The Spawn of Lȳt Middel

The village of Lȳt Middel is small and seemingly insignificant; or at least, it would be, if not for two things: the fact that it is in the very centre of Limitless, and is the considered the crossroads of the land, and the urban legend of the demon said to be lurking around its borders. The tale is told to young children not to wander out by themselves and be cautious of whom they meet.

Summary

It is said that there once lived a young woman bearing a blessing of good fortune. She was known to be beautiful, kind-hearted, wise and well-loved by the people of the village of Lȳt Middel. It was said that her immense luck had been a gift from a generous sorcerer or faerie at birth, though no one knew for certain.

Whatever the cause had been, it was certainly not of grounded origin, as the scent of the young woman's luck attracted a demon to the village--a basilisk, a great snake-like creature who fed on magic and had shape-shifting abilities. The demon arrived wishing to feed, but once he laid eyes on the young woman, he felt a different sort of hunger: he wanted her.

The basilisk was cunning. He changed his appearance to that of a charming young man and seduced the woman. With the favour of the villagers, they married, and the people of Lȳt Middel knew not the truth for a year, until the basilisk's wife bore a child.

The boy appeared normal at first; he was born in a human form, unlike pure basilisks, whose true forms are their snake-like ones. But he was an abomination--the child of a human and a demon--and soon he began showing the signs of one. He would begin to change forms erratically and uncontrollably, a power he would never fully control as he matured. He would disappear days at a time, hunting for food--magic and meat alike, as he was both basilisk and human--and after he returned, he would keep away from others, isolated even from his mother.

Once the people of Lȳt Middel were aware of the basilisk's identity, they set out to slay him and his son, but the basilisk's wife prevented it. The villagers tried to convince her that she was brainwashed and that her husband and son were draining her of her fortune, but she believed none of it.

Then, when the young basilisk spawn was on the threshold of adulthood, a stranger arrived in town. She marched right up to the house of the basilisk and struck him in the heart with her bare hand. The demon lay dead on the ground, slain by a sorceress--the very same sorceress that had gifted the woman so long ago. She disappeared just as quickly and mysteriously as she had come. The villagers rejoiced.

Seeing his father's lifeless body, the spawn, switching between forms rapidly, ran off and left his mother, who, completely exhausted of her fortune after her family had fed on it, continued to live alone. She had lost the love of the people when she had defended her family, so her existence was solitary and depressing.

It is said that the spawn still lurks around Lȳt Middel and the surrounding wood. He seeks revenge for his father, attacking all those he encounters. He harbours a special disdain for magic users, and on the occasion that he encounters one, he siphons them of their magic before giving them a gruesome butchering. So beware those you meet on the street! He could be the spawn, watching you, waiting for the right moment to transform and strike.

Historical Basis

It may be difficult to believe, but if the inhabitants of Lȳt Middel are to be believed, the story does not stray too far from the veritable truth. The young woman of the tale goes by the name Jane Pugh, and she was indeed given the blessing of a sorceress known as Tassie Peirce, who had been a friend of her mother.

The scent of fortune had indeed attracted a basilisk, but a friendly one (his name was Eddie). He had followed the scent and fallen deeply in love with Jane. He told her of him being a basilisk early on, but she was unafraid. He vowed to remain in his human form, and after a year of courting she felt the same way he did. And thus they were married.

Their boy Virgil was indeed seen as an abomination, and his shape-shifting and hunting were as uncontrollable as the tale tells. But the sorceress Tassie acted as a guardian to Virgil and deemed that a balance of grounded and magical food would let him control himself.

Eventually, Eddie died, not slain by a person but an illness. In his honour, Virgil started an inn, The Basilisk's Eye , and came up with the tall tale to keep his father's memory alive. Not only would he tell the story to travelers but also change into his snake form and scare them half to death. Most of it is for fun, but the particularly nasty person he would terrify them into leaving and never coming back. It was due to his love for fun and his father that the story spread so far across Limitless.

Spread

Through word of mouth, travelers who heard the tale while passing by (likely from Virgil himself) spread the story of the spawn all throughout the human populations of Jemine and Elarquie.

Variations & Mutation

Somewhere down the chain in southern Jemine, folks began talking of epic showdowns and intense magical fights between the sorceress and the basilisk in place of a simple fatal spell. "They like a good fight down in the south," as one Jemini expertly puts it.

Date of First Recording

~10 years in the past~

Date of Setting

~30 years in the past~

Related Locations

• Lȳt Middel

Related People

• Virgil