Ludolf Reinhardt was born several years before the events of the Night of the Bloodmoon in the chambers beneath Cainhurst Castle. His family lineage was not impressive compared to that of the nobility around them; his mother was a handmaiden, his father was said to have died weeks before his birth while combating the spreading scourge of beasts. Nevertheless, he lived in complete contentment, dutifully aiding his mother in her work around the castle, abiding by the orders laid down from their mistress: Lady Lucia, a noble from the older families.

In keeping with Cainhurst tradition, power was passed down, not from father to son as was the case in Yharnam, but from mother to daughter. It had been so since the dawn of time, and that tradition was carried on within Cainhurst. The Lady Lucia was destined to be the next head of her family's line — a perilous position due to her status of being the second cousin once removed from Queen Annalise, she who reigned eternal, with neither heir nor equal within Cainhurst's black walls. In terms of power, her word was absolute, made so by the fanatical Royal Guard who carried out her will. These fearsome zealots wielded the Chikage, slender swords of devastating power that demanded the ultimate sacrifice in the form of life essence from its user. They made up the core of the Vilebloods — a group of men and women from various walks of life deemed worthy enough to partake in the Queen's own blood. This gift of tainted blood was among the highest honor anyone could hope to achieve within the bounds of Cainhurst's domain. Few besides the rapacious Royal Guard and the select families of high nobility that made up her inner circle had ever obtained it. Those who had were both the admired and the feared, the objects of awe and fervent jealousy.

Lady Lucia was one such noble. She was an heiress of the forbidden blood, but she had been born weak and frail. She relied heavily upon her network of servants and retainers to make her mark against the growing resentments within Cainhurst. Even as a child and mere servant, Ludolf was taught to uphold her name and honor. He was taught that her authority was second to only that of Queen Annelise herself. It was a rigid lifestyle, but not necessarily an unhappy one. In fact, he was treated very well initially despite the circumstances surrounding his birth. His mistress was fond of him as a youth and he was even invited to serve as her personal page on several occasions, though this waned over time with the birth of her daughter Charlotte.

And that was not the only thing that changed. With Charlotte's birth, Lady Lucia's entire persona suffered a sudden and unexpected break. All the warmth within her seemed to fade and instead was replaced by single-minded obsession. She began to see beasts in even the faintest of shadows. Every creak upon the staircase had her tensing in terror. Even her own knights, handpicked for the loyalty, were treated with revulsion and suspicion. She had visions in which she claimed to see a river of blood spilling over the castle's walls and drowning everyone within. And the fear she harbored for her child's safety could not be dissuaded.

Was it a sign? A vision granted to her through the power of the blood? Whatever the case, her convictions were proven correct. On a dark night in the coldest part of winter, the gates of Cainhurst were breached, not by snarling beasts from the city below but a band of men in gold ardeos and bearing wheels the size of hounds. They rampaged through the courtyard in a frenzy, striking down any man, woman, or child that was unfortunate enough to be caught within their path. The Vilebloods swarmed the courtyard's center, their blades wreaking devastating havoc upon the enemy's numbers. But there were far too few of them to mount a proper defense.

As the storm of violence surged from the courtyard and into the castle, the order within the castle fell way to panic. Servants abandoned their masters. The only thoughts were to fight or escape. It was in that very storm that Ludolf saw his own mother killed right in front of him, her throat slit seconds before her head was bashed into the ground. To this very day, he was not sure why he didn't immediately flee into the hidden passages like the others. Maybe it was just his training. Maybe he was simply too frightened to go alone. Whatever the case, he found himself back within his Mistress's chambers. She was alone, unattended by a guard or knight. He begged her to leave, but instead, she had only one last order to give.

"Save my child."

And so he did. Ashamed and full of guilt, Ludolf fled the castle that night. One of only a handful of scattered and broken souls to have survived the wrath of the Healing Church. For a time, they wandered and eventually came to a village just beyond the reach of Yharnam. It was a strange place. The populace was resentful of Yharnam and its sudden sharp rise in power but was largely ignorant about the beast plague. Nevertheless, it was here the two unfortunate children had found their refuge.

In the years that followed, the two of them became the adopted children of a kindly man with no children of his own. He was a far different sort of man than any Ludolf had known previously. Behind his plain exterior, there lurked the heart of a scholar, with a vast amount of knowledge about the world beyond. Knowledge that no one else in the village appeared to have. He knew of Yharnam, of the Healing Church, of the terrors that stalked its street. He even appeared to know of Cainhurst and the foul deeds that had taken place within its halls. Perhaps, if he had been older back then — wiser — Ludolf would have found this exceedingly strange. But due to the circumstances, the young boy eventually warmed to his new benefactor. It was a relief to have an adult care and seem to understand their harrowing plight.

Under the ever-watchful eye of this new mysterious guardian, Ludolf grew and expanded his education. More than just reading and writing, he learned about a great many topics such as philosophy, astronomy, art, and combat. His most rigorous instruction came in the way of anatomy and traditional methods of healing (the kind that could only be found outside of Yharnam's sphere of influence). As it happened, their new caretaker served as the town's only physician. He traveled far and wide, healing who he could, tending even the most desperate of cases. Through a variety of techniques, he had grown a reputation of being a healer of unsurpassed skill. There was much to learn, and Ludolf threw himself into this wholeheartedly, embracing this instruction all while serving as the big brother figure to the sole heiress of a forgotten line. In time, even the trauma of his past was allowed to slip into the recesses of his mind.

But the truth has a funny way of refusing to be buried.

It always has a way of lurking beneath the surface, rising only when a man is at his most vulnerable.

For Ludolf, it came the night that a certain discovery was made about his sister's blood: it could heal and invigorate a man to nearly twice that of his usual capabilities even while at the edge of certain death. At this point in his life, he had been a young man, twenty and five, a promising physician and a prominent figure within the area. He had neither experience in a practical fight nor the power to stop the Healing Church when they once more returned back into his life.

Led by the man he had trusted as his friend and mentor, the Choir had stormed the hut in the dead of night. Ludolf had fought, resisted with his entire being, but was easily bested by the powers the Church's upper stratum brought to bear. In one fell swoop, they managed to take everything from him that had ever mattered. He was left for dead, a broken soul without a shred of honor or pride.

That was nearly eight years ago.

Now, after years away, Ludolf Reinhardt has returned to Yharnam an entirely different man with a singular ambition: power.

Power strong enough to defy the remaining factions of the Healing Church. Power to not only survive the spreading scourge of beasts but to thrive within its chaos. Power to recover what was stolen and to make up for all the worthless failures of his past.

But first, he needed a Contract.