Byrgenwerth & the Healing Church
Byrgenwerth is where the Great Ones were studied, though in practice this seems mainly to have been a study of how to make contact with them. Among the scholars were Provost (later Master) Willem and Laurence, and given that the first hunter Gehrman knows both it's likely he, too, began here.A schism was caused when what Alfred calls the “holy medium” was found. This could be referring to Queen Yharnam, or her dead child's blood, but it is much more likely to be the abandoned Ebrietas – a Great One that can be found in-game. The temptation of a living, breathing Great One's blood was too much for some.
Willem's motto was simple: “Fear the old blood.” He wished to probe the secrets of the cosmos, but intuited the dangers of transfusing oneself with the blood of gods. Laurence disagreed and, in what Willem termed a betrayal, left Byrgenwerth to found the Healing Church.
Blood ministration was the foundation of the Healing Church. “Blood ministration is, of course, the pursuit of communion.” Laurence believed that through infusing oneself with the blood of the Great Ones some sort of communication could be had.
