| “ | 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 soldier. He is an aspiring knight, and one of the last surviving members of House Hillegas. He is taking strides to reclaim his ancestral lands of the Barony of Zollern, in the former Kingdom of Lordaeron and to rebuild what little remains of his House. Currently, he serves Lord Alexander Grayson of The Eastern Pinnacle as a soldier.
Personality & Beliefs
The middle-aged Mercenary is only just beginning to mature. Having become twenty-seven years old only just recently, he has seriously begun to consider his adult life. He is still brash in his decision making and is more an impulsive risk-taker than he is a cautious thinker. Often times, he is quick to anger as he subconsciously clings to the ways of a younger kid who could get rough, and tumble with up-and-comers in society. He doesn't take kindly to insults, nor being ignored during times of crises.
Inter-personal relations are all but non-existent with Mister 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.
When his family and friends were slaughtered in a recent 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 will take time before this man can 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 the Holy Light, Burchard has never much been a pious man. 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. 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 thinker, 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.
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 basketball 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. In addition, he stands over six feet tall, and is probably closer to seven feet tall than five.
Outside of the armor, Butch prefers to wear blues 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.
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.
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. With such an isolated upbringing, Burchard does not have many friends or allies, nor connections anywhere in the world. Over time the protectors he viewed with such reverence have grown old and died.
Butch adventures, usually, as a sword-for-hire. He doesn't advertise his family often, instead passing himself off as a hedge knight or gladiator fighter. Commonly, his bosses are of the current nobility of Stormwind, Alterac, Stromgarde, Lordaeron and Gilneas. He will fight in their armies 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. Still, Burch would love nothing more than to regain honor for his family and take back their lands to begin his own personal, familial work. 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 blues.
As of recent, 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 slaughterfest, making the uprooted family nigh-on extinct and with barely eighty men to command in strength, nearly half of which are currently wounded.
Titles
Claimant to the Barony of Zollern
Burchard Hillegas is the primary claimant to the Barony of Zollern, a small holding in the lands of Lordaeron. The lands are currently not held by anyone, as they lie in the former Kingdom of Lordaeron. Efforts are being carried out to reclaim the lands in House Hillegas' name. It contains the primary holding of the Hillegas', Starkfeste, as well as the settlements of
The Tall
Burchard has gained the informal and non-legal postnomial 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.
House
Burchard is the current head of House Hillegas, a relatively minor noble family originally from the Kingdom of Lordaeron. The House never held much sway nor influence in the former Kingdom, but 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.
In their prime, they could only muster about one-hundred and sixty fighting troops to send off to war, and their tithe was but a measly one. There was much lumber on the barony's land, and a little bit of fertile land to produce crops. It was lumber and crops that made up the tithe the barony 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.
Relationships
Burchard Hillegas is currently in a relationship with Jacquelyn Reynolds. They met during their service together in The Eastern Pinnacle, and slowly bonded over shared time together. They served closely in the Barrens Campaign during Conquest, and currently reside in her apartment in Stormwind City's Cathedral District.
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