Bonfaaz Burntfur

Grand Clan Leader Bonfaaz Burntfur
Grand Clan Leader of the United Clans of the Charr
In office 13 November 1998 —
Clan	Clan Thraktok
Preceded by	Grekka Sharptooth
Born	12th September 1973 Lion's Arch, Kryta, Tyria
Species	Charr
Life mate(s)	Trella, Ereesta (deceased), Klera
Profession	Clan Leader
Religion	Charrian Fire Worship
Languages	Charrian

Bonfaaz Burntfur is the current Grand Clan Leader of the United Clans of the Charr, as well as being Clan Leader of Clan Thraktok and head of his family, Pack Burntfur. Genealogists have determined that Bonfaaz Burntfur and his pack are directly descended from Teerf Burntfur, a legendary warrior in Charrian history who led the initial assault on the Great Northern Wall, and helped to form the United Clans of the Charr.

Early life

Bonfaaz Burntfur was born in the sacred grove of Artmis just beyond the city walls of Lion's Arch, which is a common tradition in the Burntfur pack, on 12th September 1973. He was part of a litter of four pups, Jerrthok, Veroth and Kutraa, the latter being a female. As a young pup he was noted for being surprisingly docile (for a Charr) and many feared that he might grow up to become the runt of the litter, despite being half a pound heavier than any of his siblings at birth.

Once he entered primary education at Lion's Arch The'mo School, however, he was found to be an intelligent Charr with a keen grasp of literature and history in particular. His school life was unremarkable, aside from consistently high grades, although he was champion of his school's Charr'ko team during secondary education which somewhat allayed his father's fears that he might be weak.

Bonfaaz Burntfur excelled during his rite of ascension, successfully defeating two devourers during the course of hunting down his prey, and upon becoming an adult chose to continue his education. Attending Lion's Arch University he received a masters degree in Charrian military history, natural history and political science, and immediately signed on to join the Charrian Horde as an officer.

Election

It is not common knowledge that Bonfaaz Burntfur did not actually desire the position of Clan Leader; he was thrust into it by his family and his own conscience. The leader of Clan Thraktok (Grekka Sharptooth) was at the time being accused of dishonourable conduct by the media, who had uncovered evidence of him defiling the life mates of his colleagues, condoning routine torture of the human population (who were, at the time, imprisoned), and releasing false economic statistics to the general public in efforts to hide government ineptitude. As the calls for his resignation grew in number and volume, finally Clan Traktok held a general election to replace him. Bonfaaz Burntfur used his position as an officer in the Horde to apply pressure to the leader, who Burntfur found to be morally repugnant, and is considered to be one of the key influences in forcing a general election.

Pack Burntfur promptly nominated Bonfaaz for the position, and as his nomination was supported by his father Bonfaaz had no choice but to accept the nomination for fear of insulting his father's honour. Thanks to his exposure before the election as a campaigner for justice, and additional canvassing on the part of his family, not to mention his status as a direct descendant of Teerf Burntfur, the election was a landslide victory for him. Burntfur begrudgingly accepted the role, and became leader of Clan Thraktok, and automatically became Grand Clan Leader of the United Clans of the Charr in 1998.

Reform

Upon his instatement as Grand Clan Leader, Burntfur almost immediately began a series of sweeping reforms designed to restore honour to the Council of Clans. Numerous Clan Leaders were found to be implicated in dishonourable acts, and Burntfur promptly encouraged their respective clans to elect new leaders - and Burntfur personally nominated several of their replacements, particularly his close friend Klarr Viletooth.

With the government secured from dishonour, Burntfur began reforming public services such as the education system and the rescue services, which he found to be inefficient and largely unfair. He spearheaded several major economic reforms, which, over time, enabled the United Clans of the Charr to become one of the strongest and most stable economies in the world. Present economic prosperity is largely attributed to Burntfur by experts.

By far his most controversial reform to date was the liberation of the imprisoned human population. After several long campaigns he was able to secure the support of the Council of Clans and in 2005 made an amendment to the Sacred Scrolls of Law which granted human residents of Tyria equal rights, and finally saw them released from their eternal incarceration. On top of this he made sure they were properly cared for on their release, with government-issued housing and sponsored education schemes. Despite widespread opposition to this move, most Charr have slowly begun to accept this - not least because of the economic boom Tyria enjoyed shortly afterwards. On the subject of human liberation, Burntfur was later quoted as saying, "it seems appropriate that as my ancestor, Teerf Burntfur, once liberated the Charr from human oppression, I should then liberate the humans from Charr oppression - bringing an end to centuries of oppression on both sides. He would be proud, I think."

In another controversial move, Burntfur brought the United Clans of the Charr out of its long-standing political isolation for the first time - accidentally as it turned out. A nation known as Crimmond picked up the large television broadcast that resulted as media covered the human liberation event, and made contact with the Council of Clans. Rather than ignore the opportunity presented to them, Burntfur invited the foreigners to visit Tyria and met with them at a military facility in the Crystal Desert.

As a result of this, the United Clans of the Charr quickly saw massive economic growth as an entirely new market was opened up to them, and Burntfur was given the credit. Even more importantly, this chance encounter with Crimmond sowed the seeds for a long-standing friendship, which ultimately allowed Burntfur to bring the UCC into a large alliance known as Gholgoth, amid great opposition.

Having overseen an honourable government, massive economic growth, numerous beneficial reforms to various public services, an end to Charr isolationism, the liberation of humanity and bringing the UCC into a powerful alliance and making them a force to be reckoned with on the international stage, Burntfur is often cited as being one of the most influential Clan Leaders since Teerf Burntfur himself.

Personal life

Burntfur had three lifemates; Trella, Ereesta (deceased), and Klera Burntfur. He has two offspring by Trella, four by Ereesta, and five by Klera.

Ereesta Burntfur died during childbirth on 30th May 2007, a tragedy which hit him harder than most people expected. Many of his closest friends have mentioned that Bonfaaz was closer to Ereesta than either of his other mates, and her death was a major blow. After her death he took the traditional two week mourning period off, temporarily leaving Klarr Viletooth as Grand Clan Leader, though even upon his return he still appeared somewhat dismayed. His other two lifemates remain married to him.

In his spare time, even now he is a keen practitioner of Charr'ko, and he enjoys reading ancient texts and historical research - he has quite a large collection of preserved books and old Charrian weapons in his pack home, including what is believed to be the actual golden battle axe wielded by Teerf Burntfur at the Battle of the Great Northern Wall. He is a keen student of history, and is often invited to archaeological digs by his old university, where he enjoys 'getting his claws dirty' and helping in the excavations.