Commander Arkuron is a character that I tend to associate with Ser Alliser Thorne, the surly Night’s Watch master-at-arms who butts heads with Jon Snow in Game of Thrones. I really liked that character, especially the fact that he’s not entirely wrong in his assessment of Snow, from a die-hard Night’s Watch point of view. While we know Jon Snow as a hero, Thorne sees him as someone who befriends the Wildlings (the Night’s Watch’s mortal enemy), sleeps with them, sympathizes with them, and even lets them waltz through the gate into Westeros unchallenged. To him, Jon Snow truly is a traitor to the cause.

Similarly, I always wanted to have an adversarial character for Roka, who has a justifiable reason for his disdain. I have to admit, every line I write for him, I hear in Alliser Thorne’s voice. I guess that means if there’s ever an animated series, I’ll have to check on Owen Teale’s availability.