Basil
(#75874569)
Level 25 Gaoler
Familiar
Mossy Cerdae
Click or tap to view this dragon in Predict Morphology.
Energy: 47/50
This dragon’s natural inborn element is Earth.
Male Gaoler
This dragon is an ancient breed.
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Personal Style
Ancient dragons cannot wear apparel.
Skin
Scene
Measurements
Length
12.87 m
Wingspan
5.99 m
Weight
11560.86 kg
Genetics
Gloom
Phantom (Gaoler)
Phantom (Gaoler)
Moon
Daub (Gaoler)
Daub (Gaoler)
Taupe
Gnarlhorns (Gaoler)
Gnarlhorns (Gaoler)
Hatchday
Breed
Eye Type
Level 25 Gaoler
Max Level
STR
7
AGI
6
DEF
13
QCK
8
INT
6
VIT
93
MND
12
Lineage
Parents
- none
Offspring
- none
Biography
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Basil
He/Him
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Add Quote Later
Basil lost his eyes when he was a hatchling, and was cast out by the other gaolers when he was unable to contribute to the containment of shade beasts. To survive, he carved out a wooden bowl and ladle, as well as a pair of prosthetic eyes. For most of his life he got by by selling gemstones he got out of boulders he had crushed with his mighty, gnarled horns.
One day, however, he encountered Shaker, who had offered to assist him in gathering the gemstones after seeing him having difficulties sorting them out from the rubble. This would be the beginning of a beautiful friendship.
A Recipe for Family
Written by CupcakeNova
The stewpot next to Basil was bubbling and boiling, the steam rising off of it suffused with smells of cooking meat and warm spices. He reached in with his wooden ladle, giving the stew a quick stir, before bringing a mouthful to taste.“Is it done yet?” Shaker spoke up, voice tight with anticipation.
He rolled the sample of stew around in his mouth, testing the meat and the vegetables with his teeth. A bit firm still, and it could use some more bonepriest venom for flavour, he decided. Not quite ready yet.
“A little bit longer,” he told his companion, before reaching out with his claws to search for the vial of venom he had been keeping close by.
He heard Shaker let out a pair of tortured groans, which made him chuckle. Given the chance, she would have just eaten the meat and vegetables raw, but they’d had a good trade day today. He’d sold his entire stock of gems for much more than his usual rate thanks to a small local festival in the nearby town increasing interest in shiny stones, and he wanted to do something nice to celebrate. So he’d taken his earnings and bought all of the ingredients he needed for his favourite meal, and brought them back to the small cave where Shaker had been waiting for him.
He gave the stew another slow stir, humming cheerfully under his breath. Hearing the slightest shift of claw on stone, he quickly pulled the ladle from the stew to crack Shaker across the knuckles as she tried to steal a taste.
“It’s not ready,” he scolded her, ignoring her theatrical whimpers.
“But we’re so huuuuungry!” Shaker moaned piteously.
“Soon. I promise it’ll be worth it.”
Shaker snorted in disbelief, before turning and skulking away towards the back wall of the cave to nurse her wounded fingers and sulk. He could hear her two heads muttering between each other, Salt grumbling and Pepper trying to be the voice of reason as usual. Well used to Shaker’s antics, Basil ignored them, focusing on the scents wafting up from his stew, trying to detect the exact moment the flavours all came together.
He tried one more sip, and then sighed with satisfaction. “Perfect,” he murmured.
Then he raised his voice, calling towards the back of the cave. “It’s ready!”
There was a mad scramble as Shaker went from muttering and cursing to immediately dashing back towards him, her claws scrabbling on the stone. But just as she reached the fireside, she suddenly skidded to a stop, a tiny gasp escaping both of her mouths. Before Basil could ask what had happened, she was dashing to his side and burrowing under his long, fluffy tail to hide.
And not a moment too soon, apparently. Basil heard a knock against the stone wall of the cave entrance, and then someone called out. “Hello! Sorry to drop by unannounced, but I can smell something positively scrumptious, and I simply had to investigate.”
“Hello there,” Basil greeted the newcomer, shifting so that his bulky form better hid Shaker from sight. He wasn’t exactly sure what her story was, but by now he’d figured out that she was no dragon breed he’d ever heard of (unless fae dragons had gotten a lot bigger recently and also grown two heads? Who knew what they got up to in the Starfall Isles these days) and that she was very wary of being seen by anyone. As far as he was concerned, he didn’t need to know more; she was his friend, and if she wanted to avoid being seen by others, then he would do his best to accommodate that.
“I’m just making some stew, nothing that special,” Basil said dismissively, hoping this stranger caught the hint. While normally he would be happy to share with others, he didn’t want Shaker to be stuck hiding under his tail any longer than she had to.
“On the contrary! My family runs a restaurant, and I can tell just from the scent of it that your stew is something amazing!” The stranger came closer, breathing in deeply. “Ooooh, yes! That smells exquisite. Is that bonepriest venom?”
Basil startled a bit, surprised the stranger had picked up on his secret ingredient. “Why, yes it is!”
“Marvellous! Not enough people cook with it, they’re always so worried about the whole poison thing. But I think it gives a nice kick, don’t you? Oh, hello there! Sorry, I didn’t mean to ignore your companion, how terribly rude of me!”
Basil felt his stomach drop as he heard Shaker squeak in alarm. The stranger must have spotted her when he came closer to sniff at the stew. Basil tried to move her further back behind him, but suddenly the stranger was darting around him faster than a blink. Damn, he must have been one of those Spirals, they were always too small and quick for Basil to keep track of easily.
“Hello, there! A pleasure to meet you!” the stranger said to Shaker, sounding completely at ease with meeting a two-headed dragon. “My name is Soup! You’re one of those delightful Aberration Dragons who just popped up in Sornieth, aren’t you? How wonderful!”
Basil could just feel Shaker having a tiny meltdown as she choked out a hello, completely out of her depth dealing with this absolutely bonkers Spiral. He could feel her tails twisting with nerves against his own, and that was signal enough for Basil. He couldn’t hide her anymore, but at least he could draw attention away from her.
“Soup, you said your name was?” he asked, reaching out with a shaggy paw to sweep the stranger (definitely a spiral, it was like handling a particularly wiggly noodle) back towards the fire. “What brings you out this way? Not many venture through this part of the Parched Canyonwalks.”
“I’m a merchant, seeking wares from far off places, especially anything that could be useful for my family and their restaurant. I was in the area for a local festival - it had quite the nice atmosphere - and I decided to take the long way home to see if I could find anything interesting to take home with me. And lo and behold, looks like I found something!”
Basil raised a brow in polite confusion. “My stew?”
“No, no. Well, yes, I suppose I found that too. But I meant you and your companion here! What did you say your names were? I’m afraid I must have missed it.”
Both brows were raised now. “Uh. I’m Basil, and this is Shaker,” he introduced them to Soup. “What exactly did you mean by ‘you found us’?”
Basil felt Soup snatch the ladle out of his claws, and then a loud slurp as Soup tasted his stew.
“As expected, it’s delicious,” Soup announced. “You clearly have a talent, Basil. How would you like to put those talents to work in my family’s restaurant?”
“...are you serious?”
“Of course! And you’re welcome to come too, Shaker,” Soup added. “I’m not sure if your culinary talents are on the same level as Basil here, but two heads would absolutely come in handy when working the lunch rush. What do you say? Would you two like to come with me?”
Basil just sat there, completely bewildered. Thankfully Shaker was incredulous enough to get over her shyness and speak up for both of them.
“Do you always offer jobs to random strangers after stealing their dinner?” Salt asked.
“Salt!” Pepper hissed, and then he heard Salt yelp as if smacked upside the head by a tail.
“Only the ones who impress me. It’s not easy to do, you know.”
He felt Shaker reach out and rest a claw on his arm. “Basil?” Pepper murmured quietly. “What do you think? We trust you.”
He turned towards her. “What do you think?” he replied. “I understand you’re uncomfortable around others, after all.”
“He knows what we are,” Salt told him, still sounding slightly baffled. “I don’t know how he knows, but if he does, then we don’t have to hide from him.”
“But we’ll follow your lead,” Pepper added. “You’re our family now. Wherever you go, we’ll go too.”
Touched, Basil could only scoop her into a hug, burying his face between her two heads to hide how affected her words had left him. “Thank you, Shaker,” he sniffed. “You’re my family, you’re right.”
When he pulled away, he gave them a bright smile, and then turned back towards Soup.
“Ah, what the heck,” he told the Spiral with a shrug. “I’ve never really enjoyed this place, and it might be nice to try something new.”
“Wonderful!” Soup cried, bursting into happy applause. “Oh, I can’t wait to introduce you to the family! They’re going to love you!”
As Soup continued to gush about how amazing this new partnership was going to be, Basil leaned against Shaker’s side, drawing strength and comfort from her presence. He felt her tails curl around his leg and give a reassuring squeeze, which made him finally relax. No matter what, he knew that they would stick together.
Because they were family.
By Flaminchi
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Exalting Basil to the service of the Arcanist will remove them from your lair forever. They will leave behind a small sum of riches that they have accumulated. This action is irreversible.
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