Born into slavery and mistreated as a child, the young girl had been instilled with anger. How she escaped from her shackles is a bit unclear, but many speculate it had been a raid that had set the little Gehennan free. Vanishing from eyes and those who'd see her captured again, Izel went on to travel the lands and stumble upon a failing village. Pillaged, raided, and on their last legs, the people of Xilo had become little more than a rug to walk over. But, after only a few short years, their harvests grew rich, their people strong, and a painted woman stood as their Priestess and Chieftain. Branded as The Flame Dancer, she could often be seen wearing flowers, skeletal body paint and bright fabrics.
As their Tribe grew, so do the numerous rumors and victories of the once pathetic village. Many tribute their sudden and shocking success to their painted leader, but Nellihuitl offered little in the way of explanation--Any Gehennan with half a brain could figure it out though. Leaving villages and towns in nothing but ash and fire, entire populations would be sacrificed for power, and to sate the restless spirits that lived within the land. Eventually, the small village joined the Cruxati, and the young Priestess was chosen to lead their bloody Expedition along side two other tribes.
At first glance, many considered Izel a hot-headed lunatic, but her people were fiercely loyal to despite the unease of the other two tribes. Constantly at odds with the Expedition leaders, some peace was found as the Gehennans soon found themselves at war. In an effort to protect her tribe, an Idol was designed and constructed over the course of five years. In that time, Izel had wed a man named Faustus, slipped from the deadly clutches of Valsmasia, and fought bitterly to keep all of Gehenna alive. But, by the time the Idol had been built, he other two tribes had lost their Expedition leaders. Intent on keeping her people safe, Izel accepted a frail treaty between Jianghu and Gehenna.
But, good things never last.
Fighting among Gehenna broke out and after so many years of battling against the Atl's own pride, they dealt a blow far too great for the Priestess to handle. Her husband had been struck down and in that moment of weakness, revealed the beast that had been so carefully concealed. The Sin of Wrath was exposed, and in his anger, or perhaps fear, Nellihuitl's most trusted warrior ripped away her arm-- And what little was left of the Sin's heart. Finally so consumed by her rage and loss, the Gehennan went mad. Branded as a Demon by a few members of the Atl, the woman made a few short visits to her old tribe before just...Vanishing altogether.
No one knows where it is that Izel went, but a few claim they've seen a figure dancing in the flames of basins and fire pits. It might be very possible that she sacrificed the last thing she could; Nellihuitl Izel had given up everything for the Cruxati.