A journey to the city of blood

Since the death of his mother Surgit had sought the legendary city of Yharnam. Both his parents had died from an incurable disease. His doctor had informed him that unfortunately that ailment was hereditary and he had only two years before succumbing to it as well.

An old lady in the clinic had talked to him about the legend of Yharnam and he had spent six months searching for evidence of its existence. Through reading ancient books he had found references to its placement and he set out to find it. In order to reach the lost city of Yharnam, one had to set sail through a stormy sea.

The dangerous journey would take three weeks. Arriving to the city was a myth, known to all sailors and everyone attempting to reach Yharnam either lost their lives or never came back to tell the tale. Hence, no sailor wanted to hear about Surgit's story and his desire to reach a city where his dream of recovery may come true.

He became known in the port as the mad one spreading legends about a dangerous myth. Everyone avoided him and thought that he was cursed until one day, a woman approached him. She was wearing a black cloak and Surgit could barely see the face underneath it. It was her voice that confirmed her gender.

She spoke in a soft, almost melodious voice: "My master would like to meet you; he's very interested in your story." She handed him a sealed envelope with a wolf's head on its sealing wax. "Come to the mansion tomorrow at noon." And she disappeared among the crowd of the filling market. The mansion she talked about was a famous one. It belonged to Francis Kaiman, the richest man in the country.

Eight months had gone by and he found himself on a ship, sailing towards an unknown destination. The captain had informed him that only he and some crew members wanted to go on the expedition.

Each had different hopes, but a legend is a legend, and no one knew for sure whether the city existed or not. Surgit had had to combine different pieces of information and put the puzzle together in order to draw an estimated route for the fabled city.

His contribution was the map. He had neither strength nor money to fund such a dangerous expedition. To be part of this perilous expedition, each member of the crew had to contribute something. No ordinary passengers were allowed.

On the ship there were Damian and Paul. Both were mercenaries and hoped to find a greater source of power in Yharnam. The rich man paying for the expedition was Francis Kaiman. He had accumulated billions thanks to his multiple enterprises, but life had become dull for him and he started seeking legends in order to reach enlightenment.

He had left his wealth in the care of his children and set out to find enlightenment. He had brought a team of 10 skilled warriors with him in order to keep him secure, including the mysterious woman who had summoned Surgit to the mansion. The captain had agreed to lend them his ship since he longed for one "last adventure" as he had put it the first time Surgit approached him.

He was Surgit's last resort. No skilled captain was brave enough to seek the legend of Yharnam. All valued their lives and the lives of their crew members. Only the man known as "The Captain" was foolish enough to take on such an enterprise. He had lost his crew to a terrible storm while they were sailing towards a treasure island. Surgit's request sounded to him like salvation, a way to join his brothers if ever this trip came to a morbid end.

As legend has it, Yharnam is now inhabited by deadly beasts and humans are scarce. In order to seek blood ministration, one has to find a member of the church and get him to agree to inject him with Old Blood. Money had no value in Yharnam and being rich cannot buy you a blood ministration.

Only wits, strength or sheer luck can get you what you seek. Damian and Paul were confident in their ability to convince a member of the church to administer blood for them as they were strong and skilled fighters.

Francis on the other hand was seeking the scholars, he was convinced that conversing with them and demonstrating his wits can get him high up in the ranks and give him access to sacred knowledge. Surgit had gathered them that day to share with them all the information he had on Yharnam.

"Listen up, we're getting close to our destination, the mist has thickened and the atmosphere has just gotten heavier. This is happening exactly as I read in all those tales." Everyone was listening carefully. Surgit was their only source of knowledge regarding the expedition.

He had read a great deal about Yharnam since he first heard about it. From all the books he managed to find and thanks to the expansive library in Francis' mansion, Surgit had managed to gather some information, albeit scarce, about the lost city and its legend.

He knew the trip towards the city was dangerous, but the information he had read in one of the books still haunted his mind.