Captain Sutipan has served in the Vidoran Army for fifteen years by following rules without deviation. He knows regulations well and applies them exactly as written. He enforces procedure with consistency and expects the same from those under his command. His reports stay orderly. His routines remain predictable. Initiative does not factor into his decisions.
Sutipan acts only after protocol allows it. He waits for confirmation. He avoids risk. When situations demand speed, he slows down instead. Procedure guides every choice he makes.
These habits shaped his career path. After several uninspired postings and weak outcomes, the army sent him to a remote fort in northern Vidora. The assignment removed him from scrutiny and pressure. Life at the fort rewarded caution. Rules mattered more than results. Delay carried no immediate cost.
That pattern broke when Elaren arrived with warnings about Neverharbor. She asked for reinforcements. Sutipan answered with regulations. He requested documentation. He waited for approval. Each step followed the rules. Each step wasted time the village did not have. To Sutipan, this caution proved responsibility. To those waiting for aid, it felt like indifference.
Sutipan does not view himself as negligent. He believes discipline prevents disorder and that deviation leads to chaos. He measures success by compliance, not consequence. He fails to see that rigid obedience can cause harm when conditions change.
Sutipan’s first impression is clear. He is competent, careful, and limited. In quiet times, he blends into the system. In crisis, the system shields him, and his shortcomings come into full view.