Chapter Nine: Laurence, Gehrman, and The Hunter’s Mark

"Seek the old blood. Let us pray... let us wish... to partake in communion. Let us partake in communion... and feast upon the old blood. Our thirst for blood satiates us, soothes our fears. Seek the old blood... but beware the frailty of men. Their wills are weak, minds young. The foul beasts will dangle nectar and lure the meek into the depths. Remain wary of the frailty of men. Their wills are weak, minds young. Were it not for fear, death would go unlamented."

–Vicar Amelia

Laurence and Gehrman. Together, they would change the world. Who were they originally, and how did they fall from grace? What happened to Laurence, and how was Gehrman bound to the Hunter’s Dream? When we see now, what their organization has become, we can only wonder what these two individuals dreamed of. Did they want a better world? Did they want personal power? Perhaps they were simply madmen, chasing after scientific curiosity and slaughtering the innocent in their path. In this penultimate chapter we will examine the fates of these two individuals, and the consequences of their actions.

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.

The PC Hunter awakens into a world of horror, just as the player does. They have no answers, they have no real questions to even ask. The world is confusing, frightening, and punishing. Indeed if the Hunter had been alone, they likely never would have gotten much of anywhere. But the Hunter isn't alone.

Ah-hah, you must be the new hunter. Welcome to the Hunter's Dream. This will be your home, for now. I am... Gehrman, friend to you hunters. You're sure to be in a fine haze about now, but don't think too hard about all of this. Just go out and kill a few beasts. It's for your own good. You know, it's just what hunters do! You'll get used to it...

–Gehrman, the First Hunter

Gehrman provides the Hunter with a home and a workshop. From within the Hunter's Dream, Gehrman will provide the Hunter with a bit of comfort and a small amount of guidance. But who is Gehrman? Where does he come from and why is he here? According to the Plain Doll: "He was a hunter long, long ago, but now serves only to advise them. He is obscure, unseen in the dreaming world. Still, he stays here, in this dream."

Gehrman was the First Hunter, and from him all modern hunting techniques were developed. A central theme of Gehrman is mercy, what he grants to those he kills in the Hunter’s Dream, as implied by his Burial Blade:

Trick weapon wielded by Gehrman, the First Hunter. 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. Gehrman surely saw the hunt as a dirge of farewell, wishing only that his prey might rest in peace, never again to awaken to another harrowing nightmare.

He also created the Plain Doll, basing its appearance upon his dead student Maria. From within the Hunter’s Dream, Gehrman and the Doll guide the Paleblood Hunters in their work. Gehrman was also, as we know, an acquaintance of Laurence.

Oh, Laurence... what's taking you so long... I've grown too old for this, of little use now, I'm afraid...

Our first encounter with Laurence comes from discovering his skull in the Grand Cathedral, after defeating Vicar Amelia. here we witness a memory in which Laurence announced to Master Willem that he was leaving the college. We learn from Laurence’s Skull, found in the Nightmare, that it is the: "Skull of Laurence, first vicar of the Healing Church. In reality he became the first cleric beast, and his human skull only exists within the Nightmare. The skull is a symbol of Laurence's past, and what he failed to protect. He is destined to seek his skull, but even if he found it, it could never restore his memories." The human skull appears to be a purely symbolic object, created in the Nightmare, as Laurence’s skull in the Waking World is found in the Grand Cathedral. In Miyazaki’s interview with FuturePress he remarks that "[Laurence’s] skull served as the start of the Healing Church itself, but it’s taken the form of a twisted beast."

Laurence was therefore the founder of the Healing Church, having left Byrgenwerth after a disagreement in philosophy with Master Willem. Laurence and Gehrman represent two halves of a mystery. What happened to them? How did things become the way they are when we enter the game?

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.

Laurence was the First Vicar; Gehrman was the First Hunter. Their story, like much in Bloodborne, begins at Byrgenwerth. We have already established that Gehrman was an associate of both Laurence and Master Willem. Gehrman may have been a student at Byrgenwerth, or judging by his combat proficiency and craftsmanship may have been the academy's handyman, groundskeeper, or a bodyguard. But upon the discovery of the Old Blood, Laurence would lead a section of the Byrgenwerth Scholars in forming the Healing Church, separating from Byrgenwerth. Gehrman, Laurence's closest friend, would join him. Laurence and Gehrman believed that humanity could achieve its next evolution through the use of the Old Blood, as written in the Metamorphosis Rune: "The discovery of blood made their dream of evolution a reality. Metamorphosis, and the excesses and deviation that followed, was only the beginning." It was, however, at this time that Laurence and Gehrman came to a horrible discovery. While the Old Blood could indeed cure any disease, those who had been ministered were susceptible to falling under a new, terrible illness known only as the Scourge of the Beast. Those who had succumbed to the tainted blood suffered from a form of Lycanthropy. Their hair elongated, their teeth sharpened, their size and strength increased, and they became violent and irrational. The men and women who had succumbed to the Scourge became Beasts. But Laurence could not stop his research. Sacrifices would need to be made. All who followed Willem’s footsteps knew that evolution required courage. A note found in the Nightmare Lecture Hall reads: "Master Willem was right. Evolution without courage will be the ruin of our race." And so Laurence's work would continue.

While Laurence formed the Church, Gehrman formed the Workshop. A secret institution, the Workshop would train a group of individuals to hunt and slaughter Beasts. The Hunter attire tells us it is: "A fine piece of hunter attire that provides stable defense to anyone facing Yharnam's beastly threat. Allows one to stalk beasts unannounced, by cover of night." The Workshop acted as a secret cleanup crew for Laurence's budding church. They would hunt down those who had turned and execute them before panic could spread throughout Yharnam.

It's possible that Laurence and Gehrman, knowledgeable of the Great Ones that they were, also discovered the terrible nature of the Blood Moon, and the source of the Scourge as being the Paleblooded Moon Presence. They tried to find a way to defeat the Moon Presence, an antibody that would be too strong for it, some way to control the Scourge of the Beast. They were unsuccessful. Laurence and Gehrman grew older, the Workshop was sealed away and Gehrman became prisoner of the Moon Presence. In his attempt to free his closest friend, Laurence pushed his research to the limits. The Scourge had to be contained, no matter the cost.

Ashen Blood was introduced to Old Yharnam, and the research intensified. The beasts were studied by Laurence and his Church, even while corpses piled in the streets and the city was covered in blood. Laurence’s countless experiments resulted in a breakthrough, the culmination of all of his research to put an end to the Scourge of the Beast, and control it for good: The Beast’s Embrace.

After the repeated experiments in controlling the scourge of beasts, the gentle "Embrace" rune was discovered. When its implementation failed, the "Embrace" became a forbidden rune, but its knowledge became a foundation of the Healing Church.

In the Grand Cathedral of the Healing Church, the First Vicar committed the Embrace to memory, the Oath Rune burned into his mind. With this he would take control over the Scourge, put an end to the Hunts, master the Old Blood, guide humanity to the next stage of human evolution, and free his best friend from the control of the Great Ones. This is what everything had been for. All the dead victims, all the unspeakable crimes, leaving Byrgenwerth, exploring the Labyrinth, founding the Healing Church; everything in his life had been for this. Everything lead to this one moment; for this, it would be all worth it. But it was not to be.

The skull is a symbol of Laurence's past, and what he failed to protect.

On that day, the Healing Church changed forever. Laurence became the first Cleric Beast, a creature the likes of which the Healing Church had never encountered. This was not simply a person who had grown fangs and hair, this was a true monster. It’s possible that it was the Church Assassin Brador who found Laurence first. Brador’s Testimony, the scalp of a Cleric Beast, tells us: "The scalp of a horrid Cleric Beast, indicating that hunter Brador, a Healing Church assassin, had killed a compatriot. Afterward, he wore his ally's own scalp, and hid himself away, deep below in a cell. The Church provided him with a single, soundless bell of death to ensure their secrets would be kept." Brador slew Laurence, and in doing so was driven mad. He skinned the corpse, splattered his clothes with the blood of the fallen Vicar, severed the head from the body, and scalped it. When he was found, he was drenched with blood and gore, and his Bloodletter was steeped in Frenzy.

Nothing changes, such is the nature of man…

–Brador

Brador and his Testimony to the failure of the Healing Church were locked away. Any and all research into controlling the Scourge of the Beast was immediately stopped, and deemed forbidden. The Clawmark and Beast Runes, along with the Beast Blood Pellets, were all black marked by the Healing Church. With Laurence’s death, the Church had formed one of the pillars of its philosophy: Beware the frailty of men. The Scourge cannot be controlled; it must be destroyed.

As for Laurence, his consciousness was pulled into the Nightmare. Perhaps he was cursed to burn for all eternity, as punishment for the flames that covered Old Yharnam, a brilliant mind lost to madness.

And so now we have the first half of our picture. But what of Gehrman?

While Gehrman hadn’t been affected as deeply by the events of the Hamlet Massacre as Maria had been, it had still disturbed him. He too was subject to the curse of the Kos Parasites, and had terrible dreams because of it. Upon defeating the Orphan, the Doll notes that Gehrman is sleeping strangely soundly, for he normally has difficulty sleeping. Even so, Gehrman aided Laurence in the founding of the Healing Church and established the Workshop, training the First Hunters in the art of slaying beasts. But while Gehrman hadn’t been as distraught by the Hamlet Massacre, the death of Maria destroyed him.

According to Maria’s hunter garb, Gehrman had a "curious mania" in regards to her that she was unaware of. Maria greatly admired Gehrman, but it’s unclear if the Master and Student shared a romantic relationship or whether Gehrman’s affection for her was purely one-sided. Whatever the case, her death ruined him. After defeating Maria in the Astral Clocktower, we find her coffin placed directly behind her chair. Resting atop the coffin lid are coldblood flowers, the same as the ones found in Gehrman’s garden in the Hunter’s Dream. Spiraling into depression after the death of his greatest pupil, Gehrman sealed his Workshop away and withdrew from the world into his isolation.

In his growing madness, Gehrman made a doll. The master craftsman that he was, the doll was made with exquisite perfection. The Small Hair Ornament tells us: "Although it has been lost for quite some time, one can still see signs of the care with which this tasteful ornament was once kept." This indicates that Gehrman held onto his only memento of Maria, treasuring it designing his doll off of her. Terribly lonely and terribly miserable, he wanted nothing more than to have Maria back. It was then that something took notice of poor Gehrman’s mania, for as the Moon Rune reminds us: the Great Ones are sympathetic in spirit.

To have his beloved Maria back, he would give anything. So it was that Gehrman was bound to the dream, and the Hunter’s Mark branded in his mind.

Dangling, upside-down rune etched in one's mind. Symbol of a hunter.

–Hunter’s Mark

What is the Hunter’s Mark? In terms of gameplay significance it functions as the Nexial Binding from Demon’s Souls or the Darksign from Dark Souls. But… what is it really? Its description calls it a rune, but we do not commit it to memory like we do the Carryl Runes. Runes are, as we know, utterings of the Great Ones etched into symbols. Runesmith Carryl could commune with the Great Ones and listen to their mutterings, but she could find no words to describe them; instead Carryl could only find symbols that represented these utterings, comprehensible to human minds. If we think of these symbols are representing words of a language, we can therefore conclude that the Hunter’s Mark is, quite literally, the Great One word for Hunter, as the same symbol is found on Carryl’s own Hunter Rune. The uttering of a Great One, etched into one’s mind. The symbol of a Hunter.

Hunter

This word, branded into one’s mind, is what makes someone a Hunter. And not just any hunter, but a special hunter: a Paleblood Hunter, one bound to the Dreamlands. This Rune is what makes someone immortal, cursed to hunt and hunt and hunt until they are freed. We as players have this Mark branded into our minds. No matter how many times we die, we wake up again. Even if we fall off a cliff; we’re cut in half; we’re burned to death; we’re killed by Frenzy; we’re crushed by a monster; we die and die and die and die and die and die and die and die and even still we wake up once more. Even if we kill ourselves with the Chikage, or the Wheel, or the Whistle, or the Bloodletter, we wake up once more. There’s only one way out for someone branded with the Hunter’s Mark: to die by the hand of another branded Hunter.

As Gehrman settled into his new place in the Hunter’s Dream, he found himself shackled and chained. There was no escape for Gehrman, the First Hunter. Trapped in a living hell, unable to die, unable to be granted mercy, Gehrman guided other Paleblood Hunters. When their hunts were over, Gehrman would end their life, freeing them from the wretched, tortuous existence of eternal life. He granted them mercy. But where is the Hunter’s Mark coming from?

As the player receives their first blood transfusion, they are attacked by a beast. But the beast turns to flames, and the Messengers arrive, crawling over the player. At that point, something took notice of the player. Something peered over them, and spoke a single word:

Hunter

With that uttering, they were reborn. Their life before the transfusion was irrelevant. They were now a weapon. They awaken into a new world, a new nightmare. They awaken into a Hunt.