Stiff Negotiations

Quest Giver: Narf — Nozzlerust Post, Dragonblight [55, 23]

Objective: Locate Zort in the center of the Crystal Vice, northeast of Nozzlerust Post.

Quick Facts

• Level: 74
• Prerequisites: Both Harp on This! AND Lumber Hack must be completed
• Follow-up: Slim Pickings

Walkthrough

• Head northeast from Nozzlerust Post into the Crystal Vice. Follow the blue crystal road, entering around [64, 28]. Continue along the path until approximately [60, 16], then turn left onto a ledge. Follow this ledge until you reach the wall, then turn right. Zort is standing on the ledge at [59, 18].
• Map tip: Zort’s location is just above the “T” in “The Crystal Vice” on your zone map.
• Elite ice giants patrol the path below, but Zort is on a ledge safely above them. Don’t try to shortcut by climbing the slope near the entrance or jumping down from above; the intended path through the Vice is the only reliable route.

Don’t Skip This Quest

• You can pick up the follow-up quest Slim Pickings directly from Zort without ever doing Stiff Negotiations. However, doing so makes Stiff Negotiations permanently unavailable, and you forfeit free XP and gold for what amounts to a short jog. Always pick this quest up from Narf before heading to the Crystal Vice.

Story Context

Narf dismisses: “Well it seems you were of a bit of use after all.” He explains that his brother Zort went into the Crystal Vice to “con the giants into laying down their lives so that we don’t have to,” adding that Zort “certainly wasn’t known for having the brains in the family.”

Given that the next quest involves looting a dead giant, Zort’s “negotiations” clearly didn’t go as planned.

Lore Note

Narf, Zort, and Troz (the three goblins at Nozzlerust Post) are all named after catchphrases of Pinky from the animated series Pinky and the Brain. “Narf!” “Zort!” and “Troz!” are all exclamations Pinky uses throughout the show.

Easter Egg

The quest title “Stiff Negotiations” likely carries a double meaning.

“Stiff” is slang for a dead body. The title is also a reference to Star Wars: Episode I, where Obi-Wan tells Qui-Gon: “You were right about one thing, master… the negotiations were short.”

Explore Dragonblight’s hidden easter eggs, lore mysteries, and connections across Warcraft history in Vikstone’s Dragonblight Chronicles, along with the complete quest storyline.