The Commander keeps his men and his people in line through fear. He is a dictator with absolute confidence that people will do as he says, and no compunctions about brutally enforcing his authority if there is even a hint it may not be accepted. He does not accept or acknowledge personal freedom.
Cap has been visiting the Outlands for years. He found the first tunnel out near Garforth Village about 25 years previously. Progressively more tunnels opened into different parts of the Outlands, but the Plimgar Tunnel was the first one that opened into an area that provided sufficient cover for a significant number of men to establish a base and remain hidden.
Cap had been aware that something momentous was happening on the night of the storm. Although a Plimgar Tunnel had been open for some time, the sudden opening of a new and much larger tunnel in a hidden part of the Wood gave him the opportunity to act on his plans and bring his men to the surface quickly.