Basilisk (Art by Jia Hao)
The Basilisk is a legendary draconid closely related to the Cockatrice and believed to be inspired by varied serpentine species found in the world.
Description[]
The Basilisk has disappeared in most of the Earth but still lives in Cantabria, although it is rare to see it. This animal is born from an egg laid by an old cock just before his death exactly at midnight on a clear night with a full moon. Within a few days, the egg shell, which is not hard, but rather soft and leathery, is opened by the strange creature, which already has all the features of an adult: legs, beak, cockscomb, and reptilian body. Apparently, the creature has an intense and penetrating fire in its eyes such that any animal or person gazing directly upon it would die.
Overview[]
It is considered a "king" of reptiles and had the frightening ability to kill with a single glance. The Basilisk is also said to be so incredibly poisonous that it leaves behind a burning trail of venom everywhere it goes and indeed this is how one could identity a Basilisk's hole with the ground being scorched around it.
The only way folklore said that a Basilisk could be harmed or driven away was via the odour of a weasel, presumably due to the fact weasels are natural predators of lizards and snakes (especially the mongoose). Specifically, the Ichneumon which is described as a monstrous weasel and a predatory enemy of dragons which makes sense given that the Basilisk is a draconid. The Ichneumon is the only creature that can face and even attack it. People also believed that it can be killed with the crowing of a rooster, so, until very recent times, travelers carried a rooster when they ventured into areas where it was said that the basilisks lived. Basilisks also had the power to shapeshift and consume magical energy.