Bloodborne Lore | The Rise and Fall of Ludwig, Holy Blade

Hello everyone, I hope you are doing well this week. We'll stay on the Bloodborne theme. I understand that some of you may be eager to get back to Dark Souls, but I believe the DLC release is less than two weeks away. Maybe it's best to have a few more gore videos beforehand. Chances are I won't talk about anything but Dark Souls for a while after the ashes of Aerion Door are released. Anyway, with all that out of the way, let's get started right away. Bloodborne is full of tragic figures, but the one who stands out among them all may be Ludwig, the sacred sword of the Church, who would later adopt the title Ludwig the Damned.

It may be hard to believe that this grotesquely disfigured monster was once a man like any other, but he was and his name is etched in legend. I'm sure the topic of Ludwig has been covered in the past, but I'd like to add my own perspective to see what other hidden details we can uncover. Let's start by looking at Ludwig's sacred sword, a deceptive weapon typically used by healing hunters of the church. It is said that the silver sword was used by Ludwig, the first hunter of the church, when transformed, it combines with his scabbard to form a great sword.

It has several variants. From the design of the workshop suggesting that the church anticipated much larger inhuman beasts, it is important to note here at the outset that Ludwig was not the first hunter to combat the beasts of yharnam; that title belongs to the Germans, at least in the timeline we witnessed from Gamon and Maria. In fact, were they allied with Lawrence and the other high-ranking members of the Church of Healing, it would be possible to say that the fact that Ludwig was referred to as the first hunter of the church may mean that he was the first of the hunters as importance title.

Similar to how Neto is described in Dark Souls as the first of the dead, by this I mean that Neto was not the first person to die, but he was the first in a hierarchy and in a position of reverence, however, It is also possible and more. It is likely that he was the first officially recognized hunter of the church, while all the others before were more discreet and not known to the population of Jana. I maintain this because Gurmann was never mentioned outside of the hunter's dream and the abandoned workshop was made semi. Inaccessible after the construction of the church's healing workshop, Ludwig would become the town's hero for a time, while Gehrman, the true progenitor of the hunters, would

fall

into relative anonymity.

Most interestingly, the description of the sword mentions that the church anticipated much larger inhuman beasts at this time. There is more fuel for the fire in terms of understanding healing. The Church is a largely dishonest institution. They clearly decided not to make public the knowledge that beasts like mad dogs and werewolves would eventually evolve into much more dangerous monsters, an extension that we can assume Ludwig also knew this, which could be seen as complicit in the Healing Church's deception. Despite this, we are later able to learn that Ludwig was tricked in a cruel turn of events that would lead to his down

fall

.

The description of the sword hunter's badge says one of the badges made by the healing church the silver sword is a symbol of a church hunter Ludwig was the first of many healing church hunters who came, many of whom They were clerics, since they were clerics transformed into the most horrible beasts, this tells us that Ludwig may have volunteered. Being a beast hunter or perhaps he was noted beforehand for his experience in combat, he may also come from a family of warriors, but we will investigate that a little later, what is not confirmed here is whether Ludwig was a cleric of the former healing church.

Being a hunter just because many of the hunters who came after Ludwig were clerics does not make Ludwig himself one if he were one, however that would make his origins even more interesting as many clerics may have originally originated as scholars. of bokken as they continue. Same work, but to a more extreme degree, the line regarding clerics transformed into the most hideous beasts is interesting. Clergy is a term that can be applied to almost any member of the healing church, with the most important being part of the group. chorus those who would act as the church's guiding hand in Lawrence's absence Lawrence himself, who is described as a vicar, is transformed into a fiery version of a ludwik cleric beast and will later be considered a cleric beast himself perhaps the question of Why the clerics were chosen who became the largest and most dangerous beast is up for debate, the constant proximity and use of old blood could be a contributing factor.

One detail I would like to mention, something I mentioned in my research on the topic, Aryans are. the theme of curses and how they relate to Ludwig part of the description of the desecrated chalice says that curses are caused by inciting the wrath of the great and are used to bewitch others the title of Ludwig Thea cursed made me think that possibly the Ludwig's bestial appearance and The curse was bestowed by the great ones after he angered them, possibly in connection with the sacred moonlight sword or because of his association with the healing church. That's a question for which I don't have a complete answer.

Out of the way, we can continue. I would like to stress again that Ludwig was probably quite public in his appearances in relation to the other members of the healing church. I can try to prove this with the emblem of the main hunter, it has a description that says a cloth emblem that belonged to the captain of the church hunters a long time ago opens the main door that leads to the round square of the great Cathedral the main door is It closes hermetically on hunting nights and can only be opened from the other side with this emblem in other words The return of the captain and this emblem determined the end of the hunt.

I have spoken before about the possibility that the large Cathedral Square and the surrounding homes were of a high social class and therefore also worthy of having the best protection during the hunts in the eyes of the healing church, as we know, There are huge doors that prevent you from continuing initially and you are forced to find another way around it, unless you have the head hunter emblem, the description mentions a captain of the church hunters, while captain is a rank that It is more often associated with military personnel than with church clergy. I think the closest example of a captain we know of is Ludwig, as he himself trained church hunters and was the leader of his own elite unit, the Holy Blades, if we can assume that Ludwig was this mentioned captain, I would like to visualize him with blood-spattered clothes and swords climbing the stairs of the Cathedral Quarter waving the emblem of the chief hunter, this would allow the resident yana mites to know that the beasts had been chased away in another hunt and were safe again, they owed him the life of this man, in addition to protecting the population of yharnam.

Ludwig made efforts so that they could defend themselves as well. The Yharnam Hunter Outfit description reads: Ludwig, the first Hunter of the Church of Healing, once recruited Yana Mites to serve as Hunters. This Hunter Outfit was made for new recruits and has excellent direct defense. Ludwig was clearly not of the opinion that the population of Yharnam should be treated like cattle but should be mobilized somehow, it is possible to assume that those who perform better as recruits may have been able to ascend to the rank of

holy

sword, although that would be harder to confirm, Ludwig's influence seemed to spread far and wide over time, even after his disappearance from the public eye, this can be seen in Ludwig's appreciation for weapons.

Becoming standard equipment for Mensis Scholars, Yongle Hunters, Tomb Hunters, etc., while the true memory of Ludwig has faded in Yharnam over the years, his legendary status has endured. If we look at the sword hunter's radiant insignia, we can understand how

holy

swords work. they would have been revered members of the church of healing the description says one of the badgers created by the church of healing the radiant sword indicates the heirs of Ludwig's will these hunters also known as holy swords what remains of an ancient line of heroes who Dating back to a very early age of honor and chivalry, this badge has a much more decorative appearance and appears to shine with brilliance compared to the sword hunter's badge.

What is interesting about this description is that it refers to the sacred swords as the remains of a much older line of warriors who come from a time of honor and chivalry. To me this sounds similar to European Knights of the Middle Ages, since Ludwig wields a sword while most of the others seem to use repurposed farming tools, it would be very difficult to determine. who exactly made up this order of warriors previously as the only types of knights we seem to know about the Canaanites, but there doesn't seem to be a link between Ludwig and Cainhurst.

All of these events and descriptions help us understand the man Ludwig was and how he was viewed during his prime, but inevitably we must discuss his downfall and the events leading up to it. Something that caught my attention at the beginning of this research was that the Tomb Prospect set is unlocked in Bath Messengers after you earn the Sword Hunter Badge. discovered that it also unlocks Ludwig's holy sword, although this is speculative, I think it is not entirely out of the realm of possibility to suggest that Ludwig may have once ventured into the chalice dungeons at the request of the healing church, if this were the case, would explain how the sacred sword in the moonlight was discovered let's hypothetically for a moment that the sacred sword in the moonlight was a Sumerian relic at least always kept secret within the dungeons of the chalice remember hypothetically then let's take A look at the description of the sacred moonlight sword itself reads an arcane sword discovered long ago by Ludwig when the blue light of the moon dances around the sword and channels the abyssal cosmos its great

blade

will launch a wave of shadowy light the holy sword in the moonlight is synonymous with

ludwig

the holy sword but few have set their eyes on the great sword and any guidance he has to offer seems to be of a very private and elusive type, as we can read here.

The sword was discovered, not forged. This is quite unique, as most of the other weapons in Bloodborne mentioned that they were multi-crafted. workshops or by groups, whether at the healing church or cainhurst etc., as anyone who is a fan of the Soul series knows, the great sword in the moonlight is in each of the games with similar characteristics. I don't want to try to tie them all together. wise, but I think there is one element to the sword that is shared between Bloodborne and Dark Souls 3 and that is the apparent sentient nature of the sword, which has a consciousness of its own.

In Bloodborne, the sword grants the power of moonlight to those who have a connection with the guide rune. In Dark Souls 3 it seems that the sword is only revealed to those who are worthy of its power to give validity to this theory I call them the Attention to part of the description of the Moonlight Greatsword from Dark Souls 3 says that Cyrus, the Consumed King, was enamored by the pursuit of Moonlight, but in the end it was never revealed to him, like his counterpart in Bloodborne, the moonlight sword is elusive and chooses to aid those who are capable of wielding it.

Such power, this is just a theory of mine, so I'd be interested to hear what you think in the comments. What is important as a sacred moonlight sword itself is the guiding rune and the pronunciation of a large one engraved in stone. The description says a Carroll. rune discovered by the old hunter Ludwig along with the sacred sword of moonlight increases the amount of life regained by recovering when Legree closed his eyes he saw darkness or perhaps nothingness and that is where he discovered the small beings of light. Ludwig was sure that these playful dancing goblins offered guidance, they could empty Ludwig of his fears at least in the middle of a quest for those of you who may not know that most

bloodborne

runes were discovered or created by Carol from Bergen.

The interesting element about the guidance rune is worth it. is that although it was known as a Carol rune, it was actually discovered by Ludwig himself along with the sword, what the description tells us is that the rune allowed Ludwig to see small beings of light in the darkness when he closed his eyes. eyes and which offered him guidance and possibly courage, apparently allowing him to look at Ludwig so as not to fear anything during a hunt, as the rune increases the potential ofmeeting, it makes sense since Ludwig would have been able to return to the battle quickly if he was wounded, curiously a carrion crow falls. a weaker version of the guide rune on the top level of the research room in the game guides.

It is said that there is a third, more powerful guidance rune, but to my knowledge this has never been found and is perhaps a light joke for us players who are not worthy of seeing the private illusory goblins that Ludwig so revered in any case, these additions to Ludwig's already powerful arsenal, but no doubt allowed him to fight harder and longer defeating beasts of any size; However, as we know, the hunting nightmare is a purgatory for blood-drunk hunters and has trapped normal hunters, executioners in the church, also hunters. Ludwig lies among them in a pool of blood surrounded by corpses.

Something I realized during this research is that Ludwig's boss area and the hunters' nightmare in general is very fascinating. resemblance to the third circle of hell described in Dante Alighieri Inferno in a description of which I will now read to you in the third circle you will find yourself in the middle of the eternal rain cold and heavy masculine dict the gluttons are punished here lying in the filthy mixture of shadows and of putrid water before consuming yourself excessively you find your destiny in the cold and dirty rain among the other souls that lie unhappy in the pestilent mud Cerberus a cruel and rude canine monster with three heads and red eyes inhabits this level, growls and tears at the Damned with their teeth and claws as we find the punished, immortal remains of men in a pool of blood guarded by a many-headed beast in a world designed to punish the bloodthirsty, I believe.

This comparison is quite apt, however, Ludwig should perhaps be among those who suffer, since he is probably guilty of bloodlust as much as any other hunter. Ludwig the Damned rules this domain as a mindless monster fused with the bestial physique of a horse. It's interesting. that Ludwig appears to have eyes lining the inside of his other neck, which goes back to something mentioned in the description of the 1/3 umbilical cord, specifically the concept of having eyes on the inside. Another interesting factor is that Ludwig's beast form is off of a horse considering most beasts seem to have a wolf or canine appearance.

Ludwig is unique. I think it's worth noting that Jana may seem to have kept domesticated dogs as hunting companions as well as hunters, so perhaps Ludwig rode horses during hunts. and his body fused with that of his noble steed, it's obviously impossible to confirm, but I thought I'd leave it there, anyway, mid-fight with Ludwig, he collapses and suddenly, briefly, his humanity returns to him as his eyes fade. They pose in their previous battle. companion the moonlight sword that's when we hear the voice of this once legendary warrior ah, you were by my side the entire time my true mentor my moonlight guide I just thought I'd let that unfold on its own so incredible that it is anyway, let's continue, the guiding rune sprites seemed to reveal themselves weak for the last time, urging him to continue fighting despite his injuries to earn death.

Ludwig stands up as best he can to resemble his once human form and wields his legendary sword. Now as we get a small glimpse of the man Ludwig was once a warrior who would inspire many others to take up arms against the bestial scourge despite Ludwig's efforts, however the pale blooded hunter finally takes down the powerful beast and only his head is left to speak. There are several dialogue options we can use with Ludwig if you approach him without wearing any Church of Healing attire. He says the following to you, good hunter, have you seen the thread in the light?

Just a hair, something fleeting, but I clung to it, soaking wet. Since he was in the stench of blood and beasts, I never wanted to know what he really was. Actually, I didn't. He will then proceed to moan and howl loudly until you kill him or talk to him while wearing a church hunter outfit, presumably the Light threat Ludwig is referring to is the figure shown on the guide rune, although that can be debate, one could also argue that the guide rune resembles the presence of the moon, for example, anyway, Ludwig explains that it held on to the light even in the midst of it. hunting since it gave him strength, however, he also states that he was unaware of the true nature of the light threat, implying that he did not know his true motivations and, as we will discover in Simon's dialogue, he may have taken it. he misplaced it, which we'll get to shortly, alternatively, if we talk to Ludwig while wearing some kind of Church healing clothing, Ludwig greets us differently by saying: I, good hunter of the Church, have you seen the light?

They are my church hunters, the honorable Spartans, I hoped they were. To me, this confirms that Ludwig not only recruited healing church hunters, but also trained them, not only trained them, but also expected them to be proud warriors, not just distractions and fodder for the beasts, which separates Ludwig clearly of others. other agents of the healing church who seemed to be more interested in themselves or rather more interested in the common good, you have the option of answering Ludwig with a yes or a no regarding his question about the honorable Spartans of he. If he says yes, he tells him the following. ah well, it's a relief to know that I didn't suffer such denigration for nothing, thank you kindly now I can sleep in peace even in this darkest night.

I see the mind denigration means to speak of harm Lee of someone, so from this we can assume that perhaps Ludwig was criticized by his fellow hunters or by members of the healing church for his methods or perhaps for the emerging condition. of beast of him. I say this because Ludwig says, if you tell him that his hunters were not honorable, then he says, "Oh my God, just like me." Then he feared that I was a possessed and degenerate beast, since my detractors made it very clear how the nightmare never ends. This dialogue helps us understand that Ludwig may have begun his transformation into a beast before he stopped being a hunter.

If he had had detractors, essentially critics, then some kind. of the order must still have been present to be criticized. I think it's worth noting that during the fight with Ludwig he saw where the sacred shawl is on his back, a clothing detail present throughout the church's healing attire, perhaps that's a sign that Ludwig wore his uniform until His complete loss of sanity appears to be despite Ludwig's fall because the best elements of his leadership and combat mastery have endured. I think it's appropriate to close with Symons' thoughts on Ludwig, who was found next to the severed head after the fight.

Oh, it's fine. He's really gone now I tried to understand him but he won't be ashamed anymore he died with his ideals intact he was a true hero and he earned that at least here this is the light that guides Ludwig the blinding threat that landed and tricked him into being consumed by a poor man gross I think that will help us for this week. I found Ludwig to be a fascinating character to investigate and I hope you enjoyed this video for Dark Souls fans. I've already been collecting my thoughts on the upcoming DLC ​​so I can start forming my thoughts quickly.

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