Caravan Snail

Cryptologic Name: Gymnosalidae akolomagia
Planar Origin: Fae
Habitat: Temperate forests & fields
Diet: Herbivorous

Appearance & Morphology
Caravan snails are fae creatures that resemble land slugs with light undersides and brightly-colored patterns on their backs. These creatures usually grow to between 10-15cm in length and have a pair of retractable tentacles on their heads which are sensitive to ambient mana.

Behavior & Magical Abilities
These unusual fae creatures are able to sense mana in their immediate surroundings, and will follow the flow of energy along natural leylines. This natural tendency to migrate along these natural routes of mana flow has led them to be used as beasts of burden for tiny, nomadic race of faerie know as vagare. Mana from leylines is used in a variety of ways in their magical rituals, and as such they have come to rely on these snails to locate and follow their flow. The vagare will attach riding platforms to these creatures, on top of which they will build their homes. This practice is where caravan snails got their common name, as the vagare will form large communities together atop a herd of them, who will migtare over time along a leyline’s current. While the vagare will attach bridles to their snail’s head such that they can actively direct the creature’s movement, they don’t often use them, allowing the snail to move about of its own volition.

Field Notes

• Because of their ability to sense ambient mana and innate tendencies to follow mana currents, caravan snails can be used as indicator species for mages to locate mana currents, though this can be a time-consuming process as they are slugs and therefore move at a more leisurely pace than most mages are willing to deal with for such a task when there are more expedient methods.

• While they are known as “caravan snails,” this is somewhat of a misnomer, though that is not unusual in the common names of animals, magical or otherwise. I say this because caravan snails do not naturally have shells and therefore their anatomy much more resembles slugs. It’s likely that they were named this way because of the vagare homes that are so commonly seen on them, which do seem to mirror a snail’s shell in that we consider it to be the snail’s “home,” and a literal house is build upon them. This distinction is probably unnecessary but seemed worth mentioning.