Flail Snail

[Arcana 33]

This is most definitely a Flail Snail, a rare sight in wide open plains such as this. They are creatures more often found in deep caverns, mineral-rich valleys that were once rivers, or the edges of ancient plateaus and dormant volcanoes. Perhaps this creature migrated from the Epidote plateau, or the chain of mountains you are currently headed towards.

Flail Snails are typically solitary creatures of elemental origin. They are not merely animals, but true Earth Elementals shaped by pressure. It is said that some of the first Flail Snails to grace the Material were brought alongside the first dwarves as cattle, but they soon spread and proceeded to die off from overhunting and scarcity of the minerals they were so used to indulging on back in the plane of Earth.

Now, centuries after their arrival, Flail Snails have sort of split off from their ancient counterparts. Modern Flail Snails have adapted to feed off of more... Material forms of food, extracting their necessary nutrients from mosses and lichen. Even so, these are only substitutes to the feast of rock and crystal they once indulged in; They prefer to live either underground, or in areas of rich mineral deposits. Where some animals like goats or cows are known to pursue salt licks, flail snails practically rake rocky soil in search of minerals, their diamond-hard radulae grinding stone as though it were pulp.

While a Flail Snail is extremely valuable for their uncanny ability to seek out mineral deposits close to the surface, their real value comes in what they produce.

Flail Snails, when fed with a hearty amount of silicate minerals, produce a shimmering trail where they crawl. This trail quickly hardens into a thin glass-like residue, often cut into window panes and heated into other glass objects. Studies have shown that varying a Flail Snail's diet may cause it to produce other forms of crystalline materials, but they tend to be dilluted forms of them. For example, some artificers have fed Flail Snails large amounts of Corundun, producing lower grade laser-worthy lenses with much less material for their yield, thus trading quality for quantity. These practices have been deemed inhumane, as they often lead to the creature's gradual weakening and deformed shell growth.

Most important is their shell. A Flail Snail's shell is capable of resisting magic somewhat, even reflecting it in the right circumstances. Although it was once theorized to be completely passive, this comes from a constant subtle shift in its inner structure, which leads to loss of effectiveness some days after its removal from the Snail if not properly maintained.
Its ability to shift in such a way that it not only reflects but emits blinding light is also very prized. Collecting a Flail Snail's shell is not an easy task, however. Though slow, Flail Snails are quick to employ various tactics to dispatch of their foes, from stunning and smothering them, to pummeling them into submission.

Riga does also know that Flail Snails typically do not grow larger than 10 feet wide. This here is an extremely rare specimen.

On Aggression

This varies wildly on their level of domestication, hunger, and stimuli. Some Flail Snails will just graze on by like you're not there. Others will be extremely territorial.

Some might be really keen on tearing the armor off your chest.