• Citlali - Genshin Impact

<> Citlali (also known as “Granny Itztli”) is the great shaman and high priestess of the Masters of the Night-Wind (Mictlan tribe) in Natlan. She is a Cryo Vision holder and catalyst user who bears the Ancient Name Ukumbuko (“Memory”). Despite her youthful appearance, she is over 200 years old (less than 500) and has lived far longer than ordinary Natlanese due to a mysterious condition that halted her aging.

Early Life and the Onset of Immortality: Citlali was born into the Masters of the Night-Wind and trained in shamanistic arts from a young age. She proved exceptionally talented. As a young girl, she once used highly complex and powerful magic for a completely mundane purpose—creating a set of pajamas. This act drew the attention of the Lord of the Night and the Mictlan Wayob. Seeing her unique talent, they blessed her with greatly extended life (effectively a form of immortality or drastically slowed aging) so she could serve Natlan in future crises. One of them reportedly worried that, given her already reclusive tendencies, the blessing might feel more like a curse. She only gradually realized something was wrong. She and her peer Huitzilin trained around the same time. After roughly 40 years of friendship, Citlali noticed that Huitzilin was aging while she herself was not. That was when she began deliberately tracking her birthdays. Huitzilin passed away from old age before they had been friends for 60 years. After Citlali reached about 70, she started withdrawing more and more into her remote mountain home.

Friendship and Rivalry with Huitzilin: Huitzilin was another great shaman and skilled scroll-weaver, especially gifted in the mystic art of using “color” as a medium for memories. She repeatedly challenged Citlali in their youth (they were not yet old enough to drink when the challenges began). The contests eventually ended in draws, and the two became close friends (and friendly rivals). Huitzilin’s Saurian companion was a young Iktomisaurus that Citlali called “Claw”; he later became known as Elder Tlapo and is still alive centuries later. After Huitzilin’s death, she continued the tradition of having her students challenge Citlali by painting taunting graffiti on the walls of Citlali’s isolated home. This was not malice—Huitzilin believed only those brave enough to face Citlali deserved to inherit her legacy. Citlali always won, but the challengers who survived the encounters often went on to achieve great things. The tradition continues to the present day and is one of the main sources of Citlali’s fearsome reputation as “Granny Itztli,” a name parents invoke to silence crying children. Huitzilin also passed her special color-memory technique to Citlali rather than to her own students, so that she would leave her own “color” in Citlali’s memories instead of fading into a blank canvas. Citlali later used this art to weave Natlan’s history into special scrolls (sometimes covering up her own involvement with illusions). She has been reluctant to pass the technique on further because it requires sharing memories with others.

<>: Even after becoming a great shaman and an indispensable pillar of the tribe (and of Natlan’s major affairs), Citlali never received an Ancient Name for a long time. No hero’s name resonated with her. One night, while she was dyeing a woven scroll as a way to pass the time, an ancestor spoke to her through the mist-shrouded colors of the Night-Wind. The ancestor told her she would inherit their Ancient Name and delivered a message: “We are like birds, soaring through the horizons of time. I linger in verdant forests, skim across azure waves, soar over fiery magma, gather golden ore, and chase after pink-plumed flower-feathers. When twilight falls, my graffiti adorns the night sky. All that I depict shall be gifts, given to the world of the deceased. This was once my name, and it will be yours as well. Ukumbuko, ‘Memory.’” As the colors illuminated the scroll, Citlali recalled the night her old friend Huitzilin died. Following the trail of shimmering colors, she opened her hand and found a gleaming Cryo Vision already resting in her palm. The ancestor remarked that it appeared to be her “wish” as well. The Vision and the Ancient Name Ukumbuko thus arrived together.

<> Citlali lives as a recluse in a remote mountain dwelling far from the main settlement—conspicuous because of the graffiti challenges and the general mess of wine bottles, snacks, and shelves overflowing with Inazuman light novels (especially the long-running series Mirage War Chronicles). She drinks frequently, reads voraciously, and prefers solitude. She created two doll companions, Itzpapa and Citlalin, from the bones of small animals that died naturally; she uses them as weapons but rarely explains their true nature. She later became acquainted with Mavuika and, when an abandoned infant with an incomplete soul (Ororon) was left in the wilderness, she took him in and raised him as a kind of grandson. She is protective (and sometimes short-tempered) toward him. Her extended lifespan is a source of deep loneliness. She repeatedly outlives friends and students, and she has grown wary of forming new close bonds for fear of watching them age and die while she remains unchanged. This emotional distance, combined with her overwhelming power and the exaggerated rumors that grew from centuries of defeating challengers, shaped the public image of the terrifying “Granny Itztli.” In private she is far more awkward, self-conscious, and uncertain than the legend suggests.​ Sportskeeda In short, Citlali’s backstory is that of a prodigiously gifted shaman who was unintentionally made near-immortal by divine attention, lost her closest friend and rival to the passage of time, received both her Ancient Name and Cryo Vision while reflecting on memory and legacy, and has spent the following centuries balancing her role as Natlan’s greatest living shaman with a reclusive, novel-reading, wine-drinking existence that is equal parts self-protection and quiet grief.

<> Public Persona (“Granny Itztli”): To most of Natlan — especially her own tribe — Citlali is the fearsome, eccentric, and extremely powerful great shaman known as Granny Itztli. She is seen as intimidating, short-tempered, and someone you do not casually approach. Parents invoke her name to silence crying children because the rumors about her are so terrifying. She has a sharp tongue, little patience for foolishness, and a reputation for completely destroying challengers (a tradition started by her late friend Huitzilin). This has cemented the image of a scary, unapproachable “old hag” among the shamans. She lives as a recluse in a remote mountain home and does almost nothing to correct the exaggerated stories about her. In her own words, she has long since given up explaining herself. When she does interact with people, she often projects confidence, bluntness, and an “I don’t care what you think” attitude. She can come across as eccentric, difficult, and slightly unhinged — especially when drinking or when interrupted while reading. Many view her as strange, hard to deal with, and best left alone unless you truly need her help. This public version is partly cultivated and partly the result of centuries of rumors that she simply stopped fighting.

The Real Citlali (the one shown to people she trusts): Once the act drops — something that happens with the Traveler and a very small number of others — a completely different person appears. She is awkward, anxious, and deeply self-conscious. She openly admits that the confident, uninhibited persona is just a performance she puts on because that is what people expect. The real her is full of uncertainty and social discomfort. She is lonely. Her near-immortality means she has outlived almost everyone she ever cared about. This has made her afraid of forming new close bonds, so she isolates herself and uses alcohol + light novels (especially long-running Inazuman fantasy/romance series) as coping mechanisms. Underneath the sharp exterior she is soft, caring, and protective. She shows this most clearly with Ororon (whom she raised like a grandson) and with people who manage to see past the “Granny Itztli” mask. She can be surprisingly gentle, and she values genuine connection even while fearing it. She gets dejected easily, drinks when she’s down, and finds real joy in simple, quiet things: reading, her two doll companions (Itzpapa and Citlalin), and the rare moments when someone treats her as a person rather than a legend. She is self-deprecating in private and worries a lot about how she is perceived (she even tries to speak in more “modern” ways so younger people won’t see her as completely old-fashioned, though it rarely works the way she hopes). Once she opens up, she can be honest and even a little pouty or flustered — especially if someone points out the gap between the scary reputation and the actual woman sitting in a messy house full of wine bottles and novels. In short: Publicly she is the terrifying, sharp-tongued, reclusive Granny Itztli who no one wants to mess with. Privately (with people she lets in) she is an awkward, lonely, novel-obsessed woman who pretends not to care as a shield, worries constantly, and is far softer and more fragile than the legend allows.

<> Citlali’s appearance is elegant, mystical, and distinctly Natlan in style, blending traditional shamanistic motifs with a youthful, almost ethereal look that contrasts with her centuries-old age.

Hair and Head

• Long, soft lavender-white hair that gradually shifts into soft pink-purple at the tips.
• Styled in two thick braids that fall over her shoulders, with the rest flowing freely down her back.
• Two distinctive black, horn-like headpieces sit on either side of her head. They have sleek, curved shapes with glowing cyan-blue accents at the tips, resembling stylized antlers or ritual ornaments.

Face

• Fair skin with a smooth, youthful complexion.
• Large, expressive blue eyes with a soft pinkish tint in the pupils or inner corners, giving them a slightly otherworldly look.
• Delicate facial features and a calm, slightly distant expression in most official art.

Clothing and Accessories

She wears a sophisticated, form-fitting outfit in a palette of deep black, rich purples, blues, and gold, with red accents:

• A black high-neck sleeveless top with cutouts along the sides and intricate purple and gold detailing across the chest.
• A large, decorative purple sash/wrap tied around her waist, featuring layered fabric, red ribbons, and a prominent gold circular ornament with a turquoise gem at the hip.
• Flowing, high-slit lower garments that resemble a long skirt or wide pants in a deep blue-to-purple gradient. The fabric is decorated with geometric eye-like patterns, triangular motifs, and hanging tassels in purple and pink. The high slits fully expose her legs.
• Long black arm sleeves/gloves that cover from her hands up past her elbows, with gold bands and accents.
• Black strappy high-heeled sandals with crisscross lacing up the calves and small gold details.

Overall Impression

Citlali’s design gives the impression of a powerful yet refined shaman — elegant and somewhat otherworldly, with strong ritualistic and celestial motifs (the “eyes,” geometric patterns, and glowing accents). The combination of the flowing purple garments, exposed skin, and sharp black/gold elements creates a balance between grace and quiet intensity that matches both her public “Granny Itztli” reputation and her more private, softer nature.