There should be a bonfire to close to the start of the swamp.  Run out from that corridor, and sort of head diagonally right towards an anthill-like structure.  Hope this helps!

To Yggdrasil:

The areas after Ceaseless Discharge (seriously, they needed to translate that a bit better) are essentially the last part of the game.  They feature the toughest enemies and bosses.  After ringing the two bells you should see the gates of Sen's Fortress open.  It's the area right above the first blacksmith in the Undead Parish.  Hope this helps!

If you have enough attunement and you have bought the spell twice then you can equip it twice.  Helps a bunch!

*cough* Dungeon Siege 3 *cough*

You need to run through the dragon's flames to reach a small staircase on the right hand side (where all of the enemies are roasted).  You can lower a ladder to create a shortcut and then explore the Undead Parish.  Happy hunting!

Pyromancy isn't based on a stat.  You improve the flame (given by the guy that you saved) just like a weapon.  Whether or not that leads to problems on a New Game+ run remains to be seen, but so far the damage is absolutely devastating! 

Made some major progress today!  For those who are having trouble, I suggest getting some pyromancy spells.  Seriously, these things are devastating.  Totally worth the investment. 

It's hard because we're using Skype, so there's no reciprocity associated with talking face to face.  We try not to talk over each other, but it does happen from time to time.  Or, ya know, when John's wrong about something. 

Killed the Four Kings thanks to some outside help.  I keep forgetting to turn human and find other players to help me.  There's a pretty dedicated community that specializes in killing bosses, and they are a godsend.  Unfortunately, I've had a lot of connection issues.  It's been pretty hard to get people into my world.  Lots of failed summons. 

I agree with Eusis.  Just got to the Four Kings boss fight, and I really have no clue how I'm ever going to be able to beat it.  Well, they wanted to make a game harder than Demon's Souls, and by God they did.  Just not sure if I even have the will to go on anymore...

You can earn humanity by helping other players, killing them, or by finding the resource (the rats under the dragon's bridge in the Undead Parish drop them pretty frequently).  You never need humanity, however.  You don't lose half of your health when you die or any of that crap.  Humanity helps you if you have it, but it doesn't directly hinder you if you don't.  I'm walking around with about 10 items worth of humanity just in case I get into trouble during a boss fight. 

Sen's Fortress is an awesome area.  It's very well balanced and rewards care and thought.  It was a great experience after the horror of Blight Town. 

The level design gets much better after Blight Town.  I actually loved the Depths.  Kinda reminded me of a level in Resident Evil. 

The mini-guide that comes with the special edition of Dark Souls is essentially a preview.  It tells you about the enemies and bosses for the first few areas, and then ends.  It's really a teaser for the full book.  The official guide is pretty comprehensive and stylish.  It's laid out in a similar manner to the full guide that came with Demon's Souls.  It's also huge, coming in at nearly 400 pages.  Worth checking out if you want to find everything. 

I broke down and did something that I haven't done since I was a kid; I bought the strategy guide.  Simply put, there are so many treasures and secrets in this game that you need to use an FAQ at the very least to get everything.  Rather than sift through information, I just used the rest of my Visa gift card and bought the guide.  It's absolutely gorgeous.  I'm going to use it when I get stuck or when I want to make sure I didn't miss anything.  I know, call me weak if you want, but I want to make sure I get everything out of this sucker. 

On the plus side, at least the bonfires are spread out nicely for the most part.  You rarely have to play through a long section to get back to a boss.  That's a huge improvement.