First came the age of the Great Ones.
They were mysterious, powerful beings,
each one of them completely unique from the last.
Then, came the age of the Pthumerians.
The Great Ones once lived alongside the Pthumerians
but eventually ascended to a higher realm,
leaving the Pthumerians behind.
Finally, came the age of man.
A group of whom discovered the tombs of the Great Ones
and the Pthumerians who now guarded them.
These were the Byrgenwerth scholars, a group devoted to seeking the truth.
They burrowed deep into this world that they didn't understand.
Uncovering relics, rituals
and a race that had not been disturbed for a very long time.
Most importantly, though, they stumbled upon a substance called "the old blood".
This blood was incredibly powerful;
as a transfusion with it could cure any illness.
This blood split the ranks of the Byrgenwerth scholars,
for they could not agree on how it was to be used.
The head of the scholars, a man named Willem,
believed that humanity would be undone by the blood.
"Our eyes have yet to open", he said.
So we should fear it.
Other scholars disagreed. Probably thinking him cowardly.
One man, Lawrence, was much more headstrong than his mentor.
He disagreed with Willem. Abandoned him and went on to found the Healing Church.
A society built upon the use of the old blood.
But there was a third man who betrayed the Byrgenwerth scholars.
He stole what the scholars considered forbidden blood
and took it far away to the nobles of Cainhurst Castle.
A man named Alfred tells us this:
"Once, a scholar betrayed his fellows at Byrgenwerth..."
"and brought forbidden blood back with him to Cainhurst Castle."
"It was there that the first of the inhuman Vilebloods was born."
"The Vilebloods are fiendish creatures who threaten the purity of the Church's blood healing."
"The Ruler of the Vilebloods is still alive today."
And so, to honor my master's wishes, I search, for the path to Cainhurst Castle."
The people of Cainhurst were proud and Noble
with a society made up of three tiers:
At the bottom were the servants and the Knights.
Above them with the nobles; indulgent and arrogant.
And above them all was one, the Queen.
This Queen received the forbidden blood that was stolen from Byrgenwerth
and became what Alfred calls a Vileblood
From here, Cainhurst begins to parallel Yharnam in many ways:
for example, beasts appear
which are dealt with by the Knights of Cainhurst.
The Queen gives employee to hunters who hunt not beasts, but other hunters.
These are her blood hunters who seek blood dregs to feed their beloved Queen
so that she may one day bear a child of blood.
The Vilebloods become the sworn enemies of the church, for as far as we know,
Yharnam and Cainhurst are the only two places with two different strains of the old blood.
It was only natural that they would become rivals.
So, the church forms a group called the Executioners, headed by Master Logarius.
The Executioners were zealots
and existed for the sole purpose of destroying impurity wherever it was found.
Through multiple generations
they searched for the Vilebloods of Cainhurst Castle.
Eventually they found them
and departed in force to exact their vengeance.
"In his time, Master Logarius led his executioners into Cainhurst Castle to cleanse it of the Vilebloods."
"But all did not go well"
"and Master Logarius became a blessed anchor, "
"guarding us from evil..."
"Tragic, tragic times..."
"that Master Logarius should be abandoned in the accursed domain of the Vilebloods."
I must free him,"
"so that he may be properly honored in martyrdom."
Problem is, Alfred does not know how to get to Cainhurst...
Yet, in Iosefka's clinic,
in the clinic where we first awoke
there's a curious invitation in the back room,
"An old blood-stained summons, inviting an honored guest to the forsaken Castle Cainhurst."
"Rather bafflingly, it is addressed to you."
Perhaps it's why we even came to Yhanam in the first place.
Do not hesitate; the stagecoach leaves from Hemwick crossing."
While we're in Cainhurst, we can attempt to clarify where good and evil lie.
Logarius, leader of the executioners, once said:
"Acts of goodness are not always wise"
"and acts of evil are not always foolish,"
"but regardless, we shall always strive to be good."
But who is Logarius to label good and evil?
The world is not black and white,
yet his judgment led to the slaughter of the people of Cainhurst.
So, did these people deserve to be slaughtered?
We arrive and the first thing we notice is that the beasts here are different.
Very few are wolf-like like those in Yharnam
and in fact, they appear to have evolved according to their environment.
Blood lickers roam, bloating themselves
and the corpses of the fallen that lie beneath the snow
and gargoyles imitate the architecture,
patiently waiting for their prey.
In the halls of Cainhurst roam the ghosts of nobles; undying and ethereal.
Upon the tallest tower of Cainhurst we find Logarius, alone.
Logarius and his executioners slaughtered every Vileblood noble until one remained:
the Queen.
To his despair, Logarius discovered that the Queen was immortal.
She could be rendered, crushed and broken.
But there was always the threat that her flesh would reform,
so he took the only option available to him.
He donned at the Old King's Crown, a powerful heirloom of Cainhurst.
It allowed him to hide Cainhurst Castle
and the Queen away from the world.
So that no one would ever stumble upon the last Vileblood.
We murder the withered Logarius and we are granted audience
with Queen Annalise.
"Visitor…"
"I claim no subjects,"
"but here lieth Our throne."
"Kneel afore us…"
"…or get thee gone."
"Kneel."
"Visitor… Moon-scented hunter…"
"I am Annalise, Queen of Castle Cainhurst."
"Ruler of the Vilebloods, and sworn enemy of the church."
"Yet, Our people are murdered,"
"and We are prisoner to this wretched mask."
"What is it thou’rt in search of?"
It appears that if you were invited to Cainhurst,
you will always be able to find it.
"Ah-hah! Is that... the sigil of Cainhurst?"
"I've heard tell of Cainhurst nobles, and their amusingly pompous invitations."
"Wonderful! I thank you profusely..."
"I feel my master's hand at work."
"Praise the good blood! And let us cleanse these tarnished streets."
The order of the executioners believe in martyrdom
That is, they believe in suffering or dying for a holy cause.
"Martyr" Logarius suffers here on his frozen throne,
to keep the world safe from a perceived evil.
But it cannot be considered absolute martyrdom,
for the Queen remains alive.
As does Logarius.
Alfred deeply desires to kill this woman,
and perhaps even his master as well.
These deaths would allow his idol to pass into legend as a true martyr
who died for the Greater Good.
"Master, look! I've done it, I've done it!"
"I smashed and pounded and grounded this rotten siren into fleshy pink pulp!"
"There, you filthy monstrosity!"
"What good's your immortality now!"
"Try stirring up trouble in this sorry state!"
"All mangled and twisted, with every inside on the outside, for all the world to see!"
"Oh, you, is it? Look at this! Thanks to you, I've done it!"
"Well? Isn't it wonderful?"
"Now Master can be canonized as a true martyr!"
Ironically, Alfred coming here and killing the Queen
would have run counter to Logarius' wishes.
The queen is undying, so without a guardian,
there's always the risk that she could rise again.
That is why Logarius stood guard here for all these years.
Yet, of course, acts of goodness are not always wise.
So Alfred kills himself so that he can become a martyr,
along with his beloved master. And as Alfred lies dead,
we take the flesh of the Queen and resurrect her
in a world now devoid of executioners,
so that the Vilebloods may rise again.
"Well, well… An odd hunter thou art indeed…"
"We’ve tired of these piteous nights…"
"Share in Our plight, and take oath against the church."
"Drink deep of Our blood."
"Feel the spreading corruption burn."
"Now, thou’rt too a Vileblood."
"We two,"
"the very last on this earth."
"We await thy return."
For the honor of Cainhurst.