#anwen evergreen headcanon

[archesa]

have 1, 8, 24, and 27 for anwen, mayhaps? :D @kerra-and-company

Ooooooh thanks so much for these! 😁 Always super happy to talk about Anwen (especially since I'm trying to get back onto continuing the fic and I need to rekindle my obsession love for her to get back to writing !

1 / What’s the one thing they would save in a fire?

There's nothing she cares about enough that she'd risk her life going back into a fire to get...

But there are quite some things she'd be particularly sad about losing, and she'd absolutely grab on her way out, given that everyone is safe and sound, far from the fire.

The letters she and Trahearne exchanged — a lot of them dating from 1325 to 1328 unsent — over the years.

A few original editions from her library.

And a huge soft shawl Meryw knitted for her. 💙

8 / If they were an animal, which one would they be? Which one would they think they’d be?

It took me a while pondering this : I reviewed a few, called onto my teenage-'His Dark Materials'-fan-self and wondered what Anwen's daemon would be... and suddenly it hit me! Clever, loyal to a fault, ruthlessly protective, hyperactive...

A border collie!

Works quite well with her (shep)herding nature! 😁

I don't know how she'd see herself, though... As a fern-hound perhaps 😁🌱

24 / Do they have any phobias?

Her investigation and battle against Kellach left an indelible imprint on her, leaving her terrified of being corrupted and risen, to be used to harm the ones she loves. As such, risen, mordrem and forged stir something very uncomfortable in her...

(Guess a few forged and a certain god of war are gonna end on the recieving end of this infamous jump-kick... From a 12' tall Trahearne! Ouch!)

On a whole other level, @lilypixy and I joked a few times that she could absolutely not afford to develop a phobia to fire... Quite some luck then that the Judge took care to shroud a very specific memory of hers before Grenth sent her back... Not even a scar for her to remember Balthazar killing her.

27 / What’s their favorite genre of music?

From a very young age, she has loved ballads, love and adventure tales, simple celebrations of life and time passing by...

As the years have passed and she has written her own legend and bards now sing the tale of the Commander and the Marshal, the heroics of the knight and her shieldmaiden, the saga of the Dragon full of Light and her Champion, the courage, determination and friendship uniting this strange group of friends, this found family crystalized around the last Elder Dragon, she has turned from her once favoured genre to instrumental music... She is particularly keen on harps and cords, bells and glockenspiel... Sounds that remind her her daughter 💙

[archesa]

Anwen's enthusiasm is contagious. She's unwavering in her optimism — even in the darkest of times, she will cling onto hope and she inspires others to do the same. (The downside is, when she breaks, her gravitational pull draws everything in her wake...)

What is a positive trait about your Commander?

-

Most of the time we talk about the trauma of our commanders, I want to know what makes them have the friends they do, what do they do to make others smile!

-

[anwenevergreen]

The Faren family (*finger snap*)

I didn’t want to highjack yet again another post, so here’s a little eratum regarding the Faren ^^ I once wrote about them :

And, @lilypixy made me realise I was a coward and a menace to society, because I was not only pulling a Disney on Anwen and Faren’s parents, BUT I was also depriving us of the potential drama induced by confused-but-well-meaning-Farens having to deal with their childrens sheningans! 

So I revise my previous post! They’re still alive and well ! And you will definitely read more from them sometimes soon!

[archesa]

If you're still doing these: 🖊 for Lucius and 🖊🖊🖊 for any other character(s) you like

Oooh! I had forgotten these, sorry ! 😭😅 And I very much still do them 😄

Some Lucius facts and bonus rounds for whoever! Noice! 😄

🖊️- I once said Lucius is German shepherd shaped, as in, he’s very protective of the people who manage to get close to him. From the moment he joins Dragon’s Watch, that protectiveness extends to each and everyone of the guild members.

Another thing that he is, is very aware of the impact trauma can have on a person, or a group, how it can fester, how it can heal in appearance and surge again years later due to a trigger event, how it can become alike an old scar, there, but barely noticeable, or remain as a gaping wound and cripple one for the rest of their life. As such, he will consider that pushing at someone’s limit, purposely using or abusing their frailties and causing more harm to their mental health as grave an assault as if they’d attacked them physically.

A third thing he is, is an assassin. And, he will not hesitate to pull the trigger on anyone who threatens his close circle.

So, when Smodur makes Rorschach his unwilling accomplice in the massacre of the charr in the bunker, he signs his own death warrant.

Ryland is there, when Smodur dies. But he never gets the chance to fire his rifle.

There’s a suspended moment, one look exchanged as the two snipers assert each other, high above the panic Smodur’s lifeblood splattered across the table has caused... Ryland steps into the light, as the slayer of the Imperator, and Lucius remains amongst the shadows.

🖊️ - As an Elementalist, Anwen Swynwr relies much more heavily on Meryw's protection. So, when it came to launching the final assault on Mordremoth, Meryw did not take the lead of the forces of the Pact against the Mouth.

Laranthir and Dairban managed to muster a team of volunteers, a few very brave souls well decided to distract the Dragon or die trying.

And Meryw accompanied Anwen into the lair of the beast to save their friends.

She witnessed Trahearne's last request, and, if Anwen demanded a moment with him and neither of them saw Mordremoth taking over, she knows what it cost Anwen to fulfill the Firstborn's last will.

Mordremoth was struck down before its final Call could reach the sylvari celebrating their victory over the Mouth, just outside the Heart.

And Canach found Anwen in the clearing, devastated and mourning, and immediately called on Meryw to heal her before she too faded.

🖊️ - Galaëd got very close to being demoted and tried for insult and injury to a superior officer... And if not for Rorschach's insistence that he no longer answered to the Vigil's hierarchy, but that of the Pact — thus making him no longer Almorra's subordinate, absolving him of the accusations of insubordination — he'd have been in huge trouble...

"With all due respect*, General, spreading slander against one's late superior is borderline insubordination too... and insulting the memory of said superior in front of their brother is without a doubt a greater injury."

(*Dragon's Watch favoured diplomatic expression as it specifies nothing about the amount of respect due... could be none.)

🖊️ - That became needlessly angsty, we need a soft headcanon to wrap it! And since we're close to Wintersday...🎄���

Galaëd will gladly decorate his antlers with tinsel and evergreen garlands during the holiday. Twas Rorschach who gave him the idea when he jokingly placed some light decoration on his head, their first Wintersday after his antlers grew and it became a huge part of their holiday cheer to find light but pretty items to place on the mesmer's branches.

They both agreed to never attempt such a prank with Dairban, though! (however tempting that might be)

[archesa]

have 💍⚖️🍵 for two folks of your choice, if you’d like! :D @kerra-and-company

Wiiiiii! Went with Anwen and Galaëd here, I hope that's okay for you ^^ By the Mists, I wish these two verses could meet somehow 😄 the sheer amounts of nonsense they'd plunge the world into would be magnificent! 🤣

Soooo! *cracks fingers*

💍 Does your OC have a specific item that is priceless to them but may (or may not) be completely worthless to someone else? Is there a story behind this item or is it just because they like it so much?

Galaëd has a bud of Caladbolg, that he had encased in a bead of glass and mounted as a pendant. He has held onto it since the fight against Mazdak, where he briefly carried the Thorn and keeps it even more preciously since Trahearne's death and resurrection.

Anwen has a strong attachment to her armour - the pauldrons Faren gifted her during her recovery from the battle against the Earth Elemental that owed her the title of Heroine of Shaemoor particularly. But practicality must prevail and when her breastplate and spaulder are damaged, sunken and torn by Faolain's attacks, she doesn't hesitate to abandon them to carry on the fight against Mordremoth and save Trahearne. Her brother will make sure to replace them with identical pieces during her year of recovery! As for an irreplaceable item she would never in a thousand years part with, it will be her wedding ring.

⚖️ What is the biggest crime your OC has committed? Are they a theif, a cheat, a liar? What is the smallest, most petty crime they’ve committed? Or do they not do crime at all?

Galaëd is a little trouble maker, but the pranks he pulls are always harmless and generally good spirited (confuse, don't abuse) , so if they might be borderline illegal, he would probably never face any serious repercussion for them.

As for Anwen, I'm quite sure some amongst the Pact would call her a deserter for her sudden and irrevocable resignation, following Trahearne's demotion. She's also a deicide, which might be considered a crime depending on how severely religion is enforced in Ascalonian, Krytian and Elonian society, and will either way probably lead to a huge schism in the cult of Balthazar... If you defeat the God of War in fair combat, do you de-facto ascend to godhood ?

🍵 Are there any rumours about your OC hanging around? Nasty ones or just good humoured? Got any gossip to share about them?

Galaëd has for most maintained his image of white-knight Valiant, if touches of colours and a reputation of jester ended up completing the picture. He's mainly known as the Commander's best friend and battle brother. But having a certain someone in his life might entice more... prickly rumours. After all, if Canach and him are indeed partners, then perhaps the secondborn's not as mean as he seems... or the valiant not as nice. 😏

Anwen has been the talk of Divinity's Reach sheltered nobility since her entrance in society. Spurning rounds of suitors -- one of them, too insistent in his attentions, ending up flying through a window of her parents ballroom. Embracing the path of the Guardian, and devoting herself to Kormir. Joining the Seraph in the battle to protect Shaemoor. Joining the Priory when she could easily have a life of leisure in the capital. Dancing around her feelings for Trahearne for almost three years before these two idiots finally took the leap. (even if, to be absolutely fair, these particular rumours merely seeped through the Pact to the rest of the world...) And of course there are talks about her humanity or lack-there-of. After all, she's a dragon's champion and a deicide... and in the years to come people might start noticing... she hasn't aged a day since her return from Elona.

[archesa]

Anwen, 3 years later, passing by Augur’s Grotto for whatever reason and remembering Trahearne saying that : *falls to the ground in utter embarrassment* I'm a fucking idiot!

trahearne, why you are like this?

[archesa]

Meryw once walked on Anwen and Trahearne doing it in (what Anwen thought was) an unused aisle of the library. What did she see (and what happened next) 😶?

Inspired by this ask game ^^ and as a treat for flat-fuck Friday!

Something about swords and sheaths — 1330 AE

If Trahearne had long gotten used to his honeyed glow, there were times where he regretted his purple one. This was one such occasion. For no well-intentioned scholar could have mistaken his luminescence for one of a forgotten sconce. The fact that aforementioned scholar happened to catch him and Anwen in a delicate predicament did nothing to lessen his glow, and if he ever thought it were impossible to add to his embarrassment, the identity of their accidental voyeur propelled his luminescence to an intensity fit to alert half of Lornar's Pass of a fire in the — previously thought — abandoned wing of the Priory.

Anwen fared no better, hidden in his non-existent shadow, struggling between blubbering heartfelt apologies and colourful curses — the skirt of her armour well decided to stay askew, hiding the bare minimum but leaving her thighs exposed in a most incriminating manner.

She managed to collect herself, her face beet red, and half obscured by entangled mahogany hair, and her voice breathless as she spoke.

"Wh-d-y-... Wh-what are you doing here?"

"I saw light, so I thought someone might have left a candle burning. This section is supposed to be restricted, what are you doing here?"

"Research."

A half-truth, really!

They had indeed obtained Gixx's authorization to study the Sanguinary Blade — under the condition that they did so in a secluded part of the Priory lest the shades summoned by the sheath threatened less experienced students and troubled other scholar's studies — and after hours of extensive observation on the sword, punctuated by fits of enthusiasm and fond memories of their brilliant late friend — briefly wondering whether their paths would have met if not for her — they had indeed made a discovery — a seal, the mark of the smith who forged the weapon, engraved in the fuller and revealed by the prolonged contact with the necrotic energy radiating from the scabbard! With this mark, the Priory could hope to identify the smith and find the forge where the Blade was made. And, elated by this discovery, they might have all but forgotten — or rather ignored — the risk of being interrupted.

"Research at this hour of the night?", Meryw repeated suspiciously.

"We got a little carried away...", Anwen muttered, an irrepressible smile breaking through the embarrassment. "W-we should probably put everything back in order and head to our quarters."

The sylvari guardian nodded, considering the books and writing supplies hastily swept to the other end of the table with utter disapproval.

Anwen waited until her steps had faded down the hall and turned to Trahearne, his head buried in the shade of the nearby bookshelf, his shoulders quaking and his breathing sharp. She closed the gap between them, relieved when she saw his face light up with an irrepressible smile.

"Well, that could have gone better."

“It could have been worse.”, he chuckled. “It could have been Ogden.”

Anwen froze mortified at the mere idea. Not necessarily more embarrassing on the moment... but the old dwarf would have teased them both for the decades to come!

[archesa]

[archesa]

💍💗🖤 for Anwen :3

Whouhouuu!! Some more somft Anwen asks! ❤️🥰 And there's one biiiiig question! 😳🥰❤️

💗— Do they noticeably change once they’re in love? Is it easy to notice or just something their partner would pick up on?

Already answered here 🤭 but as a bonus, let's explore how Anwen changed since she realised she was in love 😅

It was mostly contextual but she grew fiercely protective of Trahearne — even more than when they were just friends — and after so nearly losing him, she vowed to never miss an occasion to tell him and show him how much he meant to her.

(Whoops I accidentally reminded myself of this Doctor Who episode and got major trammander vibes from this quote 😅🥰😭)

🖤— Random romantic headcanon

Anwen loathes balls but she adores dancing with Trahearne! So, if there's an occasion they cannot excuse themselves from, and no secluded place where they might sneak away from the crowd, you will find them on the dance floor, simply enjoying each others company and thoroughly avoiding anything resembling idle talking or gossip 🥰

As for the biiiiiig question 🤭😁

💍— What are their thoughts on marriage?

"I am determined that only the deepest love will induce me into matrimony. So, I shall end an old maid, and teach your ten children to embroider cushions and play their instruments very ill." — Anwen, to Faren probably.

She grew up thinking of marriage as a gilded cage — her parents are happily married, and they love each other dearly, but a love-match is the exception in Divinity's Reach, not the rule — and quite certain she would end up an all-too-willing spinster.

Trahearne changed that plan drastically. And for years they were regularly the target of articles of widely varying goodwill in the scandal page. They were legendary warriors, respected scholars, formerly leaders of the greatest army to ever walk Tyria, Dragon Champions, and after years still unmarried.

The narrow-minded judgement of the mundane society amused Anwen mighty. She and Trahearne had gone through so much pain, and so much happiness. Through the most bitter defeats and the most triumphant victories. Through serene winters where they craved nothing but peace and quiet, a seclusion from the rest of the world, and flamboyant springs where the Dream of his life seemed just within reach as more and more plant life settled on Orr. Through lands unexplored and fondly familiar places. Through the Mists themselves, and twice beyond.

For all that mattered, they were already one — united more deeply, more meaningfully than any oath to the Six or blessing of any kind could ever do.

And yet, as Trahearne slipped a braided vine of the Pale Tree on her finger and asked her to marry him, Anwen could swear she had never been happier.

[archesa]

Still considering what Bangar 's gonna lose there... Because someone might throw a scythe in his face, for shooting the Commander.

My guesses were either an arm or an eye, that being said... He does look like Scar.

يا حمار اكل زق احسن لك

[archesa]

Just realised that, outside of Divinity’s Reach nobility, it must not be common knowledge that Anwen and Faren are siblings. I mean they don’t have the same name, and yes, she might mention “her brother” and “Faren” from time to time, but people wouldn’t necessarily connect the two...

So, when Faren is taken hostage by Scarlet, and the Commander rescues him, there’s a strange moment of bafflement for Braham and Rox - much to the amusement of Meryw, who’s by then long been adopted to the Faren family - when Anwen pulls the noble in a bone-crushing embrace, checks on him and heals what burns she can and then absolutely flips, calling him an idiotic moron, a danger for society and himself for getting himself captured, and that she is not bringing his dead body to their parents - not today nor any other day - so he better wrap himself in a cloak before he catches himself a death of a cold, and get his reddened arse back to the manor before she kicks it back herself.

[archesa]

to give you a whole bunch of character asks (should you want them), have 1, 12, 13, 29, and 38 for two beebs of your choosing! :D @kerra-and-company

Thanks a lot for that second round!! :D For the record, I will never not want character asks ^^ I considered for a while which character I wanted to do that with, but those who came the most naturally (the questions fit them) are Elianora and Anwen!

1 - what kind of clothing does your character like to wear? do they have a style? anything they avoid wearing?

Elianora will often try and reconcile style and comfort. She's not opposed to showing a little skin and wearing extravagant clothes but only if they remain practical and comfortable (she's a feral goblin who can't stand still in one place, so she needs the leeway!) She's not one to spend fortunes on clothing (money was scarce when she was young, remember) but she will renew her wardrobe every once in a while if something strikes her fancy.

As for colours, she wears mainly teal and purple, and while she enjoys brighter colours, yellow and oranges are quite a clash with her carnation and hair colour!

Anwen has worn the exact same set of armour since she first took her vow and she's not about to change now! She goes great lengths to have her armour restored or to have identical pieces crafted when the original are beyond repair or lost (her first set of pauldrons did not survive her fight against the elemental at Shaemoor, and the ones Faren offered her as a gift to celebrate her feat are now lost, abandonned in the heart of thorns along with her sunken chestplate, courtesy of Faolain!) As for her clothes when she's not on the battlefield, she will wear ample shirts, blue or violet vests, dark breeches... Comfortable clothes above all else, even if she might, albeit reluctantly, don a dress or a ballgown should the occasion arise.

All her clothes have been bought from the same tailor since Faren and her were old enough to walk. The artisan was even actually the one of the first who picked on their complementarity and subtly influenced their colour schemes, Faren wearing red and oranges while his sister donned purple and blue.

12 - what color would they paint their room? would there be a design on the ceiling?

Elianora has a stellar map painted on her ceiling. The constellations are not perfectly accurate, but it's a perfect excuse to point the mistakes, and climb on the roof to stargaze.

Anwen has coils of ivy and wisteria painted on the ceiling of the master bedroom of her manor in Divinity's Reach, and real wisteria running on the ceiling in her bedroom in Caer Aval.

13 - what helps them fall asleep when they're having trouble doing so?

Cuddling! Knowing the person they love is there, safe, with them, listening to their heartbeat or their breathing, laying her head on Trahearne's shoulder to read with him for Anwen, listening to Lucius' humming or his tales for Elianora... But in the rare case their loved one is not there to lull them to sleep...

Elianora will have tea or cinnamon spiced milk and stargaze until slumber claims her.

Anwen will either read or write a letter to Trahearne if he's away (one she'll actually send!), telling him what's she'd done during her day, what made her think of him, that she misses him and 'oh I managed to garner a cutting of that fire orchid you liked from my last letter, I hope it will survive the journey and we can have it take root in the greenhouses, heat and humidity don't seem to bother it, so it might do well in the southern parts of the archipel! and contrary to most of the species we’ve reintroduced it’s actually geographically close, so chances are it originally grew in Orr before the cataclysm!'.

29 - if they wear any, where did they get their jewelry?

Elianora got hers from Dalor's workshop - the apple and the leaf.

Anwen wears the broken half of her birthparents' amulet, the only thing that was found of them after the attack of their convoy (the other half, the one the White Mantle used to trick her into meeting their assassin in the Palace Gardens, she has put away in a lockbox and never worn). In the distant future, she will also wear a vine of the Pale Tree on her left hand.

38 - do they bother to clean ink/chalk/gunpowder/etc off of their fingers? are they likely to forget it's there and smudge their nose?

Elianora’s very careful with her appearance -- the fall from grace of her family and slander they were dragged in made her painfully aware that the tiniest little detail would be mocked and taken against her family’s already fragile reputation. She’s developped a wee little inferiority complex there, and tried to maintain an air of dignity and manners fit for a lady of her rank.

When those were mocked too, she retorted to casually using wind to dishevel, earth to loosen the cobblestones and water for mud to form juuuust right where said cobble would make the other trip. Nothing more satisfactory than seeing a sneering noble ruin an outfit that’s probably worht more than the house you inhabit because a gust of wind threw them off their sedan chair. (did I mention she’s a feral gremlin and a shrewd one at that?)

Anwen is quite the contrary. She’ll be very neat with her weapons and armour, and spend lots of time polishing her blade, or oiling the leather of her armour to keep it supple and the fastens secure (you really don’t want to get your armour stuck in an awkward angle in a fight, or your sword to dull or rust in its scabbard!). But otherwise, she’ll blattantly ignore ink stains, or chalk, electing to brush her hands on her sleeve or the leg of her breeches if there’s dust on them. Honestly, not that much of a flaw, when most of her time away from the field is spent gardening!

And bonus round because I had started answering this one for Anwen before I realised it was n°39 and not 38, soooo... (did anyone say adhd?)

39 - do they keep working even when their wrists start to cramp? if they do, do they give themselves a break when the work is done?

Anwen has spent many days and nights in the libraries of the Priory, studying the artefacts Sieran was set on treasure hunting, Orrian history when the Pact was first created and Fort Trinity built, or justreading about botany when sleep would fail to claim her.

On these study sessions, cramping was not scarce! As for ignoring the cramp, it will depend on how important the work is, or how urgent the thought. If she’s in a noisy environment, where she’s at risk of losing track of her thoughts, she will overcome pain and keep writing, just to get the thing on paper and then stop and either flick her wrist till the cramp is gone or take a break and get some fresh air.

[archesa]

I'm curious, since we both have max height female humans, how much do you estimate for that would be?

I had Ren be 192cm, but then again I'm not necessarily using the in-game measurements, so I wanted to pick your brain on that if you'd be amenable

I used gw insider height chart (the one I used for my infamous Canach and Trahearne height calculations 😅) so, according to them, she should be 1.92m, but I round it down to 1.90m (dunno why, maybe because it's a round number 😅)

(Makes me think I haven't calculated how tall she is compared to Faren 😉)

Edit now that I actually found the chart : oh. So, I don't HC her as 1.90, that's actually the ''canonical'' height according to Guild Wars Insider 😶 Where TF did I get that 1.92 m height then? Because I was completely convinced that was the max human height!

[archesa]

Thanks so much! I'm so happy you liked my take on this!

Anwen's the ever optimist! She knows she can't save everyone but she has to try! She knows that if there isn't a light at the end of this strait of darkness, it's her duty to be a beacon of hope!

Hey there, human mains! How did your character react to the Balthazar plot and to the Gods' leaving?

[archesa]

Siren’s Landing - Lyssa’s Reliquary

I’m once again shifting in Orr hyperfixation so please bear with me, because I have some thoughts on Siren’s Landing. Obviously, in Anwen’s storyverse (a Trahearne lives AU for those who stumbled blind onto that post), she’s quite familiar with Orr and if its restoration is still a source of wonder and amazement, there’s no initial shock when she reaches Siren’s Landing and the search for Balthazar here is a lot more straightforward (like : we got some suspicion Balthazar might have gone to Orr / Okay he’s got a Reliquary there, the sanctuary’s filled to the brim with Ley-line energy, if he aims to further restore His power, that’s where I’ll find him for sure!) but I’m particularly curious about Lyssa’s Reliquary, and most specifically, the enemies we fight there, so I wonder...

Are the Phantasms and Horrid Illusions different for each person who passes through ? Does the Reliquary’s corruption take a specific form to fit the wary traveler’s worst fears and nightmares? And if so, what would your Commanders see? Since our Commanders are all traumatized in their own flavours, it should be interesting!)

I’ll start!

So, for Anwen, the illusions would of course revolve around her ill fate coming to her loved ones (classic, I know, but Anwen’s big sister energy is both her greatest strength and her biggest pressure point). So, the illusions would torment her with visions of : Meryw, Trahearne and Canach lost to Mordremoth, or to the fires of Balthazar.

Her parents and brother, the Farens, lost to the White Mantle (she lost her biological parents to them already, and with everything that happened in Bloodstone Fen and Divinity’s Reach it’s only natural she’d get nightmares about losing them too) and blaming her for not being able to protect and save them.

And since her relationship with Braham is more than a little strained at that time, of course, him lost to Jormag or an attack of the Sons of Svanir, and repeating how it’s all her fault and how she’ll now also bear the blame of his death.

So... yeah. With Balthazar wielding Lyssa’s Mirror and the torment she must go through to purify Her Reliquary... I’m not saying Anwen’s got a personal beef against the Goddess of Beauty and Illusion, but...

[archesa]

Give me the Anwen bossfight.

Ohhh Anwen's boss fight would be a tricky one! Have two possible scenarios in mind as to how she's come an become — albeit briefly — and antagonist : the first one in LW4 (oh the angst!!) and the other in IBS (less angst, slightly less angst so less interesting 😅)

In the LW4 scenario, Joko has captured the Commander and the storming the castle is as much a quest to 'rescue the damsel in distress' as to 'kill the lich'.

After Canach just blows the damn gate, the player is confronted to a choice (much like story or exploration mode in dungeons) : fight Joko (story) or rescue the commander (exploration).

Should the player pick Joko, the instance proceeds much like in the Long Live the Lich story, give or take a few taunts about how you forsook the Commander and how she screamed for help till she realised no one was coming - insert villainous monologue, blah blah blah you know Joko as well as I do. In the end, the Commander will arrive, limping, bandages around arms and chest (see Logan in that LW3 story instance) and discuss Joko's untimely passing with the player.

Should they pick the rescue mission...

The path leading to the bossfight passes through the fortress dungeons, where the player and the following NPCs (Braham and Meryw - Guardian power !!) find tortured broken 'clones' of Anwen, Joko taunting them about how the were a dozen times too late to save the Commander, till the signet ring dispelling Joko's illusion is found.

The team proceeds through traps to the jail where Anwen's held captive.

A small dialogue, with the personality options:

🤜 - Pull yourself together! We still got a lich to slay!

👑 - The fight's not over. The Pact needs you, Commander.

♥️ - You're safe Commander. We're taking out Joko and getting you out of here.

But Anwen's too far gone and mistakes the PC & NPCs for a ruse of Joko. The player is repelled by a Shield of Absorbtion and the fight commences.

Anwen will remain quite static during the fight, but rely heavily of AOEs, inflicting burn and repelling the player regularly if attacked up-close and using her spirit blades against ranged fighters.

At 75% health, she gains invulnerability and rushed to a nearby rack, to take Caladbolg. She returns to the centre of the room and gains a breakbar. Her attacks focus mainly on close combat and ranged attacks are better at this point - unless the character can withstand the damage dealt by her Whirling Wrath. She will also use Binding Blade to pull medium-close range fighters in her AOE. The breakbar goes down slowly on its own, and the player's attack can hasten the process. When her breakbar breaks, she drops Caladbolg which becomes pickable by the player. But...

The sword deals huge damage to Anwen, but also drains the player's health and will down them the moment Anwen's breakbar refills so she can pick it up again (so really, don't touch Caladbolg and use normal attacks to down the boss 😅🌹)

The phase repeats 2 more times (she drops Caladbolg at 50% and 25% health) and the fight ends with the Commander downed, and purple butterflies dissipating from around her head.