Jora

Jora
Affiliation	Norn
Type	Norn
Profession	Warrior
Service	Hero
Level(s)	20
Campaign	Eye of the North
Image(s)
Concept art by Kekai Kotaki.

“

Jora is a younger Norn, beset by tragedy. Like most of her generation, she has been seeking to establish her name and reputation. Only the hunters of the greatest prey are considered worthy among her people, and as such, she and her brother Svanir trekked through the icy uplands and valleys seeking the most challenging prey.

On one of their hunts, Jora and her brother encountered a great, dark power, and were transformed by it. She lost her Nornish ability to shapeshift into bear form, while her brother suffered a darker fate. Now without a family or homestead, she hunts across the Norn lands of the Far Shiverpeaks seeking redemption of her name and forgiveness by the Bear Spirit. To achieve her goals, she will undergo any ritual, achieve any quest, and seek any treasure needed. She will even accept the help of humans.

— The Guild Wars Eye of the North Manuscript

Locations

• Eye of the North
  • Far Shiverpeaks
    • Attack of the Nornbear
    • Bjora Marches (during Tracking the Nornbear)
    • Drakkar Lake (during Tracking the Nornbear)
    • Epilogue
    • Ice Cliff Chasms (once during Northern Allies and once during Against the Destroyers)
    • Norrhart Domains (during Tracking the Nornbear)
• Beyond
  • Hearts of the North
    • Olafstead (explorable area) (during The Wedding)

Missions

• Far Shiverpeaks
  • Curse of the Nornbear

Quests

Quests given:

• Far Shiverpeaks
  • Northern Allies
  • Tracking the Nornbear

Quests involved in:

• Far Shiverpeaks
  • Curse of the Nornbear
  • A Time for Heroes
  • The Wedding

Recruitment

Complete the Curse of the Nornbear quest at Sifhalla and Jora will join your party.

Skills

12 Swordsmanship, 11 Tactics, 6 Strength

• Sever Artery
• Gash
• Savage Slash
• Healing Signet
• "Watch Yourself!"
• Shield Bash
• Resurrection Signet

Armor

Jora starts with basic warrior armor, labeled as Norn armor but with its own unique appearance. Unlike most heroes, her headgear appears to be a grey Norn Woad.

The appearance of her armor can be upgraded to Brotherhood armor using Cloth of the Brotherhood acquired from the Glint's Challenge challenge mission. It can also be upgraded to Deldrimor armor using Deldrimor Armor Remnants acquired in the Hierophant's Chest at the end of the Slavers' Exile dungeon.

See Jora's armor gallery.

Dialogue

During Against the Destroyers, Tracking the Nornbear, and Northern Allies

"By the claws of the bear spirit, I vow to regain my honor. Sorry, did you say something?"

Who are the Norn?

"The Norn are a powerful and proud people. We make our homes in these icy climes, and hunt the creatures of the mountains. We live for today and rely only on ourselves, for who knows what tomorrow will bring, or when friend will become foe. When you meet a Norn, be prepared for battle. Most will wish to test your mettle before speaking to you as an equal. Not I, though. I am hunting bigger prey."

Did those Norn just turn into bears?

"You mean Olaf and Sif? They are highly regarded among the Norn for their prowess, and favored by the bear spirit. Bear has granted them the power to take her favored form, the better to hunt and survive here! Someday, I shall regain that favor as well."

What is the Eye of the North?

"To the north of Boreal Station, a huge structure reaches toward the sky. You cannot miss it. It has been there since before the Norn first came to these mountains. We always avoided it. Humans, though, are less wise; a group of them, the Ebon Vanguard, have made it their home. If you seek other humans, you should go there."

During Curse of the Nornbear

"What do you want? Are you staring at me? You want some of this? Do you?"

Epilogue

"Thanks to you, I can become the bear once more. For that I am forever grateful. We will hunt together again."

Olafstead (during the Wedding)

"A fine Norn wedding, if I've ever seen one. May neither of them ever hunt alone again."

Quotes

Norrhart Domains

"I could hear you coming from a league away! It's a wonder your family never starved."

Bjora Marches

"Careful, now. Don't mix your clumsy footprints with those of my prey."

Varajar Fells

"I appreciate your eagerness, but I doubt you are up to the challenge. I fear I must complete my task on my own."

As a hero in your party

"Never leave home ahead of your axe and sword. You can't feel a battle in your bones, or foresee a fight before it happens."

"The generous and bold have the best lives."

"The Norn will not change simply because the Dwarves do not understand our ways. I'd rather be hated for who I am than loved for who I am not."

"Today is a fine day to live...but an even better one to send heroes to their graves. I am not afraid of either."

"Hail to the future! An axe age, a sword age, an age where shields are cleft assunder. It is a wind age, a wolf age, before the world plunges headlong into battle. This is the age of the Norn!"

Voice quotes

"Are you lost?"

"How can I help you?"

"Hail lowlander."

"What is your business?"

Battle quotes

A wallpaper featuring Jora.

"Battle at last! Cut them down!"

"Best hurry, my friend, or there'll be none left for you!"

"By Bear and Raven!"

"Come, you who carry corpses; the raven flies over the plain, the battle is joined!"

"Die, cur!"

"Fight beneath a cold sky, a clouded sky, a deadly wind-borne sky!"

"Good. Bad. I'm the girl with the big weapon."

"I bring the snow and biting winds! I bear the fury of the Norn upon my blade!"

"I fight for glory!"

"I pity you... you were not born a Norn!"

"I see the hall of spirits, where the brave live forever!"

"If you face a Norn, do so courageously. It will be the last thing you ever do."

"Norn do not know fear!"

"You are not Norn. Therefore, you will perish."

"You seem to be in a hurry to meet death."

Notes

• The size of weapons given to Jora are scaled up slightly.
• Jora uses the same emotes as female human warriors.
• Jora's default weapon set is a customized max damage blue Long Sword with Damage +10% (while in a Stance) (9 Swordsmanship required) and a max armor blue Wooden Buckler of Fortitude with Health +25 and an attribute requirement of 9 Tactics.
• Since she is the only Norn hero, Jora cannot transfer disease to or from other party members but can receive disease from other Norn.
• A duplicate Jora will show up as a "Norn Warrior".
• Jora uses quotes from rank 5-9 of the Norn rank when spoken to (before unlocking her as a hero), regardless of your actual rank.
• This character has a miniature version. The miniature is wearing Deldrimor armor and wields a Norn Shield and a Runic Blade.
• As with all heroes, this one has a tonic form.

Anomaly.Although she is supposed to be able to become the bear again at the end of Curse of the Nornbear, she cannot use the skill Bear Form as a hero in the game.

Trivia

The Guild Wars 2 Wiki has an article on Jora.

• Jora appears on the Eye of the North box.
• Jora/Jóra is Old Norse for "lord."
• Jora was inspired by Daryl Hannah, the actress who played Ayla, in The Clan of the Cave Bear. (Source — Emily Diehl.)
• "Good. Bad. I'm the girl with the big weapon." paraphrases Army of Darkness' "Good...bad...I'm the guy with the gun."
• "I see the hall of spirits, where the brave live forever!" is a reference to the last lines of the Viking's Prayer in the movie The 13th Warrior. The original quote is"Lo, there do I see ... in the halls of Valhala, where the brave may live, forever...".
• "Die, Cur!" is a common epithet.
• "... I'd rather be hated for who I am than loved for who I am not" is from Kurt Cobain, from the band, Nirvana.
• "Hail to the future! An axe age, a sword age…" is from the Poetic Edda poem Völuspá in Norse mythology.
• Jora is portrayed on 9 skills: most of the norn skills, Heart of the Norn and Anthem of Weariness. This makes her the most represented NPC on player-available skill icons.

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