Brume Tower’s sprawling architecture lies crumbling, blanketed in ash and dust. Massive iron chains connect the once magnificent architecture while the desecrated landscape still smolders with a destructive flame’s glow.
Inside, a slew of elevators connect the many floors of the tower. Waiting at the core of the structure, encased in an arena of ash, is the Fume Knight.
Dark Souls II hosts many unique characters that shape an intricate story, but the franchise is famous for not confessing all of its details directly. Instead, analysis is required through various item descriptions, minor details in the environment, and obscure lines of dialogue that only really “click” once you’ve gained the proper context.
One such character that has resonated with me to an exceptional degree is the Fume Knight. Not only is the soldier clad in blackened metal aesthetically terrifying, he’s also one of the most unforgiving and simultaneously rewarding boss fights I’ve undergone. However memorable he may be from a gameplay perspective, his greatest quality is an ominous, mystic backstory.
The Fume Knight is subtly introduced to the player under the name Raime in the Rebel’s Greatshield item description:
“Raime, and Velstadt were known as the left- and right-arms of the King, until their wills clashed, and Raime was deemed a traitor”.
– Rebel’s Greatshield
From this, we know Raime wasn’t always the malevolent guardian of Brume Tower, but was once a devoted knight, serving King Vendrick and the Drangleic kingdom. Assuming you’ve played Dark Souls II, you know that King Vendrick is one of the few genuinely “good” characters in the game, who sought a cure to the undead curse and fought to protect the realm from darkness. It follows that his highest ranking warriors would follow a similar moral framework.
The third, highly relevant character is Velstadt, King Vendrick’s right-arm and Raime’s counterpart. Velstadt is a loyal-to-the-end knight that protects the king within the Undead Crypt, even after his lord succumbed to the undead curse:
“Velstadt was always at the King’s side, as if he were his lord’s own shadow. After the King retired to the Undead Crypt, Velstadt followed, never to return”.
– Soul of Velstadt
The story is coherent so far: we have a king and his two most loyal knights. One knight is banished, while the other remains at the king’s side. But is that all there is to it? What caused Raime to betray his king? After all, at some point he leaves Drangleic, finds solace in Brume Tower, and dawns a new beginning as the Fume Knight.
Unfortunately, this is where the details begin to blur. There is no concrete evidence as to what caused Raime’s exile, but we do know he eventually seeks refuge in Brume Tower, a far journey from the kingdom of Drangleic. The reason for Raime’s choice of destination can be discovered after he is defeated, through his set of armor:
“The rebel Raime, after his defeat at the hands of Velstadt, came to Brume Tower in search of greater strength. When he found it, it came not from a regal father figure like before, but from a newfound mother, who gave him a new purpose”.
– Raime’s Set
This “newfound mother” is Nadalia, the child of Dark whose lore is an entirely different beast that I won’t be covering in this article. Nadalia’s importance to Raime’s story is limited to her being the catalyst for Raime’s abandonment of the good and submission to darkness, as revealed in his sword’s description:
“The exile swordsman Raime had the ability to expunge the black fog, but chose instead to live alongside it, in the company of the child of Dark that haunts this sword”.
– Fume Sword
It is at this point that Raime adorns the role of Fume Knight, wielding the same darkness he had once fought to dispel.
As I mentioned, it is unclear what led to Raime’s exile. Could it have been that Raime foresaw the danger Drangleic was in, and was outcast for suggesting its downfall? Perhaps he had fallen to the dark while he was still in servitude to the king, and was rightfully banished. There are several theories online, but that is all they are: theories. Whether or not Raime’s exile was the fault of a lust for power he developed while serving the king, or if he was the victim of a wrongful casting out, we will never know for sure. Whatever happened, it ultimately caused Raime to forsake his good-hearted beliefs and become something terrible.
It’s also interesting to note that the Fume Knight is encountered as we approach the room holding Nadalia’s lifeless body. Presumably, he’s protecting her. Again, assuming you’ve played Dark Souls II, you might note the interesting similarity between Velstadt who guards a mindless, undead King Vendrick, and Raime who fills the same role for the remains of Nadalia. This rolls nicely into the overarching theme that choice is an illusion in the Dark Souls universe, and no matter what decisions have been made, the outcome will always be the same.
In an even truer moment of Dark Souls nature, Raime’s story is still left unanswered. I think it’s safe to say we probably won’t be getting any more content released for this decade old game. Despite this, the Fume Knight remains one of the most interesting characters in the sequel. Raime has a defined beginning and end, but the intermediate details are cloaked in mystery.
The Fume Knight’s rise and fall adds significant depth to his character, elevating him from a one dimensional enemy to a unique opportunity. An opportunity to let the player come to their own conclusion about Raime’s past, and interpret the character through their own lens. That is, if they’re willing to look.
There was a lot of information listed in this character breakdown, but this article’s target audience may be able to identify crucial context I’ve omitted, or major faults in my understanding. The world of Dark Souls is fascinating, but I have a lot to learn. I do need to give credit to YouTuber VaatiVidya and contributors of the Dark Souls 2 Wiki for compiling information and theories that were used in my research.