Houhou



The Houhou is one of the most beautiful and majestic creatures that grace the mortal realm. They are ancient creatures, that existed even before the Fall of the Kami. It is believed they originated from the forest now known as Isawa Mori, and were named for the tribe that settled in the area and later became the Phoenix Clan. It is said that when the Kami Shiba first traveled the lands in search for the shugenja Isawa he ecnountered the houhou in the forest and befriended them and they passed on their wisdom to him. The Houhou are related to the fushicho spirits that protect Tengoku from intruders. They are believed to be practically immortal, although they perish each sunset only to rise again the following sunrise. If killed the houhou rises again the following morning. There are no known ways to permanently destroy the houhou, and no honorable samurai would ever try. There are rumored to be some dark rituals known to the bloodspeakers that might destroy a houhou, similar to those used to kill the last ki-rin to create the Rain of Blood. If such a ritual existed the Phoenix Clan would stop at nothing to have any trace of it destroyed. Houhou appear as birds of brilliant flame, and the only parts of their body that seem at all solid are their talons, allowing them to perch upon objects without setting them alight. (CoR3E pp. 116-117)