Kasuga Hitsuko

Kasuga Hitsuko was a courtier of the Tortoise Clan.

Training
Hitsuko was the youngest child and the only girl in a group of five siblings who followed their parents into service as sailors. She had a glib tongue and was often described as too clever for her own good, and Hitsuko was trained as a courtier.

Naishou Province
In 1198 the Phoenix governor of the Naishou province died under mysterious circumstances. Crane and Scorpion Clans sent troops to claim the province as their own, while the Imperial Miya Ansho was appointed to re-establish peace in the area. He eventually considered assigning Naishou Province to a Minor Clan, and several Minor Clans chose Hitsuko to represent them in the Governor's court, as the way to work in concert to secure the province.

Lobbying
Hitsuko was an active force at court, making allies and enemies in equally large numbers. Two of those friends often accompanied her, Ichiro Oishi, who acted as her yojimbo, and Tonbo Denbe, who used his magic several times to help Hitsuko in court.

Blackmailed
Prior to coming to Naishou Province, Hitsuko secretly bore a child from a dalliance at court, abandoning the infant at the door of a monastery. A blackmailer who knew of her secret began to send Hitsuko some anonymous letters requesting her mild demands to keep the matter secret.