Bertrand

Information

Player: Karunzo

Character Full Name: Bertrand Bouchard

Character In-Game Name: Bertrand

Association(s): Church of the Holy Light, The Alliance.

Race: Human

Class: Priest

Age: 62

Sex: Male

Hair: Gray

Eyes: Brown

Weight: 150 lbs.

Height: 6'

Appearance

Bertrand Bouchard is an aged, frail man usually found dressed in robes made of a predominantly black color interwoven with a bright trim. He is bald, with a neatly trimmed gray beard of average length. To cover his bald head and protect him for the burning rays of the Elwynn sun, Bertrand usually wears a dark chapeau.

Personality

Bertrand Bouchard is a man driven by his ideals. He is a firm believer in the way of the Light and values the teachings of the Church greatly. Though over the years he has also developed his own set of ideas on how to better the world. In Bertrand's vision, the people are the most important part of a better world and thusly he has dedicated himself to building a stronger connection to the people. Bertrand is a caring figure, that wants nothing more than to see utopia become reality.

History

Bertrand Bouchard was born in Stratholme, to the poor, but loving couple of Amalia and Eugène Bouchard. He was the first product of their love, in the years following his birth many more would join the Bouchard family. The marginal flow of income of his familial home forced Bertrand to pursue a job at an early age. Though noble labor was not spent on his little hands. Through the instructions of his father, the young boy became a pickpocket. And when his brothers and sisters became of age, he in turn taught them to be successful pickpockets. This illegal family practice kept the Bouchards afloat for a few years until their infamy put a dent into business.

As a young teen, Bertrand was forced to seek employment as the streets could no longer provide enough income to feed his family. He moved away from his family to the nearby farmlands of Lordaeron, where he was welcomed onto the Morris farmstead with open arms. The Morris family clothed and fed the young boy as payment for his labor and, out of the kindness of their hearts, sent a small stream of income to his family. The Morrises brought up Bertrand with a love for labor and taught him the basic principles of the Light.

At the age of 19, Bertrand met Emily Meyer, a priestess of the Light when she visited the farmsteads of Lordaeron to offer her aid. The two shared an instantaneous connection from the first moment they laid eyes on each other and their relationship quickly blossomed. When Emily left the farmlands, Bertrand joined her and moved back into the city. In Stratholme, Bertrand relocated to a small house near the docks and quickly found employment as a dockworker, offloading the various freights that came into the town's port to pay for his monthly dues.

In no small part due to his relationship with Emily, Bertrand felt a growing need to acquire more knowledge about the world. His quest lead him to the great library that was Alonsus chapel, where he would educate himself on the Light and various other, related subjects in his spare time. A mutual love for the philosophy of the Light, strengthened his connection to Emily, leading them down the path of marriage.

As a middle-aged, married man, Bertrand's life started to revolve around founding a family. But alas, as the years passed and Emily was unable to sire him a child, it would seem his desire would never be fulfilled. His frustration with the lack of offspring left a void in the man's heart and put a strain on their relationship. Eventually, Bertrand started to seek other ways to fill the emptiness and turned to the Light, joining his wife in priesthood.

Thanks to the vast knowledge and insight he had gained from both his wife and his personal studies, Bertrand was ordained as a priest at the age of 31, two years after having started his trials. His new career saved his marriage as it caused the couple to become separated for weeks on end. Time which they couldn't spend quarreling.

But even the pleasure Bertrand derived from giving joy to others could not mend the wound that the lack of an heir had left on his heart. And as the old wound started to sting once more, the man of faith again turned to the Light for an answer. He devoted himself to personal study once more and joined many of the priesthood's discussions about their philosophy. Inspired by the works of others, Bertrand decided to pen down his own thoughts on the Light and the role of humans in the world.

The progress on his book quickly came to a halt however when the Orcs invaded Azeroth and the Kingdom of Stormwind was destroyed. Bertrand joined the Second War, to his wife's dismay, and traveled to the battlefields of the Alliance in order to mend the wounded and aid the fallen. Though he never took part in the battles as a combatant, Bertrand saw his fair share of war terrors as a healer.

When Bertrand returned to his home in Stratholme, his experiences during the Second War had changed him. He devoted himself to rebuilding the Kingdom of Stormwind after the suffering it had to endure and convinced his wife to leave Lordaeron with him. Their journey lead them to Elwynn where they aided in the restoration of Northshire Abbey and afterwards headed further land inward as they trekked through the ruined villages, helping wherever they could.

Eventually, the couple settled in Westfall, for they decided it was most in need of their aid. Armed with the loving embrace of the Light, the duo set out to comfort the region's inhabitants and helped wherever they could. They were generally well-liked by the Westfallians and forged bonds with many of the farming families, including the Shores.

Being surrounded by children reawakened Bertrand's desire to have a child and once again the frustrations with his wife returned when appeared to be unable to grant his wish. For one final time, the man of faith turned to the Light, hoping to discover something that might fill the void in his heart. But there were no more distractions to be found. And finally, Bertrand realized his marriage with Emily could not grant him what he needed and he left his wife.

Bertrand retreated to Northshire Abbey where he devoted the rest of his life to the one thing that truly granted him peace: caring for others. Just like he had done in Westfall, Bertrand set out to aid the commoner and better life in the region. During one venture in the lands of Elwynn, a year after breaking up with Emily, Bertrand's heart was set ablaze again for the second time of his life. This time by a middle-aged brunette by the name of Daphne Rogers.

He started a relationship with this farm-woman in the hope that he could finally have what his heart desired. The couple were joined in marriage and lived together for five years before Bertrand's frustrations with the lack of a child once again forced him to leave a marriage. During his marriage however, Bertrand continued working on his book. His years of work, desire for a family and love for community would form the basis on which he based his own philosophy.

After leaving Daphne, Betrand once again relocated to the Abbey. There, he continued his work. But now that his thoughts were clear from personal strife, a recurring vision of utopia came to him in his dreams, a perfect world where all cared for another. Seeing this as divine inspiration, Bertrand considered it his duty to bring about this vision and started writing his book as a tool to direct the people towards this utopia.

In the last three years, Bertrand finished his book and started to convey his message to the people. He spoke to the priests first and discusses his ideas with them and slowly expanded to the common folk, giving sermons and lectures. After one such sermon, he became reacquainted with Joan Shore, daughter of the Shore family he'd met in Westfall. Now a full grown woman of twenty nine years old, the devout redhead managed to awake familiar feelings in Bertrand's heart. Swaying her with his words and ideals, the two soon started a relationship that culminated into a marriage after a year.

Joan joined Bertrand in his mission to spread his teachings to the world and together the couple has been traveling through the Kingdom of Stormwind, spreading their message about utopia.