Gardener

Melee RV 6

Coordination RV 20

Brawn RV 40

Fortitude RV 100

Intellect RV 50

Awareness RV 50

Willpower RV 50

Lifestyle RV 10

Repute RV 0

Health: Fortune:

166 150

Origin:

The Gardener is a twice-immortal being, due to his being one of the so-called Elders of the Universe. Furthermore, he possesses a modicum of the Power Primordial, the formative energies of the cosmos, and as such can wield it to perform various tasks related to his obsession.

Known Powers:

Immortality: one of the universe's Elders, the Gardener is an immortal being, his life force initially bolstered by an undying obsession with crafting the perfect garden. As long as he didn't lose interest in this goal, he simply could not die permanently.

Furthermore, his fellow Elder, the Grandmaster, tricked Death herself into barring Elders of the Universe from her lair. As such, even should the Gardener become bored with his efforts to craft the greatest garden in existence, his ennui will receive no relief.

The Power Primordial: like most of his fellow Elders of the Universe, the Gardener is old enough that he has accumulated some of the Power Primordial, our reality's original creative energies. He can use this Power to produce the following, Shift X (150) effects:

* Environmental Independence: tapping the Power Primordial to handle the sundry needs of a physical existence, the Gardener has done away with such base needs. Possessing this power at rank value 5000, he no longer needs to breathe, eat, or drink to sustain his life.

* Environmental Pocket: one of his most far-reaching uses of the Power Primordial, this ability lets the Gardener transform the space within Near distance into an environment conducive to plant growth, and is extremely enhanced to affect this area indefinitely.

* Invulnerability: the Power Primordial has granted the Gardener protection from a very wide array of threats. He effectively possesses complete immunity to Disease, Energy, Pressure Variance, and Poison assaults of any stripe.

* Plant Control: the Gardener's signature ability, this power allows him to bolster or stymie the growth of, induce movement within, or otherwise manipulate plant life as he sees fit. Sentient flora receives a Willpower ACT to resist this capability.

* Plant Sympathy: as an alternative to imposing his will upon plant life, the Gardener can merely communicate with it, if he so desires. Though limited by the very nature of flora in general, the Gardener is adept enough that this is rarely an issue for him.

* Telepathy: the Gardener has not done great things with this ability, mostly wielding it to communicate with others who are in the void or, as is usually the case, no longer speak his dead language. He possesses this power at rank value 2, at least.

Limitations / Enhancements:

(none)

Equipment:

the Soul Gem: for a time, the Gardener replaced his Time Gem with the Soul Gem. As was the case with his first Infinity Gem, the Gardener had no clue what this artifact was truly capable of, and thus wasted its potential. The Soul Gem is described with the other Infinity Gems.

the Time Gem: on two separate occasions, the Gardener has been the bearer of this powerful artifact. Though he barely understanded its true potential, the Gardener could use it to manipulate time to a small extent. The Time Gem is described with the rest of the Infinity Gems.

Quirks:

Mania / Monomania 3: his love for gardening is so great that the Gardener pursued it to the exclusion of all else in life - and it shows whenever you try to talk to him. He is at his Willpower -6 RS to resist talking about anything related to his chosen art in any situation.

Skills:

Astronaut: billions of years old, the Gardener has traveled the cosmos unceasingly, bringing life to world after world in his quest to create the ultimate garden. He can find his way around in space competently, though he cannot travel through it under his own power.

Biology / Botany 3: while he has little use for or knowledge regarding most animal life, the Gardener is an unparalleled expert on all manner of plants. His Intellect in such matters, no matter where a given plant originates, should be considered +3 RS in value.

Genetics: related to his unparalleled botanical knowledge, the Gardener knows a thing or two about genetics. While he specializes in plant life, he's competent enough a geneticist that he can wield such knowledge as though his Intellect was +1 RS in value.

Geology: knowing plants in and out isn't good enough when attempting to terraform the cosmos. As such, the Gardener has learned which planets are ideal locations to seed with floral life, and can resolve geological knowledge ACTs at his Intellect score +1 RS.

Contacts:

One of the Elders of the Universe, the Gardener is considered a brother of sorts to his fellow Elders, who will often come to his assistance should he but ask. This, of course, assuming that he can convince them that it would further their own, single-minded aims.

Costume:

In general, the Gardener favors long, flowing robes as his primary clothing. They're roomy and simple, after all! His garments are generally light purple in hue, often with brown or dark purple trim, and he accessorizes them with brown sandals, satchels, and a wooden walking staff.

Personality:

As his obsession with building the universe's perfect garden was so strong it extended his life span indefinitely, one can imagine that plants are all the Gardener cares about, cares to discuss, or cares to act in regards to. All else is simply irrelevant meat noise.

Real Name: Ord Zyonz
Occupation: botanist, gardener, horticulturist, occasional hero or villain, depending on one's opinion of his current activities
Legal Status: citizen of an unknown, dead world
Marital Status: (very) single
Alias(es), if any: none
Group Affiliation: Elders of the Universe

Height: 7' 1"
Hair: gray
Eyes: purple
Weight: 390 lbs.
Other Distinguishing Characteristics: the Gardener has long, flowing hair, and a robust beard and moustache.

Story:

On a world lost to antiquity, and probably devoid of life by this time, the being known as the Gardener began an ambitious crusade. Obsessed with the beauty of plant life, he wished to create the greatest display of such in all the universe, a goal which drew him far from home.

Traveling from world to world, he collected and grew magnificent flora everywhere he journeyed, spreading plant species over a wide swath of creation. So overwhemled with his passion for this work was he that the Gardener lost all track of time, for it no longer mattered.

His penchant for gardening had bolstered his very life force, in fact, to the point that he quit aging, and his continued existence no longer required food, drink, or breathable air. No, all the Gardener needed to live was to work towards his ultimate goal.

In time, the rest of his species died off or evolved into something else entirely, leaving him alone in the cosmos. But the Gardener cared not, for he had the Work, and that was all he wanted. For billions of years, he seeded countless worlds in the pursuit of it, in fact.

Slowly accumulating and dedicating a small portion of the Power Primordial to this cause, the Gardener developed numerous ascendant abilities related to his endless task. Furthermore, his efforts were bolstered upon his eventual discovery of the one and only Time Gem.

Though his understanding of this cosmic artifact was limited, the Gardener mastered enough of its might to enhance his primary garden world, namely by freezing plants in time right at their most beautiful point. But events would conspire against the Gardener soon enough.

A chance encounter with the Stranger, who also wielded one of the Infinity Gems, prompted the Gardener to discard the device. Quickly growing to regret this decision, the Gardener stole another Infinity Gem from the grave of Adam Warlock, though it just wasn't the same.

Eventually encountering several beings like himself, who informed him he was one of the Elders of the Universe, the Gardener was snookered into a plot these being had hatched to destroy the universe itself - namely, by slaying the mighty Galactus!

As the Devourer of Worlds had destroyed much of his work over the years, and with the prospect of seeding an entirely new cosmos dangled before him, the Gardener simply couldn't resist participating in this scheme. When this plan went sour, Galactus ate the Gardener!

Since he could not die, the Gardener acted with several other consumed Elders to cause Galactus digestive distress until they were released. Fleeing soon afterwards, the Gardener left with the Time Gem once more, and continued his work, at least until he was sought out by Thanos.

That Titanian Eternal knew the true nature of the Infinity Gems, you see, and wanted to put their real power to use. Unwilling to part with his prize, now that he'd come so close to building his perfect garden, the Gardener attempted to stave off the Gem's theft.

Unsuccessful, the Gardener was slain by Thanos, who killed the Elder with plant life in a fit of ironic fancy. Unable to truly die, however, since the Grandmaster had ensured that the Elders were barred from Death's door, the Gardener ultimately returned to form soon enough.

The Gardener was next seen alongside his fellow Elders when working to defeat the Contemplator's assemblage of of cross-time Deadpools, as a test of their abilities. This went south for the Gardener as does most of his non-floral endeavors, prompting him to leave them be.

Soon after, the multiverse itself was annihilated. Surprise! It bounced back soon enough, though, its recreation leaving behind a fresh cache of the Power Primordial! Drawn to it like moths to a flame, numerous Elders vied for its possession, one of which was the Gardener.

Defeated by his peers, the Gardener resumed his timeless work, at which point he was driven mad by the Lord of Lies, Loki. Rampaging against civilizations which had displaced plants on world he'd previously seeded, the Gardener became a serious menace to the cosmos.

Ultimately set straight by Groot, a sentient plant who'd previously been wronged by him, the Gardener reversed some of the damage he had caused, and departed for greener climes once more. But, since he constantly gets mixed up in the other Elders' plots, he'll return soon enough.

He can't seem to help himself.

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