Fantasy NPC: Thistles, The Obnoxious Gardener

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Thistles, The Obnoxious Gardener

A grotesquely squat and scruffy dwarf, bald and beardless, aside of very thick and messy red sideburns. He wears a dirty work suit and handles a big sickle with surprising grace.

CR 5; 1,600 XP

LE Small Outsider (devil, evil, lawful)

Init +2; Senses darkvision 60 ft., see in darkness; Perception +13

Defense
AC 18, touch 13, flat-footed 16 (+2 Dex, +5 natural, +1 size)
hp 59 (7d10+21); regeneration 5 (disintegration and other effects that destroy the body)
Fort +8, Ref +4, Will +8

Defensive Abilities anchored; DR 10/good or silver and magic; Immune fire, poison; Resist acid 10, cold 10

Offense
Speed 20 ft., burrow 20 ft.

Melee oversized sickle +10/+10/+5 (1d6+2)

Special Attacks favored enemy (animals +2, plants +4), sickle-work

Spell-Like Abilities (CL 7th, concentration +6)

At Will—create water, detect animals and plants, diminish plants, plant growth, spike growth (DC 12)

Statistics
Str 14, Dex 14, Con 16, Int 13, Wis 17, Cha 9

Base Atk +7; CMB +8; CMD 20
Feats Combat Reflexes, Nimble Moves, Power Attack, Skill Focus (Profession [gardening])

Skills Knowledge (dungeoneering) +11, Knowledge (local) +11, Knowledge (nature) +11, Knowledge (planes) +10, Perception +13, Profession (gardening) +16, Stealth +16

Language Common, Infernal, Sylvan, Terran; telepathy 100 ft.

Anchored (Ex) Thistles is bound by magical contract to serve as gardener for Milliam Mossveil until the latter's soul descends (in duly legitimate conditions as listed in the contract) to hell. Until that very unlikely moment, Thistles treats the garden as his native environment and can't be banished. If his body is destroyed, it will grow back up within 2d12 hours. If he leaves or is forcibly taken from the garden he returns back within 2d12 hours as if using word of recall. As his services are exclusive, he can't be called or contracted until the contract with Milliam Mossveil is legitimately ended.

Sickle-Work (Ex) Thistles is deadly with sickles—he can wield sickle suitable for Medium creature without penalties, and can make one additional melee attack at the highest Base Attack Bonus when he makes a full attack. He always keeps one at hand.

Thistles is a devil bound by a contract to serve as a master gardener for one Milliam Mossveil. That seemed as a simple task at first, just sit there, do you job for a few dozen years in relaxing, if boring circumstances, and be back home soon. Until that naive spineless pushover got himself turned into a vampire. That seriously messed up the contract! Now Milliam won't die naturally—which would release his soul for its destined place in the hell and finalize the contract—and Thistles is forbidden from helping him to the other side, or even aiding others dispose of Milliam, under the pain of dissolution.

After many years of servitude, Thistles is jaded, obnoxious, and rude, wisecracking at his employer, visitors, and intruders alike. What could his boss do to discipline him anyway? He can't fire or send him away after all. Despite his off-putting attitude, he remains superb gardener, priding himself on quality of his work. He won't admit it under any circumstances, but he actually enjoys his job, finding its peaceful serenity a pleasant change of peace from the frantic struggles of lower tier devils in the depths of Hell.

In his spare time he started reading workers literature and at the same time he is contemptuous of and interested in certain labor movement ideas.