Basilisk hatchlings are crocodilian reptiles with scales ranging from gold to rust to black or emerald green. Fresh hatchlings are about the length of a human arm from head to tail, with six short, clawed legs and long rows of needle-like teeth. Full grown basilisks are feared throughout the realms for their ability to turn flesh to stone with their powerful gaze. Even as hatchlings, a nascent ability to briefly paralyze living creatures reveals itself when the hatchlings are startled or threatened.

Stone Matriarchs. Basilisk whelps are born in small clutches of no more than a dozen or so eggs, watched over by a basilisk matriarch. After laying her eggs, the matriarch slowly turns to stone, her petrified body deterring predators and providing a first meal full of vital nutrients for her hatchlings. Poachers that are able to get a old of an intact petrified matriarch can earn enough gold to live in luxury, particularly if they can seize her unhatched brood as well.

Golden Eggs. Despite the great danger involved, many of the realm's bravest and most ambitious hunters seek out the basilisk to prove themselves against its legend. Most fail, their hubris immortalized in stone in countless swamps and forests. A lucky few succeed against all odds and return, always with a tale and, in some rare cases, with eggs. Basilisk eggs are a rare treasure, invaluable both for the reagents they provide and because basilisks are smart enough to train. Tended from a young age, basilisks can be molded into fierce protectors, provided the trainer makes careful use of blinders.

10' long, serpentine lizards. Unintelligent, but highly magical. Dwell in caverns and twisted brambles.