Gorgon
Class, if you think back to our lesson on Aether alignment, you'll recall that said elemental alignment will gradually change over time as it is exposed to different Aether sources, each providing an ever gradual shift in a certain direction. This process is slow, but natural. Should, for whatever reason, you require or desire to shift the alignment of Aether in a specific area, it is not terribly difficult to do, though the process is intensive. All one requires is the ability to condense large amounts of Aether, and an amount of Aether of the desired alignment that is far more than the amount that you are attempting to change. The ratio is the biggest hurdle.
-Overheard lecture at Katenja College
Gorgon's are are a bit of an enigma within the scholarly world of monsters, origins-wise. Many signs point to them being created by some Great Wyrm just before or during the Dracanomachi. It wouldn't be the first horrible monster made during that time. That being said, there are a great many ancient depictions of creatures that match the Gorgon's description and legendary abilities. The question is, why? Where are the ancient bones, if they're out there? Are we to believe that none died in the times of bronze and iron, or do they simply turn to ash when killed. Not unheard of, for monsters. Regardless of the mystery inherent to the Gorgon's historical footprint, it remains a notably rare and notably dangerous addition to any bestiary. They have a lower half like that of a massive serpent and a humanoid upper torso. Their head is of particular note, also being humanoid in shape but with two notable features. The most likely to be noticed is the completely smooth plate of stone where a face would be on a human. It lacks any discerning features but is always described as being smooth as if worked by a mason. To be noticed soon after is the bundle of serpents that rise from the scalp of the head like hair. These snakes are living by all accounts and act as the eyes of the creature, leaving it with a rather panoptic ability to see. Magically speaking, the creature also has a rather notable ability, which is to realign the Aether in a particular area rapidly. Said area is within sight of the creature's smooth face plate, and when the Aether inside a living person is rapidly realigned like that it can cause the body to petrify. In most cases it causes a sort of thick shell to form around a person, but it can cause the flesh itself to turn to stone as well.
Gorgon hunting grounds are often littered with the bone-filled statues of their prey, which is a fairly notable and keen sign that one should leave the area in all cases, suspected monsters or no.
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