Rom, the Vacuous Spider

Lore

Rom the Vacuous Spider is a Kin or brethren to the Great Ones of the Cosmos. Rom's large grey, rock-hard head is pockmarked with dull seemingly sightless eyes that stare in all directions and a small round mouth filled with sharp teeth. Rom's body is overgrown with fluorescent flowers and additional dark eye-like shapes. Evidence indicates that Rom was the result of an experiment conducted at Byrgenwerth. When defeated she will drop a Kin Coldblood, the description of which reads:

Dare not to delve into the world beyond humanity, the
eldritch Truth touched upon long ago at Byrgenwerth.

And Micolash, member of the School of Mensis, and scholar of Byrgenwerth (who still wears the school uniform) gives a clearer picture of Rom's origins:

"Ahh, Kos, or some say Kosm… Do you hear our prayers?
As you once did for the vacuous Rom, grant us eyes, grant us eyes. Plant eyes on our brains, to cleanse our beastly idiocy."

Kin are humans who have ascended in one form or another. We see this throughout Bloodborne with enemies like the Celestial Emissaries, some of whom are created by Iosefka in the clinic as evidenced by the 'unfinished' emissary on the operating table with the human hand, and the correlation between survivors who are sent to the clinic and their Emissary counterparts. Living Failures as precursors to the Emissaries and clear products of the Research Patients, add further strength to this connection. Brainsuckers still retain much of their human form and appear to be humans who have been experimented on with phantasms. And the Garden of Eyes enemies are the clearest example of human experimentation, and specifically the approach of inquiry that began with Master Willem at Byrgenwerth.

At Byrgenwerth, Master Willem had an epiphany:
"We are thinking on the basest of planes. What we need, are more eyes.".
- Great Ones Wisdom description

Eyes symbolize the truth Master Willem sought in his research.
Disillusioned by the limits of human intellect, Master Willem looked
to beings from higher planes for guidance, and sought to line his brain with eyes in order to elevate his thoughts.
- Eye Rune description

The Garden of Eyes are students or research subjects of Byrgenwerth who have had their brain lined with eyes in order to elevate their being and thoughts. The process appears to have driven them insane and vastly altered their bodies. Their swollen heads pockmarked with eyes resemble Rom's. It's easy to draw the connection that Rom underwent a similar process, and yet the result was vastly different. Again, Micolash perhaps provides us with a clue:

"Ahh, Kos, or some say Kosm… Do you hear our prayers?
As you once did for the vacuous Rom, grant us eyes, grant us eyes. Plant eyes on our brains, to cleanse our beastly idiocy."

We know from this that Kos is somehow inextricably linked to Rom's origins and is even given credit for Rom's ascension.

Provost Willem sought the Cord in order to elevate his being and thoughts to those of a Great One, by lining his brain with eyes.
The only choice, he knew, if man were to ever match Their greatness.
- Third Umbilical Cord (Iosefka) description

Long ago in the Fishing Hamlet the Byrgenwerth scholars committed blasphemy. The body of the Great One Kos was discovered, and studied, along with its unborn baby. The Byrgenwerth scholars’ method of inquiry and experimentation is incredibly invasive, often to the detriment of the patient:

Skull of a local from the violated fishing village. The inside of the skull was forcibly searched for eyes, as evidenced by innumerable scratches and indentations.
- Accursed Brew description

It can be seen in the Hunter's Nightmare, that the Orphan of Kos has an umbilical cord, and even uses the attached placenta as a weapon. It is a small leap to theorize that in the Waking World Willem and the scholars of Byrgenwerth came into possession of the Orphan's umbilical cord, or a part of it, and used it for their experimentation. The cord belonged to Kos and if it allowed Rom to ascend, it would seem to Micolash and the scholar's that Rom had been reborn, vacuous (or empty) like a newborn, and that Kos was Rom's mother, with Rom now acting as a surrogate for the dead Great One.

Every Great One loses its child, and then yearns for a surrogate.
- Third Umbilical Cord descriptions

It's the umbilical cord(s) that allow a human to ascend - or be reborn, but it requires a full umbilical cord (three thirds) and more for the player hunter to ascend in the Childhood's Beginning ending. An umbilical cord is a bridge to a baby's mother, but it needs to be connected to a medium, something that can convey sustenance and in Bloodborne it's the blood that imbibes and sustains. All this seems to confirm that Rom was a result of experimentation at Byrgenwerth, having her brain lined with eyes and using the Orphan's umbilical cord to ascend. But it may be that Rom was considered somewhat of a failure. Instead of sharing the secrets attained by her enlightenment Rom is unable to communicate in any meaningful way:

The spider hides all manner of rituals, certain to reveal nothing, for true enlightenment need not be shared.
- Byrgenwerth lore note

Willem and the scholars were seemingly no closer to ascension and it can be heard in Micolash's plea to the transcendent Kos (as we know from the Great Pthumeru Ihyll Chalice description that the death of a Great One's body is certainly not the end):

Kos, […] Do you hear our prayers?
- Micolash, Host of the Nightmare

But while Rom is unable to share her secrets, she does serve a critical purpose:

The Byrgenwerth spider hides all manner of rituals, and keeps our lost master from us. A terrible shame. It makes my head shudder uncontrollably.
- Oedon Chapel lore note

Rom is seemingly responsible for the concealment of the blood moon, for keeping the ritual to beckon the blood moon a secret. After defeating Rom the apparition of Yharnam, Pthumerian Queen of Blood is seen infiltrating the Moonside Lake. The Queen stands weeping before a blood moon that quickly descends amid the cries of baby Mergo.

Ritual secret broken.
Seek the nightmare newborn.
- Note seen after defeating Rom

The hunter receives these instructions, from the Moon Presence guiding them to the next phase of the Hunt. It would appear that everything up to this point has steered the hunter towards removing Rom who was proving a hinderance to the descent of the blood moon and its eldritch Truth.

Great volumes of water serve as a bulwark guarding sleep, and an augur of the eldritch Truth.
Overcome this hindrance, and seek what is yours.
- Lake Rune description

It's no coincidence that Rom is fought within the Moonside Lake, and that it is so closely tied to the moon. Willem and the scholars are seemingly obsessed with the moon, and the study of it. Byrgenwerth is littered with lunariums (devices for illustrating the motion and phases of the moon) and the most central and massive component of the Byrgenwerth building is a telescope for studying the skies. The scholars were clearly interested in the moon. They studied history and archaeology (Lecture Theatre Key description) and were aware of the moon's historical significance:

When the red moon hangs low, the line between man and beast is blurred.
And when the Great Ones descend, a womb will be blessed with child.
- Byrgenwerth lore note

The School of Mensis (a play on menses, referring to the menstrual cycle which was often colloquially tied to the phases of the moon, and 'lunacy' in the past), one of the main branches of the Healing Church which has its roots at Byrgenwerth sought to beckon the moon:

Madmen toil surreptitiously in rituals to beckon the moon.
- Yahar'gul, Unseen Village lore note

And it appears they succeeded, as long ago in Old Yharnam the red moon descended:

The red moon hangs low, and beasts rule the streets. Are we left no other choice, than to burn it all to cinders?
- Old Yharnam lore note

The School of Mensis appears to be one of the earliest branches of the Healing Church, based on the proximity of the Unseen Village's grounds to Old Yharnam, the ritual to beckon the moon must have happened long ago:

When the Hunt began, the Healing Church left us, blocking the great bridge to Cathedral Ward, as Old Yharnam burned to the ground that moonlit night.
- Central Yharnam lore note

The nameless moon presence beckoned by Laurence and his associates. Paleblood.
- Lecture Building lore note

Behold! A Paleblood sky!
- Yahar'gul, Unseen Village lore note

These notes tell us that the Hunt, as it is called, the cycle of hunters being imprisoned in the Hunter's Dream and undertaking the will of the Moon Presence or Paleblood, began on the night that Old Yharnam was burned to the ground beneath the blood red moon, and it was at this crucial moment that the Healing Church, and its leadership retreated into their Cathedral Ward, leaving the Yharnamites to turn into beasts and burn.

The Mensis ritual must be stopped, lest we all become beasts.
- Yahar'gul, Unseen Village lore note

With Yharnam burning and the red moon turning the blood drunk into beasts, the Church was in crisis. It was perhaps at this point that Laurence turned to his old Master for help. There are still mysteries to what unfolded next, but it would appear that Rom was able to be utilized to forestall the worst effects of the red moon and obscure the eldritch reality from the remaining citizens of Yharnam and some members of the Church. The college and the woods surrounding it became forbidden grounds and only those who knew the old adage of the Healing Church and Byrgenwerth 'Fear the old blood' (given new significance considering the events surrounding the red moon) could gain admittance - a curious display of co-operation between the two institutions, as the password keeper is a scholar of Byrgenwerth who perhaps knew the stakes, should Rom ever be destroyed by a being who sought the descent of the red moon once more.

Theories

Rom is the (surrogate) child of Ebrietas

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The One Third of Umbilical Cord, or Cord of the Eye, is a relic that comes from an infant Great One. In Bloodborne, the Cord of the Eye is used to make contact with Great Ones.

What about the Cord that Imposter Iosefka possessed? The Cord that we retrieve from her says that "Provost Willem sought the Cord in order to elevate his being and thoughts…". If the Cord was used by Willem, and the Cords grant audience with the infant Great One to whom it belongs, then this Cord very likely belongs to Rom. Rom was possibly one of the "special children" that Miyazaki talks about in the Future Press game guide, who was chosen by a Great One to ascend and become their child. Whether this occurred with the help of Willem, or occurred in Ancient Pthumeru, there is evidence to suggest that Rom is the child of Ebrietas.

We find a body that looks remarkably similar to Rom on the Altar of Despair, which Ebrietas kneels before as if in prayer. This may be the slumbering body of Rom at the Altar of Despair where we meet Ebrietas. Beyond this piece of evidence, there are also some similarities in how we encounter Ebrietas and Rom that further supports this. They both start out passive in their boss fights, and they both use arcane attacks. These similarities, combined with the appearance of a Rom-like figure at the Altar of Despair are enough to link Rom to Ebrietas, and therefore link the Cord that Willem used to Rom, the infant Great One to which it belonged.

Also, Ebrietas is named after a butterfly (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ebrietas) and Rom appears to be a caterpillar, rather than a spider.

Rom's blood when attacking her head is the same colour as Ebrietas, and Kin are said to be Kin of the Cosmos.

Rom is the result of a successful ritual that was undertaken on the Research Patients

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In the early days of the Healing Church, the Great Ones were linked to the ocean, and so the cerebral patients would imbibe water, and listen for the howl of the sea. Brain fluid writhed inside the head, the initial makings of internal eyes.

If we follow the story of Saint Adeline she eventually becomes an Enlarged Head because she has imbibed Brain Fluid expanding her head until it is all that she is. But Adeline's case is a little different to the other patients; she is a almost a success story in that she is able to perceive the Milkweed Rune, the language of the Great Ones. She also looks different to the other enlarged heads, she is drawn out, elongated. What if this is a similar process that Rom went through? Rom is essentially a head full of eyes, so what if Rom also imbibed water, or eyes, until her head expanded and it became all that she was? The mental state of the patients certainly deteriorates as they progress, and if that sack containing their enlarged head were to mature, would the internal eyes mature along with it and eventually transform them into something like Rom?

If we look at Rom's head, it is that same ashen colour as Adeline's head before it becomes tinged with blood. And if a head did expand till it was just eyes, then one can imagine it might look a lot like Rom's…

Sources

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Micolash dialogue:
"Ahh, Kos, or some say Kosm… Do you hear our prayers?"
"As you once did for the vacuous Rom, grant us eyes, grant us eyes. Plant eyes on our brains, to cleanse our beastly idiocy."
"The grand lake of mud, hidden now, from sight."

Great Ones Wisdom
Fragments of the lost wisdom of the Great Ones, beings that
might be described as gods.
Use to gain Insight.
At Byrgenwerth, Master Willem had an epiphany:
"We are thinking on the basest of planes. What we need, are
more eyes.".

Madman's Knowledge
Skull of a madman touched by the wisdom of the Great
Ones.
Use to gain Insight.
Making contact with eldritch wisdom is a blessing, for even
if it drives one mad, it allows one to serve a grander purpose,
for posterity.

Kin Coldblood
Coldblood of inhuman kin of the cosmos,
brethren of the Great Ones.
Use to gain unspeakable Blood Echoes.
Dare not to delve into the world beyond humanity, the
eldritch Truth touched upon long ago at Byrgenwerth.

Lunarium Key
Key to the lunarium facing the lake on the second floor of
Byrgenwerth College.
In his final years, Master Willem was fond of the lookout,
and the rocking chair that he kept there for meditation.
In the end, it is said, he left his secret with the lake.

Lake Rune
A Caryll rune that transcribes inhuman sounds
This transcription of the Great Ones' inhuman voices ripples
like a watery reflection. This rune means "Lake," and those
who memorize it enjoy reduced physical damage.
Great volumes of water serve as a bulwark guarding sleep,
and an augur of the eldritch Truth.
Overcome this hindrance, and seek what is yours.

Fading Lake Rune
A Caryll rune that transcribes inhuman sounds.
This transcription of the Great Ones' inhuman voices ripples
like a watery reflection. This rune means "Lake," and those
who memorize it enjoy reduced fire damage.
Great volumes of water serve as a bulwark guarding sleep,
and an augur of the eldritch Truth.
Overcome this hindrance, and seek what is yours.

Deep Sea Rune
A secret symbol left by Caryll, runesmith of Byrgenwerth.
This transcription of the Great Ones' inhuman voices
depicts downreaching currents.
This rune means "Deep Sea," and grants augmented
resistance. Great volumes of water serve as a bulwark
guarding sleep, and an augur of the eldritch Truth.
Overcome this hindrance, and seek what is yours.

Augur of Ebrietas
Remnant of the eldritch Truth encountered at Byrgenwerth.
Use phantasms, the invertebrates known to be augurs of the
Great Ones, to partially summon abandoned Ebrietas.
The initial encounter marked the start of an inquiry into the
cosmos from within the old labyrinth, and led to the
establishment of the Choir.

Blindfold Cap
Attire of the Choir, high-ranking members of the Healing
Church.
Members of the Choir are both the highest-ranking clerics of
the Healing Church, and scholars who continue the work
that began at Byrgenwerth.
The eye covering indicates their debt to the teachings of
Master Willem, even though their paths diverged.

Eye Rune
A secret symbol left by Caryll, runesmith of Byrgenwerth.
A transcription of "Eye," as spoken by left-behind Great Ones.
Allows one to make additional discoveries.
Eyes symbolize the truth Master Willem sought in his research.
Disillusioned by the limits of human intellect, Master Willem looked
to beings from higher planes for guidance, and sought to line his brain with eyes in order to elevate his thoughts

Great Pthumeru Ihyll Chalice
A chalice that breaks a labyrinth seal.
Great chalices unlock deeper reaches of the labyrinth. Pthumeru Ihyll was the title of both the Phumerian monarch and its capital.
This reveals that while early Pthumerians were mere humble guardians of the slumbering Great Ones, their descendants felt entitled to
name themselves a leader."

Third Umbilical Cord (Iosefka)
A great relic, also known as the Cord of the Eye. Every infant Great One has this precursor to the umbilical cord.
Use to gain Insight and, so they say, eyes on the inside, although no one remembers what that truly entails.
Provost Willem sought the Cord in order to elevate his being and thoughts to those of a Great One, by lining his brain with eyes. The only choice, he knew, if man were to ever match Their greatness.

Accursed Brew
Skull of a local from the violated fishing village. The inside of the skull was forcibly searched for eyes, as evidenced by innumerable scratches and indentations.
No wonder the skull became stewed in curses.
They who offer baneful chants.
Weep with them, as one in trance

Lecture Theatre Key
Key to the Lecture Theatre in the Lecture Building.
Today, the two-story Lecture Building is adrift in the nightmare, but once it was a place of reflection, where scholars learned of history and archaeology.
Perhaps it still is, as the students in the lecture theatre appear to await the return of their professor.

Byrgenwerth Lore Notes:
Location: On a couch on the opposite side of the same floor as the first note:
"The spider hides all manner of rituals, certain to reveal nothing, for true enlightenment need not be shared."

Location: On a Bookshelf on the same floor as the Lunarium Key door:
When the red moon hangs low, the line between man and beast is blurred.
And when the Great Ones descend, a womb will be blessed with child.

Location: On a couch on the opposite side of the same floor as the first note:
"The spider hides all manner of rituals, certain to reveal nothing, for true enlightenment need not be shared."

Location: On a Bookshelf on the same floor as the Lunarium Key door:
"When the red moon hangs low, the line between man and beast is blurred. And when the Great Ones descend, a womb will be blessed with child.

Cathedral Ward Lore Note:
Location: After beating Father Gascoigne and ascending a ladder into a study as you're entering Cathedral Ward , the note is around the first table:
"The Byrgenwerth spider hides all manner of rituals, and keeps our lost master from us. A terrible shame. It makes my head shudder uncontrollably."

Central Yharnam Lore Note:
Location: Within the Dark House near the gate shortcut to Central Yharnam lamp. First accessed from the Great Bridge. Note is on a first floor shelf near the enemy in the wheelchair:
"When The Hunt began, the Healing Church left us, blocking the great bridge to Cathedral Ward, as Old Yharnam burned to the ground that moonlit night."

Lecture Building Lore Note:**
Location: In one the rooms at the end of the hallway on the second floor of the Lecture Building://
"The nameless moon presence beckoned by Laurence and his associates. Paleblood."

Old Yharnam Lore Note:
Location: Up the stairs from the Bell Chime Maiden Spawn, near the Charred Hunter Set:
"The red moon hangs low, and beasts rule the streets. Are we left no other choice, than to burn it all to cinders?"

Yahar'gul, Unseen Village Lore Notes:
Location: Found on the right side outside of the cell you wake up in after being captured by a snatcher:
"Madmen toil surreptitiously in rituals to beckon the moon. Uncover their secrets."

Location: Outside Hypogean Gaol. Leave through the front door. This note is on top of the stairs leading to the area where the Yahar'gul set can be found:
"Behold! A Paleblood sky!"

Location: In a jail cell behind the first Chime Maiden you encounter after the Yahar'gul lantern:
"The Mensis ritual must be stopped, lest we all become beasts."

Note seen after defeating Rom
Ritual secret broken.
Seek the nightmare newborn.

Alfred, Hunter of Vilebloods dialogue:
Select "Talk about Byrgenwerth"
"Byrgenwerth is an old place of learning. The tomb of the gods, carved out below Yharnam, should be familiar to every hunter. Well, once a group of young Byrgenwerth scholars discovered a holy medium deep within the tomb. This led to the founding of the Healing Church, and the establishment of blood healing. In this sense, everything sacred in Yharnam can be traced back to Byrgenwerth. But today, the college lies deep within a tangled wood, abandoned and decrepit. And furthermore, the Healing Church has declared Byrgenwerth forbidden ground. It's unclear how many of its scholars remain alive… …but only they know the password that allows passage through the gate."

Simon, the Harrowed dialogue:
Respond “nightmares are fascinating”:
"Ahh, yes, I see…
You sense a secret within the Nightmare,
And cannot bear to leave it be.
As if the spirit of Byrgenwerth lives on within you!
Such inquisitive hunters will relish the Nightmare.
But beware, secrets are secrets for a reason.
And some do not wish to see them uncovered.
Especially when the secrets are particularly unseemly…"

Additional information

Miyazaki's interview confirms that Rom is in fact female. In the interview with Hidetaka Miyazaki found in the Official Guide, Mizayaki was asked what his favorite boss was. His answer was Rom, stating that “I really like her. There are some oddly cute aspects to her moves and modeling.”

During the track called 'Rom, the Vacuous Spider' which is played during the battle against Rom, female voices can be heard in the background, though what they are saying is indistinct.

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PREV: Orphan of Kos

NEXT: Shadows of Yharnam

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