Flail Snail Ranch Escape

Intro

The adventurer’s guild that the players all work for has been contacted by Euric Silverlake; flail snail rancher and supplier of high-quality magical slime. He’s managed to anger a warlock and has had his ranch cursed in return.

Flail snails are hard to farm, but well worth it for those that can. The magical properties inherent in their slime means it's in high demand. Performing this job well will result in a big payment, and possibly access to some rare materials.

Luckily it’s the type of curse with an end condition, but the only information you’ve been able to get is the phrase “when everything is back to normal then everything will be back to normal.” So, while another team are off hunting down the warlock and making him face justice you’re off to the ranch to see what can be done to fix things.

As you draw near the ranch you spot the snail before it’s owner, it’s not hard, the snail is three times Euric’s (admittedly small) height, and it draws even taller as you approach; its flails waving menacingly and the rainbow patterns on its shell swirling like oil in water.

Behind Euric there’s a sign saying Silverlake Ranch, a small house, and Nothing. Not an empty field, or a pit, but nothing, something isn’t there in a way that makes your eyes itch to look at it.

It’s fairly obviously some kind of pocket dimension, and there doesn’t seem to be a way to fix it from the outside. There’s no real sensation when passing through, one moment there is nothing, and then there’s a ranch.

Stepping through the Nothing puts you on a dirt path in the centre of the ranch. In front there’s a a fenced off corral, leading into a large barn. Behind the barn there is a tall water-pumping windmill. To the left there’s a small ploughed field, with what looks like a shed next to it. To the right there’s another building, but it’s not obvious what this one is from the outside.

Once the players enter this building they will find out it is an office.

Everywhere else is the same Nothing, stepping into it will result in ending up by the entrance to the ranch.

Euric Silverlake

Halfling Flail Snail Rancher

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Euric is the owner of the cursed ranch and the one who contacted the adventurer's guild. He cares deeply for the snails he farms and is worried about recovering them. He's a very modern halfling, using a lot of magitech in both work and general life.

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He is at the centre of the curse, but unfortunately doesn't know much about magic outside of what's neccessary to care for flail snails and process the magical slime they produce. He isn't able to pass through the barrier around his ranch himself.

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His workers were able to stick their arms through, but none have gone through fully, Euric wanting to wait for the professionals and not risk anyone getting hurt, it's a small operation and everyone on the ranch is irreplacable both in skill and friendship.

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Euric is dating a fellow flail snail rancher called Angie Plumhollow. They've been together for years and are considering officially going into business together and merging their ranches.

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The large snail with him is Preston, he was bred a few months ago to one of Angie's snails Shelly. His eggs hatched recently and this is the first time he's been apart from his clutch, making Euric even more anxious.

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Euric has a contract with the alchemists guild and has worked with them for years. The reason he argued with the warlock is that the warlock has been blacklisted by the guild for unethical experiments, so Euric refused to sell to him.

Basic escape room ettiquete applies, so if the PCs attempt to break down doors, pick locks, etc it doesn’t work. They’ll have to follow the rules of the curse while they’re in here. They also shouldn't injure any snails, which are both valuable and well-loved.

The Corral

The corral is a large patch of dirt where the snails spend their time outdoors. There’s a gate in the fence on one end, and a large set of doors into the barn on the other. Most of the fence is made up of wooden posts, but there are also ten smooth marble cylinders, with a rune carved into the top of each.

Due the small height of the fence it's obvious that magic must be what’s keeping the snails contained. If players walk in they will realise it’s also keeping the area damp.

In the middle of the corral there’s a flail snail currently completely hidden in its shell. The only signs of life are the swirling orange patterns clearly showing its displeasure.

Rune Posts

The posts are roughly the same size as the fence posts but made of shiny marble and softly humming with magic. If you touch one it glows blue for a few minutes before flashing red and returning to not glowing.

Rune Layout

If the fence is examined closer, the players will see that some of the wooden posts have carvings in them. Looking from the outside they can see;

Solution:

The carvings line up with which order to press the runes in. Post 3 has an R and a left pointing arrow, so the mushroom like rune is an R. There are many words that can be made, but this fence is an artificer's work, and so the word needed is RESET. Be sure to get the Es in the right order! This code can be used on the fence, but won't have an effect unless used on the waterpump.

Correct Rune Sequence

Once the correct sequence is pressed all the posts glow a bright white light before all evidence of magic vanishes. There’s a few seconds of silence before the posts hum back to life, no different to how they were before. The fence is already working correctly after all.

If an incorrect sequence is pressed there is a brief flash of red light but no other changes.

The Barn

By the doors to the barn there’s a panel held closed with a four-digit combination lock. The doors themselves open easily though. There’s also a blue-shelled flail snail crawling slowly along the walls of the barn.

Depending on the order things are done in the barn can be in multiple states.

Nothing has been fixed

The inside of the barn is boiling hot and incredibly dry, not suitable for the snails to spend any time inside.

Only the temperature controls have been fixed

The barn is a comfortable temperature now, though more needs to be done to get it ready for the snails.

Only the water pump has been fixed

Between the heat and the steam the barn feels like a sauna.

Everything has been fixed

The barn feels perfect now, cool and damp, just the place for a family of flail snails.

Inside the Barn

Inside the barn is a set of pens, a large one at the back with the name ‘Preston’ written on the doors, and three smaller ones along each wall with the names ‘Claude’, ‘Bolt’, ‘Diva’, ‘Ellie’, Ray’, and ‘Wally’ on their doors. The pens are otherwise identical.

There is nothing hidden in the pens, searching will reveal just mulch for the snails to sleep on. Outside of the pens there are some empty feed bags, if examined there are traces of crystals inside.

The Windmill Water Pump

The water pump is a tall tower with a windmill at the top, which right now isn't spinning. The cause is obvious; thick green slime is gumming up the spokes. The likely culprit is dangling on a strand of slime.

There are pipes leading from the base of the pump to the barn but nothing seems to be flowing through them.

The snail can be picked up easily enough, but it’s a slimy one and easily wriggles away and heads back towards the corral by itself.

With the snail gone the windmill water pump can be examined, most of it is made of wood, solid and sturdy. Part of it, at roughly halfling head height, is made of marble though, with runes carved into it that run all the way around the pole. If laid out they look like this;

If the runes are touched they will glow blue briefly before flashing red and returning to not glowing, unless the runes are pressed in the correct order to RESET the water pump.

If the pump is reset, a white glow starts from the runes before spreading across the entire pump. As it hits the slime the entire structure vibrates wildly for a few seconds before the slime dissolves into thin air. The glow ramps in intensity until it's too bright to look at, before suddenly vanishing, leaving behind a fully functioning windmill. The pipes gurgle as water begins flowing along them and into the barn.

The Field

There are two snails here, one red-shelled, one yellow. They’re snuffling around in the dirt, and seem to be looking for something. When approached the red-shelled one will come up and investigate before leaving unless offered food.

If the field is examined a piece of paper can be found;

Solution:

The poster inside the shed can be used to crack this cipher. Once translated the note says "agate, onyx, ruby, mix and fertilise" If these gems are planted and fertalised the crystals spring up in seconds. They’re reddish-brown with black streaks and the snails instantly show an interest, both of them come over to chew on the rocks. The crystals break off easily and the snails will follow anyone with them.

The Shed

There is a table with several pots, each filled with gemstones, their names printed on the outside.

Propped against the wall is a large bag of fertiliser with neat cartoon images printed on it of someone tossing stones into a field, sprinkling the fertiliser on the field, and giving a thumbs-up as crystals sprout from the ground.

There is a poster on the wall, it has several beautiful illustrations of bouquets, with the flower names written underneath.

Solution:

The note has been encrypted using what's known in our world as a Caeser Cipher. Each letter is swapped with another. In this case the first letters of each pair of flowers have been swapped, and so the note can be translated using the poster. There are two poster handouts, one in alphabetical order and one not, adjust the difficulty as you see fit.

The Office

There’s a large desk with papers on it, a filing cabinet, and some bookshelves. A snail is sat in the middle of the room chewing on some papers. Its flails wiggle happily; its purple shell currently still and placid. The snail is quite happy to be approached, but if anyone tries taking the paper its shell swirls menacingly and its flails draw back. It will not do any serious harm, but will smack hands away if needed.

The books on the bookshelves are varied but all on the themes of magic, farming, or magical farming. They’re all very dull, and there's a conspicuous gap on one shelf where the book from inside the temperature control panel can be placed if it has been found.

The Desk

On the desk there’s a few framed photos, one of a newspaper clipping with a photo showing a group of halflings standing by flail snails with rosettes stuck to their shells, one of a female halfling with a flail snail, and one of an elderly halfling couple that must be Euric’s parents judging by the family resemblance.

The newspaper clipping shows three snails, each with a halfling standing next to them. The snail with the number 2 rosette on its shell is the one you met outside, and sure enough a younger-looking Euric is standing next to it. The text under the photo identifies them as Euric Silverlake, with runner-up Prestidigitation Silverlake-Goodberry.

The woman standing next to the winning snail as the same one in the photo next to the clipping, the text say she’s Angela Plumhollow, with best-in-show Sheldrake Plumhollow-Razzmatazz.

Solution:

If players check for a date on the newspaper clipping they will find that the Flail Snail Breeding Association Show where Euric first met Angie took place on the 15th day of the 3rd month. There is a padlock on the panel next to the barn and Euric talks of that date being forever on his mind in his half-written proposal, making the combination 1503.