There is no greater ache for a mother than to lose her child.Artsut to her son, Arvok.
Artsut is a Na'vi originally from the Omatikaya clan. She is the mother of Tsu'tey and Arvok, and mate of Ateyo.
Biography[]
Avatar: Tsu'tey's Path[]
Artsut was briefly mentioned in a conversation between Mo'at and Tsu'tey, after Mo'at is curious why Tsu'tey went to her rather than his mother for guidance.
Avatar: The Next Shadow[]
Artsut's Plan[]
Following the death of her eldest and favored son, Tsu'tey, Artsut, and her mate Ateyo were angered by Jake Sully being chosen to be his successor, as they believed Jake would lead their clan to destruction due to his human nature. Despite it being their son's dying wish for the dreamwalker to succeed him, Artsut hatched a plan to kill Jake and replace him with Ateyo. To accomplish this, Ateyo convinced their son, Arvok, to challenge Jake to the dangerous First Blood ritual and become Olo'eyktan himself. He assured Arvok that Jake would not need to be killed to accomplish this, only lightly injured, but unbeknownst to their son, the mates' true plan was to poison Arvok's knife and have him unintentionally kill the clan leader; Arvok would be blamed for the death and exiled, and Ateyo would take Jake's place as Olo'eyktan.
After successfully convincing Arvok of their plan, Artsut crafted a deadly toxin and laced her son's knife with it. She gave the weapon to Ateyo to deliver, assuring her mate that their plan would work as they intended.
First Blood[]
Later, Artsut assisted Mo'at and Jake in healing the injured Omatikaya clan members at their camp near Hell's Gate. The humans struggled to convince a fearful Yeyongo to let them heal her injured child's burns with a special device, and Artsut tried to step in and assure Yeyongo that she didn't need to accept the help of the "devil's medicine", offering to help the young Na'vi herself. Jake interrupted and told Artsut to step back as they had it under control, and Mo'at convinced a cautious Yeyongo to let the humans help. Yeyongo was overjoyed when her child's burns healed and pain ceased, to the dismay of Artsut.
As Mo'at assured a mournful Jake to trust in Eywa's will, Artsut interrupted, yelling at Mo'at that she did not follow Eywa and accusing her of being treacherous and causing the destruction of Hometree by letting a dreamwalker walk among them. Jake asked her to talk to him one on one as she was causing upset, but Mo'at insisted that this conflict stemmed from Artsut's years-long personal feud with her.
Before the argument could continue, Arvok and Ateyo arrived to challenge Jake to First Blood. After Mo'at informed Jake of the rite's traditions, Jake agreed to it, despite Mo'at's warnings of its danger.
Artsut and Ateyo accompanied Arvok to prepare him for the ritual, Ateyo encouraging their son to humiliate Jake by striking him even after he'd won. Once the battle began, the far more experienced Jake easily defeated Arvok to the dismay of his parents, but Arvok ragefully threw his poisoned knife at Jake in anger at his arrogance. Jake caught the knife by its blade, cutting himself and collapsing as the toxin infected him.
Mo'at rushed to his aid, declaring he'd been poisoned by Arvok. He turned to his parents as they embraced, preparing for the next step of their plan, confused at what they'd done.
Jake's Coma[]
Artsut wasted no time stating Jake was dead and declaring Ateyo the new leader of the Omatikaya clan. Ka'ani confronted the two, asking them to answer for their son's perceived crime, but they assured the clan that they were not responsible for Arvok's offense. To his confusion, Ateyo stated that Arvok must pay for what he'd done, and a hunting party pursued him into the forest. Artsut called after him, telling him he could not outrun justice before shifting her focus to Mo'at, telling her that her reign of betrayal was over and threatening her doom. Ka'ani once again interrupted Artsut, but the clan protested and asked to let her speak, convinced she and Ateyo should lead them. Ka'ani argued that this was not tradition, but Artsut countered that traditions were not laws and told the hunter to step aside. He refused, drawing his knife, but both Na'vi halted when Mo'at realized Jake was still alive. She and Ka'ani lifted the clan leader, ready to take him to the Tree of Souls to heal him, but Artsut stopped them, stating that the poison in Jake's system would spread to the tree and kill it. However, with no true authority as long as Jake was alive, Jake was delivered to the tree regardless to fight off the poison on his own.
Meanwhile, Norm Spellman had alerted Katherine Hale to the situation and requested she come to help. She and her companions arrived at the tree to the annoyance of Artsut, but Mo'at requested their help retrieving an antidote for the poison; the flower the antidote was made from was located in an underground cave, the entrance of which was too small for a Na'vi to crawl through. Hale and her men cautiously agreed to retrieve the antidote, while Artsut went to track down her son.
She found Arvok in her hideout behind a waterfall, though all trust he'd once had in his mother was gone. Artsut assured him that under Ateyo's rule, they would be merciful towards their son and protect him from having to live on his own by sending him to a nearby clan that would accept him despite his crimes. Arvok cautiously asked about Mo'at, Ka'ani, and the others, to which Artsut told him they were beyond saving and stating that that night would be their last, evidently planning to have them killed or exiled.
While Jake was guided through his coma by the spirits of Tsu'tey and Eytukan, the remaining Rongloa family traveled back to the Tree of Souls, arriving in time to witness Jake be given the antidote retrieved by Hale and her squad and awake from his sickness. Artsut and Ateyo gawked in disbelief, Arvok humorously remarking that all things were possible through Eywa.
Banishment[]
After Jake awoke from his coma and Artsut and Ateyo's plan was uncovered, the clan angrily called for justice against them. Following Tsu'tey's advice, Jake sought to give them a merciful punishment, believing they truly had their clan's interest at heart, even if their pursuit of its wellbeing was misguided. Artsut angrily retorted that they did not need Jake's mercy, but Arvok declared that his mother did not speak for him. He admitted their crimes and offered exile as an acceptable punishment for the family for the good of the Omatikaya, mentioning that Artsut knew of a clan who would accept them regardless of their crimes.
The three left on their own to travel to the Mangkwan clan. After pausing their journey for the night, Arvok declared he would not follow his parents to the new clan, instead meaning to forge his own path. Ateyo was distraught, but Artsut dismissively said he was only slowing them down and telling her mate to let Arvok leave. He left on his direhorse, leaving his parents alone to travel the rest of their way to the new clan.
Personality and Traits[]
Artsut is very controlling, arrogant, manipulating, and domineering, having immense power over her mate and their son. Despite her antagonistic tactics, Tsu'tey assured Jake that Artsut only had her clan's interests at heart. Due to her hatred of humans, she believed Jake was leading her clan to doom. She was even willing to sacrifice her only remaining son, Arvok, to secure power for herself and her mate; though she still wanted to show him mercy and give him an opportunity for a new life, she was cold and uncaring towards him when he chose to leave her and Ateyo behind.
Artsut is extremely distrusting of humans, including scientists and dreamwalkers. She believed having the former human Jake Sully as leader of her clan would result in its doom and was convinced that his death or exile was the only way to save the Omatikaya clan from destruction. She refers to human medicine as "devil's medicine" and tried convincing Yeyongo not to accept it, even though it successfully treated her child's wounds.
Abilities[]
Artsut appears to have skills in healing, as she offered to heal Yeyongo's child for her. She is also a skilled herbalist, able to craft an extremely deadly poison for Arvok to lace his knife with.
Relationships[]
- See Artsut/Relationships.
Trivia[]
- Artsut's line, "There is no greater ache for a mother than to lose her child." greatly foreshadowed Avatar: The Way of Water.
Memorable Quotes[]
- „You do not have to accept the devil's medicine.“ - Artsut to Yeyongo.
- „You do not follow Eywa. You spit in her face!“ - Artsut protesting Mo'at.
- „The pretender is no more! Rejoice! A new day begins for the People! Ateyo is your new Clan leader! Together we will lead you back to Eywa's light!“ - Artsut declaring Ateyo the new leader of the Omatikaya clan.
- „Arvok, stop! You cannot outrun justice!“ - Artsut to the fleeing Arvok.
- „Your long reign of ignorance and betrayal is over, Mo'at.“ - Artsut to her rival, Mo'at.
- „If he was truly chosen by Eywa... then let him save himself.“ - Artsut about Jake Sully after he was poisoned.
- „Keep your charity, vrrtep! We regret nothing!“ - Artsut refusing Jake Sully's mercy.
- „Let him go. He only slows us down anyway.“ - Artsut as Arvok leaves his parents.
Appearances[]
| Title | Format | Release date | Details |
|---|---|---|---|
| Avatar: Tsu'tey's Path | Comic book | January 16th, 2019 | Mentioned only. |
| Avatar: The Next Shadow | Comic book | January 6th, 2021 |
References[]
| Omatikaya Clan members | ||
|---|---|---|
| Avatar | ||
| Avatar: The Way of Water | ||
| Comics | ||
| Games | ||
| Other | ||