Braskeltupp
| Braskeltupp | |
|---|---|
| File:Braskeltup.png | |
| A drawing of a Braskeltupp | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia
|
| Phylum: | Chordata
|
| Class: | Reptilia
|
| Order: | Squamata
|
| Family: | lapidemoculo
|
| Genus: | lapidemoculie
|
| Species: | L.Tupusbraskelus
|
| Binomial name | |
| lapidemoculie Tupusbraskelus Hylfred Görenssen, 1785
| |
| File:Braskeltuphabitat.png | |
| Habitat | |
The braskeltupp or the Scanderan baselisk is one of the most dangerous creatures in Scandera however despite this so is it a mysterious creature wrapped in myth and legend and not much is known about it as studying it is all but impossible. What is however known about it is that it is a highly magical creature and it's ability to turn people into stone by looking them in their eyes is a well known and feared ability all over Scandera. They have also been descirbed to have great powers over all manners of reptiles and that they do their biding, a theory that is not proven but the large amount of vipers and lizards one can find in a braskeltupps lair certainly seems to give this theory some weight. More legends tells the tale of how the Braskeltupp can breath poison and it has in later studies shown on corpses of animals killed that they can produce a poisonous gas.
History
Historically so have Braskeltuppen been a source of dread and fear amongst people living in the thick forests, of northern Imeriata and Erathia as well as those living north of Vedian in Sfartfald. Where it often kills numerous people and just as dragons, lindormar and rotbestar hoards great treasures too lure people to it's lairs. Even today can one often find so called "Braskeltuppsbon" or braskeltupp lairs where ghostly and worn statues of fallen warriors stands frozen in their last moments alive.
The official policy of these things by both the holy chronically and the crown is to gather the statues and incinerate them according to Scanderan tradition even if the royal science advisory have complained this practice and more than once comes face to face with the holy chronically about the question if these statues should be studied or burnt.
When Hylfred wrote the ground living races so did he admit that he never saw nor even tried to look up a living braskeltup despite him having done so with all other animals in the book. He did however look up several abandoned lairs and once followed a group of Imerian grenadiers that stormed a suspected lair with grenades even if they did not find evidence of any living animal nor dead but rather started giant fires by the entrances and then sealed it up in the hope of having killed the beast with the smoke.
Taxonomy
As before so does Hylfred Görenssen's love for pig latin show through in the name Tupusbraskelus. He did name the family where he included all Basilisks and not just lapidemoculo or "Stone eyes". A family he split in two genuses, lapidemoculie or "true basilisks" where he included Braskeltuppar and the more rooster looking basilisks found elsewhere and then a second group he named "serpent basilisks" that looked more like serpents.
Anatomy and health
Despite the danger it poses so is a a very small animal standing on only 0.5-0.8 meters height it has a rectangular head with two large massive eyes on it's front that can kill a man with only a look. The rest of it's greyish body is covered small scales and it has two short stubby rear legs and two longer front ones that it uses to waddle around with while it's otherwise serpentlike body ends in a long tail.
It also has two large ears that it can hear intruders with even well underground as well as a large mouth outfitted with sharp teeth that just like the wyvern, rotbest and dragon can devour stone.
Reproduction
It is unknown how Braskeltuppar reproduces as some say that they mate for life, other claims that the birth is magical and braskeltuppen has to mate with a serpent to give birth to more of it's ilk while other claims that it only happens when a serpent nests the eggs of a roster. However as they do gather metals and riches just like wyverns and dragons so is it suspected that they just as their larger cousins mates by displaying their wealth to find a mate. However so is this far from confirmed as other argues that they just as Lindormar gather their wealth just because they are greedy by nature or that it is used to trick sentient species to turn them to stone.
Diet
While braskeltupps have been known to kill and eat animals so does their favourite food seems to be petrified animals and according to legend so do they enjoy sentient animals the most.
Behaviour
Not much is known about Braskeltupp behaviour but it is known that they sleep in winter as most reptiles and that they dig their own tunnels in the forests just as a Rotbest does.
Life expectancy
according to legend can a braskeltupp grow to be over 200 years old which would make it the oldest living animal in all of Scandera but most Scientists dismisses this as nonsense. However judging from some Braskeltupp lairs so can they grow extraordinary old and over a century if the old statues are anything to judge by.
