Snail Beach [50x40] + Animated Tokens + Illustration (Patreon)

Hi everyone! Today we bring another pack of content. More sand! It's the Snail Beach Battlemap and the Snailfolk Creatures known as Valvarin. It includes a beautiful illustration of an adult and a young Valvarin together on the beach, and an animated token of each of them.

The Valvarins

Valvarins are intelligent creatures who use their shells as homes, decorating them in the inside. They are considered semi-slugs, that means that they have a shell, but it's not attached to the body and can get out of it. But never call them slugs, they are very proud of their shells! Each lives in their own shell, as privacy is sacred to them. It's considered a great dishonor for anyone to enter another's shell. If this happens, you can't use your shell again and must find a new one, often leading to death. And without a shell, you're exiled from the community.

These creatures need to be near water to absorb calcium for shell growth and repair. Valvarins slowly but steadily travel along coasts all their life, always moving in family groups. They stick near coastal areas where vegetation is abundant, which they use as food.

Each Valvarin family has unique shell patterns, determined by genetics. They're born with a "protoconch" shell. As they grow, the "mantle" (the opening of the shell) forms new shell layers. New shell is always growing around old shell. Hence the spiral shape of the shells. Shell growth varies with diet and other factors. Larger shells indicate a good life and longevity, which is something Valvarins are proud of. The patterns show the history of that snail, and stages of their lives where they were stressed, had a lack of food or the shell broke. Similar to the rings of a tree trunk. Their shells are extremely hard and nearly impenetrable.

Valvarin can leave their shells, but it's very risky and they rarely do that, mostly for food gathering or to gather with other Valvarin near the "neighborhood". As they age, their shells become heavier and harder to move.

Younger Valvarin carry their shell in their tail or back until it's too big to carry. At that point, they start decorating the inside of their shell, which will be their home for life.

Note: Most of what's written here is based in true facts about snails. And yeah, "protoconch" exists. The Latin term "valva" referred to room doors or double door leaves. Over time, it was used for any structure opening and closing like a door. Bivalve shells are an example. Snails, with their single shells, were called "univalva."


That's it. Enjoy!

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