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Forums > Home› Neverwinter Discussion › The Moonstone Mask (PC)

Volos longevity

newlybrednewlybred Member Posts: 3 Arc User
in The Moonstone Mask (PC)
Its great that Volo is in Neverwinter Online, but shouldn't he be dead by now? He was in Neverwinter Nights 2, which was a hundred years ago in the storyline. We got an explanation of how another character, Minsc, is still alive through being a statue. We know that the Companions of the Hall were all resurrected by the Goddess Melikki to accompany Drizzt. Drizzt and Linu are elves and therefore long lived, and Pwent is an immortal vampire. Elminster is a powerful archmage with mastery over time, so no mystery there. But Volo seems to have not aged. It would be nice to have that explained somehow.
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  • santralafaxsantralafax Member, NW M9 Playtest Posts: 2,896 Arc User
    Volo? Where is he in the game? I haven't read the books... Just a longtime DnD fan.
  • greywyndgreywynd Member, NW M9 Playtest Posts: 7,092 Arc User
    Volo joins you in your journey to Chult.
    I'm not looking for forgiveness, and I'm way past asking permission. Earth just lost her best defender, so we're here to fight. And if you want to stand in our way, we'll fight you too.
  • zebularzebular Member, Neverwinter Moderator, NW M9 Playtest Posts: 15,270 Community Moderator
    edited November 2017
    newlybred said:

    Its great that Volo is in Neverwinter Online, but shouldn't he be dead by now? He was in Neverwinter Nights 2, which was a hundred years ago in the storyline. We got an explanation of how another character, Minsc, is still alive through being a statue. We know that the Companions of the Hall were all resurrected by the Goddess Melikki to accompany Drizzt. Drizzt and Linu are elves and therefore long lived, and Pwent is an immortal vampire. Elminster is a powerful archmage with mastery over time, so no mystery there. But Volo seems to have not aged. It would be nice to have that explained somehow.

    Volothamp is an experienced wizard as well with a wide array of knowledge, experience, and quite the loremaster. Granted, he's not a super powerful wizard but his expertise has always been on wizardry and geographical lore. It's easy to presume, like most wizards, he's found some means of longevity through magical means. Given his fields of study and those he's known to be in contact with, it is even more likely so.

    Very few mages die of old age in the Realms, regardless their power. Mages in the Realms usually either die in battle or in an experiment gone wrong. Longevity magic, while not generally available to commoners, it would be much less of a rarity for individuals in the know. To quote Ed Greenwood:
    I'd say potions of longevity, elixirs of youth, and similar magical means of extending normal lifespan would be rare, highly-sought-after treasures. Real ones are likely to be well guarded ("in depth," including false potions [probably poisons] nearby for would-be thieves to be led to, instead), and NEVER offered for sale in shops (alchemists and powerful wizards may peddle a single potion, discreetly, to a wealthy buyer approached on a one-to-one basis, usually passing off the potion as "discovered among the treasures of Archwizard X after his unfortunate demise at the hands of Y").

    That does not mean longevity magic is unknown to the very wealthy, who often hire wizards to help them cheat death, or among powerful mages who try to devise their own life-extending or -renewing magics. You are right in supposing that at a certain power level its pursuit (and the results, however efficacious or otherwise) becomes common.
    Volo's known to be one of Ed Greenwood's most favored characters and between Elminster and Volo, much of the lore of the Realms that Ed Greenwood writes is interpreted through one of their two perspectives.

    On note of Elminster's longevity, it has nothing to do with his mastery of time however. He's a Chosen of the Goddess of Magic, one of the oldest, and is immortal.
    Post edited by zebular on
    [ My Character Bios | Discord: Zebular#9524 | In Game: @zebular (PC) • @MtnDewFreak (XBOX) • @Terraseer (PS4) ]
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  • greywyndgreywynd Member, NW M9 Playtest Posts: 7,092 Arc User
    Slow aging/immortality is one of the gifts bestowed up a Chosen.
    I'm not looking for forgiveness, and I'm way past asking permission. Earth just lost her best defender, so we're here to fight. And if you want to stand in our way, we'll fight you too.
  • rafaeldarafaelda Member, NW M9 Playtest Posts: 666 Arc User
    Youre thinking about Volo alive in a a game where we have Drizzt and Minsc fighting side by side, and the only explanation given about was "theres still evil to be kick in the but"...
  • greywyndgreywynd Member, NW M9 Playtest Posts: 7,092 Arc User
    If you think that is the only explanation given, you skipped a lot of dialogue.
    I'm not looking for forgiveness, and I'm way past asking permission. Earth just lost her best defender, so we're here to fight. And if you want to stand in our way, we'll fight you too.
  • zebularzebular Member, Neverwinter Moderator, NW M9 Playtest Posts: 15,270 Community Moderator
    edited November 2017
    rafaelda said:

    Youre thinking about Volo alive in a a game where we have Drizzt and Minsc fighting side by side, and the only explanation given about was "theres still evil to be kick in the but"...

    Minsc's longevity was explained in Elemental Evil Module dialogue in game as well as detailed in a blog. Drizzt needs no explanation for he's a Drow Elf. Drow, like other elves, can easily live a couple thousand years without longevity aids and some have been known to be around for several thousand years. If one wants a more in depth explanation of what he's been up to and how he survived the Spellplague, there are a number of novels written by the esteemed Lord Salvatore detailing what he's been up to.

    [ My Character Bios | Discord: Zebular#9524 | In Game: @zebular (PC) • @MtnDewFreak (XBOX) • @Terraseer (PS4) ]
    Zebular
    [ Support Center • Rules & Policies and Guidelines • ARC ToS • Guild Recruitment Guidelines | FR DM Since 1993 ]
  • cdnbisoncdnbison Member, NW M9 Playtest Posts: 806 Arc User
    Who is to say thaat Volo isn't one of another god's Chosen? Say, Oghma (they do Knowledge, right?) or a god of exploration / knowledge / learning? As long as Volo keeps exploring, and finding new and interesting things, he serves his god.
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