It's a comforting voice too. Like a pleasant father figure voice. Or like a grandpa-esque voice.

Someone probably found it on the game's code. My theory is that it would be his death sentence, but the developers decided to have him just scream.

if you have the dying ember in inventory, he remarks on it

Yes you will need to start a new game. Or try and find her gravestone. Depending on where she was killed

Depends on what ds2 version you’re playing on I think. If you’re playing sotfs, then you will need to find her grave stone depending on where she died, or if you feel up to it, just start over

both macduff and the harpy work as blacksmiths, though they are a bit less convenients.
what you really lose in the end... is easy access to the mace, the rapier, and the estoc, which are all farmable, and the blacksmith hammer.
and having to cross early zones with non upgraded stuff.

Idk about that. He just has the personality of a grumbly old blacksmith. It doesn't bother/upset me. He also will sometimes greet you with the dialogue "I knew you'd be around. Go on. Show me what you've got." so he clearly has some confidence in you.

yeah but what about steady hand mcduff doe he a real one doe

steady macduff is just a crazy man who was imprisoned, and he do more than the hollow blad of Lenigrast.