Medusa

Basic Information:
As deadly as they are ravishing, the serpent-haired medusas suffer an immortal curse brought on by their vanity. They lurk in quiet exile among the tumbled ruins of their former lives, surrounded by the petrified remains of past admirers and would-be heroes. Typical medusae have scaly skins of either pale or earthy color.Their eyes glow with an intense red color and, instead of hair, their heads are covered in a mass of 1‑foot-long (30‑centimeter) living venomous serpents. Despite those features, from large distances they can easily be mistaken by ordinary humans. For that reason, it is common for medusae to hide their features behind hoods or veils. People cursed into becoming medusae can belong to either sex and both male and female medusae created by such curses are similar in form and capabilities. The glowing red eyes of a medusa are feared for their petrifying power. Anyone within a range of 30 feet (9.1 meters) of a medusa who looks at its eyes can be transformed into lifeless stone within seconds, at the medusa's discretion. It is possible to resist that power through extraordinary physical resilience, or by averting one's eyes from the medusa's. The petrification is permanent, unless reversed with magic such as a greater restoration spell or similar.

Encountered in:
Chapter 19: Medusa's Enigma Tablet

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