Last thread,
http://www.gamesas.com/index.php?/topic/1237461-dark-souls/

Wiki's with info,
http://darksouls.wikidot.com/
http://darksoulswiki.wikispaces.com/

Let the dying continue!

yea there was a prisoner stuck in a vase, near the butcher.

Aa, he was a pyromancer. Not the merchant. He would have ended up upgrading your flame catalyst (hand-thing) all the way to +15 and sell pyromancies. They are really powerful I can tell you that, especially as the only thing you would have needed to upgrade and learn pyromancies is souls and a few empty slots to use.

How were you supposed to rescue him anyway? if you attack the vase to free him you also end up attacking him.

Roll into the vase.