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Cockatrice Crow (Left) and Hen (Right)
Cockatrices, a poisonous cross between a
reptile and a rooster, were originally synonymous with the basilisk, the
legendary crowned serpent with deadly eyes.
The confusion may have originated in stories of basilisks being defeated
by the crow of a rooster; at some time, the monster and its destroyer
became one and the same. Today,
the term "cockatrice" is more often used for the reptile/rooster
hybrid, and "basilisk" for the poisonous "king of
serpents." Descriptions vary, but generally the cockatrice was said
to have the forequarters of the bird and the hindquarters of a serpent or
lizard; the wings could be either batlike or birdlike.
Origins
Cockatrices hail from the North Realm and northern Midrealm, possibly
products of the strange magic of the Black Ice Forest. It is known
that basilisks still live in the forest, and if anything could produce a
hybrid of the basilisk and its enemy, the rooster, it would hail from that
region. Some scholars believe that they were a creation of some unknown
genetic alchemist, as it is hard to believe how two such incompatible
creatures could ever mingle bloodlines without artificial intervention,
even in Tirialle.
They first appeared in the wild a thousand years ago on the southern
fringes of the Black Ice Forest. From here, they spread rapidly,
at one time occurring as far south as the Silver Stag Mountains.
Unfortunately, their tendency to attack chickens made
them a target of farmers. Several of the more aggressive and
destructive strains were wiped out, with the remainder being victims by
association. Lately, efforts have been made to educate the public on
more responsible means of managing local cockatrice flocks, and they are
slowly returning from the brink.
Cockatrices bear a strong resemblance to
mundane roosters, but can easily be identified by their reptilian
underbelly and tail, the prominent wing claw, the partially reptilian wing
(most visible on the underside), and their forked
tongue. Males are known as crows (for their harsh, cawing voices.)
The females are called hens. They grow upwards of half again the
size of a large domestic chicken.
Habitat
Cockatrices live on the edges of cultivated land, in hedgerows and fields
and overgrown pastures. They roost in sheltered bushes, low trees,
or abandoned buildings. Though they have wings, they aren't
particularly efficient in the air, at best managing short bursts of
low-level flight. Chicks are somewhat better at flying, using their
wings to
escape snakes and other predators.
Feeding
Despite their chickenlike beak, cockatrices favor meat, especially bird
and snake meat, but they also peck and scratch for grubs and insects. Their
poison, a toned-down version of basilisk venom, is dispersed in a nearly
invisible cloud via glands beneath their forked tongues. Though
always present in their mouths, the cockatrice can choose whether or not
to spray poison, an option most basilisks lack. The venom paralyzes
when it touches the skin, and if inhaled it stops the lungs. When introduced into the bloodstream, it
softens and breaks down muscle tissue, enabling the cockatrice to feed;
they peck a hole in their paralyzed victim to facilitate this, or, if the
prey is already dead, will simply exhale clouds of poison onto the body as
they peel away the skin. Fortunately, they need only feed twice a week, eating less in
winter and more during the spring breeding season.
Life Cycle
Each spring, cockatrice crows vie for available females, gathering upwards
of ten hens. They start by comparing height and calling raucously, but often attack rivals viciously. Fortunately (or unfortunately),
cockatrices are mostly immune to their own venom, but if hit in the eyes
they go temporarily blind. For this reason, it is advised to avoid
any area with fighting cockatrices, as the air will likely be thick with
venom clouds. Each hen lays several eggs, much like a domestic
chicken, and eventually gets broody and sits them. Young chicks grow
up fast, and are mature within two years. They live for nearly
thirty years under most circumstances. After dying, no scavenger
will touch the body for at least three days, at which time the poison
loses its potency.
Temperament
Not overly friendly, cockatrices nevertheless can be tamed if captured as
chicks or raised from the egg. They often treat others as members of
the flock, vying for dominance or chasing off perceived threats.
They are easy to provoke, but they also have short attention spans; if an
angered cockatrice is chasing you, you shouldn't have to run too far
before they give up or get bored.
Magical Traits
Cockatrice venom can be distilled into a local anesthetic, used by many
country healers and even a few city physicians. This is not a
process to be attempted by the amateur. While the venom of today's
cockatrices is nowhere near as lethal as their ancestors or the basilisk
from which they originated, having little lasting effect on anything as large as
the average human being, it still can cause damage in concentrated amounts
or through long-term exposure. "Milking" the poison is a
specialized skill, and can only be accomplished by someone who has gained
the animal's trust.
Inside their vestigal gizzards, each cockatrice grows a small stone, known
as a crowstone. (The name originates not from the term for a male
cockatrice, but because seekers usually find the stones in the nests of
crows, ravens, or other scavengers.) Looking like a cloudy, colorless gem,
this stone is actually a surprisingly potent cure for most
naturally-occuring poisons or venoms, even more powerful than the
"goatstone" or bezoar (found in the bellies of some goats.) To
be truly effective, however, the crowstone must be swallowed by the
victim, and the rank taste - much like a cockatrice's foul breath - makes
this an unpleasant option. The stone grows throughout the animal's
life, starting out little larger than a grain of sand in chicks and ending
up the size of a marble in old cockatrices; the larger the stone, the more
effective it is.
Cockatrice feathers are often used as pens to write curses or other dark
spells, owing to their durability when exposed to many caustic substances
used in the inks for such magicks.
Other Notes
Cockatrice hens are considered farmyard pests because they occasionally infiltrate henhouses and brood eggs
there. This usually happens when there are too many hens and not
enough crows to form proper flocks, causing displaced hens to seek less
appropriate companions. Any
chicken egg brooded by a cockatrice hen is poisonous to eat and hatches no
live young. It is relatively easy to deter a cockatrice hen, as they
share the basilisk's dislike for mirrors. However, should a
cockatrice crow happen along, mirrors are among the easiest way to provoke
an attack, as the crow believes they are seeing a rival. The crows
are far less likely to attempt to mingle with common chickens, however,
especially if there is a rooster about. Like the basilisk,
cockatrice crows dislike the sound of a rooster's call, though it does
not, as legend says, actually kill them. Hens seem more tolerant of
the sound.
Common farm rumor says that having a cockatrice cross the property will
turn milk sour and blight the crops, but there is no truth to this.
Actually, having a few cockatrices around can be beneficial. The
crowstone in their throats makes them immune to snake and insect venom, enabling them
to control local pests quite effectively. Their presence
does often disturb livestock, though, so it can be a mixed blessing to
have a flock of cockatrices in the vicinity.
Cockatrice breath is notoriously foul, owing to their bitter venom and
meat-based diets. Their own flesh, once drained of blood and rid of
venom, is surprisingly light, taking seasoning well, but it is not a
common dish owing to cockatrices being very difficult to handle in
captivity. They do not take being penned well, turning on their
keepers and each other; the few cockatrice farms that exist (maintained
mostly for the purposes of obtaining venom and/or crowstones) are
free-range, relying on the creature's tendency to stay in one roosting
spot so long as it is suitable.
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