Kagura Botan

Botan’s story begins in the village of Gale Springs. He was born into the noble house of Kagura as the firstborn of Asagao and the family matriarch, Kikyo. Botan’s birth caused quite a stir as there hadn’t been a firstborn son within the Kagura family in over a century. Only firstborn daughters. And of course being the firstborn meant that Botan would become the head of the family after his mother and continue the family tradition, therefore setting high expectations for the little Comfey.
The Kagura family were practitioners of Ikebana and had become quite renowned for their artistic skill in flower arrangement. Botan, along with his little sisters, were made to follow in the practice. The young boy showed an exceptional talent for flower arrangement, much to his mother’s delight. But, young Botan would soon discover a new path.
When he was 13, Botan met Ryuusei, an old friend of his father and a ronin of Scorched Mountain who had been hired to keep the Kagura household safe. The young Comfey became utterly fascinated by the older Salamence and his stories of battling bandits and being a protector of the people. The young Comfey began to feel inspired by the ronin, who bravely put his life on the line for others. A fire was ignited in the boy’s heart. It wouldn’t be long before he begged Ryuusei to train him in secret and allow him to follow in his footsteps. The Salamence was reluctant, especially considering who his family was, but he eventually agreed after Botan wouldn’t stop begging him. And so the boy was taken under the ronin’s wing, creating beautiful flower arrangements by day, training in swordplay by night.
The secret training sessions continued well into the Comfey’s late teens, Even after an accident that left Botan partially blind in one eye (not training related). This never deterred the boy . How they managed to keep it hidden from the family was a mystery, but Botan knew this secret would come out eventually. He had been able to make excuses for any odd cuts or bruises without much issue when his younger sisters inquired, but he could tell that his mother Kikyo was becoming suspicious. Meanwhile, Ryuusei saw the young man’s potential as a warrior and believed it was time for Botan to go out and truly experience the life of a ronin. They were both aware this would be no easy feat. Being the heir of the Kagura family was an auspicious role with many expectations and Botan knew the risks. But, he knew only he could have control of his future.
On the eve of Botan’s 18th birthday, the Comfey gathered his family members together and announced his intentions to become a ronin and leave the Kagura household. Needless to say, the family was shocked. And without hesitation, Kikyo declared Botan was disinherited and he wouldn’t be considered a Kagura any longer. Seeing his own mother become cold towards him hurt the Comfey, but he knew this would happen as he was abandoning the family tradition. He could only continue forward now. And the next day, he and Ryuusei were off the travel across the Sun Empire.
Botan spent several years on the road with Ryuusei, helping anyone in distress and fighting off any troublemakers they came across. The fire in the Comfey’s heart continued to burn brightly as he felt content and like this was truly what he was meant to do. He endured many battles and suffered many injuries on the journey, but it never deterred Botan. However, it was after one particularly difficult battle with some bandits, Ryuusei sustained a very serious injury. Luckily, he would recover but, unfortunately it meant the end of their journey. The aging Salamence could no longer take up the sword and had no other choice than to retire from the life of a ronin. Botan could have continued on his own, but he felt perhaps it was time he found a place to station himself. The Comfey had always heard Scorched Mountain was a haven for samurai and the like, therefore he chose to settle there. Meanwhile Ryuusei decided to retire to Radiant Harbor.
Since then, Botan has resided in Scorched Mountain, acting as a protector and helping whoever comes to him

Likes- Flowers, Umami flavors, Sparring, Flower Arranging, Koto music, High quality sake
Dislikes- Spicy food, Being pestered while he’s working, Overly ambitious people, Household chores
-Voice claim: Mizushima Takahiro (Gawain from Fate Grand Order)
-Despite abandoning the tradition, he enjoys Ikebana and does it as a stress reliever.
-Anytime he ventures out of Scorched Mountain, he collects flowers to bring home and tend to.
-He absolutely adores his younger sisters. He still keeps in touch with them via letters and visits them from time to time.
-His mother acts cold and like he doesn’t exist when he does come to visit. Botan hopes she’ll come around one day.
-His face scar/partially blind eye did not come from a training accident. He dropped a very heavy and expensive flower vase on his face. He thinks it’s embarrassing.
-His body is riddled with various battle scars
-He visits Ryuusei in RH from time to time and they drink together.
-Has a little Surskit friend he calls “Ame-chan”