Clam

Clams were a common type of mollusk found across Faerûn from the Sword Coast North to the Unapproachable East.

Description
Clams were simple marine creatures. Like most mollusks, they had soft bodies protected by hard shells. They were a source of pearls.

Some clams could grow to monstrous proportions, becoming giant clams.

Uses
Clams were a staple food in places such as Calaunt in The Vast, Yeshpek in the Land of the Lions, Skullport beneath Waterdeep, Urbryur in Altumbel, Port Kir in Tethyr, and the Dusk Port of Tarsith. They were also commonly eaten across much of western and central Faerûn in places like Baldur's Gate, Cormyr, Daggerford, Elturel, Luskan, Neverwinter, Ravens Bluff,  Scornubel, Tulmene, and Ten Towns. Clams were thus also an important trade good in locations where they could be harvested readily. They were a major export out of Yeshpek, Port Kir, and Dawngleam, and their sale was heavily regulated in Raven's Bluff such that they (along with several other forms of seafood) could not be sold within the city unless the transaction involved a member of the Fishmonger Association.

Aquatic races used live clams kept in mesh bags as convenient rations. Clamshells were sometimes used by the undersea peoples of Serôs to store potions and medicines.

Ecology
Clams were filter-feeders. In the presence of plentiful food, they could grow enormous.

Habitats
Clams were common in the mud or sand of beaches, seabeds, and rivers across Abeir and Toril. Freshwater clams could be found in the rivers of the Sword Coast and Heartlands  and were plentiful in the deltas of the River Esmur in Laerakond, the River Specie in Tethyr, the Starwater River in Cormyr, and the River Vesper in the Eastern Heartlands. Saltwater clams could be found in the Sea of Swords, the Sea of Fallen Stars,  Firedrake Bay, the Dragonmere, and in abundance in the western reaches of the Lake of Steam. Some clams also dwelt in less hospitable environments, such as the Underdark (for example, at the mouth of the River Sargauth at Skullport), at the bottom of the deep sea, and in frigid Icewind Dale, where the shores of Lac Dinneshere were home to so-called "cold clams." Clams could further be found outside the Material Plane, such as in the Elemental Plane of Water, at locations like the Citadel of Ten Thousand Pearls, and in the depths of Ossa, the oceanic second layer of Arborea.

Clams were sometimes viewed as a nuisance by undersea races, who had to clear them from their buildings and construction sites.

Predators
Among many other kinds of seafood, clams were a favorite meal of deep dragons. Clams were natural prey of animals such as starfish and feeblestars&mdash;who used their limbs to break open clams' hard shells &mdash;as well as certain types of fish and octopuses. Vodyanoi were able to bite straight through a clam's shell to eat them.

Of course, humanoids also ate clams, including most aquatic races. Some rangers were skilled at finding them along coastlines, and clam diggers hunted for them in waterside mud. Slithermorphs were known to cultivate "herds" of clams, while sahuagin would plant them and other mollusks much like crops. Freshwater clams were farmed by the lizardfolk that dwelt in an unnamed swamp on the island of Raerest off the coast of Candlekeep.

History
Brymmyn Thorl, a magister who lived during the 3 century DR, was fond of killing his foes by polymorphing them into clams and leaving them to helplessly suffocate outside of water.

In the late 1360s DR, massive clam beds were constructed off the coast of Dawngleam by a joint venture among the merfolk of the Dragonmere and the humans of Cormyr as part of Dawngleam’s rapid expansion into an economic center.

As of the mid-to-late 14 century DR, clams were sold at the Flying Fish market in Daggerford and Gelgur's Feast of Plenty south of Neverwinter. They were also considered specialties of several taverns and restaurants across Faerûn. In Baldur's Gate, clams were served in heaping piles at the Blushing Mermaid. In Hultail, clams were served roasted alongside other seafood at the Plate of Eels. In Raven's Bluff, clam chowder was served at the Painted Boat Restaurant, sauced clams were roasted at Lonster's stall in the Harbor District, and raw clams (unless otherwise specified) were served in the underwater restaurant of Sharkey's Bar and Grill. In Elturel, salted freshwater clams were served at A Pair of Black Antlers while saltwater clams imported up the River Chionthar were made into stew at Gallowgar's Inn. In Luskan, clams were stir-fried with spices at the Cutlass. In Marsember, clam juices were a secret ingredient in a signature stew at the Platter of Plenty. In Scornubel, clams were fried in butter at the Far Anchor. In Tulmene, they were baked into tarts at the Fast Sails.

Appearances

 * Adventures
 * Wyrmskull Throne &bull; Legacy of the Crystal Shard
 * Novels
 * Honor Among Thieves: The Road to Neverwinter
 * Honor Among Thieves: The Road to Neverwinter