I must say that animals are quite the architects sometimes. I feel like it doesn't get acknowledged enough. Us sapient species like to pretend that we are the only ones who do it, that no simple creature could ever achieve such a thing. But look at the intricate nests of birds, the incredible spires of the Mountain Makers and the gorgeous weaving of spiders! How can we pretend these are inferior? Each are so beautiful in their own right, and impressive in their design and complexities! I would say that there are many animals out there that earn the title of "builder" and "architect." In the case of the Mason Maw Carcolh, it is right in the name!
Mason Maw Carcolhs are certainly a member of the Carcolh family, being large shelled mollusks who are known for their impressive size, appetite and adaptations. The Mason Maw is one that shares a similar range with the regular Lou Carcolh, though they tend for rockier areas, but there is no way you would ever get the two confused! First off is that blazing orange color they have! Quite gorgeous and eye catching! Then comes their shell, or what stands in place of their shell. Mason Maws do have shells like the majority of their family, but you rarely ever see them because they are always buried beneath these odd stone constructions. In fact, a whole lot of the Mason Maw is covered in these rocky plates and growths! What's the deal? Do they carve stone and wear it like armor? Not really! The secret behind these structures can be found with the Mason Maws.....well....maw.
These carcolhs have a noticeable pouch formed around their radula, and here the snail produces copious amounts of a gray sticky substance. This paste-like gunk is referred to as "mortar," and the carcolh fills this pouch with as much as it can carry! Maybe that should tell you about the origins of their name, eh? Obviously, though, mortar in the mouth doesn't explain how they have all this stuff on their shell and back. To figure out how that happens, just look to their oral tendrils. Unlike the Lou Carcolh, these aren't nearly as hairy or sticky, and they have special structures on their ends. Any builder or mason would recognize these shapes in an instant! They are the tools the carcolh uses to scoop mortar out of its mouth and spread it onto whatever surface it wants, be it the earth or its own body! Once the mortar is removed from its moist radula pouch, it will begin to dry and harden at a rapid rate. It can turn rock-like in only a few minutes, which means the Mason Maw must work fast! But once it does finish drying out, it can be just as tough as stone! Quite useful, and for a variety of reasons!
Just like its other brethren, the Mason Maw likes to take its prey by surprise. At the speed these snails move, you can certainly rule out the tactic of pursuit. These ones use their stony exterior to blend in with surrounding rocks and landscape, remaining perfectly still as it waits for food. How it catches prey can vary depending on the situation. In most cases, the Mason Maw vomits out a whole bunch of mortar onto its victim when they get close, and the paste sticks fast to fur and hide. The weight and stickiness alone can slow food down enough for the tendrils to grab hold and reel them in. Even if they run, it won't take long for the stuck on mortar to harden. Victims will find themselves slowly petrifying, as their limbs get locked up from the hardening mortar and the weight becomes too much to carry. In minutes, they will be rendered a partial statue, trapped in this stony cocoon as the Mason Maw slowly follows their trail. I can't imagine how terrifying it would be, being stuck in these stone shoes as you watch your painful demise creep towards you inch by inch.
In other cases, the Mason Maw may set a trap. They can either find a shallow hole in the environment or dig one out with their tendrils. Whichever is the case, they then fill the hole with mortar til it is almost level with the rest of the earth. They will then apply a special mucus coating to this pit of gunk, which forms a layer that prevents it from hardening too fast. This mucus is used on their body in places they don't want the mortar to form, that way they don't get bogged down or trap their own movements. The Mason Maw may cover this layered puddle with loose vegetation or dirt, or they may leave it as is. With the mucus layer on top, it gives the reflective look of a pool of water. They then wait, and hope that prey trundles by and steps on this spot. When they do, their limbs will punch right through the disguise and moistening mucus, and straight into the sticky mortar. They will suddenly find themselves in a makeshift tar pit, struggling to get free. This is usually enough for the carcolh to slink out of its hiding place and take them down. No matter how you are caught, death by shredding against their razor toothed radula is certain.
This mortar sure is handy for making traps and catching prey, but what else can it do? Just look to its shell and see the answer! It is great for defense, creating stone hard plates and rocky armor. The Mason Maw layers its back with mortar to create this intricate armor, which protects it from predators. This prevents the Mason Maw from retracting into its shell, but it seems to work just as good! And speaking of shell, that impressive mass of sculpted mortar is their masterpiece! All Mason Maws use their mortar and tendrils to build upon their shells and create unique pieces of art! While it certainly works great for defense, it is also believed to show off strength, health and win over mates! I have to imagine there is a bit of pride in it too! While they certainly use mortar for the majority of their construction, they also like to add extra bits to it. Shiny rocks, leftovers from prey, random pieces of pretty junk, and even old armor and weapons! Infamous Mason Maws tend to have the armor and blades of knights and slayers built into their shell spires, carried like trophies of previous battles.
Some stories claim that the Mason Maw may trap live prey within these constructs as well! It seems improbable, but they do have paralytic venom and the mortar cures pretty quick. It is probably a rare scenario, but certainly a horrifying one! Imagine being carried around like a piece of jewelry, waiting to be freed by either heroes or death! Pretty freaky! Mason Maws work on these shell sculptures their entire lives, always adding to it or repairing it when needed. In some cases, the carcolh may be so old and intent on making its sculpture bigger that it can trap itself under its own weight! Making a shell too heavy to even carry! If this happens, the carcolh is kind of doomed unless something breaks enough chunks off to lighten the load, or if enough prey is dumb enough to walk right in front of the trapped snail.
Now you may be wondering what society thinks of these strange snails and their intricate sculptures. They are still flesh eating mollusks who won't hesitate to go after any meat in front of them, but do these ones differ in any way? Why yes they do! In fact, humans worship these incredible snails! Take another look at that shell and the mortar creations. Look familiar? Why, it looks like a castle! And humans build castles too! You seeing the link here? Indeed, humanity learned all they know about masonry and rock stacking from these incredible snails, whose unique adaptations ignited a whole new era for humanity. They saw the wondrous mortar and witnessed its use in building great spires and binding one rock to another. From there they were inspired, and they wound up creating the very castles and walls you see to this very day! Why, it is hard to imagine what would have happened to man if they never met a Mason Maw! Would they have ever stumbled upon the secret technique of sticking two bricks together? Well, I think....that I am totally messing with you.
No, humans did not learn how to build stone structures from Mason Maws, I was just being a goof. It is mainly because I keep reading about stuff where some people love to attribute great creations to anyone and anything save for the people who actually made them. They love their fantastical ideas of knowledge from the gods or secret magics lost to time, all while the folk that put in the time and effort to actually construct these things get ignored. Kind of awful, if you ask me. So that is why I did the whole "humans couldn't have possibly built castles on their own thing." Wait, should I be explaining the joke? Probably not, but it wasn't the greatest one to begin with...
So what do people actually think of Mason Maws? They think they are impressive and intriguing when they are a good distance away and not ambushing travelers or livestock. Their shells are admired for their incredible structure and arrangement of random pieces, to the point where empty ones are displayed like art. Some folk even hunt Mason Maws to get the goods that are buried inside all that hardened mortar. I recall a tale where a jewel thief was escaping the law with a whole sack full of goodies when they fell into a Mason Maw trap and were devoured. The stolen stash was then added to the snail's personal artwork, suddenly making it priceless! A whole number of slayers, knights and folk eager for lots of money went running after that unwary snail! The poor thing! It was probably so confused why it was suddenly the most "popular" carcolh around! Sadly, I don't think these people came to admire its craftsmanship!
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Hey, since its August, that means its Smaugust! So that means I am going to aim to be posting dragons! So here's one! Another snail dragon! Though it isn't exactly called that. And yes carcolhs aren't dragons. Certainly not True Dragons! Look do you want the snail or not?!
