"The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear, and the oldest and strongest kind of fear is fear of the unknown" -H.P. Lovecraft Our eyes are yet to open... Fear the old blood. These were the words spoken between Master Willem and Laurence. From the cautious teacher to the ambitious student Fear what you do not understand. Love the cuts and voice over Fear the old blood. And so our story begins, as you might have guessed, with blood, ancient blood. Deep below the city of Yharnam lies the ancient underground labyrinth of Pthumeru. You know it as the Chalice Dungeons. The old labyrinth was carved out by the Pthumerians, superhuman beings that are said to have discovered a sinister truth. The hunters had another name for the
labyrinth; they called it "The Tomb of the Gods," for below, they found traces of godlike beings named "The Great Ones." The Great Ones could function on transcendental planes of thought, meaning they had elevated their consciousness beyond the physical realm. The benefits of operating on this plane are unclear. Perhaps it was in the name of immortality, or perhaps power, as even beyond, the Great Ones could interfere with beings and events in the waking world. Whatever the case, it is clear that some sort of ascension took place, as there are numerous references to some Great Ones being left behind. Of all the strange life forms that reside in the nooks and crannies of the old labyrinth, the slugs are clear signs of the left-behind Great Ones. One such Great One appears to be abandoned Ebrietas, a left-behind being who apparently did not ascend with her brethren. One day, Ebrietas would be discovered by the humans above, in a crusade that begins with a
character named Willem. Master Willem presided over
a prestigious place of learning, Byrgenwerth. Situated by a tranquil lake
and secluded within a gigantic forest, Byrgenwerth housed the minds that would change the world. In fact, everything sacred in Yharnam came to be traced back to Byrgnwerth, including the most influential
characters within our story. Bloodborne's lore is very character-driven
and there are five who I'm going to help you become familiar with. There was Master Willem, Runesmith Caryll, Laurence, Micolash, and Gherman. I'll introduce them
to you in the order that they become relevant in the story. As I said Master Willem was the head
of the school at Byrgenwerth. The man was obsessed
with the truth and believed in pushing the limits of
humanity. in almost every dialogue and description,
Willem is referred to as Master or Provost, clearly deserving
of a great deal of respect. Many would eventually diverge from his
tutorage but few can say that they didn't owe everything to his
research, for while Willem presided over Byrgenwerth, the scholars there discovered terrific
things in the tombs below the city of Yharnam. Once a group of young Byrgenwerth
scholars discovered a holy medium deep within the tomb. This led to the
founding of the Healing Church and the establishment of Blood Healing. It's hard to be sure exactly what was
found, but we do know it was related to the Great Ones. On the ground floor of Byrgenwerth
College we find the Pearl Slugs, remnants of the great ones and at the
very top of the college we find the Empty Phantasm Shell - an
empty invertebrate shell that is said to be the familiar of a Great One. After this discovery, whatever it was
that showed them that the Great Ones existed, the Byrgenwerth scholars launched an
inquiry into the great ones and the old blood; for from this point
onwards there is an explosion of lore and history
and references to what the scholars found in the
tombs below Yharnam. Many of these references come from Runesmith Caryll, the second character of our story. Caryll transcribed the inhuman utterings
of the great ones into what we now call Caryll Runes. In
true Lovecraftian fashion, it is really likely
that it's impossible for humans to comprehend the speech of the great
ones but Caryll apparently had a knack, a talent for
creating a visual representation of the Great One's words. The hunter who
receives this workshop tool can edge Caryll runes into their mind to
attain their wondrous strength. Provost Willem would have been
proud of Caryll's runes, as they do not rely upon blood in any
measure. This statement is curious; it tells us
three things: first, Provost Willem and Caryll were close, as Willem would have been proud of him.
And second, Willem didn't have a chance to be proud, so it's
possible that the two lost contact. And thirdly and most importantly, Willem would have been proud BECAUSE the runes
did not rely on blood. In other words, Willem did not approve
the use of the old blood, the blood found in the Tomb of the
Gods. The "Metamorphosis" rune states "the discovery of blood made their dream of
evolution a reality. Metamorphosis, and the excesses and deviation
that followed, was only the beginning." Willem believed
in a different path. He believed in attaining more insight, for humanity's eyes had yet to open. The "Eye" rune states that 'Master Willem looked to beings from higher planes for guidance, and sought to line his brain with eyes
in order to elevate his thoughts. And with these descriptions, you
should have some idea of the scale of ambition of these characters, with the discovery of beings greater than them came a desire to ascend into Godhood, to push
humanity into its next stage of evolution. The
only question was how? blood? Or insight? And this was a
question that split the ranks of the Byrgenwerth scholars. It's how we arrived at the cutscene we
started out earlier, with Master Willem and Laurence parting
ways. [LAURENCE]: "Master Willem, I've come to bid you farewell." [WILLEM]: "Oh I know, I know. You think now to betray me" From this cutscene, we can infer that
Laurence was a high-ranking student of Master Willem because, firstly, Laurence refers
to Willem as 'master', and secondly, Willem clearly
regards Laurence highly enough to call this 'departure' a betrayal. [LAURENCE]: "No, but you will never listen." Laurence
disagrees, he does not see it as betrayal and here
we come to the heart of what their disagreement is about. Essentially, it boils down to the
difference between the two resources in the game.
Willem believes man requires insight and knowledge to ascend, Laurence
believes in the power of blood. Laurence attempts to reassure Willem,
telling him he will always fear the old blood, but that
this fear will not stop him using it [LAURENCE]: "I tell you, I will not forget our adage." [WILLEM]: "We are born of the blood, made men by the blood, undone by the blood. Our eyes are yet to open." [WILLEM and LAURENCE]: "Fear the Old Blood." [LAURENCE]: "I must take my leave." Laurence leaves the Byrgenwerth scholars,
presumably with a small group of rebels and goes on to found the Healing Church. Willem remains at Byrgenwerth and attempts to
elevate his thoughts to a higher plane. He will return to our story at a later
time so, while I tell you of what Laurence went on to do, imagine Willem here, in Byrgenwerth,
sitting in his rocking chair over the lake, musing on how to acquire
insight and elevate his thoughts to a higher
plane. Everything Laurence would come to achieve was based on the knowledge he had come by in Byrgenwerth. In retrospect, we clearly see why Willem saw Laurence's departure as a
betrayal. Perhaps Willem himself even planted these ideas in Laurence's mind. A note in the lecture hall reads: "Master Willem was right. Evolution without courage will be the
ruin of our race." Laurence had courage, but it is likely
that his courage bordered on arrogance. The Byrgenwerth
student uniform states: "the Healing Church has its roots in
Byrgenwerth, and naturally borrows heavily from its uniform design. The focus, not on knowledge or thought, but
on pure pretension would surely bring Master Willem to
despair, if only he knew." So Laurence threw caution to the wind
and put his faith in the old blood. Think on human history; imagine if, in any era, a church was
founded that had access to a substance that could cure any illness. Imagine if this church gave it freely to
a city, how powerful that city would become and
how powerful the church would become within it. This is exactly what happened in Yharnam.
People came far and wide to be treated with the miraculous Blood
of the Gods and the people of Yharnam put their faith in the Healing Church. In fact what happened in Yharnam is eerily
similar to what happened in the tombs deep below, where the blood
was originally found. And as you know, many chalice dungeons,
especially those of Loran are now overrun by horrific beasts. The Lower Loran
Chalice states: "there are trace remains of medical
procedures in parts of ailing Loran. Whether these were attempts to control
the scourge of the beast, or the cause of the outbreak, is unknown." The Ailing Loran Chalice states: "the tragedy that struck this ailing land
of Loran is said to have its root in the scourge of the beast. Some have
made the dreaded extrapolation that Yharnam may be next." Yharnam WAS next. Through overuse of the healing blood, the
city would eventually succumb to the scourge of the beast. Until then
though, Laurence and the Healing Church manage to grow in power, with the
miraculous healing properties of their special yet infected blood. Yharnam grows to become a city of worship and fear. As you explore throughout the city, you see the influence of the Church everywhere. With Yharnam's resources,
Laurence clearly had the power to grow the Church beyond what would have been possible at Byrgenwerth All the while he continued exploring the labyrinth below Yharnam The tomb prospector set reads: "Attire of the 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. These ruins
contain much more than hunter trinkets, indeed, they hide the very secrets of the old Great Ones sought-after by those with the insight
to imagine greatness" On top of this, Laurence split the Church into multiple branches, each with a different purpose. There was the Choir, the School of Mensis and the Workshop. We'll get to these
branches as they become appropriate but the main purpose of the Church, at least to the people of Yharnam was the administration of blood healing Within the Grand Cathedral itself lies a
note that says: "Heir to the ritual of blood, purveyor
of ministration Place your hand upon the altar's sacred covering and inscribe Master Laurence's adage upon your flesh Blood ministers would
have been those who administered the blood healing How else would the people of Yharnam be so obsessed
with blood? In Yharnam, they produced more blood than alcohol as the former is more intoxicating However, the ministration of blood was likely a
means to an end, for the Healing Church still intended to commune with the Great Ones in hopes
of ascending humanity to a higher plane. This task was given to
the Choir, a group who were a part of the Healing Church.
Members of the Choir are both the highest-ranking clerics of
the Healing Church and scholars who continued the work that began at
Byrgenwerth The eye covering indicates their debt to the teachings
of Master Willem, even though their paths diverged. The Choir, garbed in black and white with the familiar eye covering, occupied the Upper Cathedral
Ward It seems to have been their job to research and make contact with the Great Ones The Great Isz Chalice became the
cornerstone of the Choir, the elite delegation of the Healing Church It was also the first Great Chalice
brought back to the surface since the time of Byrgenwerth and allowed the Choir to have audience with Ebrietas. Ebrietas was the left behind Great One who
came to reside below the Grand Cathedral. We are told that
the Grand Cathedral is the birthplace of the Healing Church's special blood. And if the church were indeed using the
blood of the Great Ones, then who's to say it wasn't Ebrietas'
blood? The augur of Ebrietas is one of the secret rights of the
Choir, used by the high-ranking members of the Healing Church. "Use phantasms, the invertebrates known to be augurs of the Great Ones to partially summon
abandoned Ebrietas" One of the few rights that allow one to
directly utilize the power of the Great Ones and evidence that the Choir had approached
the Eldritch Truth. The augur for Ebrietas is an arcane
method of fighting that was actually shared with the second
subsection of the Healing Church, the School of Mensis. The upper echelons
of the Healing Church are formed by the School of Mensis,
based in the Unseen Village. This brings us to our next important
character Micolash who was likely the head of the School of
Mensis. The School of Mensis was, as the name implies, a place of
learning, research and experimentation for the Healing Church. Their student set reads: "The Healing Church has its roots in Byrgenwerth and naturally borrows heavily from its uniform design" The school was based below Yharnam in a
place called Yahar'gul, the Unseen Village. Clearly the work of
Mensis was intended to be kept a secret from the people of Yharnam In fact, as time went on, the School
increasingly seems to have been working alone, even separately from the Healing Church
itself. The Yahar'gul attire tells us "the hunters if Yahar'gul answer to the
Village's founders, the School of Mensis. Hunters in name
only, these kidnappers blend into the night wearing this attire" These were not true hunters. That title was saved for the third
subsection of the Healing Church the hunters of the Workshop. These
capable warriors of the church appeared as the scourge of the beast
began to show in Yharnam. The Workshop hunters served under Gerhman, the first hunter who you're all familiar with. The hunter
attire reads: "One of the standard articles of hunter attire fashioned at the workshop. A fine piece of hunter attire that provides stable defence to anyone facing Yharnam's beastly threat.
Allows one to stalk beasts unannounced by cover of
night" It's possible the unannounced part of
that sentence is to do with killing beasts without
them noticing you but it could also be because the Workshop was a secret
institution. The original workshop is located in a very hard to find part of
Cathedral Ward and think about it, you don't want the
townsfolk believing that the blood is turning them into beasts When that information is floating around,
you want to avoid panic at all costs. So the hunters hunted
beasts under the cover of night but the hunters
and the beastly scourge couldn't stay a secret forever. In what would come to be called Old
Yharnam, a new disease appeared. It was called ashen blood. I call it a
disease but the small medicinal tablets used
to treat it actually counteract poison. A tablet used
to treat ashen blood, the baffling sickness that ravaged Old Yharnam long ago These tablets only provide short term
relief. The ashen blood ailment eventually
triggered the spread of the beastly scourge. Think about that.
We know that the old blood heals every illness. We know that the old
blood causes the beastly scourge and we now
know that the ashen blood caused the beastly scourge to spread. In short, it seems like people were
infected with the ashen blood and the medicine that they had only
provided short-term relief and they were forced to imbibe the old
blood instead. It's even possible that the
Healing Church used this ashen blood to gain power, swooping in with this
miracle cure and liberating the people from the
ashen blood disease. Since ashen blood seems poisonous in
nature, perhaps the Church even poisoned the populace just for that excuse to use the old
blood because that excuse to get the populace to believe in you That would have been so powerful. But whatever
the case, the beastly scourge was triggered
overwhelmingly in Old Yharnam, we know that much, to the point where
they actually had to burn it down and cordon off Old Yharnam from
the rest of the city. The red moon hangs low and beasts rule
the streets Are we left no other choice, than to burn it all to cinders? With this, the hunt became known to all. Perhaps the Church feared an uprising
from the people of Yharnam, for a note in Central Yharnam reads:
"When the hunt began, the Healing Church left us, blocking the
Great Bridge to Cathedral Ward, as Old Yharnam burned to the ground that
moonlit night" As a result, Gerhman's workshop was
sealed and closed With the scourge of the beast
known to all, perhaps there was no need for secrecy
anymore. The Saw Hunter Badge comes to read: "Badge crafted long ago at the Workshop. Attests to one's prowess as a hunter of
beasts. The Workshop is gone, and no group
recognizes this meaningless badge" At this point, the Church retreats.
They block themselves off in Upper Cathedral Ward and come up with a new strategy for
dealing with the scourge of the beasts that is spreading throughout Yharnam. Eventually, the Workshop hunters would disband and the Church founded the Church Hunter
Workshop in its place. Ludwig was the chief hunter of the
Healing Church, which consisted of hunters garbed in black and white The black church hunter attire reads: "Most Healing Church hunters
are elementary doctors who understand the importance of early prevention of the scourge,
achieved by disposing of victims, even potential victims, before signs of
sickness manifest themselves. Their black attire is synonymous with
fear and that peculiar Yharnam madness" The black church hunter's job was clear.
Remove any sign of the scourge of the beast even if it
hasn't manifested itself yet. The fear that it inspired in the
citizens shows most in Upper Cathedral Ward are deathly afraid of
the Church. The white church hunters jobs were a bit different. These doctors are superiors to the black
preventative hunters and specialists in experimentally backed
blood ministration and the scourge of the beast. They
believe that medicine is not a means of treatment but rather a method
research and that some knowledge can only be attained by exposing oneself to sickness Their experimentation might explain the
monstrously large church giants who would have been particularly useful in the fight against the beasts.
Ludwig's great sword exhibits several departures from the Workshop's design suggesting that the Church anticipated
much larger inhuman beasts. On top of this, Ludwig took a
much more overt approach to beast hunting. Nightly, he would embark upon Central Yharnam across the Great Bridge to fight back against the beasts but he
was not alone. The population of Central Yharnam join
the hunt as well, swelling the ranks of the hunters 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 defence but not nearly enough to allow an
ordinary man to stand any real chance against the beasts"
It sounds like a very clever move as it probably stopped the populace blaming
the Church and likely formed more of a 'us vs. them' mentality Meanwhile, in Byrgenwerth, Master Willem
had an epiphany "We are thinking on the basest of planes.
What we need are more eyes" Willem took this very literally. The remaining students of Byrgenwerth appear to have been transformed into multi-eyed, fly-like creatures and
more importantly Willem himself found an umbilical cord
of a Great One which was a very significant and
powerful artifact "Provost Willem sought the cord in
order to elevate his being and thoughts to those of a Great One by lining his
brain with eyes. The only choice, he knew, if man
were ever to match Their greatness" Used to gain insight and, so they say,
eyes on the inside Although no one remembers what that truly entails.
It's difficult to know exactly how Willem came across or created an umbilical cord so we'll
have to go into that in another video just know that he has one, for now.
When we encounter Willem, he directs us to the Great Lake. The power of great bodies of water is
actually referenced in a few runes "Great volumes of water serve as a bulwark guarding sleep and an augur of the Eldritch Truth.
Overcome this hindrance and seek what is yours" The Lake, and what
lies within it, hides the truth. Rom the Byrgenwerth Spider lies within and there's a lot we don't
know about her but I'll tell you what we do know.
"The Byrgenwerth Spider hides all manner of rituals, and keeps our lost master from us. A
terrible shame." "The Spider is certain to reveal nothing,
for true enlightenment need not be shared"
I believe this is what the 'Vacuous' part of Rom's name refers to.
This creature is somehow hiding the true nature of the world and when you defeat it, you don't need
insight to see the world for what it truly is. The night moves forward, the Blood Moon
descends and after killing Rom, we are finally granted access to what remains of Yahar'gul, home of Micolash and his School of Mensis.
The School of Mensis appears to have grown apart from the
Healing Church and the Choir. There is little information on
Micolash and his School but we can prove that there was a split.
Firstly: Micolash uses the augur of Ebrietas, a
secret right of the Choir shared among the high-ranking members of the Healing Church. This suggests he was trusted with this information and was once a
sane member of the Church. To prove that there was a split between
the Healing Church's Choir and the School, we note clear signs of
distrust and fighting between the groups. Imprisoned inside Yahar'gul is the
corpse of a member of the Choir and inside the nightmare of Mensis we find,
who the official guide calls Edgar, Choir Intelligence.
Clearly, the Choir was suspicious of what was going on in Yahar'gul, with the School of Mensis and based on what we find there in Yahar'gul, it seems
the Choir had good reason to be. The School of Mensis were attempting to
commune with the Great Ones and they succeeded.
As Willem did, they found an umbilical cord. We find four cords in the game that
allow contact with the Great Ones and Micolash had one.
This cord granted Mensis audience with Mergo but resulted in the
stillbirth of their brains. As we know, most Great Ones reside in the
nightmare realm and whatever ritual they performed with
this cord ripped Mensis and its students into a nightmare.
That's why you find the lecture hall in the nightmare and that's why there's
hundreds of dead students throughout Yahar'gul, all wearing
the cage that appears to have delivered them to their harrowing nightmare.
Micolash's corpse provides a gateway into then nightmare and we find him here,
clearly insane, wandering the halls. Micolash believes
that it's possible to ascend towards becoming a Great One, citing Rom as his example.
Rom, however, is not fully developed, rather she has
the blood of their kin. And let's just go back to Rom for a second.
When you defeat Rom, Queen Yharnam appears. She's a Pthumerian woman who has clearly suffered a childbirth gone
horribly wrong. She is linked to the nightmare of Mensis, to the ritual that Rom was hiding and she appears in this nightmare looking up towards Mergo's loft,
where Mergo and his wet nurse reside. Queen Yharnam hails from the Pthumerian
civilization that was in power long ago and she was blessed with a child of the Great Ones.
From the way she appears, outside Mergo's loft, it is clear that her consciousness, her
spirit, was pulled into this nightmare as well Even when you encounter Queen
Yharnam's real self in the Pthumerian Tombs, the baby Mergo
screams whenever you hit her and even when you kill Yharnam in the
tombs, it is clear that she is not actually dead, but her horrific consciousness is only
asleep and it stirs in unsettling motions.
Her consciousness seems to be showing up here in the nightmare, completely separate from her physical form The same thing is happening with you, with Micolash, with the Great Ones in the
nightmare with you. You all exist in this nightmare that
Mensis created. So your next question is,
which Great One impregnated Yharnam with Mergo all those years ago?
I believe it is formless Oeden. "The Great One Oedon, lacking form, exists only in voice" To cite the fastest evidence to present there's nothing in the cradle after you
defeat Mergo and Mergo himself, the child, has no form.
Also his cries are heard throughout your adventure, he exists everywhere.
Additionally, Mergo's Wet Nurse has no form
under those robes and also the women that are impregnated
when this blood moon descends are all related to Oeden but we'll get to
that in another video. When you defeat Mergo's Wet Nurse, you get a message unlike any other that you've received thus far.
Instead of "prey slaughtered", you get "nightmare slain"
you defeated a true Great One that's elevated its consciousness to the
nightmare realm: and the game is nearing its end.
However, all of this should make you think the nightmare of Mensis isn't the only
dream world I've set foot in, is it?
This entire time I've actually been journeying out from the Hunter's Dream, guided by
lanterns that led me to Mergo and her wet nurse, all of which is made
possible by Gehrman and his Doll.
Travel to the hunter's Workshop in the waking world and seek the truth.
"Every Great One loses its child, and then yearns for a surrogate. The Third Umbilical Cord precipitated
the encounter with the pale moon, which beckoned the
hunters and conceived the hunter's dream" Next to the cord is the unanimated doll. Take a hairpin from this real doll and
then pass it along to the doll in the dream. When you give her the hairpin, she sheds
a single tear, which reads: "Created from the shining
silver doll tear, this blood gem is a quiet yet unfaltering
friend that continually restores HP, the life
essence of a hunter Perhaps this doll's
creator had wished for such a friend, albeit in vain"
It's clear that Gehrman called upon the Great Ones using an
umbilical cord similar to the manner in which Micolash did. The Great Ones that inhabit the nightmare are sympathetic in spirit and often answer when called upon.
Gehrman, lonely and lacking purpose after the Church had
no more need for his workshop, must have called upon the Great Ones.
A Great One responded, the Pale Moon Presence and imprisoned
Gehrman within the dream. For while Gehrman sleeps, he utters
this rare piece of dialogue that clearly shows he does not want to
be here ...Oh, Laurence... Master Willem... Somebody, help me. Unshackle me, please, anybody... I've had enough of this dream... The night blocks all sight... Oh, somebody. please... So for what purpose was the dream conceived? Well, the Doll tells us that countless hunters have passed through here. And all of the graves tell us that as well. And Eileen and Djura both have dialogue that is testament to that fact They talk about how they've been though this dream before as well So why are hunters being sent through this dream, unable to pass away just forced to go out into the world and kill beasts? It becomes clearer when you kill Mergo's Wet Nurse You return to the hunter's Workshop burning down, the dream's purpose fulfilled Ergo, the purpose of your dream and your hunt appears to have been to slay a Great One Three endings are presented to you The first: Gehrman offers you a way out of the dream He asks you to accept your death, for if you do, then you'll awaken in the waking world of Yharnam and your consciousness will be no longer linked to the dream The trophy for this ending reads: "You lived through the hunt and saw another day" The second option is to reject Gehrman. He suggests that to do so must be a decision caused by madness and he pits his will against yours to forcibly remove you from the dream. All the while, he entreats you to accept your death and be freed from this dream If you overpower Gehrman, we meet with the Moon Presence The being that appears to have conceived this nightmare, just like the nightmare Mergo conceived It embraces you and in the cut scene to follow, we see ourselves performing the same role that Gehrman did Hosting the dream Likely a slave to the Moon Presence or perhaps it's surrogate child Guiding hunters throughout this dream in an effort to slay other Great Ones The trophy for this ending reads: "Captivated by the Moon Presence, you pledge to watch over the Hunter's Dream" There's one key thing you need to remember. The Great Ones are a race but they're a race unlike any other Each Great One is entirely unique and they do not necessarily work together In fact, from the existence of the dream, I'm almost inclined to believe that the Moon Presence is hostile towards other Great Ones In the third and final ending, you consume three umbilical cords and resist the will of the Moon Presence You overpower it. And in the cut scene to follow, the Doll coddles the being you have become You have ascended, truly, as few have before you The trophy description states:
"You became an infant Great One, lifting humanity into its next childhood" So after the end of all this, you probably still have questions. What is pale blood? Why does the Moon Presence guide hunters towards killing beasts and Great Ones? Which ending is the good ending? For all this and more you need to be subscribed to the channel I'll have another video out soon analyzing the endings and from here on out, the channel should split into three main parts There's going to be the lore hunting series where we focus on one aspect of the lore and really figure it out There's going to be "prepare to cry" which is my favorite series It's a series where I tell the story of a character within Bloodborne's universe And there's going to be "things you missed", which are short, enjoyable episodes that showcase an area of the game and tell you everything that you missed within it The criteria for these episodes is generally: if I find something I think I missed or something I did miss then I include it in that episode.
So those are the three main series we're gonna have There's also going to be other videos, of course, but those are the three main series I'm still thinking of doing a video on Scholar of the First Sin Still haven't played that...heh But thanks for watching and I'll see you guys next time. Bye bye!
I like to think of the Souls' games as archaeology simulators. There's a lot of interesting things that happened in this world, but they all happened long before you ever got there and there's no one left alive or sane to explain it all to you. It's left up to the player to look around, pick up the pieces, and try to decide what really went down.
He claims that the great ones ascended and left a few (i.e., Ebriatas) behind. I was under the impression the the great ones naturally operated on a different plane, and a few more 'descended' to the one humans exist on instead. Which is it?
Keep in mind that everything he says without showing a source is his own guessing, and not all of his conclusions make sense (some are contradictory.) There are large parts of the lore intentionally missing for you to make up your own mind about, so a video like this is sort of defeating to that goal.
edit: he also puts forth some ideas that have been rather controversial in the lore-seeking community surrounding bloodborne.
There's nothing wrong with agreeing with Vaati's ideas about what happened, because making up your own decisions about missing information is part of the fun. It just rubs me the wrong way that he titled this video as the "Story: Explained!".
There's also a text version (much more indepth) here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1k7ST7Ysc9I3s6zLXr-DOzWjoAtu6afOOCaU3ucCdBDk/preview?sle=true&pli=1
It's great when a game that has little to no cut scenes still retains a storyline better than 95% of other games out there.