The Serpent King
Hail to the King, Baby
The CockatriceRejoice not thou, whole Palestina, because the rod of him that smote thee is broken: for out of the serpent's root shall come forth a cockatrice, and his fruit shall be a fiery flying serpent.
- Isaiah 14:29
A legendary creature of lore than is often confused with the similar basilisk. A cockatrice is often seen as looking like a rooster with a serpentine tail, sometimes with the wings being more draconic. Legend tells it sprang forth from the egg of a rooster hatched by a serpent. The crow of a rooster is known to kill it, as is the weasel, being immune to it's gaze and poison. The crest upon its head is crown-shaped, and it's mastery of poison is equivalent, if not more fearsome than it's cousin, the "king of serpents."
As far as defenses go, the legends describe a truly horrifying picture. Its gaze is known to kill with a glance. It's breath and touch are poisonous, as are it's innards, as one account tells of how one man on horseback stabbed a cockatrice with a spear and the poison was so powerful, it traveled up the spear, killing both the man and his mount instantly.
A Changed VersionIn truth, the ferocity of a cockatrice is vastly exaggerated. It is still a winged, serpentine and avian menace, but it less deadly than legend gives it credit for. It's stare merely causes temporary paralysis. Its breath and innards stink to high heaven, but do little more damage than viciously assail your nasal cavities. The breath also has a slight color tinge to it in the right light, caused by the bacterial culprits of the smell, but is by no means poisonous. Consuming any part of a cockatrice, even accidentally, would be ill-advised, however - you may get a bad case
food poisoning. So don't go drinking its blood unless you want botulism.
As far as crowing roosters go, they really, really freak out these sensitive beasts. The damn things can't hear well worth a lick (the curse of being partly reptilian), but a rooster is at the right frequency to give them a real shock, especially since they're loud and most likely out of sight. Weasels are also known to to attack cockatrices because their stench interferes with the weasel's scent marks and causes them to get very, very angry at the "intruders."
Man vs. WildSo, why Cris to become a cockatrice? For one thing, the exaggerated accounts of the cockatrice are the results of misunderstanding - no one wants to get close to the thing to see if the tales are true. That is, it's a secretive beast. The stench is defense more than anything - it wants you to thinks it's poisonous so you'll leave it the hell alone.
If you've ever seen Cris go after a bug or had the
pleasure of experiencing some of his worst auditory hallucinations, you'll realize that there's something violent down deep within himself. Perhaps it's a repressed response to living in the notorious Balkans, or something everyone has and for Cris it just comes out in concentrated spurts. Either way, there's a predatory instinct deep down in there. And Cris has the stare itself perfected - he just needs to power to make his prey an easier catch.
