Volothamp “Volo” Geddarm is a legendary world traveler and author currently visiting Port Nyanzaru to deliver and promote signed copies of his new book, Volo’s Guide to Monsters, to the city’s merchant princes (some of whom he knows well, and others he merely claims to know well).
Role in the Adventure
Volo serves as an early-game information source and guide facilitator for the party. He can be encountered anywhere in Port Nyanzaru, typically in the city’s inns, taverns, or merchant princes’ villas. His familiarity with the city makes him a valuable font of useful information, though not everything he says is accurate despite his enthusiastic claims of truthfulness.
Key Characteristics
- Knowledgeable but unreliable narrator who heartily avows his own accuracy
- Refuses to venture outside Port Nyanzaru under any circumstances
- Gregarious promoter of his own works
Adventure Support
Volo provides several forms of assistance to adventuring parties:
- Guide Recommendations: If the party lacks a wilderness guide, he advises them to secure one before entering the jungle, potentially facilitating an introduction through Jobal
- Activity Suggestions: May suggest the party participate in dinosaur races
- Monster Lore: Characters who purchase his book (50 gp for the hardcover edition) can consult it for useful information about monsters, though it contains narrative lore rather than mechanical statistics
Later Appearances
Volo might appear as a prisoner in the Tomb of the Nine Gods, found unconscious in a leather body bag in area 50 (Mirror of Life Trapping), kept alive by the Sewn Sisters’ magic. This enchantment can only be broken by splashing him with holy water.
Aftermath
If Dragonbait survives the adventure but Artus Cimber does not, the saurial paladin eventually crosses paths with Volo in Port Nyanzaru, and the two explorers embark on numerous adventures together.