Chapter Four: Ludwig, The Hunts, Father Gascoigne, and Eileen
"Ohhhh.. What’s that smell? The sweet blood... Oh, it sings to me. It's enough to make a man sick."
–Father Gascoigne
When we as players are first thrust into Bloodborne we do not deal with eldritch monstrosities, horrible truths, or inconceivable entities beyond the reach of space and time. None of these facets of Bloodborne were ever included in promotional material. The terrible truth of Bloodborne’s Lovecraftian Mythos was kept a secret up until its very release. What we first find is the Hunt, thrust into it scared and desperate for answers.
For starters, I will use only information and evidence that can be found inside of the game. I will save my personal interpretations and beliefs for the end, so that you can make up your own mind about the evidence presented.
In Yharnam, blood flows like water. You will find no bars in Yharnam, no pubs or taverns. Only blood is found in Yharnam. The Pungent Blood Cocktail tells us: "In Yharnam, they produce more blood than alcohol, as the former is far more intoxicating." Blood is the source of pleasure, entertainment, worship, and devotion in Yharnam. Even Arianna, a prostitute by trade, introduces herself to the Hunter not by offering sexual services, but instead a vial of her blood. But it’s not just any blood that flows through Yharnam; only blood permitted by the Healing Church is allowed to flow. The Old Blood, specifically the blood of Ebrietas, is administered to the population by special doctors known as Blood Ministers, who carry on an art that was first pioneered by the First Vicar, Laurence. We’ve already discussed how Ebrietas gets her name from a species of butterfly, but she also gets her name from a latin word meaning drunkenness or intoxication. Indeed, the blood of Ebrietas not only aided to cleanse Yharnam of disease but also provided the citizens with a drug more addictive and more intoxicating than alcohol. But with the rampant spread of the Old Blood came the Scourge of the Beasts.
Once Old Yharnam had been cleansed and knowledge of the Scourge became public knowledge, a new way of dealing with the threat was required. Secrecy would no longer be enough, and so the Workshop was retired and sealed. Instead, with the Healing Church in its new position of power, the Healing Church Hunters were born. At the forefront of this new movement would be Ludwig, the new head of the Healing Church’s martial force. Gehrman tells us the following: "The Healing Church and the Blood Ministers who belong to it were once guardians of the hunters, in the times of the hunter Ludwig." According to the Sword Hunter Badge: "Ludwig was the first of many Healing Church hunters to come, many of Whom were clerics." Not much is known of Ludwig’s origins, but from his Radiant Sword Hunter Badge we learn that Ludwig was part of a lineage of chivalrous warriors known as the Holy Blades: "The radiant sword indicates the heirs to the will of Ludwig. These hunters, also known as Holy Blades, are what remains of an ancient line of heroes that date back to a very early age of honour and chivalry."
Ludwig had a very different approach to hunting beasts than his predecessors in the Workshop had, which we can see from the details found in the weapons of choice of Healing Church Hunters.
A trick weapon typically used by Healing Church hunters. It is said that the silver sword was employed by Ludwig, the first hunter of the church. When transformed, it combines with its sheath to form a greatsword. The Healing Church workshop began with Ludwig, and departed from old Gehrman's techniques to provide hunters with the means to hunt more terrifying beasts, and perhaps things still worse.
–Ludwig’s Holy Blade
A rifle typically used by Healing Church hunters. It is said that this rifle was employed by Ludwig, the first hunter of the Church. Its long, heavy barrel makes up in range for what it lacks in reload speed. Ludwig's Rifle exhibits several departures from the workshop's design, suggesting that the Church anticipated much larger inhuman beasts.
–Ludwig’s Rifle
From these two weapons we can see a drastic shift in design from Gehrman’s Workshop to Ludwig’s. While the Hunters of Gehrman’s time favored agile weapons, quick movement, and easily concealable tools, Ludwig’s Hunters wielded weapons with great force. These Hunters no longer hid in the shadows, they walked openly, wielding their weapons. After Old Yharnam, it had become painfully clear to the Healing Church that only more and more dangerous creatures would arise from the Old Blood, and so more powerful weapons would be required.
Ludwig sought to deal with the Scourge of the Beast in a very different manner than his predecessors. In the time of Laurence and Gehrman, the Healing Church and the Workshop operated in secrecy. The School of Mensis quietly researched, Laurence perfected Blood Ministration, and Gehrman’s Hunters acted as a clean-up crew, fixers of problems. An individual would succumb and the Hunters would quietly remove them in the middle of the night, leaving the population none the wiser.
With Ludwig however, a new approach was taken: Do not ignore the populace; arm the populace. We see this from the Yharnam Hunter Attire: "Ludwig, the first hunter of the Healing Church, once recruited Yharnamites to serve as hunters. This hunter's attire was made for new recruits, and has excellent straightforward defense. But not nearly enough to allow an ordinary man to stand any real chance against the beasts." Ludwig would deal with the beasts not through secrecy, but through purges or Hunts. Arm the population, inform them, and work alongside the citizens of Yharnam to battle the beasts. The Church called for the Hunts.
It would, unfortunately, cause a sort of never-ending cycle. Beasts rise, in order to combat the Beasts the citizens rise up, imbibe in the Old Blood, and strike them down. Now that they’ve been tainted by the Old Blood they inevitably become Beasts, causing more citizens to rise up and imbibe in the Old Blood. Even more problematic was the fact that as the Hunts called for stronger Hunters, stronger Hunters would become stronger Beasts: "Ludwig was the first of many Healing Church hunters to come, many of Whom were clerics. As it was, clerics transformed into the most hideous beasts."
Hunters would become drunk on blood, addled by it, intoxicated by it. The Hunters would become a threat. And so it was that we find ourselves now faced with a different group, one that seems to be particularly mysterious: The Hunters of Hunters. In Central Yharnam the Hunter encounters Eileen the Crow, who warns them sternly: "Prepare yourself for the worst. There are no humans left. They're all flesh-hungry beasts, now." It’s the polar opposite of Djura’s warning, that the beasts are still humans. Eileen belongs to a mysterious organization known as the Hunters of Hunters, detailed in the Hunter Rune: "This red-smudged rune means "Hunter," and has been adopted by those who have taken the Hunter of Hunters oath. These watchmen admonish those who have become addled with blood. Be they men or beasts, anyone who has threatened the pledgers of the "Hunter" oath surely has an issue with blood."
The Hunters of Hunters, it would appear, are an order old as the Workshop itself, tasked with disposing of Hunters who have been lost to the intoxication of the Old Blood. The Crow Hunter Badge tells us: "The badge of the Hunter of Hunters is quietly passed down from generation to generation, usually to an outsider from the hinterlands." The use of the singular an outsider seems to imply that there is only ever one Hunter of Hunters at any one point in time, once a generation. It is interesting that it specifies that the Hunters of Hunters are typically outsiders. Eileen herself speaks with an accent unlike a Yharnamite. Perhaps, whoever the Hunters of Hunters are, it was decided that Yharnamites, blood-drunk that they were, were not to be trusted with this important task.
But it’s the Hunters of Hunters origin that interests me the most. Where on earth did they come from? The Crowfeather Attire gives us a small amount of information: "Hunters of Hunters dress as crows to suggest sky burial. The first Hunter of Hunters came from a foreign land, and gave the dead a virtuous native funeral ritual, rather than impose a blasphemous Yharnam burial service upon them. With the hope that former compatriots might be returned to the skies, and find rest in the Hunter's Dream." The explicit mentioning of the Hunter’s Dream is very, very peculiar. Eileen herself appears to know about the Hunter’s Dream, as if the PC Hunter attacks and dies to her, she will respond by instructing them to "Tell the little doll I said hello." Like Djura, Eileen appears to have at one point been a dreamer, a Paleblood Hunter like the PC.
No more dreams for me. This is my last chance.
It’s not the only link that Eileen and the Hunters of Hunters have to Gehrman and the Hunter’s Dream; the Blades of Mercy, the weapon of the Hunters of Hunters, states: "A special trick weapon passed down among hunters of hunters. One of the oldest weapons of the workshop. Splits into two when activated. The weapon's warped blades are forged with siderite, a rare mineral of the heavens." One of the oldest weapons indeed, the Blades of Mercy are one of only two trick weapons made of siderite, a rare mineral that fell from the heavens. The other is Gehrman’s Burial Blade, the first of the trick weapons: "A masterpiece that defined the entire array of weapons crafted at the workshop. Its blade is forged with siderite, said to have fallen from the heavens."
Exactly what connection Gehrman has to the Hunters of Hunters is unknown. It’s possible that the Hunters of Hunters were formed to police and oversee the Workshop, or it’s possible they may be a splinter faction that separated from Gehrman. Whatever their reasons, their methods are clear: find Hunters who have succumb to bloodlust and end them. Two such Hunters would be two of Eileen’s targets, Henryk and Gascoigne.
Father Gascoigne is the first official boss in Bloodborne. While it’s possible to fight the Cleric Beast, that boss is optional. Gascoigne serves as the first true boss fight in the game, and he is one that serves as a very cold wake-up call to the player. Like many Souls veterans, I walked into Bloodborne with a very specific mindset: caution. Study the opponent, look for weaknesses, wait for their guard to be down, strike once, back, watch, strike. It’s a very slow, cautious, passive playstyle that the Souls games have hardened in many players. Gascoigne seems to be placed so early in the game specifically for players like that. Gascoigne has the exact same tools that the Hunter can wield. He uses a Hunter Axe as his weapon and a Blunderbuss as his firearm. He can be staggered, and he can stagger. He’s a parallel to the player in this manner. Really the only difference between Gascoigne and the Hunter is the insanely aggressive manner in which he fights. Gascoigne charges with blind abandonment, he weaves through the fight swiftly, dodging attacks and keeping pressure on the Hunter. It’s almost a direct message to the player from the developers: "You have the same tools as him, why are you losing? He’s not being unfair, he’s not cheating. He’s just playing the game, just like you. So why is he slaughtering you?" The player very quickly learns that they must adapt to Gascoigne or they will die. Passivity is no longer a valid strategy, in order to master Bloodborne the player must be swift, aggressive, and unrelenting like Gascoigne.
But once Gascoigne’s health gets low enough, he will transform. He will succumb fully to the Scourge, becoming a powerful Beast that will relentlessly assault the Hunter. But to really understand Gascoigne, let’s start at the beginning and analyze what we can learn about him from the game itself.
From Gascoigne’s Attire we learn that:"‘Father’ is a title used for clerics in a foreign land, and there is no such rank in the Healing Church." This would seem to imply that Gascoigne came to Yharnam, like many others, in search of the miraculous Blood Ministration which was rumoured to cure any disease. The PC Hunter was one such individual, as was Gilbert and likely many others. Like Eileen and Gilbert, Gascoigne’s voice has an accent that differs slightly from the Yharnamites. Seeing as Gascoigne wears attire similar to that of a Healing Church Watcher and wields the weapons of the Workshop, he was clearly trained as a Healing Church Hunter after he came to Yharnam. But his attire notes that: "The dingy scarf is a Holy Shawl and symbol of the Healing Church, from which Gascoigne would eventually part ways." It’s unclear exactly why Gascoigne left the Church, but perhaps he left in order to raise a family. After all, Gascoigne’s daughters can be spoken to in Yharnam, hiding in their house. Indeed, the daughters provide the last, key pieces of information on Gascoigne: "Are you a hunter? Then, please, will you look for my mum? Daddy never came back from the hunt, and she went to find him, but now she's gone, too... I'm all alone... and scared..." It would seem that when the hunt was called, Gascoigne answered. Though he had left the Church, he still rose up to cleanse the streets, along with the rest of Yharnam. When he didn’t return, his wife Viola went off looking for him. "My m-mum wears a red jeweled brooch. It's so big and... and beautiful. You won't miss it." When we find Gascoigne, he is hacking a corpse to pieces. He turns to face the Hunter, having finally succumb to the Old Blood.
Beasts all over the shop... You’ll be one of them, sooner or later.
On a nearby balcony, a red brooch dangles from the corpse of a dead woman.But how did it all come to this? What happened to Ludwig? What is the story behind Father Gascoigne? And why is Eileen in Yharnam?
What follows is purely my own interpretation and belief based on the evidence I have gathered. Do not consider any of this as solid fact. Instead, use it as my interpretation, so that you can gather your own beliefs.
Everything changed after Old Yharnam. The Church, seen as saviors, were now in control. No longer did they require secrecy, instead they flourished and gained power. With this power and with the spread of the Scourge, the Workshop was retired and replaced with the Healing Church Hunters, led by a Hunter named Ludwig. Ludwig was a courageous, honorable, and chivalrous man who took a new approach to the Hunters by recruiting openly, training the population of Yharnam to combat the dangers of the hunt, and working on designing new weapons to eliminate the Beasts without issue.
Ludwig was the heir to a legacy of ancient heroes known as the Holy Blades, dating back many generations. It’s possible he was one of Gehrman’s apprentices, who succeeded Gehrman after his retirement and was put in charge of the new, reformed Workshop in the Upper Cathedral Ward. It’s in this Workshop that we can find the Radiant Sword Hunter Badge, which allows the player to purchase Ludwig’s Blade and Rifle.
But the Radiant Sword Hunter Badge also unlocks another piece of equipment: the Tomb Prospector Attire. It is described as follows: "Attire of tomb prospectors who explore the old labyrinth on behalf of the Healing Church. The Healing Church traces its roots to Byrgenwerth, and is therefore aware of the ruins' true importance. They contain much more than mere hunter trinkets, indeed, they hide the very secrets of the old Great Ones. sought after by those with the insight to imagine greatness."
We can now get a bit of a better picture of Ludwig’s arsenal, judging from the equipment made available by obtaining his Badge. Ludwig wielded a Holy Blade and a Rifle, his weapons of choice. Along with them, he wore Tomb Prospector Attire, or at least he did at one point. It’s possible that Ludwig traveled into the Labyrinth in search of a weapon or an answer to put an end to the Scourge once and for all. Maybe he simply wanted the Truth, to know where the Scourge came from. What he found was the Holy Moonlight Sword.
An arcane sword discovered long ago by Ludwig. When blue moonlight dances around the sword, and it channels the abyssal cosmos, its great blade will hurl a shadowy lightwave. The Holy Moonlight Sword is synonymous with Ludwig, the Holy Blade, but few have ever set eyes on the great blade, and whatever guidance it has to offer, it seems to be of a very private, elusive sort.
–Holy Moonlight Sword
It must have been fate, that the heir to the legacy of the Holy Blades would find such a weapon. With it in hand, Ludwig truly did become the Holy Blade, a hero to the people who feared the Scourge of the Beast, and a leader to the Church Hunters who followed him into battle. But as the Moonlight Sword’s description states, few people ever saw the blade. It would seem that Ludwig kept it very close to him, not allowing the others to lay eyes upon it.
Aah, you were at my side, all along. My true mentor… My guiding moonlight...
The Holy Moonlight Sword was more than just a blade. The blade offered Guidance to Ludwig, as is described by the Guidance rune: "When Ludwig closed his eyes, he saw darkness, or perhaps nothingness, and that is where he discovered the tiny beings of light. Ludwig was certain that these playful dancing sprites offered "guidance" and emptied Ludwig of his fears at least in the midst of a hunt." When he hunted, Ludwig allowed the sword to guide him. He closed his eyes and followed the guidance of the Moonlight Sword as he cut down beasts. He had no fear in his heart, and became a weapon for the Healing Church.
Without fear in our hearts, we're little different from the beasts themselves.
–Eileen the Crow
The shift in Ludwig’s personality did not go unnoticed. Ludwig’s dialogue reveals that there were those who accused him of being a "beast-possessed degenerate." Even in the back of his mind, he knew that was he was doing was wrong. "Good hunter, have you seen the thread of light? Just a hair, a fleeting thing, yet I clung to it, steeped as I was in the stench of blood and beasts. I never wanted to know, what it really was. Really, I didn't." Yet he continued to use the Holy Moonlight Sword and follow its Guidance, hoping to secure a future where the Healing Church Hunters became honorable warriors who protected the people. He would suffer any denigration if it meant that goal could be achieved.
In the end, Ludwig became further and further steeped in bloodshed. With each swing of the Holy Moonlight Sword, he descended further into beasthood. Eventually, blood-drunk as he was, Ludwig was dragged into the Hunter’s Nightmare, cursed to wallow in a pit of corpses for all eternity.
With Ludwig gone, the Healing Church Hunters slowly began to fall apart. Organized Hunts became mobs as Yharnamites wandered the streets, dragging the infected out and burning them at the stake. The Hunters themselves began to rely more and more on Communion for strength, the Healing Church administering more Old Blood to their Hunters in order to give them the power to vanquish the Beasts. One of these Hunters was Father Gascoigne. Gascoigne had come to Yharnam in search of a cure to his disease, seeing the famous Blood Ministration of Yharnam as his last chance at salvation. It was there that he was trained as a Hunter, possibly by a man named Henryk. Very little is known of Henryk, but he wears the garb not of a Healing Church Hunter but of a Workshop Hunter, one of Gehrman’s. Henryk is also mentioned multiple times as being an old hunter, and the voice file he uses as an NPC Hunter are those of the Aged category in the game’s files, the category designed for the elderly.
Gascoigne and Henryk would quickly become a powerful duo, partner Hunters and good friends. According to Henryk’s Hunter Garb: "The taciturn old hunter Henryk was once partners with Father Gascoigne, and though they were a fierce and gallant duo, their partnership led to Henryk's tragically long life." The last sentence particularly interests me, the use of the phrase a tragically long life. It’s possible that Henryk, old as he was, either grew sick or weakened in his age. Gascoigne not only wanted to see his closest friend live, but he had another reason for wanting the old Hunter to continue on; he loved Henryk’s daughter.
Yes okay, thank you very much mister[or ‘miss’ if the PC is female] hunter! I love you almost as much as mum and dad, and grandad!
–Gascoigne’s Unnamed Daughter
Indeed when we encounter Henryk we find him in Oedon Tomb just as we found Gascoigne, only Henryk is not standing by the grave where Gascoigne was found; he is standing in front of the corpse of Viola, Gascoigne’s wife. But Henryk is not himself any longer, he has succumb to the Old Blood. Gascoigne had fallen in love with Viola, Henryk’s daughter. Perhaps Gascoigne convinced Henryk, in his old and weakened state, to accept Communion from the Healing Church. The old Workshop Hunter was likely wary of the Old Blood, but was convinced by his son in law, the father of his grandchildren, to accept the Ministration.
Gascoigne too had accepted the Ministration, but in his case there were complications. "If you find my mum, give her this music box. It plays one of daddy's favorite songs. And when daddy forgets us we play it for him so he remembers. Mum's so silly, running off without it!" While the Old Blood of the Healing Church can cure any disease, it cannot repair a damaged mind. Father Gascoigne had come to Yharnam in search of a cure to his mental illness, but the Blood Ministration had failed. Even the tainted blood of the Great Ones could not fix the bouts of insanity he suffered. It’s possible that during his episodes in which he forgot the faces of his family, Gascoigne grew violent, irrational, or paranoid. Viola, his beloved wife, would play him a lullaby. It would ease his mind and help him to stay grounded and sane. But Gascoigne, intoxicated as he was with the Old Blood, continued to Hunt and continued to accept Communion, the Ministration of Blood. When Gascoigne failed to return from the Hunt, Viola left her children locked inside and fled to find him, to bring him home… but she forgot the music box. When she found him, he was drenched in blood, killing man and beast alike. She pleaded with him to come home, to remember her. But he would have none of it. Viola died that night, killed by the man she loved.
If the player uses the music box in the fight against Father Gascoigne, he suffers noticeable pain. He grasps his head, muttering and moaning. How else could he possibly react, as he remembers the terrible things he did to his beloved Viola? Henryk soon goes searching for Viola and Gascoigne, fearful of what may have happened to them. When he found Viola’s corpse, he was empty. His tragically long life would be ended by Eileen the Crow, Hunter of Hunters.
This too is hunters' work, but bears no honor. A burden you may choose to carry.
–Eileen the Crow
If the Hunter assists Eileen in killing Henryk, then after the Blood Moon has risen they will find Eileen mortally wounded in front of the Grand Cathedral. "I'm afraid I've made a bit of a blunder. I'm just going to have a short rest. Oh, don't worry, I've taken blood. Enough to save an old woman. No more dreams for me. This is my last chance. What a fool I am, I'll have to tread carefully. But that thing still lies in wait. Turn back. This is my score to settle."
Many years ago, Gehrman founded the Workshop. Much like the PC Hunter can, Gehrman wielded two weapons: the Burial Blade and the Blades of Mercy. Both weapons were forged of siderite by Gehrman, The First Hunter. Gehrman was not alone as a Hunter, he had several apprentices who he trained to carry on his legacy. Him and his apprentices practiced a special art known as Quickening, as evidenced by the Old Hunter’s Bone: "The bone of an old hunter whose name is lost. It is said that he was an apprentice to old Gehrman, and a practitioner of the art of Quickening, a technique particular to the first hunters." There are only four individuals in the entire game who can use the art of Quickening: The PC Hunter, if they clutch the Old Hunter’s Bone, Gehrman, who uses a significantly more powerful version of quickening, Maria, Gehrman’s greatest pupil, and an individual known only as the Bloody Crow.
The Bloody Crow is found in the Grand Cathedral as the final fight in Eileen’s questline. It is a very difficult fight. It would seem that Eileen came to Yharnam with the goal of hunting down this mark, the Bloody Crow; along the way she slew Henryk and would have slain Gascoigne if the Hunter had not beaten her to the punch. We know very little of the Bloody Crow, but we can see that he wields a Chikage blade and has strong ties to Cainhurst, with his use of Numbing Mist and his dropping of a Blood Rapture rune. Most bizarre is that he wears the Crowfeather Garb of a Hunter of Hunters. The Bloody Crow of Cainhurst, evidently one of the First Hunters as evidenced by his use of the art of Quickening. Here we can paint a possible picture:
In the infant days of the Workshop Gehrman trained his apprentices and gave one of them the Blades of Mercy. Mercy is a central theme to Gehrman, it appears to be his goal to grant mercy to Hunters who either are trapped in the Dream or have succumb to bloodlust. This apprentice he tasked with the important job of acting as an unseen watcher of the Workshop, forming a new order of people separated from Communion and the Old Blood of Yharnam. What happened next is very unclear and for the most part completely unexplained. Perhaps this apprentice traveled to Cainhurst, or perhaps traveled into the hinterlands to train the next Hunter of Hunters who would travel to Yharnam. Whatever happened, we can see the results:
The Bloody Crow of Cainhurst, possibly the first Hunter of Hunters or possibly the one who supervised and trained Eileen. Eileen wishes to put him to rest, to grant him mercy. But what fascinated me the most about Eileen is what happens if the player never encounters her at all.
If the PC Hunter never speaks to Eileen then if they travel to the Grand Cathedral after the Blood Moon has risen, they will be suddenly attacked by Eileen herself. Eileen accuses the Hunter of succumbing to bloodlust. It is through this dialogue that Eileen reveals how she truly feels: "The hunters must die... The nightmare must end…" Eileen herself knows full well the way in which the Hunter’s Dream sustains and propagates the Hunters. Indeed, the Hunters themselves are being manipulated by the Great Ones into carrying out their eldritch tasks. What if there were no more Hunters, none left to seek the blood or carry out the will of the Blood Moon. Would the nightmare end? Think of the way we as players thrill every time we slay a boss, how we rush to the Dream to grow stronger, how we want only to continue hunting, to continue growing in power.
Few hunters can resist the intoxication of the hunt. Look at you, just the same as all the rest...
Maybe she’s right.