Kanta

Kanta is the Arvini goddess of the depths and dangers of the ocean, part of the First Pantheon. She is the twin sister to Anthi, goddess of the oceans; the lover of Otyx, god of storms, and the mother of Zetix, goddess of sea monsters; Carysus, god of riptides; Citena, goddess of hurricanes; and Uanke, goddess of tsunamis.

When the world first began, the twin sisters of the ocean, Anthi and Ryshi, came into being. They ruled the seas as one, equals in every sense. As time passed, Anthi created all sorts of living beings for the ocean; fish and dolphins and turtles. Her favorite of all her creations, however, was humanity. Anthi devoted herself to them and their betterment, considering them her children. Ryshi became jealous of the attention her sister paid to the humans, and created for herself a home far under the water, where humanity could never reach.

As her jealousy and anger festered, Ryshi became the goddess Kanta, who made the oceans dark and dangerous. When humans began to venture out upon the waves, she would drag them down to her watery domain to suffer. She eventually took Otyx, god of storms, for her lover. Together, they had four children; Zetix, Carysus, Citena, and Uanke. Kanta gave Zetix, Carysus, and Uanke power over the monsters of the deep, riptides, and tsunamis; while Otyx gave Citena power over the hurricanes.

To protect humanity from the wrath of Kanta and her family, Anthi gave her sister power over the ocean's dead. All who died in or on the ocean would be sent to Kanta's domain. This appeased the goddess, and she ruled her domain fairly. However, she quickly grew bored of waiting for the dead, and created the Tiqli to drag others down to her.

Kanta and Ryshi have counterparts in many other belief systems. In the Hydaia religion, Kanta is equivilated to Tizenta, the goddess of the dead; while Ryshi is believed to be Itena, goddess of children and childhood. To believers of Eytrozor, Kanta and Ryshi are two faces of The Lady of the Seas.

Arvini sailors always offer prayers and offerings to appease Kanta long before they take to the seas. They believe that pleasing her will keep them safe from the whims of her and her family. On the Nights of Emptiness, most do not sail on the oceans, as it is said that those nights are those where she rages freely upon the oceans.

Very few people worship Kanta specifically, and those who do are usually disdained, believed to be pirates, slavers, and other criminals of the seas. While many of them are among this number, many are just sailors. Worshippers of Kanta give her offerings upon the waves, and often have great festivals for her during Nights of Emptiness.