{{Lore}}
The basilisk is a creature of legend, already known to the Mazes during the [[History of the Mazes|medieval era]]. Referred to as the '''''lanlaken''''' in the [[Languages|Old Tongue]], a compound of the words for "[[chicken]]" (''lanlan'') and "[[dragon]]" (''ken''), the name therefore transliterating to "chicken dragon'". As the etymology suggests, the basilisk is a part-bird, part-dragon beast, possessing the head, wings, and feathered tail of a bird - specifically, a chicken, and a draconic body with eight legs and armor scales. It is roughly 5 feet tall, and its adult weight ranges between 80 and 130 pounds.
Somewhat like a dragon, the basilisk is very tough, bullet-resistant, and has a very low [[pain sensitivity]]. Despite the chicken head, the basilisk does not make clucking sounds nor is it capable of a cock-a-doodle-do. Instead, the basilisk famously ''hisses'', very loudly, especially when it detects a threat.