Djura and The Powder Kegs
The PC Hunter encounters Djura for the first time upon entering Old Yharnam, in which Djura warns the hunter to leave. When the PC Hunter fails to comply, he is none too pleased and becomes aggressive in his defense of Old Yharnam. But to really discover who Djura is, let's first take a look at the history of the heretics of the workshop, the Powder Kegs.
The Powder Kegs were, and I use the term were intentionally, a group of hunters with a flair for the dramatic and a love of complexity, intricacy, and explosiveness in their designs. They deviated from the Hunting style of simplicity in design developed by Gehrman the First Hunter, and preferred ambitious (or excessive depending on your point of view) weapon design.
Influenced by a love of flame and a desire to crush and burn, they developed their main weapon of choice, the Boom Hammer, which is described as:
"A trick weapon used by the old hunters, and crafted by the workshop heretics, the Powder Kegs. A giant hammer equipped with a miniature furnace. When ignited and fired, it emits a volley of flame that explodes furiously upon impact. Crush the beasts, then burn them - the brute simplicity of the Boom Hammer was favored by hunters with an acute distaste for beasts."
Another slightly rarer Powder Keg weapon developed was the Stake Driver, Djura's personal weapon of choice. The Stake Driver is described as:
"A trick weapon fashioned by the workshop heretics, the Powder Kegs. The stake driver allows for high-damage critical attacks, but is difficult to use and leaves its wielder wide open, but none of this should bother a mere Powder Keg."
These two new trick weapons, among others like the Rifle Spear and Whirligig Saw, were drastically different from the previous designs of the Hunter's Workshop. However the Powder Kegs didn't settle with trick weapons, even trying to implement bigger and stronger firepower into their arsenal with the Cannon and Gattling Gun. We can also give the Powder Kegs credit for the design of the Rope Molotov Cocktails, seeing as gaining the Powder Keg Badge unlocks them at the Bath Messenger.
At some point in time, the Powder Kegs were labeled heretics and exiled from the workshop. Presumably, the Powder Kegs are no more, as all references to them are in the past tense, and even their badge description refers to them as the late Powder Kegs. They were very likely disbanded or slain quite a long time ago, seeing as nobody seems to reference them. Their association with the Workshop only lends credence to the idea of the Powder Kegs being a relatively old faction, as the Workshop itself is no longer a relevant institution as evidenced by the Saw Hunter Badge: The Workshop is gone, and no group recognizes this meaningless badge, except the messengers in the bath who understand its profundity.
The only remaining trace of Powder Kegs is found in the Retired Hunter Djura.
So who is Djura? His official description reads: "An old veteran hunter who is said to possess amazing skill. No one has seen him in many years, and he looks like he's been on his own for some time." We learn more from the description of the Grey Wolf Cap which describes it as:
"Attire of the retired hunter Djura. This worn wolf cap was his trademark. Djura is known through his contact with the Powder Kegs, the heretics of the workshop. He is said to have been both uncommonly kind and dreadfully foolish. Djura felt defeated by the state of Old Yharnam and renounced his hunter's vows."
Uncommonly kind is certainly right. Djura is unique amongst any character in Bloodborne as showing sympathy towards those affected by the Scourge of the Beast. "The things you hunt, they're not beasts. They're people." It's also interesting to note that his cap refers to him as having contact with the Powder Kegs, rather than being a member. It's possible that Djura knew of the Powder Kegs or made friends with them, that he carries a Powder Keg Badge indicates that at the very least he was some kind of Honorary Member. He most assuredly traveled alongside the Powder Kegs, as the description of the Gatling Gun states that Djura had three companions, the youngest of whom used the Gatling Gun.
But Djura's absolute most important quality is that he, like the PC Hunter, was once a part of the Hunter’s Dream.
"I no longer dream, but I was once a hunter, too."
"You have the whole night to dream. Make the best of it."
He also knows full well that killing the PC Hunter will do nothing but stall them. If the PC dies to Djura, he remarks: "I should think you still have dreams? Well, next time you dream, give some thought to the hunt, and its purpose."
Not every Hunter is special like the PC and Djura. There would be much more information and general knowledge about the Hunter's Dream if this were the case. Certain Hunters are special, chosen by Gehrman and attached to the Hunter's Dream. The Doll herself admits that the PC was not the first: "Over time, countless hunters have visited this dream. The graves here stand in their memory. It all seems so long ago now…"
Djura was at one point a Paleblood Hunter, like the PC Hunter, who retired from Hunting and renounced his vows to live in solitude.
Old Yharnam
While Old Yharnam is an optional location in the game, the PC Hunter is guided towards it by Gehrman in order to acquire the Holy Chalice. Historically, Old Yharnam was the location of a terrible disease known as Ashen Blood. Antidote tablets are described as: "Small medicinal tablets that counteract poison. Used to treat ashen blood, the baffling sickness that ravaged Old Yharnam long ago. These tablets only provide short-term relief.” The tablets were used as to give temporary relief to the victims of the disease, while they were being treated by the then newly formed Healing Church. What would bring true relief would be the bringing of Blood Ministration, the medical procedure that would become the cornerstone of Yharnam. With the ability to cure any disease, the Healing Church's blood ministration got to work immediately. However, as the antidote notes: ”The ashen blood ailment eventually triggered the spread of the beastly scourge."
With blood ministration came the Scourge of the Beast, as the Old Blood used in the ministration would spread the Scourge. One disease had been contained, but the treatment gave birth to the Scourge, just as it had in Ailing Loran:
"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."
With the Scourge of the Beast too much to handle, a Hunt was called.
Now we have Djura, the Powder Kegs, and Old Yharnam, three pieces of a puzzle. But it's not unless the PC stumbles into a hidden building in Old Yharnam that the pieces connect. Near Djura's tower is a hidden building that can be accessed by dropping a far, far distance down a ledge. Inside this building, everything comes together. Here, the PC Hunter finds two corpses. One of them holds a Rifle Spear, the other wears a set of Charred Hunter gear. Next to them is a Hunter’s Note.
PREV: Chapter Two
NEXT: Chapter Four