A lightsaber is the physical embodiment of the Force, a perfect marriage between the kyber crystal and the wielder. The wielder’s thoughts, their actions, become energy and flow through the crystal. To Archenksov, the use of a lightsaber is the highest manifestation of a being’s will, and their skill with the blade is a direct reflection of their spiritual strength and purity. Other forms of combat are crude, if not outright degrading. This focus has made him an excellent duelist, and he has even applied the lessons of his elegant bladework to social and mental skills. However, his fixation on dueling as a metaphor for life has given him a somewhat stunted view of things.

As Combat Master, Archenksov kills the Grand Master’s enemies and he trains Royal Guardsmen, Inquisitorius operatives, apprentices, soldiers, and mercenaries alike. He does this without manipulation, factions, or any apparent ambition. Publicly, he is apolitical, “just a humble swordsman,” leaving his rivals and enemies guessing at his true goals and motives. Hardly any of Arx’s schemers actually believe he truly lacks ambition or acts out of benevolence, but none of them can agree just what he’s really after.

Born under the name Aren Sa to a species notoriously intolerant of imperfections, Archenksov has little patience for failure. If you’re not going to do it correctly, don’t bother doing it at all. Although he tempers his criticisms with politeness and good humor, it’s apparent to most people whether the Combat Master respects you or not. The respected can count on a great deal of professional courtesy and the knowledge that they’ve earned any praise that they’ve received. Unfortunately, not everyone Archenksov dismisses takes it very gracefully, nor are they all lacking in power or authority.

Archenksov has a precise, measured way of speaking, and he is equally at home with delivering lectures or witty banter. But regardless of the situation, he is nearly always polite and even a bit formal. This is charming to many, soothing to others, but unfortunately it comes off as pedantic or condescending to some. The emotional distance he projects has also gifted him with many friendly acquaintances and students, but very few close friends or allies.

Archenksov’s day job is to critque others’ combat performance and offer suggestions, and old habits die hard. His opponents can expect dissections of their technique and to hear about it if they’ve failed to live up to the Combat Master’s expectations. In training sessions, this is done in good humor with suggestions on how to improve. But in real combat, the litany of his opponent’s weaknesses and failures form the basis of Archenksov’s Dun Möch. Mistakes will be exploited one burn at a time as the Kaminoan drives home just how inferior they really are. After all, physical wounds heal. However, Archenksov can lull himself into a false sense of security if he forms a low opinion of his opponent and get too hung up on humiliating them to defend himself properly or end the fight.

“The Diplomat’s Form” is rarely practiced in the Brotherhood, and is commonly stereotyped as a hodgepodge of badly-imitated techniques from all the forms Niman practitioners were too lazy to study properly. Archenksov derives a great deal of pleasure from disabusing people of the notion. It took the Jedi ten years to properly train a student in Niman, and the Kaminoan has spent more time than that learning to weave a lightsaber, Telekinesis, and other Force powers into a seamless whole. A form that only attacks or defends, that only shines in duels or against blasters, is a form that is incomplete. Rather than specialize in one particular area, Archenksov uses his detailed understanding of lightsaber forms to deduce what an opponent is weak at, and then turns his Niman and Sokan skills to exploiting it. This does, however, occasionally leave him at a loss when dealing with non-saberists or situations where he cannot find a way to exploit a form’s vulnerabilities.