Tales of Dragon Turtles and Kraken alike can be heard in every port that borders the sea, of terrifying behemoths that dwell beneath the waves. Only rising to bring ruin and despair to all with nary a survivor. A few Gods blessed souls come away from such encounters with a harrowed look to their eyes and whispers of the sea beasts keen minds and cruel disposition to pair alongside sheer brutality. 

Tales of Adamantine Snails, on the other fin, are as rare as sobriety among Pirates. 

In some of the oldest scrolls of ocean lore, in the rarest of bedtime tales for wistful youngsters from elders with more wrinkles than hair, you'll find hints of these incredible beings. Among the Tortle in particular can one find wisps of knowledge about them on land!

Of shining metal snails crawling along the sea bed, snuffling about for precious veins of mineral like a boar snuffles for truffles! Of gentle giants who grow homes on their backs not just for themselves, but for weary travelers and lost wanderers both. Mystical beings that stored knowledge in their shell, or were as old as time! That grew whirling spires upon their back like a city or traded shiny baubles for particularly rare bits of metal! 

Such are the fairy tales of the Adamantine Snails. And such they would prefer they stay. 

While not able to store knowledge in their shells or having lived as old as creation, this race was remarkably as the stories tell. Their senses were keen for Adamantine and to it they were drawn, putting them in conflict with underwater civilizations such as Storm Giants and Sea Elves as they meandered hungrily towards stores of mined mineral. The oldest among them did in fact host small enclaves of beasts or folk in their shell, a trade of shelter for protection from the many threats that these slow moving race faced. 

From enterprising Storm Giants, cruel Sea Elves, hungry Dragon Turtles or Krakens...to even agents from the Nine Hells sent by the Lorde of Greed, many wished to prey upon them. Often their young would be captured and used to track down veins of Adamantine in the ocean, then slaughtered for their birth shells alongside the natural treasure trove. This has fostered a wariness for strangers among the older generations, though to those that have earned their trust and respect there was seldom a better friend to have in the murky depths. 

Society: While Adamantine Snails enjoy symbiotic relationships with other species, as a group themselves they are rather insular. Rarely do they travel in groups for any extended period of time, limited their social interaction to pleasantries, exchanges of warnings and information, and quite often impregnating each other before moving on their way. Much like their smaller cousins among the sea slugs and snails truly. Occasionally fights over territory or lack of resources may occur, in which the behemoth beings have a fight of dominance that any Enclaves they are hosting are strictly forbidden from aiding in. Rarely does this end in death, the loser slinking away while the winner consumes the left over pieces of both shells as well as the bounty fought over. 

One thing that seems to be common among nearly all encountered Snails, is their conviction. When one gives a promise or strikes a deal, they'll follow it to the very letter and do all in their power to see it through. In turn, they expect that same dedication to ones word from those they deal with, with more leniency to the more animalistic creatures they may host within their Shell. If a promise is given to an Adamantine Snail, they expect you to follow through unless a very convincing reason is given as to why not.

Environment: Adamantine Snails can be found in near any part of the ocean world, and even on other Planes at times! They're drawn to wherever the earth spits up minerals or where the ocean smooths away obstacles to such treats. Most often you'll find them near volcanic vents, deep sea wreckages, or the remnants of ancient cities abandoned by their previous occupants. 

Biology: Similar to their Flail Snail cousins who reside primarily on the Elemental Plane of Earth, the Adamantine Snails covet and consume rare minerals-Adamantine chief among them of course. Like their smaller brethren, they take these minerals into themselves to create their intricate shells upon their backs which grow and change with them. Unlike their Earth bound Brethren, their life cycle is more akin to the common sea snail or slug, where the Snails must reproduce biologically rather than manifesting new Snails completely out of raw, primordial Earth the way Flail Snails have semi adapted to doing. Thus this makes them more in danger of poaching and potential extinction despite their hermaphroditic nature. An egg takes a year and a half to gestate within a pregnant Snail alongside the rest of the clutch, and another five before it may hatch. Baby Adamantine Snails are incredibly vulnerable at this point, and often latch onto their parents shell to feed off of the Adamantine within until they're large and strong enough to survive on the sea bottom by themselves. This takes approximately twenty five years, where they then leave to begin their lives as adolescents sniffing about for smaller veins that the larger Snails leave behind or ignore in favor of larger bounty. It takes another forty years for an Adolescent to mature into a Juvenile, which can begin to host small groups of creatures in its Shell and start moving towards richer fields so to speak. Approximately one hundred and twenty five years later is when they reach full maturity, though Adamantine Snails never cease to grow for as long as they live. The average life span of Snail is unknown, as the Snails themselves don't keep count normally. While one could count the whirls on their shells to measure the passage of time, many tell inaccurate numbers due to territory disputes, poaching or permitted mining of their Shells damaging the whirls.

Combat: It is important to note the known dangers of facing these imposing creatures. Like the common sea slug, the instrument with which they use to mate is also a deadly weapon. Within their bodies is a 'dart pouch' where harpoon like needles of adamantine or an alloy of the same are stored to be loaded with a special made toxin upon use. Using a proboscis, it launches this deadly weapon at extreme speeds at enemies close to it, impaling them with the sharp, refined metal while the poison does it's work. It's maw is no small obstacle either, as adult Snails can use their eye stalks as pseudopods to capture and stuff even Huge creatures down their gullet. Not that they enjoy doing so thankfully, but heavily armored opponents may be a tempting target.

Usually an Adamantine Snail will avoid combat with other species thankfully. However...if pushed into a corner, they will use their considerable presence to end the threat, aided most often by the creatures they allow to dwell within their shell. 

Perhaps the most important thing to remember about the dangers of these creatures, is that they almost never fight alone.