Planar Bestiary
Qoreth-shemkur, a colossal, singular being of awesome power, arose in ancient days beside the primordials, but apart from them. An ocean-loving entity of water and fire (elements normally opposed to each other), Qoreth-shemkur introduced convoluted mechanisms driven by steam to individuals across Material Plane worlds. Alien, unknowable considerations motivate them, not the well-being of the cults that nevertheless sprang up in their wake. For them, Qoreth-shemkur has only contempt. But they feel far more strongly about undead, against which Qoreth-shemkur developed a special animosity, especially for a primordial called the Tomb of Winter.
Primordials are elder beings of fantastic elemental power, but which are mostly inactive or imprisoned.
Motive: Mysterious; destroy undead
Environment: The Plane of Water, oceans and coastal areas of Material Plane worlds, usually alone
Health: 100
Damage Inflicted: Major wound (15 points)
Armor: 5
Movement: Short; long when flying; long when swimming
Modifications: Speed defense as level 7 due to colossal size; Intellect defense as level 12
Combat: Qoreth-shemkur attacks twice per round with their tentacles; each can reach a short distance because of the entity's titanic size. If hit, a victim takes damage and is grabbed until they can escape with a successful Might task as their action. All a grabbed victim's physical tasks are hindered, and each round on their turn, they automatically take 10 points of damage from constriction (and 5 points of damage from extreme heat if Qoreth-shemkur is angry with them).
Qoreth-shemkur can exhale superheated steam once every few rounds. Each creature in an adjacent area a long distance in diameter that fails a Speed defense task takes 15 points of damage from extreme heat and is blinded on their next turn, or 5 points of damage even on a successful defense task (but they're not blinded).
If killed, Qoreth-shemkur completely regenerates within about a month from any surviving segment of any of their tentacles, coming fully back into being all at once. Usually, Qoreth-shemkur keeps a few previously-shed and preserved tentacles in one of several workshops secretly established elsewhere in the multiverse.
Qoreth-shemkur is immune to fire and poison attacks, but vulnerable to necrotic attacks, taking an additional moderate wound (5 points) any time they suffer damage from necrotic energy.
Interaction: Qoreth-shemkur speaks in the ancient tongue of elder elementals (Primordial) and telepathically. Getting them even to acknowledge a lesser being's presence, however, is a feat. They may pause a mysterious task, destructive activity, or meditation to listen if someone promises an opportunity to destroy many undead.
Use: An inventor of strange machines wants protectors and facilitators on a dangerous trip to a deep ocean vent where they believe a "god of machines" waits, ready to reward anyone bold enough to find them with knowledge of new varieties of machines powered by fire and water.
Loot: Qoreth-shemkur has created various vast workshops over the millennia. In these colossal spaces, clockwork automatons powered by steam can sometimes be found, including a few mechanical soldiers that might briefly serve someone who powers them up.
Qoreth-shemkur's attacks deal double the normal damage against undead targets.
GM Intrusion: Immediately after a character attacks, Qoreth-shemkur attacks again with a tentacle, even though it's not their turn.
GM Intrusion: Generating an ablative layer of superheated steam as a reaction, Qoreth-shemkur gains +10 to Armor against one attack.