Burchard Hillegas

Lord Burchard Hillegas
Duke Burchard S. Hillegas, the Bear of Lordaeron.
Race	Lordaeronian Human
Nation	Kingdom of Lordaeron
Born	November 3rd, 599 K.Y.
Titles	Duchy of Zollern
Beliefs	Shamanism
Signature
House	House Hillegas
Relatives	Sigismund Hillegas (Ancestor) Valerie Whittenne (Wife) Sigismund Hillegas II (Firstborn Son, heir)
Coat of Arms

“	Our House may yet still have traces of the Vrykul, for we are tall and strong. One of House Hillegas' men is worth ten of your men!	”
–A popular claim spoken by the braggadocios men of House Hillegas.

Burchard Sigeric Hillegas is a Lordaeronian duke and soldier. He is an aspiring knight, and one of the last surviving members of House Hillegas. He has also reclaimed his ancestral lands of the Duchy of Zollern, in the former Kingdom of Lordaeron. Currently, Burchard has proclaimed himself one of three heads of an independent government searching for a proper heir to the Kingdom of Lordaeron.

Personality & Beliefs

The middle-aged Mercenary is seriously beginning to consider his adult life, though he is still more an impulsive risk-taker than he is a cautious thinker. Often times, he is quick to rise for action rather than deliberate on long thoughts, for he was raised in a militaristic society. He doesn't take kindly to insults, nor being ignored during times of crises.

Inter-personal relations are all but non-existent with Lord Hillegas. Growing up, he relied on his family for advice and nurture. He never got to branch out and explore the world, as the family that fled from the Scourging of Lordaeron became rather isolationist in nature. He is shy around topics that delve into romance or rather personal affairs, as he was brought up chaste and with strong values on virtue and honor. As most of the family are now elderly or have already died, Butch finds his circle of inter-personal relationships rapidly closing in, and though the laconic man would not admit it, he is worried.

When his more of his family and friends were slaughtered in a mission gone wrong, Burchard returned home a changed man. He is a little quieter than usual, and is quicker to anger. He can be prone to bouts of absolute silence where he stares off with a thousand-yard stare. Clearly traumatized, it took some time before this man could open up to new people again. More so, Butch has also begun to question his belief in the Holy Light, cursing it's name and forsaking his belief in it.

Of faith and religion, Burchard has never much been a pious man in the first place. As a sellsword mercenary, Burchard is often partaking in acts that a holy man would never do, and he has committed crimes during war, such as killing women and children, robbery and perhaps more all under the banner of being a common mercenary in the past. He prays when he thinks it best, or when others in his company do so. He takes the Light in vain when he swears and is crass when he should instead be humble and chaste. He isn't a strong mentalist, so he never dwells on what religion is really all about and just views it as a force in the world like any other thing. Of course, Burchard's primarily religious belief is not even of the Holy Light, but instead the nature-worship of his Duchy.

Description

Burchard Hillegas is a large man. His body is toned by a lifetime of training from survivors of the Fall of Lordaeron, the primary focus of which being heavy armor conditioning and wielding a greatsword and shield, without trouble. He wears a size sixteen boot, wide fit. His hand can palm a person's head with ease. His armor is thick and heavy, commonly made for those who would joust, but it's light enough (for him) to use as regular armor. This heavy armor is twice the weight of traditional armor worn in battle, and has reinforced plate on it's breast, arms and legs. It is rather dull in design, with a simple gorget in the front and the whole set being a dull grey with accents of green. In addition, he stands over six feet tall, and is probably closer to seven feet tall than five. He weighs at least four-hundred pounds in mass, his body having been cultivated for strength and results, rather than vain appearance.

Outside of the armor, Butch prefers to wear greens and greys, or blacks and whites. His attire is often times simple rather than regal, as he has always been more humble about his appearance. He has gentle blue eyes on his warrior's face, with jet-black hair that is often combed back so it is not in his face. He sports a beard, usually, and keeps it close shaven so it does not get messed up when he dons a helmet. Some of his normal clothes are that of a workman's attire, for he is usually outside laboring in nature, or doing heavy lifting for others.

On his first mission with The Eastern Pinnacle, a boiling vat of scalding hot vegetable oil was dropped directly onto his face and body. It is by pure luck and miracle that Burchard did not lose his vision. Patches of his eyebrows and even small bits of his beard have not grown back properly since, giving him a further fierce and intimidating look about himself. He has a wild look in his eyes, and some refer to him as but a feral beat masquerading behind a nobleman's facade. All know that Burchard would rather be on the field of battle or traversing nature than ruling subjects.

Biography

Burchard Sigeric is a Hillegas. He is a direct descendent of his House's founder, Sigismund Hillegas, but now they are almost all gone, with Burchard being one of the last few from the patrilineal line. He grew up deep in the Elwynn Forest, away from popular society and relying on family members for education, training and everything else. He was only two or three when Lordaeron was destroyed. Over time the protectors he viewed with such reverence have grown old and died.

Butch adventures, usually, as a sword-for-hire. He will fight in the armies of the Grand Alliance and do their dirty work for pay, and will subtly spread word of his last name to get the name Hillegas into people's mind as a reliable one. Within his ventures, Burchard sells himself off as a man who can get a job done for low pay, his heavy armor often protecting him from blows and his greatsword tempered against many a foe. He displays no great colors, just dull grey and low greens. He has kept his familial ancestry of that of a white horse under a blue sky atop a green field, though today he is mostly associated with a bear, which he even sports upon his shield.

Once, Burchard led his House and his House's forces on a mission that was said to be a rescue attempt according to intel, on his father, the House's former Patriarch. Unfortunately, this mission was nothing but a cruel farce, and he unwittingly led most of his retainers and family into a slaughter-fest, making the uprooted family nigh-on extinct and with barely eighty men to command in strength, nearly half of which were wounded. It undoubtedly took time before Butch would gain the necessary courage to muster up forces to retake his ancestral homeland once more. Indeed, Burchard the Tall felt the familiar feeling of longing for one's homeland and the homesickness that ensues. He sought blessing from Lord Alexander Grayson, and had asked several organizations for aid in his endeavor, including the Remnant of Lordaeron. After setting off with the supplies granted by these allies of his, Burch had strayed from contact with the world at large while he had focused on his task.

Present Day

Currently, Duke Hillegas is working in the Duchy of Zollern to restore order and peace. He undertook a grueling campaign, marching his meager forces from Stormwind City by foot up into the Barony of Zollern, and with a series of conflicts and a hard-fought siege, won back the ancestral lands. Efforts had been carried out to cure the land of any Blight and taint of Undeath with resources granted by Stormwind Cardinal Niklos Adamant and the Remnant of Lordaeron - they were successful. His original people are few, and his veteran able-bodied soldiers fewer, but they are stalwart in the face of adversity and work ever onward. He has made political maneuvers to both renovate his House's land and update both his family and land's crests with simpler color schemes and design. Additionally, Burchard has granted land to mercenaries and other loyal supporters, further bolstering the duchy's population and economy. In the years during and after the Shadowlands, the peace that had been maintained, his land became healthy and stable once more.

It was in 638 K.Y. that Burchard married Miss Valerie Whittenne, having fallen in love with her in the year prior. Together, they live in the Duchy of Zollern and are expecting a son as their firstborn child. He won an election to be Lord High Marshal of Stormwind, but he soon resigned after doubt was cast over his loyalties. After that, Burchard abdicated his Stormwind territories to Valerie Hillegas and has worked to restore Lordaeron for the Alliance, rather than any focus on Stormwind.

Titles

Duke of the Duchy of Zollern

Burchard Hillegas is the Duke of Zollern, an isolated duchy in the lands of Lordaeron. The land is surrounded by mountain on three sides, and borders the Thondroril River on the other. It has a diverse ecosystem with a thriving wildlife. The people are resilient, and fiercely loyal to Lordaeron and to House Hillegas itself. Most produce, such as fruits and vegetables and dairy, are imported into the Duchy, for they can only sustainably grow dry crops and few regular resources. Instead, the people have an influx of seafood and a large source of hunting grounds for protein. The Duchy exports minerals, lumber and it's seafood and game.

The Tall

Burchard has gained the informal and non-legal epithet of 'The Tall' due to his larger-than-average physique by fellow soldiers and comrades-in-arms in his several engagements he has been involved in. He has made up his mind, that should he ever become knighted, that he will request his unofficial title to become his official knightly one.

Bear of Lordaeron

Due to his hunt-turned-taming of the largest bear he had ever seen on his land, the inhabitants of Burchard's barony, and his close friends and allies, have begun to affectionately refer to him as the 'Bear of Lordaeron', both for his feat of strength with his ursine companion, and his rather imposing physical physique. Indeed, his nickname has begun to manifest itself politically, for Baron Hillegas is staunchly loyal to his territory and his allies', loyal to his people, and harbors great anger for his enemies. The man also tends to give direct and terse responses, rather than eloquent speech.

House

Burchard is the current head of House Hillegas, a noble family originally from the Kingdom of Lordaeron. The House never held much sway nor influence in the former Kingdom, for they were not ones for politicking. However, their troops were well-known in Lordaeron as fierce, dependable and hardy fighters on the battlefield. It was said that one soldier from House Hillegas could be counted as ten soldiers from any other House in the Kingdom of Lordaeron, but whether this is fact or pure propaganda is up for debate. The people that hail from the House are hearty, strong men that usually have height and strength to their advantage. They were founded long ago, almost as old as Lordaeron itself, by Sigismund Hillegas. He was said to be an honorable gentleman, noble knight, and fair leader of his lands. An interesting difference between House Hillegas and Lordaeron at large, is that the House colors prefer to use Green-and-White, rather than Blue-and-White, though for formal occasions they will always fly a proper Lordaeronian flag.

There is much lumber on the duchy's land, and ores in the mountains, but only a little bit of fertile land to produce crops. Thus, it was lumber and ores that made up the tithe the duchy paid as tribute to the royalty of the Kingdom of Lordaeron. The loyal servants of House Hillegas fought in every conflict Lordaeron itself was involved in, earning a reputation for being loyal and honorable, as well as stalwart and mighty in battle.

During the Fall of Lordaeron, the Hillegas' put up a noble attempt to defend the people, but they were easily fought off and thrown into disarray. It was in Elwynn Forest that the Hillegas family became insulated from the outside, relying on only other nearby Lordaeronian refugees for help. During this period of isolationism, the House regressed from it's noble ways and lost practically all of it's recognition in Lordaeron, but some Lordaeronians may yet still recognize the name, even if they do not know exactly why. However, after the Stormwind Civil War of 634 K.Y., House Hillegas earned recognition for attempting to broker peace between Rebel and Loyalist, as well as the reclamation of the Duchy of Zollern in Lordaeron.

Relationships

Wife

• Duchess Valerie Abel Whittenne-Hillegas is the loving wife of Burchard. They met years ago through mutual friends and ended up serving on campaign alongside one another whereupon their friendship first blossomed. It wasn't until a hunting trip some time after their initial meeting that Burchard and Valerie admitted feelings for each other.

Mentors

• Lord Alexander Grayson has been an idol and almost father-figure for Burchard Hillegas, having helped trained and teach the soldier during conflicts where they served together. Lord Grayson has also outfitted and bolstered Burchard, and for that, he is ever grateful.
• Lady Uozumi Silentgarden, prior to his month-long campaign, had been formally training the duke in the ways of Martial Arts, helping the grizzled soldier learn his own style and technique of fighting, 'The Stride of the Iron Giant'.

Ruler(s)

• Lord Alexander Grayson as the unofficial Lord Protector of Lordaeron for the Grand Alliance is Burchard's liege lord when it comes to matters of Lordaeron, as well as a staunch ally. Their lands directly border each other, and trade has flourished between them as a result.

Gallery

Burchard in his armor, somewhere in Zollern. (Art by Ayie_OlaerArt.)

Bold Burchard and his Big Bear Buddy, Adalbern. (Illustrated in combat by Zsanjani.)

A charcoal sketching of Duke Burchard, 634 K.Y. (nikicalma)

A color portrait of Duke Hillegas. (whyswan.)

Burchard and Valerie Whittenne posing in formal attire. (Vats9_9)

Lord Hillegas, somewhere in the mountains of Zollern. (NeonLab.)

Burchard commanding the Second Siege of Starkfeste. (NeonLab).

The Duke of Zollern in dire straits against Scourge forces. (NeonLab).

"Forest Ambush!" by NeonLab.

Burchard in formal military dress. (Ayie_OlaerArt.)

Duke Hillegas in battle for Zollern, 634 K.Y. (deti.)