Cockatrice

COCKATRICE
The cockatrice is a large, hideous creature that can only be described as a cross between a bird, a lizard, and a bat. They are greedy, unintelligent, nasty birds, able to turn a creature to stone(1) with a single touch from any part of their bodies. While studying them, I myself was petrified four separate times!

Classification:
Pecker/petrifier/gobbler/flapper

Demeanor:
Foul; greedy; vile; territorial.

Habitat:
Cockatrice are found primarily in northern Spauria, where males sprint in flocks across the plains during mating season in the early spring, occasionally flapping into short bursts of clumsy flight as they search for a female(2). Upon finding one, the flock will seize the female and parade her into the nearest patch of forests, where they will breed with her and prepare their nests. The nests are built on the forest floor and filled with shiny trinkets and treasure to show status. The nests are guarded relentlessly by the males, unless the female lays a crop of infertile eggs, in which case the cockatrice will leave the treasure behind and avoid the spot as if it is cursed.

Diet:
Grubs, nuts/berries, small animals; anything they can swallow whole.

Abilities:
The cockatrice can activate and deactivate it’s petrification properties at will. While activated, any part of the cockatrice, including feathers, beak and tail that comes in contact with exposed flesh causes immediate petrification, which can last up to twenty four hours. It is worth mentioning that, while they are not particularly fast runners, cockatrice are capable of short bursts of flight which allows them to easily catch up with most land-dwelling creatures.

Weakness:
Cockatrice fear nothing, except, for unknown reasons, rotten eggs. It is recommended that while traversing the fields and forests of northern Spauria in the early spring to always bring a rotten egg with you, the scent of which will repel even the meanest cockatrice. Always remember, too, to use your own intelligence to your advantage; cockatrice are utterly stupid creatures.

Uses:
For a guide on how to remove the petrifying properties of the cockatrice tail feathers whilst also preserving them as trophies or clothing items, visit “Stoned” by Khalid Zweer, 27/112.

Notes:

 * 1) “Contrary to popular Spaurian legend, the petrification powers of the cockatrice, gorgon, and basilisk alike are, unfortunately, poorly sensationalized. A petrified victim does not, in fact, transform into a solid block of stone. Instead, once the magic has fully taken root in the body, it will become what can be described as a highly porous, dehydrated microlatus of a chalky substance. Flesh does not actually increase in weight, and it is no more resistant to physical harm than its original form.” Khalid Zweer, Stoned (Moriguard, Spauria: Ink River Press, 7/112)
 * 2) Female cockatrice are rarer than the males, but twice as mean and repulsive in nature.