Awnsheghlien » Khinasi » the Basilisk

[top]The Basilisk, The Twisted Prince, The Despoiler of Djira

Huge Magical Beast (Awnshegh)
Hit Dice: 10d10+, 15d10 +

Initiative: + (dex)

Speed: 20

AC: (Size-, Dex+, Natural+)

Attacks: Bite+, 4 claws+, tail+.

Damage: Bite 1d8+, claw 1d6+

Face/Reach: 5 ft * 10 ft / 5 ft.

Special attacks: Poison gaze, poison

Special qualities: Stench, blood abilities

Saves: Fort+, Ref+, Will+

Abilities: Str 20, Con 20, Dex 22, Cha 6, Int 3, Wis 10.

Skills: Hide+, Listen+, Spot+,

Feats: Multi-attack, +

Climate/Terrain: The Basilisk's Domain

Organization: Unique being

Challenge Rating:

Treasure: The loot of old Djira or so the legends say...

Alignment: Chaotic evil

Advancement: Unique being at CR 10 and CR15

Bloodline: Azrai, Major, 48. 2, 2, 2. Minor: Alertness, Poison Sense, Major: Bloodform, Death Touch, Great: Regeneration, Major Resistance - Poison
Appearance

The Basilisk was once a man of the Khinasi, but he retains little of his original appearance, being almost entirely reptilian in appearance. Green scales cover his body, a fan-like crest runs along his back spotted with red, and he has a long prehensile tail. He walks upon his eight legs, only the first two legs could be used as arms and hands, each hand/foot has but two powerful claw-like fingers. Strong red-brown plates of armor cover the Basilisk's chest and run down the center of his back either side of his fan-like crest. The Basilisk's mouth is large and full of sharp teeth.
Perhaps the most notable aspect of the Basilisk is not however his entirely bestial looks, but, in the words of Cidro bin Ariya the noted explorer; 'his ungodly smell'. The Basilisk can be smelt for miles downwind and on a calm day his scent lingers for weeks - the smell is a caustic reek that unnerves animals and is deeply unpleasant to any human with a functioning nose.
Note: In "Blood Enemies" the Basilisk is described as coated in a caustic slime that had a minor poison effect. This is not likely in a desert dwelling reptile so has not been included above.
Combat

The Basilisk generally slays with its toxic gaze which turns any fluid containing water to poison, this includes sweat, tears and other fluids in the eyes, and fluids in the mouth. Its stench paralyzes those within 60 feet, while its claws and fangs also sport a deadly toxin. The Basilisk bites those in front of it and claws at them with its 4 front claws. Those behind are lashed with its tail. The Basilisk is arrogant in combat and attacks without the slightest fear. Although far from the most powerful awnshegh it has not faced a foe that truly threatened it in centuries.
Habitat/Society

The Basilisk lives alone - it has no allies, no friends, no anything. Even the giants that live in the lands it wanders consider it more akin to a natural force of destruction than an enemy. The Basilisk was once intelligent, indeed a sorcerer of some skill, but that was centuries ago. It is now a near mindless beast that seems to exist only to hunt and bask in the sun.
Ecology

The Basilisk's poisonous gaze has ruined the ecology of the lands it wanders. Tough grasses grow as do a handful of fast-growing bushes but few trees can grow in the land - sooner or later the Basilisk walk by and poisons the water in the soil, killing the tree before the poison fades.
The Basilisk eats the cacti, scrub bushes and few animals that can survive in the lands about him. By preference he preys upon the sheep and cattle of the giants, and sometimes fishes in the great Zhaïnge River - although he is unable to poison the fast flowing river and dislikes its clean taste so fishes only during periods when the river is low.
The Basilisk is one of the awnsheghlien who has engendered a number of progeny. Quite how is unknown but wild rumors are spread of his congress with women captured from the occasional foolish merchant caravan that tries to pass his lands. Whatever the truth of the matter, several lesser basilisks have been seen over the years and the true basilisk is held to blame for them. The Basilisk itself seeks to have no parental feelings over these brutes - he attacks and eats them as he would any other beast in his domain.
Lore

The Basilisk is said to have been Kassim el-Badr, son of prince Malik el-Badr. A dark bitter son to a man widely noted for his wisdom and fairness, Kassim studied sorcery and shunned his fellows. The taint of Azrai fell upon Kassim. Some say simply it is due to his bitter spiteful nature. Others say he slew his own father in a bout of rage. What is known is that Kassim massacred his father's courtiers and all those who did not flee from the city about the family fortress of Golden Horn. As he traveled seeking others to vent his rage on, Kassim took on full awnsheghlien form and began poisoning the very land about him.
At first Djira sent troops and heroes to destroy the nascent awnshegh, but as the land became increasingly worthless and more and more warriors fell to the spite of the basilisk, they surrendered the land. Nowadays the land is simply avoided - the villages and towns of the Djiran were looted long ago, the land itself is worthless for growing crops - and likely would be for years or even decades after the basilisk was destroyed. Stories tell of the fortune still held within the fortress of the Golden Horn but these tempt few given that this is where the Basilisk yet lives - and the fact that no doubt all water within miles is a deadly poison.
The Scrolls of the Tainted, a collection of papers on the awnsheghlien gives an alternate history for the Basilisk. The scrolls suggest that although Kassim did rebel against his father, the Basilisk was in fact the product of one of his dark experiments which he used as a weapon to destroy his enemies - and which later consumed Kassim in turn.
Whichever history is correct will likely never be known - the Baslisk was overtaken by the Wrath of the Awnsheghlien long centuries ago and is now no more than a cunning beast which is believed to have lost all reason and speech.

Tags for this Page

Similar Pages

  1. Domain:Basilisk
    By Sorontar in forum Category
    Comments: 0
    Last Post: 01-27-2010, 04:34 AM
  2. Basilisk (Creature)
    By Arjan in forum D20 system reference document
    Comments: 0
    Last Post: 05-19-2007, 10:09 PM
  3. Basilisk, Abyssal Greater (Creature)
    By Arjan in forum D20 system reference document
    Comments: 0
    Last Post: 05-19-2007, 10:09 PM

Bookmarks

Posting Permissions

Posting Permissions
  • You may not create new articles
  • You may not edit articles
  • You may not protect articles
  • You may not post comments
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your comments
BIRTHRIGHT, DUNGEONS & DRAGONS, D&D, the BIRTHRIGHT logo, and the D&D logo are trademarks owned by Wizards of the Coast, Inc., a subsidiary of Hasbro, Inc., and are used by permission. ©2002-2010 Wizards of the Coast, Inc.