 |
 |
Lore
Valtr is the master of an organisation called The League. This organisation exists to find and crush the vermin found in the depths of man.
Old hunter Valtr known as the ‘Beast Eater’ is the master of an organisation called The League. This organisation exists to find and crush the vermin found in the depths of man. Vermin are a centipede-like creature found hidden within filth, which is to say blood. Confederates of the League, Valtr included, believe that vermin is the root of man’s impurity. What this means exactly is never clearly explained. Items like the Beast Roar tool strongly imply that beasthood originates within the “frames of men” so perhaps the League believes that the source of this beasthood is the vermin, which lurk within the blood of men.
The League’s origins appear to be related to this Yharnam fable:
Once upon a time a troupe of foreign constables chased a beast all the way to Yharnam. The constables became victims of the beast, except for one survivor, who in turn devoured the creature whole, all by himself.
When compared with this story, Valtr’s moniker of ‘Beast Eater’ is either honorary as master of The League, or he is in fact the lone survivor of the troupe of foreign constables. Valtr’s weapon of choice, the whirligig saw, was crafted by the Powder Kegs, heretics of the Workshop.
The League has assumed the task of finding and crushing all vermin. To do so the confederates of The League have branded their minds with the Impurity rune, The League’s very own Caryll Rune. Those who bear the rune will be able to see vermin, and therefore be filled with boundless purpose in their mission to crush them.
Members of the League cleanse the streets of all the ‘filth’ that's spread about during the hunt. What is spread about during a hunt is blood, and the vermin they seek is found within this blood. By crushing vermin, members of The League believe they are ridding mankind of any trace of human corruption, and ultimately curing them of their filth. Despite seemingly believing that all mankind have vermin lurking within them and saying things like: “on a night of the hunt, no, on any night, nothing out there deserves to live”; members of The League do not necessarily hunt other hunters, but rather those hunters that they believe have “rank” blood curdling with vermin. To ascertain whether or not a hunter is filled with vermin The League members assess their behavior. When Valtr is attacked he will accuse the player of being a beast, and a “defiled mess of rotten flesh”.
Valtr wears the Master’s Iron Helm. This helm has been passed down to masters of The League, a single hole allows one to peek out with a single eye, which is probably all that its original owner had. The description of this item implies that Valtr is not the original ‘Beast Eater’ because many generations of Masters have come and gone. We can also see that when summoned, Valtr is not missing an eye.
Valtr’s mission appears to be to find a replacement for himself. The very sight of vermin and perhaps the realization of their existence often drives confederates mad. We can see this with Yamamura, a wanderer from a foreign land who joined The League and promptly went insane when he gazed upon vermin.
The Master’s Iron Helm mentions that Valtr has long ago lost the ability to see vermin, making him almost completely useless to The League. We are not told how Valtr lost the ability to see vermin, but it seems from the descriptions that it was his choice to stop seeing it. Perhaps he did not believe himself strong enough to maintain his faculties should he choose to pursue the path he was on till its end. Whatever the case, When the player crushes enough vermin, without losing their sanity, Valtr will commend them, saying that this, meaning finding a replacement, “was my last, most pressing task…" He will then give the player the Master’s Iron Helm, passing on the leadership of The League to them, and becoming an ordinary confederate who can be summoned, this time appearing without wearing the Master’s Iron Helm.
Theories
Title of theory.
Dialogue
Sources
PREV: Simon, the Harrowed