Talk:Old Iron King/@comment-76.17.157.108-20140417083955

UPDATED LORE SPECULATION (SPOILERS, TIES WITH lOST SINNER)

Alright, I've got this now:

Long ago the Old Iron King's name was Heide. He has clear connections to the tower of flame, besides just the fire element. The enemies in the area of Heides Tower of Flame (wearing the paladin styled armor) are very similar in design to those that inhabit the Iron Keep. Also, the Iron King was known to hunt and lock up the undead. Heide's Tower of Flame leads through the wharf where undead prisoners would be shipped to the Lost Bastille. This is another connection.

The Iron King's son, the Prince, is the same Prince that is related to the Bell Keeper Covenant. This is why the Belfry Sol (known as the Prince's bell) is located in the Iron Keep, while the Belfry Luna (the princess' bell) is located in the Lost Bastille. This further connects the two locations and Heide.

The Princess is the Lost Sinner. Besides the belfry connection, the giant mutant creatures in the water leading to her boss room drop bell-keeper shields. Additionally the cells on each side of her boss room can only be unlocked by using a key that is only obtainable by passing through the Belfy Luna.

THE BACKSTORY:

So we know that the Old Iron King disliked the undead and went to great lengths to hunt and imprison them. We also know that his Iron Keep was sunk into the lava because "he reached too closely for the flame".

The Lost Sinner (believed to be the princess) has clear connections to the Witch of Izalith and is confirmed to have attempted to reignite the first flame.

So it would appear that the chain of events went something like this:

1: Heide (Old Iron King) has issues with the undead

2: The Princess (Lost Sinner) decides to try and reignite the first flame in order to slow or prevent the curse of the undead, or just to help out the Prince and his father

3: The resulting failure creates the new demons that are encountered in this game

4: The same accident turned the Prince into the Smelter Demon, who then deceives his former father into destruction, and turns him into a demon as well, leading to the submersion of the Iron Keep in lava.

5: The Princess (lost sinner) locks herself away out of guilt in the Lost Bastille where Heide kept the other undead

6: She fights in the dark because this symbolic deprivation of light/fire is part of her punishment

7: The belfry guardians continue to guard both bells for the prince and princess that are so tragically separated

Then the player character comes along and callously murders everyone, oblivious of all of this misery and formerly good intentions.

Sounds consistent enough with what we know of dark souls, eh?

(This is just my personal theory. I haven't found any evidence to dismiss anything mentioned here. This also ties up the loose ends of the namesake of Heide, the identities of the Prince/Princess and the Smelter Demon and Lost Sinner, and the connections between the Belfries. Let me know what you think and if you find any more evidence towards or against any of these ideas!)