Laurentius of the Great Swamp

Lore

Laurentius was a student of pyromancy in his home, the Great Swamp. He considered turning Undead to be beneficial as it prompted him to travel to Lordran where pyromancers earn a certain respect. The Crestfallen Warrior calls him an "old man" despite him looking and sounding like he is in his thirties at most.

He is first encountered trapped in a barrel, presumably captured and stored there by a Butcher. After his release, he travels to Firelink Shrine where he offers teaching pyromancies.

If the player acquires pyromancies from The Fair Lady or Quelana of Izalith or upgrades their flame with Quelana, he will ask the player where they obtained such power. If the player answers "Yes" to his question, he will travel to the Blighttown where he is later found hollow in the swamp. If the player answers "No", he will remain in Firelink Shrine as a merchant and pyromancy trainer.

Theories

Laurentius and the Butchers

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When freed, Laurentius talks about "she who wants to eat her".

The general belief is that he refers to Maneater Mildred, given her name and garb, or perhaps to the butcher that ambushes the player when approaching Laurentius (it has been confirmed that the butchers were female despite their looks), but there is another theory:

There's nothing really that suggests the butchers do anything other than cut meat: it seems they just chop up their victims and prepare their flesh for consumption. The question is, if they don't eat it themselves, who are they feeding it to?

Directly behind the first butcher cutting meat at a table next to a dog, is a hidden hole in the ground that leads to the area with the giant undead rat.

The butchers might be feeding the giant rat, that's why it's so huge. It is already known that rats eat human corpses (which is why they sometimes drop Humanity). The butchers kill hapless adventures, chop them up into little bits and then toss their bodies down the chute, where the rat eats them.

To support this theory, when landing from the hole, the player lands on a pile of human remains.

Dialogue

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• Speaking to him when he's still in the barrel in The Depths:

… Oh, there you are… You must help me… Or else… She'll have me for lunch! … You're my only hope… Oh, please…

• Talking in Firelink Shrine:

Pyromancy is the art of casting fire. Produce flame, the channel it; just as our ancestors did.
A pyromancer must be in tune with nature herself.
My home, the Great Swamp, is an abundant store of nature. You will understand, one day; it only takes time.
Pyromancy has a, well, rather primitive aspect to it. It meshes poorly with advanced culture, and pyromancers are considered rather unsavoury. Which is fine, as I never got along with anybody anyway. So, for me, turning Undead didn't change a thing! Hah hah hah hah.

• If the player already knows Pyromancy:

A pyromancer's flame is a part of his own body. The flame develops right along with his skill.
… Sorry. You're a pyromancer yourself. You already know this.

• If the player recently learned pyromancies from Laurentius:

A pyromancer's flame is a part of his own body. The flame develops right along with his skill…
When I gave you that flame, I gave you a part of myself. Please take good care of it.

My teacher, whom I imagine still resides in the Great Swamp, had a funny way of putting it.
He said that pyromancy is the ultimate fantasy…. We are born into Dark, and warmed by Fire, but this Fire we cannot touch.
Those whose fascination with Fire persists, learn to hold it in their own hand.
He rather had a way with words, the old withering frog!

In this land, pyromancers earn a certain respect. The Witch of Izalith, one of the legendary Lords, is the godmother of pyromancy.
So, the day I became Undead, I was ecstatic. I felt as if I'd been chosen to attune myself to the ancient arts.
… Of course, it wasn't all that romantic in the end…

• Greeting if the player bought pyromancies unique to Quelaana or from the Chaos Servant covenant:

Ah, hello, there. You've been a stranger these days. Why, what spectacular pyromancy.
Tell me about it. I have never seen anything like it.
Thank you for sharing. I'm still an able pyromancer. I shall locate her myself. I am in your debt, once again.

Sources

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Crestfallen Warrior dialogue

• After Encountering the Capra Demon

How did that raggedy old chum end up?
You know, the one who idolized some godmother of pyromancy.
He left for Blighttown, but never came back.
Whereas most flee from sickness, he dives right in.
Well, nothing will harm him once he goes Hollow.

• After freeing Laurentius

How did that old man make it back?
Unexpected, but I suppose stranger things have happened.

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NEXT: Lord's Blade Ciaran

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