Appearance
Xolotl is typically depicted as a black dog-like figure wearing a skull mask, and will appear as a bipedal humanoid black dog or a massive black monstrous dog wearing a skull over his face. However, Xolotl's appearance varies depending on how he wishes to present himself to others, from a bipedal dog-like humanoid wearing his skull mask to a harmless looking black puppy that looks like any other dog of its kind. Xolotl often prefers to manifest himself as a normal-looking black dog, as he believes it appears far less intimidating and may provide a form of comfort to the dying and those who have yet to move on. Regardless of what form he takes, Xolotl's hair or fur is dark as dusk, and his eyes glow a pale yellow within the sockets of his mask. In his normal guise, Xolotl's eyes appear to be a hazel color, though unlike a normal dog they display a spark of supernatural intelligence, and may glow with pale yellow light depending on the god's emotions. His eyes tend to glow brightest when he's excited or frightened, dim as a sign of sadness or contemplation, and vice versa.
Xolotl constantly wanders between the planes separating the material from the ethereal, the real world from the spirit realm, and as a result often appears as a roughly semisolid form with blurred or faded outlines, similar to an unfinished artist's sketch. He can appear to be completely solid, completely intangible, or a mix between the two at will, typically appearing fully solid when dealing with mortals and appearing fully ethereal when wandering around his favored spots.
In human or humanoid form, Xolotl typically wears a black and red colored cloak similar in appearance to what Aztec priests were believed to have worn, but without any kind of feathered headpiece as such are more reminiscent of his brother Quetzalcoatl. He often carries with him an ancient Aztec weapon called a Macuahuitl, a wooden sword with sharpened blades of obsidian embedded in its sides, as well as a ceremonial dagger that is also made of obsidian. Both have inscriptions of ancient Aztec glyphs and pictograms inscribed into them, including ancient inscriptions of Xolotl himself. However, Xolotl rarely ever bares them out of anger or with violent intent, and typically keeps them hidden on his person unless a dire situation calls for their use.
Personality
Xolotl often keeps to himself and is very quiet and reserved, only speaking when spoken to and is more than happy to not have to say anything at all if needed. He finds a strange kind of comfort among the dying and the spirits of the dead, his godly duty as a psychopomp is to act as a guide to the afterlife for those who have newly passed on from their mortal lives. Therefore, Xolotl mainly provides companionship to the dying, being a ressuring presence to those who fear death or were killed in an especially violent manner, and providing a lasting final moment of comfort and security to those who have passed away from natural causes or disease. He sympathizes with ones who believed they had died too young or of unfair circumstances, and feels the most guilty for young children who died before they even had a chance to live. Xolotl is very respectful when dealing with spirits, and is willing to fulfill any kind of final wish they may have before they can move on to the afterlife within reason. If they left behind some kind of unfinished business, Xolotl will aid them in tying up what loose ends remain to the best of his ability. Others may simply not be prepared to ascend to the afterlife, and Xolotl will gladly accompany them until they feel that the time is right. Some accounts of Xolotl's presence include a strange black dog that appears in hospitals, laying in the laps of terminally or critically ill patients or visiting the children's wards to provide company for the young who have only a short time left to live, of a cloaked, masked ethereal figure who roams the halls of funeral homes at the ungodly hours of the night prior to a wake or appearing among mourners at the burial of the casket or the cremation of the body just out of range of one's peripheral vision. Xolotl also tends to appear around graveyards, mausoleums, and other burial sites, looking for lost spirits in need of guidance. Wherever he appears, he tends to keep his presence quiet and subtle, anyone would hardly know that he's there unless they are very observant or are seeking him out specifically.
As a god of death, Xolotl knows the life of every mortal being who have come in contact with them either prior to their death or after they have passed on. He knows everything about those under his charge, from the achievements and highlights of their lives to their deepest, darkest secrets, but Xolotl does not openly abuse such knowledge to his own advantage or to the advantage of others. He maintains a respect for the dead, and typically uses this knowledge only to the extent of certain gestures such as leaving an offering or gift of their favorite flowers or singing to them a favorite song of theirs. His primary priority is to provide companionship to the spirits of the deceased and aiding them in preparing to move on to their afterlife, and he does what he can to provide that kind of comfort and assurance to them until it is their time. Xolotl is also able to detect how much time a mortal has left to live, whether it may be years, months, weeks, or even minutes. When asked how exactly he is able to see this, he will often describe it as a kind of aura emanating from within the individual's core. Auras that flare brightly indicate a long life, while those that flicker and smoulder like a candle flame trying to desperately stay alight signify a life that is rapidly fading away. Deities and other beings that are more or less immortal do not give off an aura of any kind, but Xolotl describes their life energy as intense coalescents of light similar to the sun or bright stars. However, Xolotl does not believe that such measurements are necessarily accurate, as death is indiscriminate and does not pick and choose who will and won't die at a given time. As a result, those who are believed to live long may meet a sudden and swift end, or those who are thought to die soon may be able to continue living on for a long time.
Because Xolotl deals primarily with the dead and the dying, he is often unnerved in the presence of healthy, living mortals. He does not deal very well with overly large crowds, preferring to confront others one-on-one if they wish to speak with him specifically and avoiding areas where many tend to congregate. He often appears quite distant when dealing with the living, regarding them with a reserved yet polite demeanor but is always listening with rapt attention even when it appears that he isn't paying any attention at all. Xolotl is willing to answer any kind of questions regarding death and the afterlife, but tends to be cautious when speaking to others of loved ones who have long since moved on and other touchy subjects. Because Xolotl knows everything about anyone who has come into contact him in some manner, he can be a very attentive and diligent lover, knowing what they like and hate, and is excellent at keeping secrets. He is just as respectful of the living as he is of the dead, and does not abuse his knowledge of their lives to his own advantage or to the advantage of others. Xolotl believes that he has yet to find a mortal who would be considered a potential candidate even after thousands of years devoted to his duties as a guide to the afterlife, but he would happily devote himself to them and their life for as long as they have left to live no matter what risks it may pose.