Characters

1., 2. What clan and family does your character belong to? If none, who's land do you live on or what clan are you loyal to?
• Dragon Clan, Mirumoto Family.

3. What is his or her character class (bushi, shugenja, courtier, etc)?
• Bushi

4. How would others describe your character's appearance?
• On the taller side of Rokugani average at 5’9”, he is as imposing as any Samurai in armor and wielding a sword. His mouth is on the edge of a smile that never quite seems to break. Black hair and brown eyes flecked with gold. His military past and casual nature causes him to eschew a topknot in all but the most formal of circumstances, preferring to tie back his long hair with string, lest he catch an arrow while preparing his topknot.

5. What is your character's primary motivation?
• Service. Born at the end of the War of Dark Fire and charged with guarding the Dragon Clan boarders during the War of the Twins, he was a soldier without a war. As the fourth son of the Daimyo, politics was not in his stars, and neither would be war. He finds ways to serve his clan and Empress in any way he can.

6. Who is the person your character trusts most in the world?
• His younger sister Kitsuki Sakura. They were close in childhood and continue to be so to this day. They share the knowledge that they are the least of a prestigious family and have always grappled with that together.

7. What is your character's greatest strength and weakness?
• His strength and weakness are both found in his single minded determination. Whether it be a duel, or a battle, his mind is focused on the task at hand. This makes him a deadly opponent and also blinds him to the deeper current of fate.

8. What does your character think of Bushido?
• Bushido is the life of a Samurai, especially a bushi. But his own ideas of honor sometimes conflict with what is considered general wisdom.

9. What is your character's opinion of his or her clan?
• His opinion is as divided as his clan. The Mirumoto and Kitsuki have a clear purpose and serve it. The Togashi and Tamori revel in the esoteric and spiritual. He believes this strikes a balance that has been important to the clan over the centuries, however it frustrates him more often than not in daily life.

10. Is your character married? Does he or she have children?
• While it has always been possible that he could be married off by his father for political gain, his status and the general position of his clan in the Empire have mostly precluded this outcome. He knows he would be largely left to his own devices when it came to marriage and family, but simply hasn’t found the time or a reason to pursue such matters.

11. Does your character have any prejudices?
• His sister always told him to be wary of Scorpions, especially when they request assistance crossing a river. The Phoenix are powerful, and more dangerously, confident in that power. Aside from these two lessons, learned firsthand during the War of the Twins, he holds no particular preconception of any clan. The Crane, and specifically the Kakita, hold his thoughts more than most others, but simply as worthy challengers and a way to test his skill.

12. To whom does your character owe the most loyalty?
• His loyalty is for his clan. He trusts that they will not make a decision that would endanger the Empire or Empress and therefore believes following their Will is also following the Empire’s.

13. What are your characters favorite and least favorite things?
• Shiro loves a challenge and abhors inactivity. He would rather climb a mountain with and arrow in his chest before sunset than meditate on a rock in a peaceful meadow.

14. Does your character have any recurring mannerisms?
• RLS. Whenever there is not a mission to complete, and enemy to fight, or at least something to occupy him, his leg bounces incessantly. While he is aware it happens it is not a conscious action, he must concentrate to hold still when bored.

15. What about your character's emotions?
• He keeps Samurai face when appropriate, however most of his life has been spent with his younger sister or in military camps, where normal etiquette is far less stringent than those of the Kuge or courts.

16. How would your character handle a subordinate's improper behavior? How would your character react to unfair treatment by a superior?
• He will rarely question the decisions of his superiors that concern solely himself. When he believes a tactical mistake is being made, or a member of his platoon is being unfairly treated, he will speak out immediately. He would rather rely on himself to navigate a poor decision than let someone else suffer for the mistakes of a superior.

17. How would your character's parents describe him or her?
• Shiro is a dedicated, honorable, and loyal son. He has accepted his lack of importance to the family with unusual grace, and perhaps prefers the life of a soldier than to that of a Daimyo’s son. He is also brash, strong willed, and can be disobedient, but only when he believes he knows better than his superiors (another flaw of the boy). He will either bring great honor on his family and Ancestors, or be its ruin…

18. What is your character's highest ambition?
• He once wished to rise through the ranks of the military, and one day take on the mantle of either the Emerald or Ruby Champion. Though as he reached his thirtieth year, he has finally realized that those ambitions will never be realized. Now he simply wished to find a way to distinguish himself among his family and clan.

19. How religious is your character?
• He is religious the way most soldiers are. A quick prayer that he fights well or dies honorably, and that’s about it. He has no particular love for any spirituality, but no animosity towards it either. It simply isn’t a factor in his daily life.

20. How would your character prefer to die?
• He would rather die bloody in battle than peacefully at home. He wants to die so that he is remembered.