General

Locations: Toril
Category: Travel Guide

History

Founding & Early History (ca. 1470s DR)

Deryn, grew up among the decks and docks of his father’s sea trade. From an early age he inherited both a wanderlust and a keen eye for practical details — the sort of observations sailors make when a wrong turn can cost both coin and life.
As he travelled across Faerûn and beyond, Tolan noticed that most travel books, maps, and guides were either wildly optimistic or carefully sugar-coated for wealthy patrons. In response, he began compiling his own journals, full of honest notes on inns, streets, customs, hazards, and the kinds of “local knowledge” that could save a traveller from serious trouble.
He sold the first pamphlets himself from his ship, the Folly’s Watch, under the tongue-in-cheek title “Folly Notes for the Informed Traveller.” Their blunt and humorous tone quickly gained a small but devoted following among sailors, caravan leaders, and practical adventurers.

Official Launch & Early Titles (1480–1490 DR)

Encouraged by positive reception, Tolan formally founded Folly Guides as a company dedicated to producing honest, reliable travel guides. The first bound titles included:

• The Mini Folly Guide to Neverwinter (still available in-game!)
• Baldur’s Gate: What They Don’t Tell You
• Sword Coast Survival Notes
  Unlike traditional guides, Folly Guides did not try to charm or flatter its subjects. Each edition included maps, survival tips, pricing estimates, social etiquette warnings, and Tolan’s characteristic wry commentary.

Growth & Reputation (1490–1507 DR)

Folly Guides grew modestly but steadily, hiring scribes, cartographers, and field correspondents to verify details and expand coverage. Contributors included sailors, adventurers, merchants, and retired mercenaries — anyone with firsthand experience.

The company’s reputation was built on reliability, practicality, and editorial independence. Cities and nobles occasionally protested unflattering portrayals, but Tolan refused to compromise the guides’ honesty.

Modern Operations (1507–2024 DR)

Folly Guides now operates out of a small, efficient editorial house in Neverwinter, with Tolan personally overseeing both acquisitions and editing. The company continues to produce core regional guides, city guides, and “adventurer cuts,” as well as occasional bespoke commissions for new or recently discovered locations.
Although still relatively young compared to other multiversal businesses, Folly Guides has become a trusted resource for students, scholars, adventurers, and travellers who value practicality over propaganda.

Hierarchy

Founders: Tolan Whalewake
Current CEO: Unknown
Staff: Unknown
Apprentices: Unknown
Primary Contact: Unknown

People

The following people are associated with this business.

Services

Folly Guides produces accessible, reliable travel resources with a focus on honesty and usefulness.

Core Publications

Regional Guides

• Comprehensive guides for regions of Toril
• Includes maps, roads, hazards, customs, and lodging
• Advice tailored to both travellers and adventurers

City & Location Guides

• Single-city or single-dungeon guides
• Highlights useful inns, taverns, shops, and guilds
• Lists common cons, scams, and local laws

Specialised Editions

Adventurer’s Cut

• Estimates of encounter frequency
• Guidance on dangerous dungeons and wilderness hazards
• Information on resurrection access, local spell restrictions, and mercenary services

Academic & Institutional Editions

• Expanded historical and cultural context
• Notes on planar phenomena
• Often used by institutions like Neverwood Academy

Bespoke & Commissioned Guides

• Limited editions for newly discovered or dangerous locations
• Highly detailed, brutally honest, and expensive
• Comes with a disclaimer absolving Folly Guides from responsibility for reader choices