Lore Question: About hollowing.

[MrFluffyWolf]

As I understand it, those cursed by the darksign cannot die. They're doomed to go hollow and live forever as a mindless, hopeless, zombie like creature that gets real aggressive at people who aren't hollow like they themselves are.

So, what's up with all the hollow looking corpses laying around? Why are they dead? Are they dead, or are they just THAT hollow that all they can do is nap?
Maybe some of them weren't cursed, but what about Black Iron Tarkus? Why is he dead in Anor Londo? We can summon him for the boss at Sen's Fortress, and the white sign soapstone mentiones that it is used by the undead to assist one another, so wouldn't that imply that he is undead too? So how is he dead in Anor Londo?

Is there a bit of lore I missed that details some way hollows can actually finally "die?"

[Dame Arstor]

"The time flow in Lordran is convoluted" which is why there's another Chosen Undead in each timeline,not just yourself.This applies to Black Iron Tarkus.In another time,he's still alive but in yours,he's dead(it might be that he's another CU).The soapstones are used to connect with another CU in their respective worlds.As for the dead hollow bodies,it *might* be that they're not an Undead

[Walrus-Sama]

It's implyed the 'Dead' Hollows are just so far gone that they do not move or think or do anything really. Tarkus is implyed to have Helped you then Died Later, shortly before you arrive. Perhaps the Mighty Tarkus dieing because he was clumsy was enough to Push Him Over the Edge, and fully Hollow.

[Pirate]

Originally posted by Walrus-Sama:

Perhaps the Mighty Tarkus dieing because he was clumsy was enough to Push Him Over the Edge, and fully Hollow.

*groan* XD

[MrFluffyWolf]

Originally posted by Dame Arstor(School):

"The time flow in Lordran is convoluted" which is why there's another Chosen Undead in each timeline,not just yourself.This applies to Black Iron Tarkus.In another time,he's still alive but in yours,he's dead

I kind of get that.
Kind of because, even though he is not the chosen undead my my timeline, would he not be at the very least normally undead in all timelines he appears in? So wouldn't he also be unable to die? Because when other characters go hollow, like the Crestfallen Warrior, they go mad and you fight them. Tarkus is dead as ♥♥♥♥.

Originally posted by Walrus-Sama:

It's implyed the 'Dead' Hollows are just so far gone that they do not move or think or do anything really. Tarkus is implyed to have Helped you then Died Later, shortly before you arrive. Perhaps the Mighty Tarkus dieing because he was clumsy was enough to Push Him Over the Edge, and fully Hollow.

That I makes sense I suppose. Just being so far gone that they just lay there. Doing nothing. because ♥♥♥♥ it.
And that's what happened after Tarkus fell.


Also that pun hurt my kidney :(

[Walrus-Sama]

I didn't even mean the Pun until I re-read what I wrote then added Italics and Capitilzation for no reason.

[Taran Tatsuuchi]

You can fully hollow to a state you can't do anything anymore...

When you quit the game... :3

[Dame Arstor]

Originally posted by MrFluffyWolf:

Originally posted by DameArstor(School):

-cut to save space mang-

-Moar space saving-

Originally posted by Walrus-Sama:

It's implyed the 'Dead' Hollows are just so far gone that they do not move or think or do anything really. Tarkus is implyed to have Helped you then Died Later, shortly before you arrive. Perhaps the Mighty Tarkus dieing because he was clumsy was enough to Push Him Over the Edge, and fully Hollow.

That I makes sense I suppose. Just being so far gone that they just lay there. Doing nothing. because ♥♥♥♥ it.
And that's what happened after Tarkus fell.


Also that pun hurt my kidney :(

*Plays Linkin Park-Crawling*

[sekai]

As far as I know, Undeads who ran completely out of humanity will go hollow, but they will still have their final remaining consciousness if they have a purpose driving them forward. Once they're hollow and have also given up on their goals, they will be completely hollow and in that state they will be free to die forever.

I think.

The only reason why mobs respawn is to prevent people cheaping their way through the game by abusing killing and resting routine. And the other reason why mobs respawn is to symbolise the fact that everyone can go hollow and join/replace any of the existing mobs.

[sekai]

Originally posted by Walrus-Sama:

It's implyed the 'Dead' Hollows are just so far gone that they do not move or think or do anything really. Tarkus is implyed to have Helped you then Died Later, shortly before you arrive. Perhaps the Mighty Tarkus dieing because he was clumsy was enough to Push Him Over the Edge, and fully Hollow.

Not really, Tarkus was long dead. You're merely summoning the him of when he was still alive who carved that summon sign you're using now.

Unlike mere summoning in a traditional sense, how summoning works in Dark Souls is that you are pulling people from the time when they put down that summon sign (that's why the summoned individual is called a "phantom"). It's just for gameplay reasons it's impossible to achieve, but lore wise summoning in Dark Souls works like this. So even if the person is already deceased, the summon sign would still work, it simply means it would pull the past him when he was still alive and kicking.

Hence for this reason, it became possible for already deceased person to appear in the present or future timeline doing things and affecting the outcome of the future. As a result of the excessive use of summoning in Lordran, the time itself became screwed as a result.

Unless I'm wrong.

[Dusk of Oolacile]

Originally posted by MrFluffyWolf:

So, what's up with all the hollow looking corpses laying around?

Corpses tend to rot all by themselves. A completely healthy person will look "hollow" even in real life after some time. Actually, physically hollowing is pretty much the same thing that happens after death, only you don't stop "functioning" for some reason.

[Sirius]

So...It may be too obvious and not in fact in the lore, but to me it seems like when you kill a hollow you drain their last pitiful bits of soul they have left.

So they can't get back up. 0 humanity 0 souls and 0 willpower to do anything at all, no drive left.

That's to me basically why there are so many hollow husks around and why they don't get back up after I slay them. There's nothing left to reanimate, not even the urge to gain humanity.

[Imskiller99]

Originally posted by MrFluffyWolf:

So, what's up with all the hollow looking corpses laying around?

I like to think the hollows on the floor are not "dead" as in no longer able to come back. I believe that they died (as in got killed) and they are on the floor where they got killed. Then after an unknown amount, they revive at a bonfire. Similar to the player character, who dies, get loading screen, then respawns at bonfire. Those corpses are in the forever loading screen with out Dsfix, the true death of an undead.

But that is how I like to think about it

[mans got drip✅]

Originally posted by Imskiller99:

Originally posted by MrFluffyWolf:

So, what's up with all the hollow looking corpses laying around?

I like to think the hollows on the floor are not "dead" as in no longer able to come back. I believe that they died (as in got killed) and they are on the floor where they got killed. Then after an unknown amount, they revive at a bonfire. Similar to the player character, who dies, get loading screen, then respawns at bonfire. Those corpses are in the forever loading screen with out Dsfix, the true death of an undead.

But that is how I like to think about it

lmao damn fools should have installed dsfix before playing

[MrFluffyWolf]

Originally posted by Imskiller99:

Originally posted by MrFluffyWolf:

So, what's up with all the hollow looking corpses laying around?

I like to think the hollows on the floor are not "dead" as in no longer able to come back. I believe that they died (as in got killed) and they are on the floor where they got killed. Then after an unknown amount, they revive at a bonfire. Similar to the player character, who dies, get loading screen, then respawns at bonfire. Those corpses are in the forever loading screen with out Dsfix, the true death of an undead.

But that is how I like to think about it

That actually makes a lot of sense, as that explains why Siegmeyer was laying "dead" at his daughter's feet at the end of his story when he was clearly an undead who was hollowing.
Going back to the bonfire takes time: Headcannon accepted.