Basilisk, The Stone Maker

The vile basilisk dwells in isolated regions, favoring deserts, rocky hills, and mountains. Basilisks make thier lairs in small caves and tunnels, ruins or abandoned cellars and vaults. Their diet includes small mammals, birds, and other reptiles. Basilisks are highly aggressive, and will not hesitate to attack larger creatures, including humans. A large, snake-like reptile covered in dull brown, green, and black scales, with a yellow brown underbelly. Horned protrusions line the back from neck to tail, and the head has a crown-shaped crest consisting of three spikes.
The basilisk is most feared for the enchanting gaze of its multifaceted eyes, which are reputed to glow in dim light. Those who look into its eyes can become mesmerized. In this state, the victim is frozen in place, statuelike. This has given rise to the errant but common belief that the basilisk’s gaze turns its victims to stone. The basilisk can then attack its mesmerized victims with its venemous bite.
If the basilisks bite weren’t deadly enough, the basilisk also exudes a poisonous slime that can kill crops, poison wells, and spoil food. A basilisk can be easily tracked by the dead vegetation left in its toxic wake. Although few go in search of these fearsome creatures, the eyes and poison are highly valued for their supposed alchemical properties. Alchemists claim that mixing basilisk ashes with copper will produce gold.
Basilisks are most frequently reported in hot, arid regions such as Hepekeria, across the southern Venarian coast, and eastward into central Lythia. However, isolated sightings of similar creatures have been reported in Azeryan and as far north as southern Shorkyne and Hârn.