Board Thread:Lore Discussion/@comment-25958616-20150421143446

In Dark Souls we meet a few characters that have an impact on the lore before the Chosen Undead makes it to Lordran. Havel the Rock is one such character. When we "meet" him (if it even is him) in the Undead Parish Tower and has gone completely Hollow and offers no dialouge or even a boss souls. If you researched Havel's Lore you'd know that he played a very important role in the war against the dragons, has a vendetta against Seath and may have even plotted in the Occult Rebellion against the gods. With all this impact he's had on the world, surely he should've had a powerful soul like most bosses in the game right? I think he does have a powerful soul, although you don't get it in Lordran.

Dark Souls II focuses a lot around reincarnation and a never ending cycle of life and death, light and dark. Even the lord souls from Darks Souls make an apperance through new game + or bonfire ascetics as well as the story of a future king and his loyal knight. The Old Iron King was once a common civilian in a land plagued by war and death and it wasn't until he gained the power to forge an infinite amount of iron that he had worth. Along with his iron came a solider, mentor and friend. Sir Alonne. With the help of Alonne the Iron King was able to conquer the waring lands and turned them into his kingdom. From Brume Tower to the Undead Purgatory, the Old Iron King ruled with an iron (no pun intended) fist as well as cold iron soliders from the iron scepter and powerful pyromancy from Eygil.

Here's the connection, Gwyn was nothing until he found his Lord Soul just as the Old Iron King was nothing until he found the Iron Scepter. During the war with the dragons Gwyn found Havel and during the conquest of the waring lands, the Iron King found Alonne. After killing Havel in the Undead Tower the player recieves no powerful soul, just his ring. Because there is no souls to turn into a weapon or crush to power up I believe that some of Havel's soul survived just like the Lord Souls and Manus' fragments, and was able to grow over time. His once hollow state was cleansed allowing him to become a powerful warrior once again. I believe Havel was able to be reincarnated as Sir Alonne and just like in Dark Souls he followed his lord and future king in yet another war for dominance. However this time he would not leave over hollowfication or the accusation of rebellion, this time would be simply moving on and exploring.

Some people believe that the memory of Sir Alonne is the reinactment of the final battle he had with the Old Iron King for leaving his side. 