Isawa Mori
The Isawa Woodlands were the reason for the Phoenix Clan choosing to settle in this part of Rokugan. The wood of the Isawa forest had a particular quality that was particularly beneficial for their shugenja’s scrolls. The forest had the distinction of being one of the largest in Rokugan, second to Shinomen Mori. Although far less hazardous than Shinomen Mori, the Phoenix woodlands were a place of mystery and arcana. Most of its areas were unexplored and some locations were haunted by malevolent spirits as well as beneficial creatures. The wood from this forest produced powerful scrolls and the shrines built using the lumber from the forest almost always attracted the Fortune’s favor.
It enclosed the Phoenix lands to the north. Kuroi Mori, also knew as the Black Forest, is the innermost northern portion of the Phoenix woodlands. It was a black area of dead trees surrounded a hidden manor house deep within the Isawa Woodlands.
There were many passages through the Mori Isawa, but most were hidden by the kami of the forest. Most passages were smaller paths, but two large roads run through the forest, from Kyuden Isawa to Kyuden Asako and to Aojiroi Oku Shiro. Like most of the paths, these roads were hidden to anyone who was not of the Phoenix Clan. This was one method of protection and defense that the Isawa had developed over time.