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// Memoir for Ludwig 
// Story: Papa Gehrman 
// by SolidArc5542 
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A man is defined by his ambitions. With his birth came a solemn vow. Ludwig was a man of words and a man of deeds. The founder of the Church’s Workshop, Ludwig and his Holy Moonlight sword, which he had discovered a long, long time ago, would become a prime example of the power us humans have inside of us. This abyssal weapon, which could summon the power of the cosmos itself was wielded by him, and only him.

Ludwig was a fine hunter. He saw no need for further slaughter, had the beastly spread been haltered. He saw no need for having to slay every last one of them. He would rather have the Church search for a cure, while they would fend off any beast that dared to threaten the existence of mankind. The Holy Moonlight Sword. His tutor, his pride and joy. It had been with him for as long as he could remember.

But alas, it was all too good to be true. The beastly scourge was not haltered. Church hunters would turn into veracious beasts, having taken so much of the Old Blood. Some would even get drunk, having taken too much blood. Their pupils collapsed and turned to mush, indicating the onset of the scourge of beasts. Even Laurence, the First Vicar had broken his promise. His vow. 

Fear the Old Blood.

A vow and a promise he had made to Master Willem, a long time ago. He did not keep it. 

Ludwig had always looked up to Laurence, he always admired him and his ambitions. Whenever Ludwig would get the chance to talk to Laurence, or even be in his presence, he would consider it an honor of the highest level. But even the highest of honors, can be deceiving. Laurence’s pupils were turned into mush as well, indicating the beastly scourge. The only thing that was left of him, and that was honored by the other vicars, was his skull… the skull of a beast.

Not even Ludwig could have predicted this outcome. Laurence was dead, and the Church was left without a leader. Some desperately tried to make contact with a god, a Great One, but to no avail. And Ludwig. Well, he saw no further need for holding back.

Both rage and grief had taken over. His vison blurred and his mind clouded, Ludwig separated the Church’s hunters into two different classes. The Black Church hunters whom he would join on the nightly hunt, were tasked to kill every single beast, and erase any existence of it. the Whit Church hunters would do the same thing, yet they were to experiment on the beasts, trying to figure out a way to stop the beastly scourge from spreading.

But even the mighty heroes, will eventually fall. Ludwig had gotten drunk of blood. His body no longer in the physical world. He was taken to the Hunter’s Nightmare, where Kos ruled. There, in his human form, he continued to hunt beasts, while also having to fend off against hunters who had gone rogue. His Holy Moonlight Sword kept evil at bay, his true mentor would always be at his side. 

The Hunter’s Nightmare showed a lot of resemblance to Cathedral Ward, yet it looked like someone had tried to recreate it. It looked more like a faint memory, than the real deal. Ludwig had passed several hunters on his way to the cathedral itself. When he had beaten the humongous axe wielding monster and reached the cathedral, he was shocked at what he saw.

A beast. A beast that looked like it had been just set to flames lay there on the altar. Curiosity overtook the chief hunter, and he walked towards it. Nothing could have prepared him for the discovery he was about to make. 

A smell. A smell he recognized. A smell he adored and loved. Laurence. Vicar Laurence. His pride and joy. His inspiration. The one who acted like a fatherly figure to him, was laying the on that altar. How could this have happened? Laurence… his mentor had turned beast. Why? Why did it have to be him? Why not someone else?

Having been overtaken by grief, Ludwig prayed to his mentor one last time, before taking his leave.

The River of Blood. Despicable spider-like creatures who sucked out the blood of hunters, their bellies filled with blood, looking like they were about to explode. Ludwig slaughtered them all, their blood covering his Church attire, entering his wounds. Eventually he reached an underground arena. 

And it would be the last place he would reach. The beastly scourge had taken its toll on him. He felt it. He could feel himself turning beast. And he did. He did turn beast. 

Many hunters would come to the hunter’s nightmare, but none would ever get passed Ludwig, the Accursed.

Ludwig’s humanity died with him, when the Old Blood had taken its toll on him. His ideals were still intact, his Moonlight sword was still with him, and the Old Blood would never leave his veins. He would always stay in this Hunter’s Nightmare, never leaving that accursed arena.



But then you come. The player. The hunter who has bested Great Ones and other beasts. You enter the Hunter’s Nightmare. You fight against bloodthirsty hunters. You have the right weapons and firearms to best any beast. But most of all, you have the will to press on. You have the will to fight, and die, but return and fight again, until you are victorious.

And then you enter the underground arena, and you see what has become of Ludwig. You see what a once great hunter has become. You have been given hints in the past. Ludwig’s Holy Blade is a prime example. Ludwig’s Holy Blade is a prime example, being a trick weapon typically used by Healing Church hunters.  It is said that Ludwig, first hunter of the Healing Church, employed the silver sword.  It's transformed state combines the smaller sword with its sheath, forming a greatsword that emphasized the Church's heavy-handed, merciless stance towards the plague of beasts.  Its departures from traditional workshop designs suggested that the Church anticipated much larger inhuman beasts.

You are given hints, hints that indicate that Ludwig was a skilled hunter and leader. You believed that he was. We all speculated that the Cleric Beast was him, we all thought it was. But it wasn’t. He wasn’t. He had turned into something more veracious, because he was veracious all along.

Do you defeat him? Yes, you do. And when you do, you are given a choice. Do you tell this once proud hunter that everything he has fought for was in vain? Or do you tell him that his Church hunters have become the honorable Spartans he wanted them to become?

The choice is yours. But remember one thing. Ludwig fought for what he thought was right. he made the ultimate sacrifice. He fights you with his conscience intact. And he fights with some if his glory intact. 

Ludwig, the Accursed. Ludwig, the Hero. Ludwig, the Fool. Ludwig, the Hunter.

Names do not matter, legends do.

And those screams of pain he lets out? Ha, those are just screams of excitement. Because he knows that you are the one who will set him free. You, the player will set him free.

So, young hunter, you know what needs to be done. Continue your hunt and uncover the truth. It is your destiny.

And Ludwig will be watching you from the skies, together with his fellow companions. Because heroes always end up in the skies, as the angels they are supposed to be.