I created the below plot for if we decide to do something that takes place before the show instead. I think it is a pretty solid story. Let me know what you all think.

Opening Scene:

Avatar Roku lies on his deathbed in the temple. The keepers try to
revive him but he eventually slips into the darkness. His spirit then
leaves his body and rises into the heavens to take its permanent place in the
spirit world.



Somewhere within the air nation mother gives birth to a baby boy. Aang
was born under his mother Remi and his father Tong. He is named Aang for
his grandfather the greatest airbender known for saving the air nation from
total anhilation by Chin the Conqueror. When Chin tried to get the
airnomads to join his army they were blown out of town by Aang. His
bravery gave them hope for a brighter future.



By the age of 2 Aang shows a natural ability to airbend. His parents were
surprised by this and took him to the Southern Air Temple. There they
spoke with Gyatso and the other monks. (Insert a ton of dialogue.) They were amazed by his natural ability and had a hunch about Aang being the
new Avatar. The monks took the young airbender into a room filled with
toys. Once there Aang explored the many toys and set them aside until he
came across four different toys. They were the relics of the
avatar. Satisfied with their conclusion the monks agreed to raise Aang
under the condition that they would not tell Aang he was the Avatar until his
16th birthday when he would be able to make the decision of staying with them
or moving on.



Years went by and by the age of 11 Aang was told of his parents story though
not of him being the Avatar. Aang now being a master of airbending
decided that he wanted to try and find his parents. So he became a nomad
himself and travelled. On his journey he met a boy named Bumi in the city
of Omashu. While there he
learned many things about survival in the world. They used the mail
system as transportation around the city as Aang and Bumi used their bending
skills to control the chutes. After some time Aang learned of a sighting
of his parents in the Fire Nation. So he left Omashu and travelled into
the fire nation. While he was there he met Kuzon where they got into all
sorts of trouble. He learned his way around the fire nation and he also
learned of his parents' stay. All the while as Aang travelled around he
learned of the many adventures that his parents took to only find out that
there last one ended in their death. (Their many adventures include
riding: hopping llamas, surf on the backs of giant koi fish, penguin sledding,
and riding hog-monkeys. All of which Aang points out to Katara and Sokka
in the Return of the Avatar episode. Nice tie in right?) After
discovering their death Aang returns to the Southern Air Temple to report his
findings and rejoin the monks. While their he teaches the younger monks
the air bending techniques.



All the while the one monk that motioned for Aang to be sent to the Eastern Air Temple
plots the fall of the Air Nation. He communicates with Sozin to get the
plans rolling. He does this because he wants to be deemed the High
Monk. So he plans the strike against the Southern Temple
first. He wants to get control over Aang so that they can control the
Avatar in order to not have any interference.



The other monks sense his deception and call Aang forward to reveal that he is
the Avatar. Gyatso helps Aang cope with it and also trains him in higher
level thought. Together they play Pai Sho and Gyatso give subtle hints to
Aang about the White Lotus Secret Society. After refusing Aang's lesson
to the evil monk (Gyatso knew of his plans to turn Aang against them.) the monk
then went to the high monks and asked to have Aang moved to the Eastern Air Temple. Aang overhears everything and decides to leave on his own again.

Gyatso comes to find the note from Aang while he tries to
tell Aang that he would not let them take him away. He takes the note to the other monks. When they decipher its meaning the rest of
them begin to setup a search party for him.

Meanwhile the evil monk goes to the Sozin and tells him what
is happening. Sozin sees the opportunity
for them to strike at the southern temple and other areas of the world just as
a comet is passing by he finds that it increases the power of fire
benders. Many were caught off guard as
the fire nation army attacked them A
huge fight takes place as the young monks die off easily.

Elsewhere Aang battles in the storm but becomes lost in the
iceberg.

While the battle rages many of the airbenders are able to
fend off the fire nation army. Then just
as war nears the end the comet begins to pass over. Instantly charged by its shear power the fire
nation strikes harder breaking down the defenses of all the cities they were
attacking. The airnomads are overwhelmed
and before they are annihilated some of them escape to warn the other temples
of what was going on. Some were
intercepted and killed by the fire nation but others made it when it was too
late. The air nation had fallen and many
of the air nomads disappeared into hiding.

After a few years Sozin had a child name Azulon whom he
trained to be a great general. Azulon
took on his father???s war like traits and continued the war. When his father passed away he took over as
the Fire Lord and led the army to many victories. His two sons Ozai and Iroh helped the army to
strategize the war. They attacked the
southern water tribe and destroyed the great city to only a few remaining
people where a small village was formed with Gran Gran, Sokka, and Katara. During the great battle Sokka and Katara lost
their mother but the many waterbenders of their tribe were able to battle off
the fire nation. Hakoda was their father
and he showed fierce determination to protect what was left of the tribe. So he drove the fight away from the South
Pole.

Azulon saw the minor losses as a victory because he knew
that they would not be a great threat to the Fire Nation any longer. He then sent his son Iroh to the Earth Kingdom capital of Ba Sing Se to
sack the city in the name of the fire nation. For months they strategize the plan of attack on the city.

Meanwhile Ozai stayed at home in the fire nation helping
the generals formulate other plans for the Fire Nation???s success. With his wife Ursa they bore 2 children names
Zuko and Azula. Azula showed great
promise as a fire bender where Zuko struggled with his abilities. Azula attended a private school where she
learned many things that increase her cunning skills. Zuko learned most of everything from his
mother. The children competed for their
father???s affection. Azula won all the
time while Zuko was barely recognized for any of his efforts.

Iroh sent many letters of his fight with Ba Sing Se but news
swiftly came when he lost the war because of his retreat over his fallen
son. He returned from war a broken
general.

He drank heavily and attempted suicide. (This is when he has his encounter with the
spirit world.) He gets so close to
death that while he is in the spirit world he speaks with his son. His son convinces him to go on because he is
still needed for Zuko.

Meanwhile Ozai visits with Azulon to talk about revoking
Iroh???s birth right. Azulon tells him
that he must suffer the came kind of loss and for him to kill Zuko. He agrees. Ursa finds out about the deal from Azula when Azula reports it to
Zuko. She pulls her aside and verifies
the whole story. She then approaches
Ozai about this and challenges Azulon to Agni Kai in place of Zuko???s
death. She puts it so that if she wins
then Zuko gets to live and Ozai get???s the birth right but she would banish herself. (She does this because she has been plotting
Zuko to take the thrown so that he can just end the war and the world could
return to peace.) So the agni kai takes
place and Ursa wins. Azulon signs over
the birth right to Ozai and Ursa leaves the fire nation. Prior to her leaving she tells Zuko that she
has done everything for him.

The next day Zuko finds out about his mother leaving and
Azulon dying. Iroh comes out of a coma
to find that his brother is to become the fire lord. He finds a note left behind from Ursa in
regards to everything that has been happening. She asks him to take over teaching Zuko the ways of the righteousness. She knew he was changed man from the loss of
his son because of his active communication with her. He stops his drinking and changes to drinking
tea to kick his bad habit. His life was
renewed with his new task. Ursa gave him
the energy to go on in hopes that there would be peace one day.

At this point the story picks up with Zuko???s story and
Katara???s story with her learning about her skills with water bending.

??

Let me know if you want more.