Quori, Tsucora

A massive serpentine form writhes toward you, bearing two long pincers on the end of human-like arms, but without any other feature even remotely human. The fleshy hump where the shoulders meet the snake-like body is covered in a variety of eyes, each a different color and type. The faintest hint of nostrils are seen, but where a mouth should be, there is only a reddish, pulsing glow. Along the length of its body are six, short, stubby claws and at the end, a wicked barbed stinger that shows a faint transparency along the tip. Suddenly, your mind is assaulted by the pressure of someone yelling too loud, but your ears are left perfectly fine.

"I... know... you... can... hear... me... mortal. You... should... have... left... well... enough... alone."

Grasping at your ears in a futile attempt to shut the beast out of your mind, you look up in time to realize that one of those horrid, hundred eyes is the same clear, sparkling blue of your late wife. Now, you know exactly what had made her slit her own throat in your bed last night... and she might have had the right idea.

Despite being the most numerous and physically weakest of the true quori, tsucora are also the most likely to be encountered. Sent to the Material Plane as scouts and infiltrators, tsucora have an affinity for finding out the secrets needed to break the resolve of even the most stalwart foe. Given enough time, they will worm their way into the minds of local leaders, clergy and other positions of power; all part of the slow, unyielding expanse of the Inspired's influence.

Should a tsucora ever have to get into direct confrontation outside of a mortal host, it is almost always because its identity has been discovered. Thus, it begins with retreating into the darkest area available, hoping to break line of sight and using Inertial Armor to provide it with a +4 armor bonus to its AC. If this includes using the terrain to separate itself from its attackers, it will use Body Equilibrium to move over water or the surfaces too fragile to normally walk on. Once it has the opportunity to study its foes, the tsucora uses Psionic Scent to learn about the whole group. If possible, it will call for reinforcements, using Mindlink to contact whomever it was last controlling within the past hour. If help is not forthcoming, then it uses a combination of Far Hand to distract, Id Insinulation and Empathic Connection on the least willful opponents and its own stealth to separate a group. Only once a single target is far enough away that it could possible strike and safely full attack the following round does the tsucora come out to face the battle. After an initial strike with its pincers, it continues to full attack on one opponent using its claws and stinger to kill, while keeping its pincers ready for attacks of opportunity.

Tsucoras are cautious killers, however. If the opposition starts to surround it, it will retreat back into a place to hide. Recall Agony is only used on opponents that successfully maintain a distance, such as spellcasters, and then only when it is mostly likely to disrupt some important spellcasting. It only uses Body Adjustment when it is clear that death is imminent, at which point, it completely retreats from the fight.