The Great Snail Run
The Rock Gnomes, living entirely in the deep underground for generations, have a unique calendar, based on the movement of various species they share the caverns and tunnels with.
Twice a year, in the Flicklephor Cavern, there is a migration of the giant Geodeic Snails, who head north back to their breeding grounds, where the underground pools they lay their eggs in are warmed by shafts of sunlight filtering down. They head back south after their young have hatched and fully grown after 6 months.
As the long convoy of snails pass through the tunnels and caverns of the Flicklephor Gnomes, it is a festival time. Young gnomes bravely run allongside the snails, attempting to impress each other by jumping on to the gem encrusted shells of the giant creatures to ride them.
Elders gather the children and tell tales of daring and adventure or try to scare the youungsters with the scary stories of the World Forest above.
Food and drink flow freely for several days until the last of the snails have left.
History
The tradtion began some 400 years ago when the settlement in the FIcklephor Caverns and they found this migration of snails a convinent way to mark the time passing. It was gradually grown to become a twice-yearly festival, a chance for the Rock Gnomes to let themselves embrace their less serious side.
Participants
Everyone in the village takes part, from preparing the feasts to running with the snails.
The young Gnome who managed to mount the biggest, fastest snail of the festival is crowned as The Great Tronkus, after a Rock Gnome hero who is said to have followed the snails and found the safety of the Flicklephor Caverns and founded the town there.
The eldest Gnome of the town has the honour of "Shooing the Snails", and will follow at the end of the caravan of snails on the last day of the festival, urging them along to their destination.
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