Phoenix Clan
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In the fictional setting of Legend of the Five Rings, the Phoenix Clan is known throughout Rokugan mostly for their skilled shugenja and their mastery of elemental magic. The Phoenix are also noted pacifists, preferring diplomacy to war if at all possible. The Phoenix' presence in the courts of the land is not great, and their courtiers are relatively few in number, although they are not isolationists like the Dragon Clan. The Phoenix were founded by the Kami Shiba, although the family of his first vassal, Isawa, generally run the affairs of the clan.
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[edit] Families
[edit] Shiba
The Shiba family was founded by the Kami Shiba. Shiba's descendants remain the Champions of the Phoenix Clan, although the line of succession has not always been inherited. For most of the clan's history, when a Champion died, the successor was chosen by Shiba himself, through the clan's Ancestral sword; at the death of a Champion, the sword would disappear and reappear with the person who would begin leading the clan.
When Shinjo scattered all of the clans' swords into the heavens, however, this method of selection was lost. When Shiba Tsukune ascended to Yomi to become Fortune of Rebirth, the Elemental Masters refused to accept her son as Champion, and instead decided to appoint the new champion themselves.
[edit] Isawa
Isawa was a great scholar and sorcerer before the Kami fell to the earth. When Shiba came to him to ask for his help, Isawa refused without a pledge from Shiba to protect his family. In response, the Kami Shiba knelt before Isawa and gave him that promise.
Currently, the Isawa use this promise to retain control of the affairs of the Phoenix clan. The Shiba control the armies, but even this is done under the direction of the Isawa. There are those in the Shiba family who would argue that the kami did not promise subservience, but these are greatly ignored by the Isawa. There are those in the Empire who would argue, especially after the Clan Wars, that the Shiba need to do a better job of protecting the Isawa from themselves, but they generally make sure that the Phoenix do not hear their comments.
[edit] Asako
Asako was the second follower of Shiba who was granted her own family within the clan. And since the death of Shiba, there has been a bitter rivalry between the Asako and the Isawa, for after his death, the spirit of Shiba visited Asako, not an Isawa, to explain to her the ultimate secrets of Man. The Isawa were furious when they learned of this, and tensions between the two families have been very high throughout the thousand years since.
[edit] Agasha
Agasha was actually a follower of Togashi, the founder of the Dragon Clan, not Shiba. But after the immortal Dragon Kami died fighting Fu Leng in the Second Day of Thunder, Mirumoto Hitomi took the leadership of the clan. Hitomi was being driven mad by the influence of Onnotangu, and began killing all of the followers of Togashi who refused to take her name instead. The great majority of the Agasha family saw her madness and refused to take part in her destruction of her own clan. They left the traitorous Hitomi, and the Phoenix, who lost a great number of their own shugenja during the Clan Wars, were more than happy to take them in.
Not all of the Agasha left the Dragon, however. For almost thirty years, each clan had a family named Agasha. That changed when Emperor Toturi I gave the Dragon Agasha the new name "Tamori". This was a move the Emperor was forced into as a part of his truce with Hantei XVI. The largely-defeated Hantei took great joy in having the Dragon rename one of their families after a man they considered to be a traitor.
[edit] Schools
[edit] Isawa Shugenja
The Isawa Shugenja are the Phoenix for which the clan is known. They are considered by many to be the most versatile in the Empire, because unlike most families, whose shugenja schools focus on a single element, the Isawa Shugenja have different teachers who will allow a student to focus on any of the four elements.
[edit] Isawa Tensai
The Tensai are a severely specialized brand of shugenja. Whereas most shugenja schools focus on one element especially, the Tensai focus on one element exclusively. An experienced Tensai will be among Rokugan's most powerful shugenja within his element of expertise, but incredibly weak in the other elements.
[edit] Isawa Ishiken
The Ishiken are unique in the empire. They can be considered the fifth group of Tensai: specialists in Void. Void is a jealous master, and not just any shugenja can cast even the most basic Void spells. It takes special training as well as innate ability.
[edit] Shiba Bushi
The basic troop of the Phoenix lands, the Shiba Bushi are some of the Empire's most contemplative warriors. They train closely with the Isawa and have learned much from their experiences, including how to focus their inner strength to a level unparalleled in the Empire.
[edit] Shiba Tejina
The Shiba Tejina are a unique blend of magic and artistry. They are masters of illusory magics and are known for works that often surpass the Doji artisans in beauty, if certainly not in duration.
[edit] Shiba Yojimbo
Because of Shiba's promise to protect Isawa's family, the Shiba have one of the oldest and finest yojimbo schools in Rokugan. Each Isawa shugenja generally has a yojimbo personally sworn to protect him or her for the remainder of the pair's lives. Because of this, great interest is taken in this school by both families.
[edit] Asako Courtier
The Asako house the only courtier school among the Phoenix families. The Asako courtiers compose the lion's share of the Phoenix's ambassadors and diplomats.
[edit] Asako Henshin
The Henshin are a monastic order unique to the Asako. They study the mysteries of the universe, as passed down to them from Asako herself. Asako gained the knowedge from Shiba, who came to speak with her through his son after he died defending the original Seven Thunders. They gain great power through knowledge of riddles to which the universe itself responds. For most of their history, they used these riddles to bend the universe to their will, but it has recently been shown that this was a false path, so now the riddles are used primarily for the entertainment of the universe, not the power of the Henshin. The end result, however, is largely unchanged.
[edit] Agasha Shugenja
The Agasha are still not completely accepted or trusted by the rest of the Phoenix, so their shugenja school remains somewhat outcast. Despite their development of multi-elemental magics, the Isawa family does not trust them, and they certainly do not rely on the Agasha.
[edit] External links
- The L5R Wiki - The Phoenix Clan Phoenix Clan information on L5R Wiki.
