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Kyuden Isawa

Kyuden Isawa

Kyuden Isawa 3

Kyuden Isawa (P9)

Kyuden Isawa (P9) in the Maryoku province [1] was the home of the Isawa family of the Phoenix Clan. It lay just to the east of the Mori Isawa, along the shore of the eastern sea. The castle seemed hopelessly weak in its defenses, but the great magics of its namesake protected it at all times. The castle housed the largest spell research library in Rokugan. Both the castle and the Library were burned to the ground in the Second Day of Thunder.

Protection[]

The walls that housed the Isawa family had been enchanted with runes, spells, and spirits to protect them from both magical and physical attacks. [2] [3] Though the castle seemed completely inadequate from a military perspective, and would-be attackers would find themselves sinking into the sand of the coastline, being crushed under the sea's mighty waves, and struck by mighty lightning from the heavens. [4]

Kaimetsu-Uo[]

The Towers of Isawa Castle

A tower

The one time in recorded history that the protections upon the castle had failed completely was shortly after the murder of Hida Osano-Wo. Kaimetsu-Uo, Osano-Wo's exiled son who would found the Mantis Clan, assaulted the castle in an effort to capture his father's killer, who, unknown to the Isawa, was hiding within. During that assault, the mighty lightning that usually protected the castle was instead unleashed upon it, throwing open the castle's gates. The Isawa immediately recognized the divine interference with their defenses and released the killer to Kaimetsu-Uo. [4]

The Isawa Library[]

Ruins of the Isawa Library

Ruins of the Isawa Library

The most important feature of Kyuden Isawa was its library, which occupied nearly the entire castle. The Isawa library dwarved all others throughout Rokugan in sheer volume, its monumental amount of available information completely unrivaled within the empire. The library was kept by dedicated Isawa librarians and scribes. [5] [3] Petitions to access the Great Library must bear the chop of at least a provincial daimyo to be considered. [6] It was composed by different libraries, such as the Library Resplendent, the Library Ethereal, and the Library Corporeal. [7]

History and Myth[]

In the Great Library were chronicled the history of the Empire, and the history and mythology of the Phoenix Clan. [8]

Magic[]

Nearly every spell ever casted within Rokugan had managed to find its way to the library at Kyuden Isawa. Each of these spells were painstakingly researched, cataloged, and controlled by the Isawa. Only certain individuals had access to the library, and those wishing to research there must obtain permission through the proper channels. As spell research was a never-ending science, there was an entire branch of Isawa librarians dedicated to keeping the library neat, organized and up-to-date. [4]

The magical protections placed upon the library were nearly as powerful as those placed on the castle's walls. [4]

Other libraries[]

Each Isawa family castle had a library of its own. These libraries were patterned after the main library at Kyuden Isawa, and were always smaller. These branches generally contained only copies of the knowledge contained within the great library at Kyuden Isawa. [9]

Other notable locations[]

Council Chamber of the Masters[]

Council of Five meeting table

Council of Five meeting table

Deep beneath Kyuden Isawa laid a chamber shaped by the countless Masters of Earth over the centuries. It only contained a large table shaped from the marble of the stone floor. Upon the table were the symbols of all five elements, and a single chair at each element in which the Elemental Masters sat. The Council of Elemental Masters meets roughly once per month. [6]

Earth School of Wizardry[]

The School of Earth Tensai was located within a series of caverns deep beneath Kyuden Isawa. [10]

Dojo[]

Located just south of Kyuden Isawa lies the Dai-Chikai Dojo, where the yojimbo needed to protect the Isawa are trained. [11]

Grove of the Five Masters[]

Grove of the Five Masters

Grove of the Five Masters

Near the Garden of No Mind was located the Grove of the Five Masters, [7] a garden where the Elemental Masters and others approved by them might visit and relax peacefully. This place had been planted by Naka Kuro. It had served as a place of learning, a symbol of hope. [12] The Elemental Council had since declared the place sacrosanct. A great deal of the Grove was destroyed in 1165 when Iuchiban loosed the Kusatte Iru on Kyuden Isawa to prevent the masters from going to the Siege of Gisei Toshi. [13] It was not yet known to what extent the Grove has been rebuilt.

History[]

Isawa Palace

Isawa Palace

Winter Court - 1120[]

In 1120 Kyuden Isawa hosted the Imperial Winter Court. The Lion Clan Champion Akodo Toturi and Ikoma Shotai thwarted a plan to assassinate the Emperor Hantei XXXVIII. [14]

Plague[]

In 1123 the Darkfever Plague struck the Phoenix lands, and even the capital was affected. [15] It ended when a group of clever magistrates found the source, Kuzushi no Oni, and killed it. [16]

Burned[]

Burning of Isawa Palace

Burning of Isawa Palace

In 1128 in the Second Day of Thunder, the mad and corrupted Isawa Tsuke devastated the castle burning it. The castle was still in ruins in 1132. [17]

Mantis Invasion[]

Ruins of Isawa Castle

The Ruins of Isawa Castle

In 1132 the palace was under siege of the Mantis in the Mantis Invasion of the Phoenix lands. [18] Its fate was determined upon a personal duel between Yoritomo Denyaku and a Shiba, won by the Phoenix. [19]

The Phoenix Children[]

In 1138 a spirit force led by Hida Tsuneo and assisted by Agasha Tamori, seized Kyuden Isawa. The children there, including those of the Elemental Masters, were taken hostage. [20]

War of Dark Fire[]

In 1171 the Army of Fire stormed the palace, but the garrison temporarily fought off the yobanjin invaders with the aid of the Elemental Masters. [21]

Winter Court - 1196[]

Kyuden Isawa held winter court in 1196, under the rule of the Empress Iweko I. [22]

Known Governors[]

Layout[]

External Links[]

Kyuden Isawa 2

Kyuden Isawa

References

  1. Secrets of the Phoenix, p. 96
  2. Roleplaying in the Emerald Empire, p. 239
  3. 3.0 3.1 Legend of the Five Rings, Third Edition, p. 296
  4. 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Way of the Phoenix, p. 109
  5. Way of the Phoenix, p. 30
  6. 6.0 6.1 Secrets of the Phoenix, p. 49
  7. 7.0 7.1 The Atlas of Rokugan, p. 142
  8. Midnight's Blood, p. 13
  9. Way of the Phoenix, p. 110
  10. Way of the Phoenix, p. 54
  11. Way of the Samurai, pp. 56-57
  12. Fires of the Hidden City, part 1, by Rich Wulf
  13. Fires of the Hidden City, part 3, by Rich Wulf
  14. Way of the Wolf, pp. 74-75
  15. Midnight's Blood, p. 6
  16. Legend of the Five Rings: Third Edition, p. 17
  17. The Storming of Morikage Castle, Part 3, by Ree Soesbee
  18. Clan Letter to the Phoenix #11 (Imperial Herald v3 #3)
  19. Clan Letter to the Phoenix #12 (Imperial Herald v3 #4)
  20. Imperial Histories, p. 220
  21. War of Dark Fire, Part V, by Shawn Carman
  22. State of the Clans, Part 5, by Nancy Sauer


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