214
MEDUSA
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 petrifie d
remains of past admirers and would-be heroes.
Immortal Splendor. Men and women who desire
eternal youth, beauty, and adoration might pray to
malicious gods, beg dragons for ancient magic, or seek
out powerful archmages to fulfill their wishes. Others
make sacrifices to demon lords or archdevils, offering
all in exchange for this gift, oblivious to the curse that
accompanies it. Those who strike such bargains gain
physical beauty, restored youth, immortality, and the
adoration of all who behold them, granting them the
influence and power they so desire. However, after years
of the living like a demigod among mortals, the price for
their vanity and hubris is exacted, and they are forever
transformed into medusas. A me dusa's hair turns into a
nest of venomous serpents, and all who gaze upon the
medusa are petrified, becoming stone monuments to
its c.orruption.I
Medusa Laiils. Medusas live forever in seclusion,
alienated from the world around them by their