The Princess

> "*I told you exactly what you needed to hear"* -The Princess
>
>

Common depiction in popular art

**The Princess**, formerly known as **The Wood-Walker** and **The Unifying Queen**, is one of the key Immortals of the Circle, formerly the leader of the Whitewood Republic.  She is known for her kindness, eccentric fashion sense.

## History

### The Woodwalker

Early on, the Immortal now known as the Princess wore no fine trappings, and took no station of leadership. In fact, ancient paintings depict her as being generally unwashed, with vines woven into her hair. In these days, records call her a name which is best translated to "The Sharer who Walks in the Woods", or, as shortened version, "The Woodwalker".

The Princess is responsible for building a small assortment of villages and nomadic tribes in the area now known as the Whitewood Polity, teaching the people there to cooperate and to use advanced technology she had access to to better their lives. Under her guidance, the people of this area built well irrigated farmlands which flowed with the land, surrounding large circular villages which emphasized togetherness, with stone homes to keep the elements out, wooden walls to keep the animals out, and eventually forges to smelt early iron tools. By the time the Shining Kingdom made it that far with its army, a bustling civilization was beginning to form.

Upon meeting the Shining Kingdom, which had outpaced the Whitewood Republic technologically with the help of Ironspire and the Great Engineer. The Princess met in parley with the leaders of the Shining Kingdom convincing them that, if they were truly interested in the world's salvation, it would be best accomplished with both conquest *and* cooperation. The point was raised that the Woodwalker should be the first to make such a cooperative move.

The resulting confederacy of nations began to form the earliest semblance of what would become the Gulf Coalition and later the Inner Circle. During this time the Woodwalker began to be known as the Unifying Queen and continued as such until she later abdicated her rule.

### Circle

Following the First Goran War and the full unification of the Inner Circle, the Princess in her role as the Unifying Queen joined into a ruling council with the Great Engineer and a number of now anonymous immortals from the lesser nations of the Circle. The Circle continued to grow and prosper under their rule as education, technology, and society surged forward and was shaped.

### Abdication

As the Circle began to delineate into the Inner and Outer Circle, the immortals began to create a bureaucracy to assist their rule. This organization was fostered and overseen carefully until it became what is today recognized as the Technocracy. The Immortals realizing their own predicted period of obsolescence was drawing nigh as the problems facing their nation were expanding beyond their own skills continued to hone the Technocracy until they eventually pushed the mortals to the point of demanding that the Immortal Council abdicate or take more responsibilities upon themselves. This was taken as demonstration that the mortals were truly ready as they would no longer be cowed by the mystique of the undying, and power was publicly turned over to them.

### Life as the Princess

Following her abdication the Wood Walker took the title of Princess as Queen could no longer be justified with her lack of ruler-ship. She put the centuries to use pursuing interests she had not been able to afford time to prior. She traveled the Eastern Block nations, learning from artists, dancers, and other masters of the schools that interested her. Even within the Circle itself she continued a path of self-indulgence and self-betterment, beginning to work within the universities and technical shops, aiding in the development of new products.

### The Great War

The Princess remained within the Circle during the Great War, operating as an interior minister and overseeing the logistics of the nation. He work included helping maintain social stability when rationing and shortages became a reality late in the war effort, a task her charm and diplomacy aided with greatly. It was during this time that she began to be known as Princess Alanna or among some higher stratum simply as Alanna. It is said the Broken Kingdom's immortal has been influenced by this and has begun to use a proper name in addition to his titles as well.

## Roles in the Circle

### Founding

The Princess was the founder of the Whitewood Republic, one of the most influential cultures to form the Circle, and was an early supporter of unification, providing much of the diplomatic and logistical support for the Shining Kingdom. Later, she was a major organizer of the Technocracy, and is still involved in it to this day.

### Education

The Princess was, during the late preclassical and early Classical Era, known as "The Teacher", for her involvement in widespread literacy and understanding of science. She is also an expert in abstract math and systems thinking. When the understanding of mortals officially outstripped her own, she later became an avid student, regaining her status within the Circle as a general master of these subjects.

### Diplomacy

The Princess is known for her ability to keep other Immortals from infighting, and prevented a number of minor wars from breaking out during the Classical Era. At the Council of the Undying, she was often the voice of cooperation and empathy, even earning the ire and respect of the Truest King for defending the Faceless Emperor from another's false accusation once.

### Advising

The Princess is said to give supernaturally impeccable advice, similar to the Truest King, but in a different vein. Rather than determining guilt or honor, she is good at hearing about a situation and saying the exact right things to improve it. This ability is utilized heavily by the Technocracy, though the majority of the advisement seems to be used to settle internal disputes.

### **Technology**

The Princess is also a major proponent of Circle technology, often thought to have been essential to the development of Lektrik as well as aiding the initial designers for many different inventions, including many of the farming and transportation implements; the refined versions of which are still used to this day.

## Personal Life

The Princess is something of a minor celebrity, living in the public eye of her citizens.

### The Court

The Princess still holds court as she once did in the days before the Technocracy was fully established. Now, however, these courts are less regular, and are more places to enjoy the Princess's company and ask her for advice. She is an excellent conversationalist, entertainer, and dancer, a libertine who can be clever and spontaneous, and a good listener who gives impeccable advice.

### Artistic Endeavors

The Princess is well known outside of governance for her artistic endeavours, having created several drawn characters which are popular in the Circle. Her art is noted to have an aesthetically pleasing, if minimalistic and slightly surreal, quality to it.

### Tomfoolery

The Princess is known for her antics, which include throwing sudden parties, practical jokes, making music, and a general enjoyment of life. Sex is part of this, her prowess in which is highly respected in several nations. At the peak of this, she's been known to have

### Relations with Other Immortals

The Princess is close with any Immortal who she can have regular access to. She's been known to send gifts to the Truest King, have tea with The Phoenix, and even sends informal letters to The 14th Councilmember and The Faceless Emperor, the latter of which sound almost *pleasant*.

## Madness

The Princess falls into periods of semi-functional madness, engaging in mass-hedonism, lying on floors claiming to be dead, and in general behaving in a less than dignified or diplomatic manner. These periods seem to follow times of great stress or stints of being deemed of no further use by the Technocracy. While these times of weakness haven't been fully kept from the public, the severity of some of the worst episodes have generally been kept hidden out of concern for the Princess's well-being, both by the Technocracy and allied immortals.