Asako Kinuye

Asako Kinuye is a small and beautiful woman with a serene and charming demeanor that leads others to underestimate her ruthlessness. 

Dreams of a dark world
Kinuye has always been able to dream of an alternate reality where Fu Leng sits on the Throne. This may or may not be what started her on her current dark path, where she is the leader of a Bloodspeaker cult hidden within the Phoenix.

The Rise and Fall of Iuchiban
During the recent coming of Iuchiban, Kinuye was somehow able to retain her cult's indepence. After the sorcerer's downfall, she was likewise able to avoid's Daigotsu's subsequent culling of Bloodspeaker survivors. The cell continues to be unbeholden to none, and both its members and herself consider themselves to be loyal to the Phoenix.

The War of Fire and Thunder
Kinuye engineered the recent war among the Mantis and the Phoenix, for reasons known only to her. It is possible she wanted to involve Isawa Sezaru on this conflict, causing him to loose his tenuous grip on sanity. More than once, she has expressed her desire to have Sezaru become a powerful Bloodspeaker leader.

She used The Wasting Disease to spread a deadly plague among a Phoenix village, then she had the Scroll planted on a Mantis ship, where it was soon "found" by the authorities.

Ironically, her cult "loyalty" may have led to its eventual downfall. During the climatic battle of the conflict, taking place on Phoenix shores, a group of Phoenix samurai joined the battle in a suicide run against Mantis forces and were seen using maho, leading to suspicions where previously there were none.

Recent events
These suspicions have led Master of Water Asako Bairei on her path. There is no confirmation yet, but it seems that Bairei has all but destroyed Kinuye's cult. Kinuye herself only survives thanks to Daigotsu Yajinden's intercession, and she owes him her life. Where does this leaves her peculiar brand of loyalty remains to be seen.