Captain Ashuk Masani

Airlancer Captain Ashuk Masani commands all the Airlancers in the region of the Desert of Desolation. He also personally commands the Bralizzar garrison, including the regular army Lancers, which are horse-mounted light cavalry. The garrison also forms the constabulary of Bralizzar, in addition to carrying out military patrols of the area around Bralizzar, flying sweeps over the desert and escorting caravans. Captain Masani is scrupulously honest and fair, and expects his soldiers to be the same.
Captain Masani spends most of his time in the lightweight white armour of his unit, but for formal occasions he dresses in the red robes and silver halfplate of an officer in the Durpari Army. The sole non-uniform piece of equipment he carries is a flintlock pistol, a rare and very valuable firearm gifted to him by the caravan master of a trade convoy from the far east that he saved when they came under intense attack by brigands. The caravan master taught him the secret of making the black powder necessary to keep it loaded, and made him swear on his honour never to reveal the secret to another.
Although he is noted as a paragon of valour now, Captain Masani hides a dark secret: as a young and untested soldier, his unit was sent to find a monster terrorising the local area and killing villagers in the night. They were unprepared to be ambushed by the creature, and it slaughtered most of the unit in the first moments of surprise. Ashuk's nerve broke when he was wounded and he fled, leaving the rest of his unit behind. He gained control of himself shortly after and returned, finding the monster severely wounded and himself the sole survivor of the squad, who all died at the monster's claws. He slew it in turn, and returned to his garrison to be hailed as a hero. He has sworn to himself that he will die rather than abandon his fellow soldiers again, but every time he goes into combat he wonders: will this be the time he breaks and flees, leaving his men to die?