Basilisks…

As if the other creatures in my compendium weren’t terrifying enough, now I must write on the basilisk. Basilisks are hulking, reptilian monsters with eight legs and jaws capable of crushing stone. That, however, is far from their true horror.

Basilisks are venomous to the extreme, and while the sheer brute strength of their bites is more than enough to deal with a man even in plate armor, their teeth inject one of the most deadly, corrosive venoms known to man.

Even the breath of a basilisk is venomous and highly acidic, but no… what truly makes these monsters a force to be reckoned with is their gaze. Perhaps you’ve heard rumors or old wives tales about the power of their eyes?

I regret to be the one to tell you, it’s all true. Any who look into a basilisk’s eyes will be turned to stone. Now, perhaps you know why their jaws are capable of chewing rock.

As with many creatures, there are rumors of such monsters being kept in dungeons or in some cases even tamed. But, I can assure you this cannot be the case. They are far too deadly to keep as pets in some dungeon, and definitely too monstrous to raise as tame beasts!

Nicholas Wolfram, Professor of Monsterology at Lestria University