Ghanek the Navigator.  He's a mere youngster compared with some of the others, being a 45 year old Aventi who, after a long history of working on a variety of ships sailing out of Verdhaven some four hundred Leagues to the South West across the Sea of Setting, has come to Ivost out of a desire to make his own mark on the world.

The harbour of Ivost has fallen into disuse except by smugglers in small boats.  The charts are out of date and Haakon's first task is to make accurate and current charts with his second being to rebuild and repair the breakwaters and the harbour buildings.

He is a devout worshipper of the Water God rather than the Sea God followed by most Aventi but in fact, he follows all of the twelve virtues of the Aventi (Bravery, Civility, Dedication, Honour, Humility, Loyalty, Obligation, Peacefulness, Perseverance, Piety, Respect and Strength) but he doesn't hold others to the same standards to which he holds himself and that is why he is no longer in his home settlement.  When his sister, Janna Deepingpearl was expelled from her home for what was seen as a crime against Civility, Ghanek considered the actions of the Council in exiling her to have been a crime against Loyalty and Honour, so he too went into exile.  They adventured together and separately for years but now the time has come for them to found a settlment of their own, somewhere off the coast of Ivost.

He keeps his family name a secret as do all Aventi but he has adopted the Hadozee custome of taking on a name related to a ship beloved of the bearer of the name.  Since he had his ship Sun on the Waves built many years ago now, he has used the surname Brightwave.