The Role of a Lifetime

The Role of a Lifetime
Section	Vabbi Quests
Campaign	Nightfall
Given by	Norgu in Resplendent Makuun (Vabbi)
Preceded by	Brains or Brawn
Followed by	Worst. Performance. Ever.
Type	Secondary quest
Map(s)
(Click to enlarge)

Assist the thespian in a performance to gain his services in your adventures.

Quest information

Requirements

Having chosen Goren to accompany Midauha in Istan in the quest Brains or Brawn.

Objectives

• Perform with Norgu in Jahinur.
• Write a short script with Norgu.
• Perform with Norgu in Pojah Estates.
• Protect Norgu from the dangers of Vehtendi Valley.
• Destroy the heket that have overrun the performance area.
• Register Norgu's play rights with Records Keeper Palin at the Writing Guild of Vabbi.

Reward

• 2,000 Experience
• Norgu joins your party.

Walkthrough

The initial quest objective can be approached from either Honur Hill or the Kodash Bazaar. Going from Honur Hill will take you through Yahnur Market, and while this isn't an often frequented outpost, it does have a skill trainer who may be worth seeing on your way through. Going from the Kodash Bazaar may be easier.

From Honur Hill

From Honur Hill, head due south along the west side of Resplendent Makuun to arrive at Yahnur Market, then on into Vehtendi Valley. Although the first objective is due west of Yahnur Market, it will be necessary to take a route that turns south, west over the fields, then north to meet with Norgu. This area mainly has Heket, Behemoths and Kournans. The Behemoth Gravebanes act as minion masters and also inflict degeneration using hexes on the party, so kill them first if possible.

From Kodash Bazaar

Very simply, head due south from the bazaar, you will most likely encounter Kournans and some plant mobs along the way.

The Meeting

On meeting Norgu at Jahinur (point 1 on the map), you'll get the chance to create a script via some multiple choice dialogue, then watch the audience response to his "masterpiece". After the first performance at Jahinur, you must escort Norgu north to his next engagement (at point 2), making sure he doesn't die on the way. As a level 18 mesmer, Norgu provides some assistance, casting Clumsiness, Mantra of Persistence, and Conjure Phantasm as required.

Once the last objective is activated, it's an easy matter of map traveling to the Kodash Bazaar and collecting your reward and a new mesmer hero.

NPCs

Allies

Humans

• 18 Norgu
• 2 Jahinur Child
• 10 Jahinur Spectator

Foes

Animals

• 15 Elder Crocodile (pets of Beast Sworn Heket)

Hekets

• 24 (26) Stoneaxe Heket
• 24 (26) Beast Sworn Heket
• 24 (26) Blue Tongue Heket
• 24 (26) Blood Cowl Heket

Dialogue

Initial dialogue

Norgu

"They say that fortune favors the foolish, and you'll find none more foolish than I. You see, this fight against Varesh...against Abaddon and the Nightfall...will be my opus. With the role of the villain already cast, I shall throw in with your ensemble. But first we must determine if we have chemistry. No spark, no play, you know. So, let us go unto the breach and perform in Jahinur, in the Vehtendi Valley. I'll prompt you when I need you."

 Accept: "Sounds interesting."

 Decline: "I'm no fool. No sirree!"

 Ask: "The task at hand is most perilous! We need to make our way to Vehtendi Valley and perform the play in Jahinur."

Intermediate dialogue

When the party arrives at Jahinur:

Norgu: "Performing is the most heroic act imaginable. Performing solo is even more heroic. Hmmm. My fellow guild members should already be here. Something is amiss."

Norgu: "Quick! Help me write a new scene before I go on."

Norgu

"I don't know what happened to my fellow actors, but the show must go on. And it shall be gloriously heroic. Luckily, these are simple folk in Jahinur. All we need is a stalwart hero, a villan of pure evil, and a brave way for the hero to slay the villain. Some creative advice from you real heroes will help me really sell it."

Sure thing! I'm a real hero last time I checked.

"Who is the hero?"

Norgu

<Character name>

"What evil does the hero have to fight?"

an evil lich lord

a disgruntled piemaster

a forgotten, dark god

"What did the hero do?"

smote the evil atop a volcano

defeated the evil with minty fresh breath

destroyed the evil in an epic struggle that ended with a magnificent death blow

"Thanks! With your advice, I'm sure this will be the best performance of my career!"

You are welcome!

The Jahinur performance:

Norgu: "Welcome one and all! I am the famous Norgu. Tonight I shall perform a short but riveting piece I wrote myself...with the help of my most heroic friends here."

Norgu: "The brave, brave, BRAVE <hero>, adventuring with many other brave companions, did come upon a great and unthinkable evil of pure evilness. <Hero> knew the evil must be destroyed, for it was destroying the countryside. The peasants were sand and almost dead."

Norgu: ""What is this evil that is killing us and making us sad?" they cried. It was <the evil>! The most vile and evil...evil...the world has ever seen. But our heroic hero could not face the evil yet. First he had to go on a quest for glory, overcoming many hard obstacles along the way before, ultimately, returning to the village, which was nearly, but not quite, destroyed. There, <hero>..."

Norgu: "...<what the hero did>. Oh how the peasants, who had not yet been eaten by the evil, rejoiced. They were glad in their heart of hearts that such a hero was in the realm, and that evil was not in the realm...anymore."

Norgu: "Whew! That wasn't too bad, if I do say so myself."

Jahinur Spectator (1): "That was terrible!"

Norgu: "Please, please. No tips! Money only cheapens the performance.... Food, on the other hand, is a different story."

Jahinur Spectator (2): "The Five Gods help us! That was worse than that Brave Lantern tripe they performed earlier this year."

Jahinur Spectator (3): "Stick to Bokka's free buffets, Norgu!"

Norgu: "Come. This might turn ugly. We should hurry to Pojah Estates. Perhaps there we can find news about my ill-timed guild members."

On arriving at Pojah Estates:

Norgu: "Uh oh! This is not good! There should be actors here, but instead we have all manner of evil things!"

Norgu: "Well, this can still give me a chance to shine in the spotlight. See how I can perform in other ways. Have at ye, vile monsters!"

After defeating the heket at Pojah Estate:

Norgu: "Well that was quite heroic! Now, before I set off with your troupe of courageous heroes, could I trouble you for one last favor?"

Norgu: "Could you visit the Writing Guild of Vabbi to...uh...register our entire upcoming experience? When we return from our adventures, I wish to perform highlights for the entire world.

Norgu: "After that, my skills are yours! This upcoming adventure shall be my greatest performance yet; my opus maximus, if you will."

Reward dialogue

Records Keeper Palin

"Another play from Norgu? You don't want to know how his last one played out, believe me. Well if you want to sell the rights to your story, that's your business. But you should ask Norgu about his other play, "The Epic Tale of the Brave Lanterns: Part One.""

Notes

• On your way from the first play to the next engagement with the heket, the quest The Hanging Gardener can be picked up and completed soon after this quest is finished (see point 3 on the maps above).
• If you are not in a hurry to acquire Norgu, it is easier to complete Gain Norgu than this quest, since that quest only requires you to speak to Korvus. The Gain Norgu quest also awards 500 more experience than this quest.

Trivia

• The Latin phrase "magnum opus" literally translates to "great work," and is used to describe a dramatist's masterpiece. Norgu's phrase "opus maximus" literally translates to "greatest work," perhaps indicating that his work surpasses the ordinary masterpiece.
• Brave Lantern is possibly a reference to the The Brave Little Toaster.
• The "lich lord" and "smote the evil atop a volcano" script options are likely references to the plotline of Guild Wars Prophecies.
• The forgotten, dark god script option is likely a reference to the plotline of Nightfall.
• The disgruntled piemaster script option may be a reference to The Peculiar Purple Pieman of Porcupine Peak, a Strawberry Shortcake villain, or Mrs. Lovett, the accomplice of Sweeney Todd's title character.
• "Brave, brave, BRAVE <hero> may be a reference to the song of Sir Robin's minstrel in Monty Python and the Holy Grail.