Baldur’s Gate 3’s Volo Is Secretly One Of Faerun’s Most Important Wizards

Volothamp Geddarm (Volo) is a recurring character in the comprehensive lore of the Forgotten Realms setting, first appearing in Forgotten Realms Adventures, an accessory book to the second edition of Dungeons & Dragons. Over the past 30 years, Volo has cropped up all over Faerun. He is a world-famous sage and traveller and often finds himself loosely involved with some of the realm’s most historical events.

A lot of the manual for the original Baldur’s Gate is written from Volo’s point of view, and he also appears in-game at the Belching Dragon Tavern. He is a source of information for some of the game’s quests, giving the player rumours to point them in the right direction. He reappears in Throne of Bhaal solely to make fun of the player and their companions

In Baldur’s Gate 3, Volo is a source of mild amusement for the party. He is captured by goblins while attempting to uncover information about the Absolute and can be saved by the player, subsequently becoming a temporary camp follower. As Baldur’s Gate 3 takes place over a century after Throne of Bhaal, you may be wondering why Volo, a human, is still kicking about.

Volo Is Crucial

This is because Volo, unbeknownst to him, is effectively an immortal being. Mystra, the goddess of magic, is responsible for maintaining the Weave, the raw energy through which magic flows. On two occasions, once during Karsus’ Folly and then again during the Spellplague, the assassination of Mystra (or Mystryl) caused the Weave to collapse, bringing unintended and devastating consequences for the planet Toril. After the Spellplague, Ao, the planet’s creator, offered the role of Mystra to a mortal with the instruction that she spread her power among other places and beings to prevent another total magical collapse in the event of her death. Mystra’s chosen people and locations are referred to as Weave anchors.

Yes – that was a necessary lore dump to provide context. While Mystra made some obvious choices, like Elminster, to act as Weave anchors, these people would be obvious targets if someone were trying to collapse the Weave for a third time. To counter this, Mystra also chose some inconsequential people and locations to be Weave anchors as a fail-safe. You’ve probably guessed this by now, but Volo is one such individual, making him one of the most important magical users in Faerun. To prevent him from blabbing about his importance, Volo was never told that he’d been imbued with this power.

This hasn’t made Volo a more powerful magic user, but the ‘blessing’ has saved his life on occasion, and Elminster has also stepped in to rescue Volo on occasion because of his connection to Mystra. This is why Volo, and other individuals of short-lived races, are still alive after a century. Ed Greenwood, the creator of the Forgotten Realms setting, developed the idea of Weave anchors to explain why some individuals remained alive after the events of the Spellplague.

So, next time you see those goblins making fun of poor Volo, remember how important he is to the natural world and treat him with respect. And don’t let him touch your eyes.

Baldur’s Gate 3 is the long-awaited next chapter in the Dungeons & Dragons-based series of RPGs. Developed by Divinity creator Larian Studios, it puts you in the middle of a mind flayer invasion of Faerûn, over a century after the events of its predecessor.