“Power does not come from the heavens, my daughter. It comes from our hands, our minds, and our hearts. Never doubt that, for it is the greatest secret of the universe - we are not the servants of destiny, but the makers of the future.” - Isawa
Character Description
Katsuko’s features are pretty, but stern. Her long black hair is typically worn up in a simple bun, secured by two simple jade hair sticks. Her eyes are deep brown, hidden beneath a brow often furrowing in contemplation. She wears no makeup, even at court, deeming it easier to instead don a mask. Overall, she has little patience for court intrigue, but will suffer through if it’s worth her time.
Character Story
Born with a prodigious connection to the elements, Katsuko began her schooling as a shugenja from an unusually young age. A direct descendent of Isawa, founder of the Phoenix Clan and Master of all four elements, young Katsuko was often visited by her ancestor - first in dreams, but as her skill progressed, in waking visions - guiding her to ever greater purpose.
As she grew older, Katsuko excelled in her studies - quickly outsripping other students her age. Noting both her ancestry and her particular proficiency for the art, The Elemental Masters saw that she was entered into the tutelage of the Fire Tensai. Katsuko, perhaps mirroring her ancestor’s distaste for such spiritual single mindedness, chafed at the idea of only pursuing mastery of one Element. After much discussion, it was agreed to allow Katsuko to continue with her normal studies at Mori Isawa. There, with the guiding presence of her ancestor, Katsuko rapidly advanced through her studies, taking little time for leisurely pursuits outside of the occasional game of go.
At the age of 13, she was selected to attend the Topaz Championship. At the tournament, she called upon the fury of Osono-wo to thwart an attack by several maho-tsukei. While she didn’t win the martial-focused championship, her feats earned her great admiration and recognition - especially among her own clan present at the tourney..
Knowing well that all of her achievements were a direct result of her breadth of knowledge, Katsuko became more deeply absorbed in her studies. Many nights she would sleep in the library, much to the chagrin of her teachers. Still, they were impressed, and gave her access to the vaults beneath Kyudin Isawa. Soon, she found scrolls documenting the power of blood magic. This discovery sparked in her a realization that in spite of her Clan’s vast collection of scrolls and tomes, many mysteries remained. She resolved to travel to the lands of other Clans and learn what she could.
With her sensei’s permission, Katsuko first travelled west to the Dragon Clan’s mountain strongholds, where she studied the Tao with Togashi’s order. Deeper readings of Shinsei’s teachings bore little fruit, however, and she left after few months for Scorpion lands, where she was sure she would find more explicit answers.
(I’ll tie this into the adventure story when we commence.)
