Basaltlisks

Greyknuckle's Gordian Knot
''“We lost eighteen good men and women to Slab Quarry this quarter and another twenty-five in Basalt Bowl. Hard workers that gave their lives just so you can have minerals. You can’t expect us to keep working for nothing but safe haven from Formcaste’s intake” The grizzled foreman arched his giant back letting loose an audible popping of his spine that sounded loudly above the worker tavern hum. Opposite him, a suit from Formcaste itself, she wore a scale leather one piece suit that in material was not too different from her own scaled flesh. Her eyes were cold and emotionless at the mention of perished workers. “And you say you lost them to… ‘Basaltlisks’?” Her right eyebrow cocked in disbelief, her tone downplaying the tragedy that clearly affected the large goliath. She continued, “Then surely after facing these figments for so long, you’ve found countermeasures and business can proceed as normal.”''

''His fists plunged into the table clearing holes right through the plywood round serving as a thrown together setting. “Normal!? People dying just to serve as slaves in a job where their bosses will kill them if they don’t isn’t a normal way of life. We can’t have countermeasures when we can’t even work out what these things are.” This burst of fury still dropped no pebbles into the crystal still pond that was her visage. “The Dry Spell sun is taking a toll on you Foreman Greyknuckle. Formcaste will bless your crew with an extra ration of water each week.” Greyknuckle knew that an extra fist of water each week was an insult knowing how the rich in Formcaste had artificial lakes just for leisure. Pushing away her untouched mug of ‘wine’ she rose to her feet.''

''With a milky layer of brille over her eyes, she had no need for blinking in this hot dry climate. Lording over Greyknuckle with a soft yet confident display of dominance, her superfluous external eyelids closed blinding her, giving the offer for a cowardly show of violence if he dared. Any retaliation from him would cause him great suffering and he knew it. Open again after seconds, a nod to recognize his inaction and thus submission had her walking out the door.''

''Swinging her leg over her federal terrajet, she tapped at a crystal sphere embedded between its handlebars. Illuminating her face as she mounted the seat, she spoke into it with concise report. “The Basaltlisks have proliferated well this season. The quarry is rich with Gorgoneyeite.” With no hesitation, she sped off into the Dust Plains once more. ''

The Predators in the Seams
Basaltlisks are a mystery to all involved in their habitat be it workers, researchers or Formcaste authorities. These creatures are often dismissed as myths as few live to tell of an encounter with one. Appearing as if manifesting from natural stone surface, these creatures form like a crocodile coming out of water from walls and floors in quarries and mines rich with minerals and ores. Their appearance is exactly that of the rock that they come from. Veteran miners may recognize that a basaltlisk has been through the area by interruptions in seams of ore where rock has been displaced. An expanse of grey stone with a darker jet streak in the middle of it may be an indication that a basaltlisk has come out of a black wall and entered back into the grey floor. Best guesses estimate basilisks to be earth elementals left over from Fragmenterra, natural spirits or just very extraordinary creatures.

Sighted in habitats where minerals are highly represented such as The Dust Plains and Mount Ozoma in the Rage Forest, a basaltlisk will consume great amounts of gem and crystal before it lays its eggs within the earth. If these eggs are mined out before they hatch, they perform similar to geodes with a rich blue-purple crystal internal surface that oozes a similarly colored shimmering sedimentary liquid. While beautiful to observe, these eggs and the gems within serve no practical purpose. Found for the first time by accident, half of the miners on this expedition were attacked and consumed. As mining operations continued, the ‘geodes’ recovered seemed to be found in a new internal color, a bright glowing green-yellow that was uneasy to the eye and soul on viewing. Taken back to Formcaste for research and development, it was discovered that the material was imbued with body and soul of the attacked workers.

The Unholy Mineral of Creation
With Formcaste not putting any extraordinary find to waste, many minds were put to work for months experimenting with uses for this unholy mineral. Termed ‘gorgoneyeite’ (gaw·gn·ite), this mineral has been put to remarkable use as the core raw material for soul engines. A soul engine is in layman's terms the heart and mind of a gorgon, the warforged equivalent of a beast. As this mineral became high in demand, more workers were sent to gather it. As more workers were consumed in the process, more of these modified eggs were laid. With more gorgoneyeite eggs laid, more workers were sent to harvest them and as such a bloody cycle for financial gain and scientific progress is perpetuated.