Stonejaw - The Basilisk
Deep within the half-collapsed mine shafts of Crestview Ridge, there waits a silent horror among the broken statues. Its breath smells of limestone dust, and its gullet grinds stone to meat. Locals call it Stonejaw—a basilisk so old its scales have begun to fossilize.
Role in Its Society:
Basilisks don’t have societies—but Stonejaw functions as a territorial apex predator in an abandoned dwarven mine complex. Other subterranean predators give it wide berth, and the petrified remains of intruders serve as both warning and food supply. Interestingly, Stonejaw is no longer simply a mindless beast—it has adapted to its domain, learning to wait in total stillness and even feint blindness to lure prey.
Appearance Description:
Stonejaw is massive for a basilisk—nearly the size of a horse—with heavy, scaly plates weathered to dull gray and streaked with mineral deposits. Its eyes glow with faint green luminescence, and its many clawed legs leave gouged tracks in stone. Cracks and scars run across its hide from ancient battles, and a chunk of old dwarven armor is lodged in its back like a forgotten wound.
Backstory:
Stonejaw was once the prized guardian of a dwarven noble’s treasure vault—a tamed basilisk bred in captivity. When the mine collapsed during a civil uprising, Stonejaw was left behind. Over decades, it reverted to its natural instincts, breeding with wild basilisks and consuming the stone-turned bodies of would-be tomb robbers. Now, the ruins of the mine are considered cursed ground, filled with “statues” that tremble with lifelike terror.
