Lore
After defeating Martyr Logarius, equip the crown he drops near the lamp and approach his throne. A secret way will open, and you may proceed forward to meet the Queen.
Future Press game guide description: " Annalise is the queen and sole survivor of the Vilebloods, vampiric aristocrats born from forbidden blood who once lived in Cainhurst Castle. With the exception of Queen Annalise herself, the Vilebloods were murdered during a genocidal invasion by Logarius and his band of Executioners. Logarius then sealed the queen in an illusory prison and assumed the role of its warden, repelling any who ventured into the castle and threatened to break the seal. After freeing Logarius from his fate, you can either honor his wishes by finishing what he started, or swear an oath to the Vilebloods and take up arms against the Healing Church."
Annalise is an immortal, Queen of Cainhurst and the last of the Vilebloods. Those of Cainhurst are the line of nobles that ruled over the land for ages. It is likely they were the ruling aristocracy of the land of Yharnam, before the Healing Church's theocracy, putting them in direct opposition to the Healing Church’s ascent to power and branding them as Heretics. However, it is only within recent history that they had been exposed to the corruption that changed them, as Alfred states "Once, a scholar betrayed his fellows at Byrgenwerth…and brought forbidden blood back with him to Cainhurst Castle." That is what transformed the court of Cainhurst forever into blood drinking, vampiric beings imbued with supernatural strength and speed. It should be noted that while Vileblood is used exclusively in the English version of the game, the Japanese text makes it apparent that this term is, in fact, a slur used against them, and they refer to themselves as "The Blood Kin of Cainhurst". The transformation within the court from metaphorically preying upon the poor to literally doing so was not unprecedented, either, as there is much to indicate that their cruelty has been a long standing tradition.
Within Cainhurst Castle, we find many ragged, emaciated figures continuing their work around the halls. Some will attack on sight while others are too absorbed in menial tasks to notice the Player. These enemies are Indentured Chevalier, meaning "knights" of a sort kept as slaves until such time that their contract is paid off. Given their continued efforts long after the castle has fallen, it is unclear what contract binds them. We also find the Executioner's Gloves here, a hunter tool relic of Cainhurst [while often misattributed to the Executioners covenant, it is important to note that these gloves belonged to an executioner by trade, not the group associated with the Healing Church - the English text is unfortunately unable to easily convey this minor yet important difference]. Their description reads "One of the secret treasures hidden in Cainhurst. The gloves of an executioner from a faraway land. Passed from executioner father to executioner son, these gloves can be used to summon wrathful spirits of the past by smearing them with blood. It is said that the nobles found immeasurable delight in the dances of these vengeful specters." The 'faraway land' is mentioned in other Cainhurst relics as their point of origin, and the blood magic is an arcane art only able to be performed by those of Pthumerian decent, which ties into Cainhurst lore. These gloves clearly tell of a cruel joy the nobles took, both in the execution of their subjects and in the continued torment of their souls post mortem. Cainhurst itself is a name meaning "Cain's Hill", in reference to the Biblical figure Cain who committed the first murder.
While the origins of the Cainhurst line are never fully explained, we can trace them to the Pthumerians in several ways. The Pthumerians are prehuman beings that were created to serve the Great Ones. The old labyrinth that the scholars investigated (“the Tomb of the Gods”) was carved out by the Pthumerians, the remnants of their old underground cities. Though Pthumerians were mere humble guardians of the slumbering Great Ones in the beginning, their descendants felt entitled to name themselves as leaders. This separation from the tradition they were born for is likely in part what led to their civilization's fall, the other part being abuse of the powers they had been granted by their connection to the Gods. Their bloodlines were also intermingled with that of humans, leading to the mostly humanoid appearence of the modern inhabitants of Cainhurst, but their connection still exists; we are able to propose to Annalise using the Ring of Betrothal, a Pthumerian relic intended only for one destined to bear the child of a Great One, and that Arianna, Woman of Pleasure is able to conceive a Great One child. The One Third of Umbilical Cord obtained from her child states "Every Great One loses its child, and then yearns for a surrogate, and Oedon, the formless Great One, is no different. To think, it was corrupted blood that began this eldritch liaison.", which draws futher comparison to her Cainhurst roots and therefore the connection to Pthumerian blood.
So, when the traitorous scholar of Byrgenwerth brought the forbidden blood back to the Cainhurst nobles, it appears that they first brought it to Queen Annalise. We know that the nobles of Cainhurst had a king from the Crown of Illusions description, but it is implied that Pthumerians and therefore Cainhurst were matriarchal societies, most likely because women were able to potentially bear "special" children. Annalise consumed this blood and became the first Vileblood, and the queen of their kind. She is both uniquely immortal and the only one capable of creating new Vilebloods, by way of feeding them her corrupted blood. Annalise required her subjects to hunt the citizens of Yharnam in secret, slaughtering the innocent and taking their Blood Dregs for her own purposes. It is claimed she seeks to bear a Child of Blood through their usage, though it is noted that no matter how many she receives this will never occur. Instead, Arianna, Woman of Pleasure will bear a Great child instead, though she is only related to Cainhurst in blood. This implies that, no matter the cause, the Great Ones have not deemed Annalise worthy of their blessing. Blood Dregs themselves are found mostly in the blood of "echo fiends", meaning those addicted to blood drunkenness, meaning that, while not exclusive to Hunters, they are the ones most likely to carry them. Her hunters seek only to gain her favor and in so doing be permitted to again drink of her blood, for they are highly addicted to it. They will even attack one another in hopes of getting another chance to feed, making their "pomp and bombast" all a show, for they are as monsterous inside as any transformed Beast in the streets. Once transformed by the Scourge, they can be seen in forms representative of their greed and bloodlust, the corpulent Blood Lickers found in Cainhurst Castle and the river of blood within the Hunter's Nightmare, bloated and insatiable.
In the end, Master Logarius, whose covenant of Executioners sough to destroy the vampiric race, stormed the Castle and engaged them in a great battle in which both sides were essentially eliminated. Upon reaching Annalise, who he knew was immortal, he locked her in an iron mask to prevent her from imbibing any more blood and proceeded to stand guard outside her throne room, now her prison, ensuring no one else could free her and begin the Vileblood's reign of terror again. Once he has been dispatched by the Player, you may join her covenant and become a Vileblood yourself, eternally bringing the Queen Blood Dregs. Though you may propose to her with the Ring of Betrothal she will never agree to marry you.
An Unmarked Cainhurst Invitation can be found to the right of her throne, which may be given to Alfred. He will proceed to grind Annalise into a gorey pulp, which he knows cannot kill her but believes will stop her from continuing her wicked ways. If desires, one can bring her Queenly Flesh to the Altar of Despair in Ebrietas, Daughter of the Cosmos' boss room once she has been vanquished, and revive Annalise that way. Doing this does not earn you any reward.
Theories
The corrupted blood of the Vilebloods is Yharnam, Pthumerian Queen’s blood.
Why the Vilebloods were targeted by the Executioners.
Dialogue
Sources
NEXT: Befuddled Villager