Character guide

Ross Murdock

major

Also known as Ross, Ross Murdock the loner, the novice Ross, Shortly Ross, Yours, him, himself

Ross enters the expedition as the project's roughest, least polished operative, a man more comfortable with a knife than a chain of command. His instinct to go it alone collides with Ashe's patient discipline and with the strange loyalties Hawaika forces on him. His choices in the field shape whether the Terrans remain mere observers or become part of the island world's oldest war.

Karara Trehern

major

Also known as Karara, Karara Trehern of the Alii, yours, himself

Raised among the Alii and bound to the dolphins who serve her people, Karara moves between the Terran camp and Hawaika's native powers with quiet authority. She is torn between aiding the off-worlders and protecting the sea and shore she calls home. Her bond with the dolphins gives the expedition its sharpest eyes beneath the waves and its most human bridge to the islanders.

Gordon Ashe

major

Also known as Gordon, Ashe, Time Agents, yourselves, himself, him

Ashe commands the Terran team with the caution of a man who has already lost people to careless time work. He mentors Ross even as he withholds pieces of the operation, and his restraint strains against the urgency of what they find on Hawaika. His judgment holds the expedition together when the line between observer and participant begins to blur.

Foanna

major

Also known as the Foanna, The Foanna, Robed Foanna, the three Foanna, it, your, Your

The Foanna rule from a citadel of sorcery and silence, feared by Hawaikans and utterly unimpressed by time agents from the future. They offer aid, but always at a price, and their motives remain as veiled as their faces. Their ancient feud with the Baldies draws the Terrans into a conflict that predates human memory and may decide the island's fate.

Loketh

supporting

Also known as Your, himself

Loketh has lost the standing that should have been his and now measures himself against men who came from the stars. His pride makes him prickly, but his knowledge of the islands and their old ways proves invaluable to the expedition. He represents what Hawaika stands to lose, and his fate becomes one of the reasons the Terrans can no longer stay neutral.

Torgul

supporting

Also known as Captain Torgul, Again Torgul, you, your

Torgul is a sea captain first and a diplomat never, a man who judges allies by what they do in a storm rather than what they promise. His suspicion of the off-worlders softens only as they prove themselves against the Baldies' raids. His ships and sailors give the resistance its muscle, and his grudging respect marks the moment the Terrans stop being outsiders.

The Terran

supporting

Also known as Terran, Terran dolphin, the now helpless Terran, the Baldy, Baldy, Baldy sub, himself

He arrives on Hawaika as part of a survey team, but the mission collapses into ambush and separation, leaving him dependent on unfamiliar allies and his own dwindling resources. His defining tension is between the discipline of an agent and the raw instinct required when every protocol fails. His struggle to adapt—trusting dolphins, natives, and his own psionic potential—drives the early survival arc and sets the stakes for everything that follows.

Baldies

supporting

Also known as the Baldies, The Baldies, XII Baldies, Three Baldies, the Baldies super - Terran, themselves, They're, their

The Baldies operate as a hostile occupying force on Hawaika, using mental powers to track, manipulate, and destroy Terran agents who intrude on their designs. Their menace is defined less by numbers than by the terrifying intimacy of their psychic reach—they can find you inside your own skull. They matter because they transform the novel from a survival story into a resistance narrative, forcing Terrans and Hawaikans into uneasy alliance against a common, invisible enemy.

Hawaikan

supporting

Also known as the Hawaikan creature, the Hawaikan, Hawaikan, The Hawaikan, the visibly reluctant Hawaikan, the Rovers, a Hawaikan, Rovers, the awestricken Rovers, The Rovers

The Hawaikans exist under the shadow of Baldy occupation, their communities fractured and their ancient knowledge suppressed. The visibly reluctant Hawaikan who aids the Terrans embodies this tension: cooperation is survival, but every gesture of help risks annihilation. Their knowledge of terrain, legend, and hidden paths makes them indispensable to the quest, and their hesitance keeps the alliance fragile and morally charged.

Vistur

supporting

Vistur moves between his own people's caution and the Terrans' urgent need, acting as translator, pathfinder, and occasional skeptic. His willingness to assist Loketh and the Terrans places him at odds with Hawaikans who would rather wait out the invaders. He matters because his choices model the novel's central question: whether divided peoples can unite in time against a psionic threat that spares no one.

Tino-rau

minor

Also known as Tino, Tino - rau, Tino - rau, Taua—five Terrans

A Terran agent or native guide among the group on Hawaika.

Lady Jazia

minor

Also known as Jazia

A Hawaikan noblewoman with ties to the Foanna and the ancient conflict.

Glicmas

minor

A Hawaikan character involved in the political struggles of the islands.

Taua

minor

A Terran or native character among the expedition group.

Salkars

minor

Also known as their

A group or individual Hawaikan mentioned in the narrative.

Zahur

minor

Also known as Lord Zahur

A Hawaikan lord who opposes the Terrans and their allies.

Phutka

minor

Also known as the Justice of Phutka

A Hawaikan deity or concept of justice invoked in the story.

Baleku

minor

A Hawaikan character who appears in the later chapters.

Kyn Add

minor

Also known as the gutted Kyn Add

A location or entity personified, possibly a ruined city or fortress.

Lady Ynvalda

minor

Also known as Ynvalda

A Hawaikan noblewoman associated with the Foanna.

PaKeeKee

minor

A dolphin or sea creature that aids the Terrans.

Afrukta

minor

A Hawaikan character mentioned in passing.

Gordoon

minor

Also known as your

A minor Hawaikan figure in the narrative.

Hori

minor

A Hawaikan character with limited appearance.

Sea Maid

minor

A ship or vessel mentioned in the story.

Ongal

minor

A Hawaikan character appearing briefly.

Travis Fox

minor

A Terran time agent mentioned in the narrative.