Monster Manual - Catoblepas
Eugh… I’d really rather not write this. I thought the scholars were exaggerating when they said it had “no redeeming features”. After a week following these horrid beasts around, I cannot help but concur. Hopefully the smell of this monster will leave my tunic one day.
--
Well, that's rather uncharitable for Lias. He must have not liked the catoblepas very much. Thankfully the anonymous author of Summoner Saga has more to say. (This is one of the few times that the Monster Manual and Summoner Saga project will cross-over, purely due to coincidence):
Catoblepas
(Hellenistic Natural Philosophy)
Joining the basilisk and gorgon as creatures who can kill with a look is the catoblepas. This medium-sized bovid inhabits flooded grasslands and swamps in the sub-tropical regions of Palet. Covered in a mixture of scales and patchy fur, its legs are short and ungainly, mismatched in size. The head of the catoblepas is attached to a long, thin neck which perpetually bows down. They spend their entire lives looking at the ground, snuffling for grass and herby plants like a hog. Along the neck is a mane where each hair has a stiff root attached to the neck. When needed, the catoblepas can tense its neck, causing the hairs to suddenly raise, exposing its hideous face. Whereas basilisks and gorgons petrify their victims, those who see the catoblepas suffer brain hemorrhages upon witnessing it. If that wasn't enough to keep creatures away, catoblepas also feed heavily upon a certain poisonous herb. Immune to the toxins, they allow the fumes from the herb to collect in their foregut. If the threat of their gaze isn't enough to dissuade a predator, the beast can also belch up this toxic gas. Unsurprisingly, catoblepas are solitary, lonely creatures. Mating is a rare event and they have few parental instincts, leaving calves to fend for themselves after they're weaned. No other creatures reside where a catoblepas makes its home. The only companion the grotesque creatures have are a swarm of blind parasites evolved especially to feed upon the catoblepas. With short limbs, a thin tail, and no companions willing to groom them, they suffer the presence of these freeloaders in quiet rage.
-Habitat: Wetlands in the sub-tropics.
