Volke

"He's a dubious character at best but at least his motives are clear. Everything begins and ends in gold, he'll be easy to control."

- Soren talking about Volke with Ike

Volke (フォルカ, Foruka in the Japanese version) is a character in Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance and Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn. He is an assassin who has worked for multiple people, including Greil, Ike, Bastian, and Izuka. He demands gold for whatever job he takes on, regardless of how large or small, though his reasons for amassing so much gold are unknown. (Elincia goes so far as to ask him about this in an optional conversation in Radiant Dawn, but he demands an exorbitant amount of gold for an answer.) He even demands Ike to pay him when asked to show up to dinner with the group. He can apparently be reached by going to a bar and asking for a "fireman". As an assassin, Volke is willing to take any job, no matter how "dirty" it is, and once he takes a mission, he devotes himself to completing it, regardless of how long it would take. He only takes one job at a time, as shown in his support conversation with Bastian.

Personality
Volke is very much a secretive and slightly dubious character, and with the grand total of one support not much is known about him. He doesn't seem to have many (visible) morals, seeing as he'll do anything (and everything) for money, even if it involves switching sides immediately after a contract is completed. He does show some modesty, after Ike thanks him for working for him, although that could be just because Volke isn't used to being thanked. He also claims to be uneasy in crowded places, preferring to be alone and in hiding.

Path of Radiance
Volke is an assassin throughout the events of the game, but this is not revealed until late into the storyline, after he is paid the 50,000 gold that he demands of Ike upon their initial encounter. When this has happened, he reveals the truth about Ike's parents, Lehran's medallion, and the fact that he is an assassin hired by Greil to kill Greil if ever he was to go berserk again. Afterwards, Ike pays him from the 50,000 to renew Greil's contract with Ike. (But in the sequel, Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn, he pays Ike back 20,000 of his 50,000 gold upon encountering him.) Upon hiring Volke (upon the second time the two options: Hire or Don't Hire) for renewing Greil's contract to Ike, if the player chooses "Hire", Volke automatically class changes into an assassin.

Radiant Dawn
Volke appears late in the events of the game, hired by Bastian to capture Izuka. You can recruit him with Bastian or Elincia, by paying him a certain amount of gold. As in the end of Path of Radiance, he is an assassin. In his battle conversation with Izuka, it is revealed Volke once worked for him. He also shows some slight modesty and humility when he flusters after Ike thanks him for his services. He is, unlike in the pervious game, not an important part of the overall plot.

Recruitment

 * Chapter 10: Hire from the start.

Base stats
|Thief |Wind |10 |25 |12 |0 |13 |13 |7 |7 |3 |11 |11 |7 |N/A |Steal/Knife Shade |Knife Vulnerary

Growth rates
|65% |50% |5% |55% |65% |35% |20% |10%

Support Conversations

 * Bastian

Death quotes
Volke: My...apologies... It appears I can no longer accompany you. When my payment is ready, contact me. You know how to reach me, do you not?
 * Chapter 19 and before

Volke: .................. I cannot end my life in this war. It would be a useless end... My apologies... This is where our relationship ends.
 * Chapter 20 and after

Recruitment

 * Part 4: Chapter 5: Pay him 3000G with Bastian or Elincia, available in Chapter 5 and Endgame.

Base stats
|Assassin |Wind |13 |55 |32 |5 |38 |37 |19 |28 |24 |11 |11 |7 |Knife - SS |Stillness Critical +25 Shove Lethality |Peshkatz Stiletto Silver Knife

Growth rates
|50% |50% |5% |60% |65% |20% |45% |15%

Death quote
Volke: ''...Stupid. I wouldn't be caught dead on a worthless battlefield like this. Sorry, but this is as far as I go...''

Epilogue
Man of Many Mysteries

After finishing his contract, Volke went back to the shadows he knew so well. He was a man of mystery to the end.

Etymology
Volk means people in German, and wolf in Russian. Both meanings are possible references to his career as an assassin, as he is hired by individuals ("people"), and prefers to work alone, like a lone wolf. This could also refer to Wolf-people, as he may be a Branded. Volke could also be a misspelling of the german word "wolke" meaning "cloud", this making sense when compared to the mysterious cloud surrounding him. It is also likely that it could be from the French word Vol, meaning to steal, which is fitting to his starting class.