Shinorutei

Typically Called Noru (by her friends), Shinorutei Dantaoji

From Heretic's Reward

Setting: Medieval/Renaissance blend kingdom, European-esque but with a slight Japanese influence; Noru does a lot of sailing, and also spends many years in a royal palace

Relationships: Married to Queen Imau II, who won her love after great effort and persistence; mother of King Kenshin II, to whom she is a devoted and very rational parent

Personality: Practical, calm, and candid; cool under pressure; likes to make deadpan jokes

Profession/Abilities: Noru grew up as a sailor on her father's merchant ship, and is a skilled seawoman. She also acted as her son's regent after her wife the queen died but before the young new king was old enough to rule the kingdom himself; Noru doesn't feel she did a terribly good job at this, but she wasn't too bad. Once Kenshin was old enough to rule on his own, Noru went back to sea and took over the captaincy of her father's ship Yujuui Nikamoru.

Age: Married Imau at 23; became dantaoji (ruling monarch's spouse) at 24; son born when she was 30; widowed at 37; 57 in Heretic's Reward

Height: The tall end of medium

Build: Compact; narrow shoulders; small bust

Skin: Tan

Hair: Black (starts going grey in her late 30's); falls to mid-back, and she usually keeps it up in a high ponytail; long, uneven bangs; generally fairly ragged

Eyes: Brown

Clothes: The overgarment typically worn in this kingdom, called a shiiya, is a long, loose dress/tunic usually falling to the thighs or lower with full-length sleeves hanging from the upper arm or shoulder. A royal shiiya, which Noru might wear during her years as dantaoji and/or regent, is generally decorated with bands or stripes of different colors, often metallic, and has large, visible buttons on the sleeves -- see the only two royal shiiya I’ve drawn so far. Under the shiiya she would prefer tights or bare legs, and when she couldn't get away with bare feet would wear flat shoes like the ones in the first picture.

Akomerai sailors tend to wear a shiiya with nothing underneath but bandage-like wraps -- which wraps they also use in place of belts, to protect their arms and legs at need, to tie back their sleeves to keep them out of the way, and to gird up the lower half of the shiiya.

Noru likes to wear big earrings. After the death of her wife, she usually also wears a gold pendant with the symbol of the Baranor'mei royal family on a sturdy gold chain.