Citlali
There aren't many in Covenant who would consider rage a trait for heroes, but the Cipactlin hero Citlali would prove those who doubt this wrong. Still, she is often misunderstood even by her own people, who know her for her rage and strength. Still this is only half her story, as her intelligence was just as much of a defining virtue.
Physical Description
Body Features
Citlali was noticeably unusual for a tabaxi. Where most are slim and lean, she was quite large and muscular. Her rather large build didn't detract from her natural feline grace, however, making her an especially fearsome combatant on the battlefield.
Her fur was entirely black and her eyes shined an almost unnaturally bright green. She had numerous battle scars from a lifetime of deadly combat. The most dramatic was on her face, creating a very noticeable bare spot on her snout. Her expression always remained stoic, even in the heat of battle.
Apparel & Accessories
As is traditional in Cipactli, Citlali wore very little in the way of clothing, not much more than a few strategically-placed straps of cloth. She went into battle completely unarmored, wearing a headdress made to resemble an eagle. Her battle dress was decorated with a great many eagle feathers to complete the image.
She wore a great deal of gold jewelry at all times, most often decorated with turquoise. As a warrior, she was rarely far from her primary weapon, one of the obsidian clubs common to the Cipactlins and enchanted to catch fire when Citlali raged. She also carried multiple obsidian daggers on her person at all times in case she was ever separated from her beloved club.
Mental characteristics
Personal history
Citlali was born in the village of Mitlalimlattel, in the swamps not far from Teotlticlan. Tabaxi were already considered suspect due to their association with Tezcatlipoca, but an all-black tabaxi was deemed an ill omen by all. As such, her parents were forced to raise her away from civilization in a hut in the swamp.
Her mere efforts to survive made her strong, fast, and clever. When she saved a visiting priest named Mazatl from an ahuizotl, she impressed him enough that he brought her back to Teotlticlan as his bodyguard. There she received an education and impressed her charge with her capacity for learning. As impressed as he was, the others in the city were less than pleased with her presence.
Needing to leave, she and Mazatl left to investigate strange activities in the furthest-flung parts of Cipactli. There they discovered the head priest was turned into a werejaguar, and had fallen under the influence of the cult of Tezcatlipoca. They discovered that too late, however and were captured. In the dead of night, Mazatl was sacrificed with Citlali watching. During this time, she received a vision of the Weird Sisters, suggesting the threat to Cipactli was far greater than she knew.
In response, Citlali flew into a rage and killed her captors. Motivated by revenge, she tracked down the other conspirators one by one in an effort to avenge her friend and save Cipactli in the process. She discovered that the source of this threat was much higher than she suspected. The priest just below the high priest of Huitzilopochtli was, in fact, a priest of Tezcatlipoca and was attempting to take over all of Cipactli for his dark master.
Her plan was to call him out and battle openly, believing she could handle it. She was ambushed by the hierophant's followers on the way to the site of their battle, but managed to defeat them. On top of the Sun Temple in the dead of night, they fought to the death until the hierophant's broken body fell all the way down the pyramid's steps.
The day after, she provided all evidence to the Emperor, who honored her for her efforts with a feast. No one knows entirely what happened to her, but she was found dead after the feast. Still, her crusade was not in vain. The cult of Tezcatlipoca remained, but they never again came so close to taking over Cipactli.
Legends
As usual, the stories the Cipactlins tell about Citlali often make her seem more grand than normal. Some say that her rage was so great, she terrified Tezcatlipoca, himself. Others say that during her investigation, she was inspired by the feathered serpent Quetzalcoatl, himself. Some have claimed that during her battles with the followers of Tezcatlipoca, she was infected with lycanthropy and became a werejaguar. It is claimed that the main reason this was never discovered was her own feline nature. This is not a popular belief, however, due to Citlali's positive reputation. Another source of tales is her ultimate fate. It is widely known that she was murdered, likely by followers of Tezcatlipoca. It is most often believed she was poisoned, possibly by a disguised tescaliuar. Some, however, have claimed that her very soul was taken by Tezcatlipoca, who considers it his most prized possession. Few are willing believe such a thing, however.Remove these ads. Join the Worldbuilders Guild
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