My theory for pinwheel is that it is three people, a mother a father and a son hence the masks. I think the mum and the son died and the father tried to use necromancy, but it back fired and they all moulded together to create pinwheel.
I know it was the father as the mum and the son are above him. The cloning shows that pinwheel has tried to split them apart but it had failed.
There are a couple clues as to who he is. He is clearly an enemy of Nito and the Way of the White. It's also specified on the Rite of Kindling that it was the power that he stole from Nito. The fact that Paladin Leeroy helps you kill Pinwheel but defends Nito further supports Vaati's hypothesis that Nito and the Way of the White are very much intertwined.
In fact, it would be interesting to see when the undead curse started compared to how old Pinwheel is. If it was around the same time, maybe the Rite of Kindling was how Nito controlled the death of humans, who may actually be naturally undead. It's possible Pinwheel started the curse himself to create undeath for his family, but then it extended to the whole world.
It always struck me as odd that Rhea and her party managed to pass Pinwheel without any conflict. Rhea and her party obviously believed that Nito still held the rite of kindling and so must have passed the catacombs and so Pinwheel, on seeing such a well armed and trained party, perhaps decided to allow them past in order to protect itself and protect the rite of kindling which sustained it and its research.
He may have attacked the chosen undead because the chosen undead has killed many of his necromancers which may have been manifestations of its own soul, and so percieved the chosen undead as a threat.
Just sayin'.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7eJeUG1m6eI&list=PLWLedd0Zw3c5RCXboUsPwHsZJlXB2CzCz
i feel like this belongs here. it may be possible part of the video was also based off of this conversation, or a similar one in another location. also, personally, i feel like the videos in the lore playlist which may be attached in the link, and if not are on the channel, should be on their respective pages on the wiki, just because of their quality, the research behind them, and the fact that there is very little confirmed loer to a lot of things, it is just what the community has pooled together.
anyone think he attacks you for research material, which could be why some of his skeletons are out near firelink shrine, in order to catch fresh undead strait off the boat (or bird so to speak). i myself wandered over there my first playthrough off the bat and got butchered so it would be a good plan
Why would they be his skeletons? Even after he is killed, you see plenty of skeletons, and Nito summons several during his boss fight.
he reigns over the catacombs, seems to be the head necromancer or at least the strongest and their skellys stay after they're dead. Nito summons more because he's the god of death and necromancy is kinda his thing (Personally think thats the power Pinwheel stole from NIto).
I agree with Vaatividya's theory, but I think that, instead, the original Rite of Kindling was lost. The power that was stolen from Nito was the power of Necromancy, and Pinwheel recreated the Rite of Kindling, since the item description does say that it is recreatable. I also have a sneaking suspicion that the Reason Leeroy will assist you while fighting Pinwheel but invade when you challenge Nito is that Leeroy betrayed The Way of White and became a Gravelord Servant and, as an undead, The Way of White got...well, pissed. So they just blame all undead and thus, Undead persecution.