Sea snail

Sea snails were a variety of small marine mollusks, distinct from land snails.

Description
Sea snails often sported shells, the most common being known as conches. Some species were bioluminescent.

Species

 * Hunting knight snails: Otherwise known as rock snails, were a variety of predatory sea snails often hunted for the purpose of dye making.
 * Icebound Whelk: A species of magically altered sea snail that emerged in the Sea of Moving Ice in the late-15 century DR. They made their home in shells heavily encrusted in permafrost created by the Ring of Winter.
 * Northern Whelk: A species of large-shelled sea snails common in the shallow waters of the North, such as the Sea of Moving Ice. Whenever undamaged shells were found washed up on the shore they were popular novelties, as their shape could sometimes create the effect of "hearing the ocean" when held to one's ear.

Habitats
Sea snails could be found all across the seas of Toril. This included the Sea of Fallen Stars, the Sea of Moving Ice, and the Trackless Sea.

Usages
Hunting knight snails were often hunted as their secretions produced an enduring purple dye when exposed to sunlight, known as Oldblood.

In the Sea of Fallen Stars, the merfolk of Eadraal used the secretions of sea snails in a manner equivalent to mortar when constructing their homes.

Trivia
Whelks were the namesake of the House of Whelk, a Ravenian mercantile house, and they had a white whelk shell as their symbol.

Background
Halystina umberlee, a real species of sea snail, was named after the Faerûnian goddess Umberlee.

Appearances

 * Adventures
 * Storm King's Thunder
 * Video Games