The Basilisk's Glance

In Erekiath, the basilisk's glance is a game well known among kids. In some circles, it is also known as 'moss ball tag'. The game can be played by a minimum of three people, but is usually played by larger groups as it tends to be more fun.

The Rules

The game is relatively simple; one person is chosen as the basilisk, who then have to poison the other participants and turn them to stone. This is done by throwing moss balls, or something similar, at them. Whenever someone is hit, they are turned to stone and must remain frozen and count to ten. When they're done counting they turn into a basilisk, and must now also attempt to turn the other participants to stone, by throwing moss balls at them.
The winner of the game is the last person who hasn't been turned. They then get to decide who'll be the basilisk in the next round.

History

Originally the game was invented by a school teacher in an attempt to deal with noisy children. The rules were slightly different from the current version. One person was chosen as the basilisk, who was supposed to turn the other participants into stone by throwing moss balls at them. When someone turned into stone, they were supposed to remain immobile and silent, until the game was called off, by the teacher. The idea was to turn it into a game where the kids got to burn a bit of their energy, while at the same time being quiet.
The game wasn't very successful though, neither in keeping the children quiet, as they quickly got bored, when turned to stone, and weren't able to follow the rules, but it also failed in keeping the kids entertained, as it was simply too boring to stand still for and say nothing.
The idea of being a basilisk that turned people into stone did appeal to the kids, and eventually, the game evolved into the current version and is quite well known among children of Erekiath.

Components and tools

Moss balls are the most commonly used as the basilisk's poison. If moss is not readily available small stones wrapped in cloth or similar is also used. Sometimes older kids, play the game with stones, to make the game more 'exciting'.
During winter when the snow is plentiful, the moss balls are often replaced with snowballs.

One ... two ... three ... four ... five ... six ... seven ... eight ... nine ... ten!
ROAR! The basilisk's glance is upon you!

— Child recently hit with a moss ball