SC: As was revealed in this week's fiction, she is Nakamuro's younger
sister.
She and her brother do not always see eye to eye, and in fact Ochiai
often
sides with Taeruko over Nakamuro and Ningen.
RW: Ochiai will be explored in more depth as we move forward. The
Elemental
Masters were at their coolest in the Clan War, when they were more or
less
a family, if not always a happy one. In many ways we are moving back
to
that.
3. Was Isawa Izumi ever considered to be the next
Master of Fire?
SC: Yes, but we preferred to go in a different direction.
4. Taeruko is due for a change, any big plans for her
in the future?
SC: No comment! :)
RW: Wait and See!
5. Can you tell us more about Shiro Henka? How big,
where is it exacly on a map, to which Stronghold does
it compare too?
RW: Shiro Henka is just outside Honored Treaty City, location P18 in
Secrets of
the Phoenix. While not as old or as celebrated as the older
strongholds
I'd
say it is comparable to such moderately militant strongholds such as
Shiro
Shiba or Kyuden Ikoma, but probably not as defensible as Shiro
Daidoji,
Shiro Matsu or Kyuden Hida (at least not yet, and not for lack of
trying).
6. What happened to Agasha Hamanari after the Rain of
Blood?
SC: He has awakened, but is still plagued by his gifts. He is only
marginally
aware of his surroundings, and is prone to long trances.
RW: Chieh is currently taking care of him and interpreting his
prophecies.
*And as reveal on AEG site, Norikazu is also helping him form Yomi.*
7. What are Aikune`s feeling toward Mirabu now that
Mirabu is the Champion? Does he consider Mirabu to be
his superior, equal or still just his Yojimbo?
RW: Well, Aikune is not back yet. When he returns you'll get a good
look
at how
he has changed and how he feels about what has changed within his
clan.
8. Are any of the Masters and Daimyo married? Do they
have any children?
SC: Most are not. Nakamura and Ningen are bachelors, and Ochiai is
likewise
unmarried. Taeruko had a husband and daughter, but both died long
ago.
Akiko, obviously, is married with a daughter.
RW: Yes overall they are quite the bunch of bachelors, which is quite
unusual
in Diamond where as a rule most important figures are married.
However,
they do have excuses.
Ochiai is relatively young still.
Ningen is a bit difficult to marry. Masters of the Void tend to be
somewhat
distant (though when they do form relationships, like Kaede did, they
maintain them with powerful devotion)
Nakamuro has been putting it off - he seems to be more interested in
maintaining diplomatic relations with the Tamori family for some
reason.
Taeruko, as Shawn mentioned, was married before and never really got
over
the death of her daughter in the War of Spirits.
Akiko, of course, has quite the noteworthy family. ;)
*Well I`m guessing that Chieh, Toshi and Mirabu aren`t married either*
9. Will Bairei and his apprentice Yuya get any more
story time in the future?
SC: I certainly hope so!
RW: Yes.
SC: Haha, I win!
10. What happened to the second "still tainted" black
scroll?
SC: It's in Gisei Toshi, at least for the moment.
RW: As well as the one that was purified.
*At the moment as in Iuchiban will have it(them?) in a story or 2*
11. What do most Phoenix families think about Kaneka?
SC: The Asako and Agasha are rather indifferent, as Kaneka doesn't
affect
them
very much. The Shiba are cautiously optimistic, and the Isawa don't
really
consider him worth their attention. If he manages to protect the
Phoenix
so
that they can continue doing their own thing, so much the better.
RW: I will add to this that some of the more traditional Phoenix are
mildly
irritated at his presence. The idea that the Emperor would "punish"
his
half brother by forcing him to be in a pacifist clan annoys them
somewhat.
Their philosophy is not a punishment, it is a way of life. Even so,
this
same minority of Phoenix will also abide by the Emperor's directives,
even
when, ESPECIALLY when, they disagree with them. After all, if it was
truly
shameful to force the Shogun to abide a pacifistic clan, the Phoenix
will
not compound that dishonor by publicly denouncing the Imperial
family.
They
will abide by custom, even if they feel that the Emperor has not done
so.
Again, this is a minority, but it is so uniquely Phoenix that it
bears
mentioning.
12. In his card Aikune carries a Katana in his obi,
is it the last wish? Did it change back into a
Katana?
SC: The exact nature of how Aikune and the Wish have changed will be
made
evident very, very shortly.
RW: Yes, that's not the Wish, though the Wish is in the picture.
*cougharmourcough*
13. Who`s your favorite Phoenix character? (old or
new) and why?
SC: I love that wacky Bairei. I have no idea why, he just sort of
wrote
himself
when I started working with him and he's been a blast every time.
RW: Picking from the characters I've worked on, definitely Aikune.
He's
one
Phoenix that I've really had a chance to watch grow as a character.
Aikune
is definitely one of those characters who occasionally seems to bust
out
and do things on his own that surprise even me.
Picking outside of the stuff I've worked on I have to say Tadaka.
Sure
that's everyone's pick but I find Tadaka's battle with corruption and
final
sacrifice on the Day of Thunder to be an incredibly touching story. I
mean,
the destruction of his fellow Masters was an incredible blow to
Tadaka -
these weren't just anonymous fellow clan members. Tomo was his
brother.
Tsuke was his friend. Kaede, his sister, told him what he was doing
would
doom his clan even if it saved the Empire and he made that choice
anyway.
After all the other masters fell, died, or disappeared, he picked
himself
up and battled Tsuke regardless, and went on to fight the greatest
evil
the
Empire had ever known despite the fact he was fatally wounded.
That's a hard act to follow.
*Cool my two favorite characters(Bairei and Aikune) are the writers top choices!*
And there you go.
Shawn Carman
L5R Story Team