall upon him. Roku managed to feel the earth trembling, bending a sphere of fire over himself. As Gyatso joined him, Oh Wen revealed himself, believing he found the airbender who had injured him. When Gyatso confirmed he was an airbender, Oh Wen began attempting to impale Gyatso with earth spikes as he danced around, dodging. Roku was knocked down the hill, however, failing to climb back up. As Gyatso made his way down the hill, soon followed by Oh Wen, Roku kicked is legs out, letting Oh Wen fall downhill. He reemerged, limping worse than before, and used his good hand to bend a towering wall behind the two, who quickly destroyed it to find Oh Wen missing. He reappeared suddenly, riding a large boulder, narrowly missing them. Gyatso and Roku eventually devised a tactic, managing to sweep Oh Wen's feet as he landed, leaving him to fall over the mountainside, carried by his momentum. Oh Wen dislocated his shoulder and was knocked unconscious.

When he came to, Gyatso offered to set his shoulder, but Roku was skeptical Oh Wen would try killing them again. As the two argued, along with Oh Wen's interjection, they agree to set in his shoulder first. Roku then introduces himself as the Avatar, to Oh Wen's skepticism. Oh Wen revealed his companions were murdered one moon ago, and an attempt was made against him. He accused Roku and Gyatso of it, to a definite denial. Looking for answers, Roku asked his reason to be on the island, to which Oh Wen explaining he was a private security guard for the Western Kingdom Trading Company. He stated they came to the island for a mineral worth twice its weight in platinum, but was unaware of much else as just a guard. He believed his group abandoned him, presuming him dead.

Later, as Yuming and Qixia examine the inside of a stone at the rear of the earthbending group, Malaya steps into their view. Qixia recognizes her, alerting her mother, who conceals her mix of surprise and fear. Malaya introduces herself, asking them not to call their guards. Yuming steps in front of Qixia, confronting Malaya over the murdered soldiers, Malaya denying the natives' involvement. The two loosen their guard, introducing themselves, and ask why the natives are so keen to make them leave. Their interest only grows as Malaya attempts to deter them, leading to request being brought to the clan chieftain. Despite Malaya's repeated denials, Yuming asks for her to be their guide. Malaya reveals Amihan is hiding behind a few rocks, waiting to take their lives. In fear, they ask why, so Malaya tells them of the cave spirit Yungib in an attempt at dissuasion, but it only further encourages them. When Malaya denies them again, Qixia earthbends restrains on her, as they disappear into the fog.

As the earthbenders made their way too close to the village they were captured and held in bamboo cages high above in the trees in the grove on the other side of the valley. Kamao and Mamamaril guarded the earthbenders as Gyatso and Malaya broke them out, engaging in a battle with the other islanders. The earthbenders turned and ran as soon as they were freed. Seeking vengeance, the remaining earthbending guards made their way to the Lambak Clan village, burying the entire place, then rushing to find Ulo, despite Yuming and Qixia pleading them not to. The two stayed at the village, as Malaya and Gyatso arrived. After Malaya saw what happened and Yuming told her what had happened, she reached for her dagger, seething with anger. Gyatso calmed her, she moved away from Yuming, not even meeting her eyes.

The earthbenders clumsily moved through the fire bamboo grove, making their way to the Sacred Cave. As the red bamboo surrounded them tightly, they were forced into a single line. When Malaya, Gyatso, Sozin, Kozaru, and Dalisay closed in on them, they turned around, preparing to attack. As Gyatso made an attempt at negotiation, Malaya rushed into the grove, followed closely by Sozin and the rest of the group. They engaged in a fight, the earthbenders launching large rocks at them. Malaya and Gyatso dodged, and working together got Malaya to slash the leg of the young, mustached earthbender, who froze from the basilisk centipede poison in the dagger. After he was out of the way, Malaya flung her dagger at the tall guard, who blocked it with an earth chunk, and crashed it into Malaya. She sent earth disks at her, which she dodged, kicking her in the chest, stumbling back. While Malaya was disoriented due to Dalisay, the earthbender landed a strike to her gut and a knee to her face. She ducked and used her hands to block a large heat wave that took over the grove. Due to Malaya's momentary disorientation, the earthbender and Malaya began fighting stone fists to two bamboo poles. Malaya eventually cracked the stone fists, leaving the earthbender exposed, hitting relentlessly, even as she curled into a ball, bruised and bleeding, begging Malaya to stop. Gyatso managed to get her to stop, and turned to help the earthbender. The balding earthbender was rendered unconscious by Sozin's group. Gyatso tended to the incapacitated earthbenders as the others moved on.

A few days later, all the earthbenders were set to be executed by the natives, but Roku convinced them to let the earthbenders face justice in the Earth Kingdom, and they were escorted to Omashu by airbenders. On their way out, they smuggled a portion of the rocks from the Sacred Cave, later showing it to Queen Guo Xun, to keep them out of prison.

Known members

• Yuming
• Qixia
• Oh Wen