Kagerou the Torch

A Fire kami played by Ben Schwartz in The Five Moons of Japan.
You are the chief shrinekeeper of Gaiden Shrine and also the oldest living kami in all of Nippon. Born 279 years ago from Amaterasu’s first ceremonial fire, you have great respect for wisdom and were once called “Kagerou the Phoenix.” One day when you were 19, you were taking shelter from a storm in a cave and met a Lightning kami named Hotaru the Firefly. The two of you became friends and, 20 years later, mates, siring triplets Taiyou, Sol, and Corona, currently known as the Sun Sprites. 10 years before Amaterasu’s disappearance, you also befriended a Wind kami named Zaku the Hawk, father of Tempests Typhoon and Kamikaze. You stayed with your family outside Amaterasu’s cave for the first 30 years after her disappearance, but 30 years later the Lunar Decrees were written and you were charged with protecting them at Gaiden Shrine. You continue to do so to this day. However, your friend Zaku became increasingly somber after Amaterasu and Susano’s disappearances and after the Fading of Tsunami, his first mate and mother of the Tempests, 150 years ago, started to go insane and became suddenly obsessed with his Wind powers. Despite understanding his situation, as Hotaru had disappeared 15 years prior, you were unable to help him. 
When he let his disturbed mind take control and began conjuring up storms with a steadily rising death toll, you finally confronted him. Having forsaken your former bond of friendship, the two of you fought. Neither of you emerged the victor, but the battle had clearly taken its toll on Zaku. Barely days later, you received word that the Tempests had left Nippon. Obeying the sliver of yourself that still wanted to help Zaku, you went out and searched for him. You found him Fading on a cliffside, battered, beaten, and with no more will to live. Still feeling mostly contempt for him, you glared down at his dying form as he looked up at you with a drunken crazed grin and said “Kagerou, my old friend…your Beat Form is incomplete, you know that? You’re a very special kami; your Beast Form is that of a fiery bird, but why have you Fire powers but not Wind? Listen…when I am gone, take my Beast Mask. Use it in conjunction with your own and you shall be able to access your latent Wind power. You’ll carry on my legacy, won’t you?” Still glaring, you wrestled with this concept in your head.
“You were corrupted, Zaku,” you finally replied “But you were also my friend.” With this ambiguous answer, Zaku Faded, leaving only the Hawk Mask behind. This was about 100 years ago. You still keep the Mask in the shrine, but you have chosen not to use it. Neither have you used your own Beast Form since your last clash with Zaku, and those outside of the other Rogue kamis believe you to have given it up altogether. Deciding to play along with this, you took the name “the Torch”, representing the passing of one generation’s wisdom to the next. This has lead you and the other rogues, particularly your new friend and resident Nippon historian, Kitsune the Fox, to accumulate all kinds of magical odds and ends that you enjoy studying. Every now and then, you wonder what became of Hotaru. You are aware of the high possibility that she Faded and, if that turns out to be the truth, you would be perfectly capable of moving on. In the meantime, you have become a caretaker and father figure of Miho, the orphaned Red Moon mortal girl who is the current shrine maiden.
Category:Characters
Category:The Five Moons of Japan