Volke

Man of Many Mysteries
Volke
Species	Beorc
Class	Thief
Promotion	Assassin
Hair color	Brown
Debut	Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance

Volke is a playable unit in Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance. He is the first thief encountered in the game and is the game's only thief who can promote to an assassin. He is also playable in the sequel, Radiant Dawn, where he is one more the game's only assassin.

Background

Volke was an infamous assassin who was described as being closemouthed, skilled and willing to do any sort of work. One day he was approached by Greil, whom Volke recognized as Sir Gawain of Daein's Four Riders. Greil had recently been driven into a berserk rage from contact with Lehran's Medallion, leading him to kill twenty soldiers, his neighbors and his wife. Greil hired Volke for a special job, to act as his personal shadow and kill him if he ever went berserk again. Volke initially refused the job, saying that Greil was too powerful for him. However, Greil then severely handicapped himself by slashing the tendons in his sword arm, rendering him incapable of holding a sword ever again. Volke then took the job, because Greil was now within his skill level.

Greil also assigned Volke a second job. If Greil was slain at one point, he told Volke to follow his son Ike and tell him about Greil's secret involving the medallion at an appropriate time. In the meantime he also researched Lehran's Medallion and learned about its background and powers, but did not know how it came to be in Greil's possession. He found that only someone with great balance, such as Greil's late wife or his daughter Mist, could hold the medallion without being affected by its evil powers.

After Greil's death, Volke approached Ike when they were attacking a fortress in "Chapter 10: Prisoners Release". Disguised as a simple thief, he claimed that Greil had sent him out to investigate something and that he would only surrender the report if Ike paid him a fee of fifty thousand gold. Ike did not have such a sum, as Volke expected. He thought the fifty thousand gold would be a good way to test Ike's resourcefulness and responsibility. Ike's mercenaries needed a thief at the time, so they asked Volke for help. Volke charged 50 gold per lock, however. Afterwards, it was also possible for Ike to follow Volke to accompany them and join them in battle when they needed his services.

In "Chapter 19: Enrtusted", Ike approached Volke with fifty thousand gold, taken from the spoils of their victory over several Daein forces. Volke finally decided that Ike was ready. He told Ike the truth about his assignment and Greil's secret about the massacre he performed under Lehran's Medallion. He also told Ike everything he had learned about Lehran's Medallion and, after a conversation about Greil's dying words, decided that Greil wanted Ike to protect the medallion above all else. Volke then asked Ike if he wanted to hire him in case he went berserk one day. If Ike agreed, then Volke decided to reveal his true form as an assassin (and automatically changing class to match this). After the war was over, Volke considered his job done and departed.

Over the next three years, Volke was later hired by Bastian to help him find a way to cure Renning's mind. Volke did research and traced the process that warped Renning's mind to a drug created by Izuka. Sometime after "Part 1: Silver-Haired Maiden" of Radiant Dawn, they succeeded in capturing Izuka. Later on in "Chapter 5: Unforgivable Sin" of "Part 4: Of Gods and Men", Volke reported that Izuka had escaped, but Volke was able to track him down after receiving a payment. During the battle, Volke remained on the sidelines unless Elincia or Bastian agreed to pay him three thousand gold, at which point he joined with the army. If Volke was recruited, in the "Fireman" base conversation of "Final Chapter: Rebirth", he repaid Ike for the 50,000 gold from three years ago with 20,000 gold (taking out his pay and expenses), but he seemed to grow embarrassed after Ike thanked him for all he had done and telling him about his father, at which point he slipped away from the conversation.

After the final battles, it was simply mentioned that Volke returned to the shadows and remained a man of mystery until the end.

Support Conversation Summaries

In Path of Radiance, Volke is only capable of holding Support conversations with one character.

• Bastian- Volke finds Bastian following him around and apparently the two knows each other and are quite familiar with each other. Bastian inquires about Volke's current job, and Volke says only that he is serving Ike and will say no more unless he is paid ten thousand gold. Bastian decides to investigate this manner himself. In the next conversation, Bastian indicates having heard some secret knowledge to Volke, but instead of appearing interested, Volke asks Bastian if, with all his sneaking around and playing the puppeteer, he ever considered a change in employer, at which point Bastian says he is happy serving Crimea's royal family. In the final conversation, Bastian asks Volke when his contract with Ike expires, claiming he wants Volke to take care of some delicate job for him. Volke says his business with Ike will end after the war, and that he will find Bastian afterwards to take up his job. Bastian warns him not to dawdle, as his job is a manner of utmost urgency.