Shimmerglass
Shimmerglass is the hardened form of flail snail mucus and a material used in alchemy, enchantment, and other arcane industries.
Flail snails produce shimmerglass first as shimmersoap, a hydrating mucus used for locomotion similar to other land molluscs. This shimmersoap is then transformed into one of two kinds of shimmerglass depending on the gland which secretes it.
On the snail's mantle, the mucus forms the aperture of the snail's vibrant conical shell. Shimmerglass formed into a shell is referred to as shell shimmerglass and has a higher concentration of elemental energy stored within it. Flail snail shells are able to absorb, diffuse, and refract arcane energy in the same way that a prism does with light. This allows the snail to withstand magical attacks as well as redirect them, either as raw destructive magic or as a defensive burst of scintillating colored light.
Mucus secreted on the flail snail's muscular foot is used for locomotion. This mucus has a much lower concentration of elemental energy and is also mixed with waste generated after the snail consumes silica-based food such as soils or crystals. When combined with the flail snail's waste, this shimmersoap becomes common shimmerglass. Common shimmerglass appears as a thin, near-transparent residue in the wake of the flail snail and is inedible to most subterranean creatures.
Due to its faint magical composition, common shimmerglass can retain arcane enchantment without additional components, reducing the cost of enchantment. It can be heated, cut, spun, and shaped into many different shapes, thicknesses, and textures, giving it extraordinary flexibility as a building material. Because of its receptivity to enchantment and its flexible composition, shimmerglass is highly valued on the arcane market. Moreover, thanks to the difficulties involved in harvesting the substance, it remains an extremely expensive item.
Properties
Material Characteristics
In its natural state, shimmerglass appears as a thin, near-transparent residue. Its texture is smooth, adhering to the the surface of the substrate upon which the flail snail that producer has scoured with its mouth and muscular foot. It can catch the light in places, reflecting back an iridescent shimmer, hence the material's common name.
Depending on the method of refinement and the aim of the crafter, worked shimmerglass can vary in thickness, texture, transparency, and even color. Most refined shimmerglass is less opaque than when left in its natural state and its iridescent light refraction is more pronounced.
Physical & Chemical Properties
Shimmerglass has an intrinsic elemental magic imbued within its composition. Shell shimmerglass—that is shimmerglass harvested from the intact shell of a flail snail—actually absorbs and repels arcane energy, refracting it as if it were light caught by a prism.
Shell shimmerglass also magically refracts light itself when exposed to danger. A flail snail can actually cause the the shell to expel magical energy as a burst of scintillating colors to stun opponents. Both the ability to absorb and expel light and magic appear to be interlinked within the arcane chemistry of flail snail shell shimmerglass. It appears as though these traits evolved to ward off surface-dwelling predators as well as magic-wielding hunters.
Where shell shimmerglass can absorb, diffuse, and redirect magical energy, common shimmerglass has far less immediate potency. Common shimmerglass, sometimes referred to as tread shimmerglass, is inedible to flail snails and largely ignored by other subterranean creatures.
Due to its faint but intrinsic elemental energy, common shimmerglass is highly receptive to additional arcane enchantment. Additionally, the material is able to be cut, heated, shaped, and spun like true glass, giving it a great deal of flexibility as a building component. All of these things cut down on the material cost of producing an enchanted item, making the material highly sought after by mages and alchemists.
Origin & Source
Shimmerglass is a form of hardened shimmersoap, a mucus secreted from glands on the mantle and foot of the flail snail. Different forms of shimmerglass are created depending on where the gland is located on the snail. Glands located on the mantle of the animal produce shell shimmerglass as the flail snail's conical shell while glands on the animal's foot produce common shimmerglass.
Life & Expiration
Once removed from the body of a flail snail, the elemental energy stored within their shells begins to decay. This causes the shell shimmerglass to slowly lose its antimagic properties over the course of about a month. After this period, the material does retain some resistance to arcane energy but it can no longer store or reflect spells effects. Objects made from shell shimmerglass effectively become spellguard-enchanted items.
Common shimmerglass has no half life for its enchantment retention and in fact is more durable than true glass.
History & Usage
Refinement
Common shimmerglass
After a flail snail has deposited their shimmersoap and waste trail, the mixture must be left to harden into true shimmerglass This process can take anywhere from fifteen to ninety minutes depending on humidity. After it has hardened, the deposited shimmerglass can be removed from cavern floor. In industrial flail snail crofts, workers called cutters slice into the shimmerglass using extremely sharp disc blades to cut the trail into 30 centimeter squares. Sections of the trail that don’t fit the grided pattern are removed last. Upon stacking the shimmerglass squares into a wheelbarrow or dolly of some kind, the glass is transported to a smelting facility. Smelting facilities for shimmerglass are generally specialized for shimmerglass production. Here, the square panels of cut shimmerglass are first cleaned of any dirt or earthen residue that may have adhered to the surface of the glass after it was first deposited. Because common shimmerglass is created through organic processes and includes animal waste—though that waste is silica-based and thus not inherently unsterile—the deposited solution is uneven and can contain larger particulates of undigested rock or crystal. This means shimmerglass must be refined twice before it can be distributed to market. The cut shimmerglass is first melted in large furnaces above the maximum melting point of shimmerglass at about 1700 °C (3000 °F). This is to sift out and any of the undigested particulates that may have a higher melting point. Any particulates that have a lower melting point are either subsumed into the molten shimmerglass or expelled as toxic fumes. To completely drain the shimmerglass of its particulates takes about a full 24 hours. That shimmerglass is then melted a second time and spread into a larger, standardized slab-shaped mold. Furnaces used for the second melting heat the shimmerglass to its true melting point at 1600 °C (2900 °F.) This second refinement process takes far longer, as it is meant to evenly distribute all of the material within the shimmerglass as well as draw out any air bubbles trapped within its composition. Depending on the size of the mold, this process can take anywhere from one to three weeks. From here, the slab is cut into standard-sized ingots and where it can then be sent to market. At market, these bulk shipments are then bought either by alchemists who will refine the glass themselves or true glassblowers that can craft items to specific shapes using traditional methods. Shell shimmerglass
Due to the short shelf life of the flail snail shell’s antimagic properties, shell shimmerglass is sent immediately to specialized armorers. Thankfully, shell shimmerglass does not contain the same levels of foreign particulates as common shimmerglass. The shell is melted a single time into pre-created armor molds. These typically take the form of shields, as they can be made of a single piece of shimmerglass as opposed to multiple interconnected pieces. This process takes about three days from shell removal to cooling the finished shield. Additionally, antimagic shields made from shimmerglass are typically unadorned with artistic embellishments because of the need to get them to market as quickly as possible.
After a flail snail has deposited their shimmersoap and waste trail, the mixture must be left to harden into true shimmerglass This process can take anywhere from fifteen to ninety minutes depending on humidity. After it has hardened, the deposited shimmerglass can be removed from cavern floor. In industrial flail snail crofts, workers called cutters slice into the shimmerglass using extremely sharp disc blades to cut the trail into 30 centimeter squares. Sections of the trail that don’t fit the grided pattern are removed last. Upon stacking the shimmerglass squares into a wheelbarrow or dolly of some kind, the glass is transported to a smelting facility. Smelting facilities for shimmerglass are generally specialized for shimmerglass production. Here, the square panels of cut shimmerglass are first cleaned of any dirt or earthen residue that may have adhered to the surface of the glass after it was first deposited. Because common shimmerglass is created through organic processes and includes animal waste—though that waste is silica-based and thus not inherently unsterile—the deposited solution is uneven and can contain larger particulates of undigested rock or crystal. This means shimmerglass must be refined twice before it can be distributed to market. The cut shimmerglass is first melted in large furnaces above the maximum melting point of shimmerglass at about 1700 °C (3000 °F). This is to sift out and any of the undigested particulates that may have a higher melting point. Any particulates that have a lower melting point are either subsumed into the molten shimmerglass or expelled as toxic fumes. To completely drain the shimmerglass of its particulates takes about a full 24 hours. That shimmerglass is then melted a second time and spread into a larger, standardized slab-shaped mold. Furnaces used for the second melting heat the shimmerglass to its true melting point at 1600 °C (2900 °F.) This second refinement process takes far longer, as it is meant to evenly distribute all of the material within the shimmerglass as well as draw out any air bubbles trapped within its composition. Depending on the size of the mold, this process can take anywhere from one to three weeks. From here, the slab is cut into standard-sized ingots and where it can then be sent to market. At market, these bulk shipments are then bought either by alchemists who will refine the glass themselves or true glassblowers that can craft items to specific shapes using traditional methods. Shell shimmerglass
Due to the short shelf life of the flail snail shell’s antimagic properties, shell shimmerglass is sent immediately to specialized armorers. Thankfully, shell shimmerglass does not contain the same levels of foreign particulates as common shimmerglass. The shell is melted a single time into pre-created armor molds. These typically take the form of shields, as they can be made of a single piece of shimmerglass as opposed to multiple interconnected pieces. This process takes about three days from shell removal to cooling the finished shield. Additionally, antimagic shields made from shimmerglass are typically unadorned with artistic embellishments because of the need to get them to market as quickly as possible.
Manufacturing & Products
Shell shimmerglass is primarily used in the creation of specialized antimagic shell shields. However, these shields soon lose their refraction abilities, rendering them with the same properties as the valuable spellguard shields.
Common shimmerglass is used in dozens of products, many of them magical or alchemical in some fashion. These can range in rarity from driftglobes to specialized arcane items.
Hazards
Hunting & Harvesting
Since the discovery of shimmerglass's unique properties, adventurers and explorers have delved deep into Holos's damper cave networks hoping to come across a flail snail. Any underground expedition comes with its share of dangers, particularly when so many caverns contain passageways to the Underdark, the realm of cursed mortals and forgotten monsters buried beneath the Material Plane. Many dangerous predators hunt flail snails for food. Many a hunter has gone into the dark fully prepared to fell a flail snail, only to fall victim to umber hulks or the drow. Even when hunters do find their quarry, they can often be caught unprepared. Flail snails are not defenseless creatures. Their shells protect them against most magical attacks, often turning those very spells on the one who cast them. Additionally, the flail snail's signature tentacles can deal lethal blows to mortal and monster alike, all without the need for light. Finally, any duel for a flail snail requires the hunter to preserve the animal's shell. Damage to the shell before crafting can also accelerate the decay of the shimmerglass's antimagic properties, severely reducing the market value. All of these factors have contributed to the decline of flail snail hunting and the increased demand for pastured flail snail enterprises. Herding
Due to the inherent dangers in sending teams to track, hunt, and retrieve shimmerglass, many mortals have looked for ways to tame and pasture flail snails. Unlike many other monstrous creatures, flail snails do not require a great deal of high-calorie feed or complex social enrichment. While wild flail snails can be extremely dangerous to mortals, those raised in captivity or who know their caretakers are exceptionally tame and even friendly. This has allows a few communities to begin the process of domestication by gathering and herding flail snails through isolated cave systems. While far safer than hunting flail snails, snail shepherding does still have a great deal of challenges. Flail snails require a large cave system to navigate, as they cannot retread over a passageway covered in their own inedible shimmerglass. Flail snails are easily panicked by flashes of light, requiring shepherding to take place in near total darkness. And though the ideal environment for shepherding is a single-entry cave system, many burrowing or tunneling predators can make there way in from the darker reaches of the Underdark to wreak havoc upon the herd. Moreover, the extremely lucrative nature of shimmerglass means that many criminal elements or rival guilds have a vested interest in snail rustling, requiring shepherds to be on alert and armed at all times. Environmental conditions for snail shepherding are not always ideal for workers either. Shepherds must work long shifts on their feet and in near total darkness. Flail snails require a damp and humid environment, which encourages the growth of hazardous bacteria and fungi as well as poor airflow. That moisture accelerates the rot of subterranean foliage and adds to a host of awful odors, including the smell of the snails themselves. This, along with the physical dangers of stampedes, predators, rustlers, floods, and cave-ins makes snail shepherding one of the most difficult jobs in all of Holos. Refinement & Manufacturing
Even after shimmerglass has been removed from the ground, its refinement remains a hazardous endeavor. Furnaces used to heat shimmerglass must be constantly fed with fuel to reach the shimmerglass's melting point of 1600 °C (2900 °F.) Poor construction for furnaces like these can result in untimely explosions or risk fires to the entire complex. Moreover, any foreign particulates in the shimmerglass must be either removed through sifting the molten shimmerglass or or by sublimation. This sublimation produces toxic fumes that must be fully vented out of any furnace facility, otherwise they may coat the lungs of any mortal workers nearby. Mortals afflicted by these fumes often die at a higher rate of cancers and respiratory illnesses.
Since the discovery of shimmerglass's unique properties, adventurers and explorers have delved deep into Holos's damper cave networks hoping to come across a flail snail. Any underground expedition comes with its share of dangers, particularly when so many caverns contain passageways to the Underdark, the realm of cursed mortals and forgotten monsters buried beneath the Material Plane. Many dangerous predators hunt flail snails for food. Many a hunter has gone into the dark fully prepared to fell a flail snail, only to fall victim to umber hulks or the drow. Even when hunters do find their quarry, they can often be caught unprepared. Flail snails are not defenseless creatures. Their shells protect them against most magical attacks, often turning those very spells on the one who cast them. Additionally, the flail snail's signature tentacles can deal lethal blows to mortal and monster alike, all without the need for light. Finally, any duel for a flail snail requires the hunter to preserve the animal's shell. Damage to the shell before crafting can also accelerate the decay of the shimmerglass's antimagic properties, severely reducing the market value. All of these factors have contributed to the decline of flail snail hunting and the increased demand for pastured flail snail enterprises. Herding
Due to the inherent dangers in sending teams to track, hunt, and retrieve shimmerglass, many mortals have looked for ways to tame and pasture flail snails. Unlike many other monstrous creatures, flail snails do not require a great deal of high-calorie feed or complex social enrichment. While wild flail snails can be extremely dangerous to mortals, those raised in captivity or who know their caretakers are exceptionally tame and even friendly. This has allows a few communities to begin the process of domestication by gathering and herding flail snails through isolated cave systems. While far safer than hunting flail snails, snail shepherding does still have a great deal of challenges. Flail snails require a large cave system to navigate, as they cannot retread over a passageway covered in their own inedible shimmerglass. Flail snails are easily panicked by flashes of light, requiring shepherding to take place in near total darkness. And though the ideal environment for shepherding is a single-entry cave system, many burrowing or tunneling predators can make there way in from the darker reaches of the Underdark to wreak havoc upon the herd. Moreover, the extremely lucrative nature of shimmerglass means that many criminal elements or rival guilds have a vested interest in snail rustling, requiring shepherds to be on alert and armed at all times. Environmental conditions for snail shepherding are not always ideal for workers either. Shepherds must work long shifts on their feet and in near total darkness. Flail snails require a damp and humid environment, which encourages the growth of hazardous bacteria and fungi as well as poor airflow. That moisture accelerates the rot of subterranean foliage and adds to a host of awful odors, including the smell of the snails themselves. This, along with the physical dangers of stampedes, predators, rustlers, floods, and cave-ins makes snail shepherding one of the most difficult jobs in all of Holos. Refinement & Manufacturing
Even after shimmerglass has been removed from the ground, its refinement remains a hazardous endeavor. Furnaces used to heat shimmerglass must be constantly fed with fuel to reach the shimmerglass's melting point of 1600 °C (2900 °F.) Poor construction for furnaces like these can result in untimely explosions or risk fires to the entire complex. Moreover, any foreign particulates in the shimmerglass must be either removed through sifting the molten shimmerglass or or by sublimation. This sublimation produces toxic fumes that must be fully vented out of any furnace facility, otherwise they may coat the lungs of any mortal workers nearby. Mortals afflicted by these fumes often die at a higher rate of cancers and respiratory illnesses.
Type
Biomaterial
Value
5000 gold royals per intact adult shell
Rarity
Rare
Color
Iridescent; varying degrees of transparency
Melting / Freezing Point
1600 °C (2900 °F)
Common State
Solid
Related Locations
Related Species
Related Professions
The flail snail with a shell of natural shimmerglass
Comments