Kikanuti

❌

Kikanuti is the goddess and principal deity of the Bhuka, a desert dwelling race of goblinoids

History
Kikanuti led the Bhuka people from the underground to the surface in an event called The Emergence. Before this, they would dwell underground in caves referred to as the Womb of Kikanuti, where she nurtured them until they were mature and ready to emerge to the world above, regarded as Kikanuti's Hearth.

Relationships
Kikanuti is the sworn enemy of Maglubiyet, who she sees as an enslaver of the goblin people, keeping them beneath the earth and blind to the joys of life. Maglubiyet covets Kikanuti's power over the fertility of the earth, and seeks to take it for his own to expand his dominion.

Kikanuti has a cordial relationship with Haku, a god known as the Master of the Desert Wind, who embodies aspects of the migration that has scattered the Bhuka across the wastes.

Worshippers
Kikanuti is principally worshiped by the Bhuka, and her religion is the glue that hold desert life together for the goblinoid people. Each Bhuka village is lead by a Grandmother, a powerful druid who both oversees the village council and serves as the village's link to Kikanuti by presiding over important village ceremonies. Each village also keeps a relic of the Emergence, and when all of these relics are assembled properly, they form a map to the Womb of Kikanuti, from which the Bhuka emerged.

Every Bhuka village contains a ceremonial pit, dug into a courtyard or sacred cave and covered with a lid made of painted animal hides. This pit, with walls inscribed with traditional symbols depicting The Emergence, is where a number of solemn rituals are held to recall back to the dark world below from which their people emerged. Outsiders are forbidden to enter these sacred pits.

The Bhuka believe Kikanuti guides them by sending her Spirit Children to dwell among them. These Spirit Children are represented by special spirit masks donned by clan elders during special festival dances. The spirits then possess the elders and are honored through feast and prayers.

Lord of Tides
Lords of Tides are special spiritual leaders of the Bhuka who have a close connection with Kikanuti. This connection to her power allows these Lords to better survive the harsh elements of the desert, as well as find water and resources for the clan.

A Lord of Tides is the spiritual center of the tribe, usually leading a group of shaman and are responsible for seasonal ceremonies, weather magics and the initiation of new members of the clan. Though usually of the Bhuka people, an outsider may be blessed and granted training to become a Lord of Tides, though this is a rare and singular honor.