Butchering for Peace: An SSLP of Pathologic

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Video Games > Let's Play! > Butchering for Peace: An SSLP of Pathologic

HellishWhiskers: Mar 29, 2012; She was an awkward girl

chitoryu12 posted:

I've been in the English-speaking firearms community for many years and I've never once seen it called a "drum" except as a translation error from other languages. "Drum" generally is used to refer to large circular detachable magazines, like the 50 round drum for a Thompson submachine gun or the 75-round drums for the Kalashnikov.

Weird. Google has been sort of telling me that it's an acceptable translation - I'll change it for clarity, thanks.

# ¿ Aug 24, 2014 20:25

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HellishWhiskers: Mar 29, 2012; She was an awkward girl

Update on the ARG

The latest letter, after extensive googling, would take you to this Facebook group. There is a lot of curious stuff in there, have a read - only if you've been following the ARG up to this point, though - it won't do much for you without that.

Ratoslov posted:

So, uh, dapper talking rats, huh.

I like it - if you don't know about it, it comes entirely out of the left field. Another cool thing is that the journal entry right after you meet it makes a pretty heavy reference to Many-as-One from Planescape: Torment. At least, the Russian version does - I've tried to sort of transfer it into my translation, but I doubt I did it very well.

# ¿ Aug 24, 2014 20:58

HellishWhiskers: Mar 29, 2012; She was an awkward girl

chitoryu12 posted:

I think it's just a quirk of the Russian language using the same word for "drum" to refer to a revolver's cylinder, kinda like the "hunting rifle" shotgun.

It is, yeah - the word is the same for musical drums as it is for the cylinder. The weird part is that it looked, for a while, like the same was true in English and google didn't tell me otherwise. If you google "Revolver Drum", the first thing that comes up is a picture of a revolver cylinder.

HellishWhiskers fucked around with this message at 21:19 on Aug 24, 2014

# ¿ Aug 24, 2014 21:16

HellishWhiskers: Mar 29, 2012; She was an awkward girl

Deceitful Penguin posted:

The Impostress or Bachelor entered these tunnels? Don't remember that.

Although for large parts of the LPs I was ill, which I thought only fitting, so I seem to remember it worse and worse.

I think Klara has to deal with the Rat Prophet at some point and it involves going down there, maybe? I remember him showing the end chamber but not the tunnels themselves and saying something bad about them - rightfully so.

# ¿ Aug 26, 2014 04:12

HellishWhiskers: Mar 29, 2012; She was an awkward girl

Glazius posted:

I don't think it's Many-As-One as much as it is just the idea of a rat king.

This is interesting, though -- Burakh is trying to science things, the rat king says that abandoning Dankovsky won't end well, but Ospina just flips out about it.

I think there was something in the Russian text for that journal entry that made me think specifically about it, but I don't remember it off the top of my head and you're probably right.

# ¿ Aug 26, 2014 10:51

HellishWhiskers: Mar 29, 2012; She was an awkward girl

Deceitful Penguin posted:

Yea, like a return to a dream I remembered the Rat Prophet the moment I saw him again, but not the tunnels. Can we get a video of them later maybe? The elder soundclip makes it sound very oppressive.

I could go down there and record it, sure, but it's honestly not that riveting. The ambiance is cool, but it's still a maze that isn't particularly hard and takes about two minutes to get through. The best thing about it really is the audio.

# ¿ Aug 27, 2014 08:59

HellishWhiskers: Mar 29, 2012; She was an awkward girl

Deceitful Penguin posted:

Also, I think a good gimmick would be to drink every time your character does, whether tvyr mix, water or whatever. And by drink I mean take a shot of vodka of course. Tia~

I'll only do that if I play Dankovsky or Klara, because if I try to do that while playing Haruspex I'll be completely hammered in seconds and it'll be nothing but typos and cursing in cyrillic.

# ¿ Aug 28, 2014 07:14

HellishWhiskers: Mar 29, 2012; She was an awkward girl

Deceitful Penguin posted:

That is exactly what is being requested actually, especially if you can add in some long tangents completely unrelated to what is going on, ask for donations for more vodka and also have your friends make nonsensical jokes that would take a sober man 5 minutes to explain but in your inebriated condition take up half the current and next update, inbetween the former thangs.

Edit: also put in your own music, maybe some gopnik tunes to fit the ambiance.

I'll do it, and I'll throw in doing it while squatting for free.

# ¿ Aug 28, 2014 08:54

HellishWhiskers: Mar 29, 2012; She was an awkward girl

Chapter Five - Part 2

It was clear during his stay that Ospina's house was, indeed, used by the butchers as a sort of a boarding house in the previous days. Curiously enough, it also seemed that her patronage of the escaped butchers was common knowledge. Why did nobody raid this place? Both Olgimsky and Saburov would be happy to apprehend the escapees, yet nobody did anything but grumble and complain... It must have been Ospina's reputation in the town.

Artemiy didn't rest very well, but it was a break for him all the same. Talking with Andrey Stamatin wasn't the cheeriest of prospects, but there wasn't much to be done about. Artemiy left Ospina's house and began the trek.

The trek started easily enough, but, quite soon, Artemiy felt his head spinning.

The episode of lightheadedness lasted for about twenty seconds, but, for Artemiy, it involved a hard struggle to keep consciousness. A sign of the spread of the infection, considering that it was accompanied by a rather odd whispering � a woman's? Artemiy could not tell precisely.

The rest of the trek wasn't nearly as eventful as that � soon enough, he was at his destination.

He was in luck � one of the dancers was not busy and he could speak with her without Stamatin's involvement.

Do you need anything special, young Burakh? I must obey you � I am Bodkho's daughter. The locals call me Vera, though...

Why must you obey me, exactly?

Don't you see? I'm a dancer. It's a special profession around these parts. An ancient one. We have to follow the rites and the Order � even moreso, than the butchers.

I didn't think that your profession was connected to our religion.

You must be joking, Burakh. A Dancer knows the lines. Only a Dancer knows the ancient art of bending and extending the lines. We don't dance now, due to mourning... When better times come, however, you will see that we can extend a body's lines very far...

I hope that the better times come to us very soon... I wanted to ask you � have any dancers died since the start of the epidemic?

Only one � the one who was torn apart by a crowd at the Bone Pillar four days ago. Why are you asking me? Why are you looking at me like that?

No reason. Why did that girl get torn apart?

She came out of the infected house � the one that visited by the partrolmen afterwards. They say that your father Isidore worked in that house. They asked her about what she was doing there. She answered that she had business with your father. People thought that she was going to die very soon, but she didn't...

I would've thought that they'd be glad about that...

They weren't � that is when they decided that she was to blame for everything. They said that she was a carrier. That was when the rumour about Shabnak-Adyr's arrival began to spread. They broke her lines apart and burned her at the Bone Pillar. None of it was true, though � even if she was sick, she couldn't have infected anyone.

Why?

Don't you know about the Brides? The ones, betrothed to the Earth? The ones, who call out the Tvyr?

Yes. I'd like to say that I do.

They aren't mistresses, of course � even near the young Mistresses they are but a candle next to a bonfire. Still, they do have their own sort of power � a strong power, at that. It is said, among us Brides that our humours are made in such a way that we cannot inflict evil on anyone. Our bodies are pure.

Pure? How so?

The Sand Dirt, if there isn't too much of it, leaves us alone. We can't infect anyone with it, either � that is known. If there is too much of it, however, then we get consumed by it just like anyone else � and there isn't anything anyone can do.

I see... What are you doing tonight?

Why do you ask? I have to be here until the evening and, afterwards, I have a meeting with someone. A beautiful guest in a snakeskin suit. I'm meeting him in the Curriers.

Ah, so the Bachelor is somehow involved in all of this. Artemiy could have asked her to make the sacrifice, and she would've agreed too, but Artemiy wanted to exhaust all leads before having to break the lines of such a creature. However other townsfolk may have seen them, the dancers were, indeed, pure.

I see � no matter, then. You have been blessed with a good metabolism... I didn't think that this sort of stuff can be found in one's lineage. No matter � I'll see you around. Take care.

Before going out to the Steppe in search of the butchers, Artemiy would visit Vlad Jr.

This felt right � there was no need to give up on one's principles too much, quite yet.

Besides, it was very much possible that Artemiy was going to find another Bride, with her lines broken, soon enough.

I would've gone down there myself, if it wasn't for my damned claustrophobia...

No need � I was in there. As you can see, I came out on the other side.

Congratulations. So, what is this pit exactly?

It is some sort of cavern � clearly dug out a long time ago. Its floor, indeed, bears very little resemblance to soil.

Who would need to dig out something like that?

I think I've met a very strange creature down there. It is possible, though that I was hallucinating.

It didn't happen to look like a human-like rat, did it?

It did, actually. Do you know what it is?

Hmm... Interesting. Very interesting. I believe that it is some sort of an illusion. A strange feeling, forced upon people by some creature. I think that you were a victim of hypnosis. What did it say?

Something rather incoherent about my father. Do you know what is behind this hypnosis?

Well � that is rather unclear. Some blame the rats. They have their own abilities, as you know. Others say that the vapours of Suokh are behind this. Hogwash, too. It is a fact, though that this illusion occasionally visits the denizens of our Town. It's a known wraith, if you will. It's called a Rat Prophet, by some.

All this doesn't make sense...

Here's the reward for your bravery, Master Burakh. Thank you. Let's not talk about this matter again.

Indeed � still, you have piqued my curiosity.

The Well

Vlad Jr. reacted to the news with a hint of understanding, though he refused to talk more about it. The way he looked at me seemed to indicate that we were being eavesdropped upon. There is some sort of mystery here, I think. I wonder what he knows about this creature, and where he knows that information from.

In order to get to the gatherer in the Steppe near the Stone Yard, Artemiy would have to enter the Stone Yard proper.

The trek was a bit more tumultuous this time. The shotgun that Artemiy got out of the infected stash and, luckily, left in the storage at his hideout before his capture, came in handy here.

Artemiy was in luck once more � the butchers were still here, and the Tvyr Bride was still here as well.

The butchers were clearly arguing with their bride. Upon noticing Artemiy, however, they quieted down. He bore some measure of authority that the clearly respected � at least, so far. Artemiy decided to talk to the Tvyr Bride first.

You are the only son of oinon Burakh, the eldest in his line and the inheritor of seniority in the Order?

Well, yes � the first part is true enough, although the latter ones are more contentious.

Have you come to open my flesh along the lines of Raga?

However do you mean?

They want to feed the Steppe with my blood � in order to stop this pestilence. However, I'm not strong enough for Earth to consider this an ample sacrifice. Please, have them leave!

Aren't you empowered by the power of birth?

The steppe loves me and grants me herbs. Ask me, and I will summon the White Whip with my songs, and the Brown Tvyr will be drawn to the warmth of my breath. Black Tvyr will be plentiful, but only if I give my moisture to the winter soil.

If you die, then there will be less Tvyr out in the Steppe?

Of course! Now, and forever. I wanted to give birth to a daughter in nine years, so that she could take my warmth and become a new Bride. Until then, only I am the one who can call forth the herb from Suokh's depths. Don't kill me, please... I'll be more useful to you alive.

You will live, do not worry.

Just as before, Artemiy was not about to spend a Bride on a foolish, useless sacrifice. He would find another way.

You are your father's son. Knower of lines, you know how to free the flesh. Open this woman up for us.

What for?

Her humours feed the Steppe. She is full of Mother Bodkho's warmth. We wish to feed the Earth with her blood in order to stop Death.

Whose death?

In the apiary, sons and daughters of the Vein Bodkho are dying. The Mother Superior is young. She doesn't have enough warmth to hold back the pestilence. The daughters of Dead Mistresses have not yet come into power. A sacrifice is needed. We need to open the Herb Bride up.

Why should I stain my hands with innocent blood?

You will be paid back many times over. This is a good deed. The people will love and honour you. Our children will gift you their meat and their bread.

I don't need your children' meat. I won't kill this woman, either.

Then, our children will die.

This was getting useless � they were talking in circles and the butchers were set in their ways and wouldn't budge.

That's bullshit. A silly preconception on your part.

You have grown up far and away from your home, oinon, and you've forgotten the laws which were followed by your wise father to the letter. If you open her up, according to the will of the Order, then you will surely help. We will honour you just like we honoured your father.

So � if I kill this woman, then my reputation will grow, is that it?

Yes � as much as we can possibly make it grow. Return Mother Bodkho's warmth to her, and the Vein will thank you.

After this sacrifice, will the Order accept me as the heir of my Father's legacy?

It... it might � if the sacrifice works that is.

Oh? Is that how it is?

We respect your knowledge, oinon. We know the simple lines of the bulls' flesh, but we don't know the intricacies of the lines of human flesh.

In that case, don't make pronouncements about the things you do not understand!

Will you open the Herb Bride up for us or no?

No, I won't.

Then, you are not Burakh's son! Whose blood is flowing in your veins?

This was quite enough � Artemiy was getting the sample he needed, one way or another.

Artemiy dropped the first butcher with buckshot to the gut...

...then, the second one...

... and, finally, after a lengthy reload, the third one. Soon enough, he had what he came for.

He finally had what Bachelor needed. Artemiy was about to move back to the Stone Yard with the prize in his hand, when he received a sudden letter.

Anna Angel's invitation

It wouldn't be too rash for a poor artist to invite a brave doctor for a serious conversation? I've only just heard the news about your plans, and they are very interesting indeed!

With impatient trepidation,

A.A.A.

The offer wasn't at all tantalizing � in fact, it reeked of false niceties. Something told Artemiy, however that the offer would expire the second he fulfilled Bachelor's mission. He was curious to know what this Anna Angel had to say to him, which meant going near the Stamatin's pub. It was a long trek, but he was quick enough to make it and preserve the integrity of the sample.

The day was coming to a close and it was getting rather late � dangerous time to be on the streets.

Third time through, however, Artemiy encountered no bandit trouble in the �Womb�.

Finally, he was in front of the house he needed.

The interior was rather... catlike, for a lack of a better descriptor. Just like the owner of the house, it would seem.

Who are you?

I am Artemiy Burakh.

Oh yes - I know! You are that terrifying killer everyone was chasing after these past couple of days! You're a ripper, yes?

No, I am no ripper.

Still, you look fairly grimy... What is that on your sleeves? Blood?

It was a rather inopportune moment for Artemiy to try and prove to someone that he is not the ripper everyone was making him out to be. He tried to change the subject to the one that, he, for some reason, thought would be interesting to Anna.

Do you know a certain Vera? The dancer from the pub?

Oh my, yes. I do know her. Why? Is she dying? I hope she is dying...

Oh dear � what did she do to earn your ire?

Ire or no, it's a long story. She is a very special girl, yes... A corrupted girl, understand? It's a shame they haven't caught her four days ago... I wouldn't spare any expenses in order to make sure that that slutty girl is dead!

Artemiy recalled what Vera told him about the lynched dancer and why she was killed by the mob.

Are you suggesting that she was the one who brought the plague into the city?

It's possible, yes... She isn't from here, after all...

Tell me about her.

She was brought here by a scoundrel � a kidnapper of children. It happened eleven years ago. All this time she has, without tiring, given herself to sin. It is time for her cup to run over.

Artemiy was humoring the woman's lying tongue long enough.

Do you hold me for an idiot?

Am I holding you at all? Come on, sweetling... If you want to know why I hate her, then just ask. She destroyed the life of someone very dear to me. That doesn't contradict my tale, now does it? If you're looking for the most sinful creature in our town, then Vera is it, right there!

So? What is the point of all this?

Why, the point of this is that she does not need to live anymore. Perhaps, the pestilence was sent upon us for her sins, no? Remember my words � I'm rich, too.

If you want her death, then do it yourself. It's fairly easy to do, nowadays.

The stupid girl wasted Artemiy's time with her poison, offering almost nothing in return. He could still make it to Bachelor if he'd double-time it.

The five minutes of sprinting that he put in took an unexpected toll on Artemiy.

Artemiy almost plummeted face-first into the pavement, but he managed to catch himself on the walls of one of the buildings. It took a while for lightheadedness to go away. Yet again, it was accompanied by a soft, murmuring female whisper.

Still, Artemiy regained composure soon enough. There was no time to lose.

There was still some time left, and Artemiy wanted to know just how Bachelor was in all this fuss about Vera, the dancer from the pub.

I've found a Herb Bride. A dancer. Her name is Vera. Do you know her?

Is that the blood trader's daughter?

I wouldn't know � it's possible. She said she's meeting someone tonight. In the Curriers.

Is that girl telling everyone about that, left and right?

I wouldn't call her unsociable, if that's what you're asking.

Whatever you do, do not touch her Burakh. Anyone but her, please!

He wouldn't explain further, but Bachelor's sudden desperation took Artemiy by surprise. He decided to stop mucking about and give Bachelor his well-deserved prize.

You don't have to worry about that. I've got what you were looking for right here. It came from a butcher.

Good. Are you sure that he was infected?

I'm not, now that you ask. I didn't have much choice, though.

Yes, I know. That damned Ospina has led them all out into the steppe. I've never seen a more disgusting personage in my entire life! If they reach civilization, all of our quarantine measures will be for naught!

Hey � take it easy on Ospina, now!

I'm sorry � I didn't think the two of you had anything in common.

Well, we do. In any case, don't worry about the butchers. No one will see them again.

Oh? How can you be sure? If the bacteria survives in them without killing the host, then they can be very dangerous! They can be carriers, for all we know.

Whatever happens, they won't be going towards civilization. They'll settle somewhere deep in the Steppe.

There wasn't much use to talk about the matter any longer. Bachelor took a sample from the heart and brought it to the microscope.

Well? What is in there?

Once again, Bachelor was grinning at Artemiy.

This is exactly what we needed! It's still alive in there, the bacteria.

What about the antibodies that I need for the panacea?

I don't know yet. I'll send you the results of the analysis in a couple of hours. Until then, do try to not be too hasty to cut hearts out for your panacea... This custom of yours isn't... too agreeable, I would say.

If this was Dankovsky's idea of a joke, then it was in poor taste.

What? Are you joking? After everything I went through with the entire damned town chasing after me? Do you think I enjoy cutting people open? Besides, it got us this far!

I'm sorry... I didn't want to offend. It just, sort of came out.

Well, it is somewhat understandable... Don't worry - no use crying over spilled milk.

You know, I want to tell you � I am very grateful to you, Burakh. I really am! I don't know about you yet, but for me, the heart is a goldmine. Expect news - chances are, they will be good. Fifty-fifty.

Very well � I will be waiting. Here, if you don't mind.

Dankovsky didn't mind � the bed wouldn't be used by him anytime soon.

The Quivering Heart

The Quivering Heart is in my hands. Inside of it is the elusive Sand Fever and its tiny particles � the result of a desperate struggle between man and the disease. To hold such a thing in my hands it was worth it to take on the title of the Ripper.

Today was a hard day for Artemiy. The hardest yet. Before going to sleep, he drank another bottle of the Dead Broth. The taste was just as foul, and it burned just as much as before. It hurt so much that he had to take a shot of morphine to fall asleep. Still, he had done much and he did deserve the rest this would bring him.

HellishWhiskers fucked around with this message at 19:41 on Aug 28, 2014

# ¿ Aug 28, 2014 19:01

HellishWhiskers: Mar 29, 2012; She was an awkward girl

Kegluneq posted:

Just caught up on this LP - great job so far! I'm amazed at how much more sense the story makes with a good translation. I only played as the Bachelor so this is mostly new to me, but I'm looking forward to seeing how this develops.

Edit: Does playing as the Haruspex make getting recovery items easier or harder than for the Bachelor? You seem to be doing a lot better for weaponry than I did, but my atrociously translated walkthrough didn't really help me there.

Also it hasn't really come across here, but the time constraints in this game are genuinely nerve wracking. If you don't know exactly where you're meant to be going you can easily fall behind on quests and things go downhill rapidly from there.

When you start as Haruspex, you're in a really bad shape and the entire town hates you, but if you know what to do then you'll be okay. Getting all sorts of items is harder with him too, because, overall, he gets less money to go around than Bachelor. I've bridged the difference by spending most of the nights hunting bandits, as they drop some money and other stuff. I've mostly spent my money off-screen on food, though.

(Writing this made me realize that folks may not know that there is a hunger system in the game, I'm a doofus. I'll work on this tonight and throw it into one of the appendices.)

Haruspex does get an earlier access to a sawn-off than Bachelor does.

Time-wise, I've been doing pretty well and I usually have a lot of time to spare, but that's mostly because I've played through this game a lot and know how to get places as fast as possible. If you're new, you're going to get shafted, time-wise - that's just the unfortunate fact of it.

# ¿ Aug 28, 2014 19:13

HellishWhiskers: Mar 29, 2012; She was an awkward girl

chitoryu12 posted:

"You have been blessed with a good metabolism."

Artemiy really needs to work on how he picks up women.

"You're really rocking those Lines, girl. Trust me, I Know."

# ¿ Aug 28, 2014 21:20

HellishWhiskers: Mar 29, 2012; She was an awkward girl

Kegluneq posted:

Yeah, this is such a huge part of the game that it's worth emphasising. There's a quote from the RockPaperShotgun dissection of the game that really caught my attention and inspired me to play it:

This is a game where just existing is a pretty loving difficult challenge, at least until you've gotten a complete grasp of looting and trading mechanics. I appreciate that side of the game has to take a back seat to narrative here though!

Yeah, I have to apologize for sort of throwing it to the sidelines, because I've done this game enough times that surviving isn't at all a problem for me - in terms of time and supply management, I'm kind of breezing through it all, hence me forgetting that the game is actually really hard.

"Your looks cut open my heart - do you want me to cut open yours?"

HellishWhiskers fucked around with this message at 22:42 on Aug 28, 2014

# ¿ Aug 28, 2014 22:12

HellishWhiskers: Mar 29, 2012; She was an awkward girl

I've put a brief description of player stats in the appendix.

Also, yeah - if folks are curious about the spoilery stuff that comes up later, read the Impostress LP - it covers it pretty much fully. I will obviously cover it myself, too.

# ¿ Aug 29, 2014 10:06

HellishWhiskers: Mar 29, 2012; She was an awkward girl

Added a post with a description of all the characters we've met so far - here.

sandorius posted:

You can choose to kill the dancer for Anna Angel, right? It's been a long while since I read the Bachelor playthrough, but I seem to remember that's what NPC Haruspex does.

Yes, you can do that here too, but Bachelor will get quite mad at you, even if the result will be pretty much the same.

I have a question for you folks. I was thinking about adding a glossary section to the list of characters, as that is something that would be pretty pertinent in this game - especially so if you play as Haruspex. However, the cool part about playing as Haruspex also comes from gleaning the meanings behind all the Order terms on your own. On the other hand, I'm not sure if I'm translating stuff well enough so that people can figure out the meanings on their own. In the end, I'm kind of torn on whether I should add a glossary section or not and I'm wondering what you guys think about it.

# ¿ Aug 30, 2014 10:06

HellishWhiskers: Mar 29, 2012; She was an awkward girl

See - I realize that there are going to be difficulties in understanding stuff, but I'm also pretty sure that they are intentional. A lot of the Order's terminology is never explained to the player directly and the best you can do is to put bits and pieces of incidental mentions together. The game just doesn't care to explain itself at all. Other terms get some quests devoted to them - during the next chapter, for example, there is a lengthy bit of exposition that explains what Suokh is.

What I'll do is try to keep a glossary of terms going that isn't too far-reaching term-wise - there are clearly things that player is actually supposed to be confused about most of the time - but I'm still not sure if doing that is subverting the game's intent or not.

# ¿ Aug 30, 2014 19:03

HellishWhiskers: Mar 29, 2012; She was an awkward girl

ANIME MONSTROSITY posted:

Make the glossary, it's a game, not some kind of secret mystical experience only for the worthy eyes

I'm not treating the game as that, though - the game doesn't look particularly good, didn't age well and the best thing it has going for it is its atmosphere and I'm just trying to make sure that I don't detract from it. But I will make it, though - seems like there is a very real need for it.

On the other hand, your posting is a secret mystical experience only for worthy eyes - thanks!

HellishWhiskers fucked around with this message at 22:36 on Aug 30, 2014

# ¿ Aug 30, 2014 22:32

HellishWhiskers: Mar 29, 2012; She was an awkward girl

Chapter Six � Part 1

Artemiy slept well � due to morphine, most likely. The wake-up was a little shaky.

It was 2 AM and Artemiy wanted to ask Dankovsky about the results, but the Bachelor was a bit too busy and told Artemiy to come back in the morning while gesturing towards two letters on the night table beside the bed Artemiy slept on. Since it was past midnight, and there was a new presentation at the Theater, Artemiy took the letters on the go.

Analysis Results, Human Antibodies

The Vaccine works! Live blood gave us a stellar result. Microbes in it spread with a frightening speed. Unfortunately, I still don't have any good news specifically for you. Antibodies are produced and are destroying the infection � the problem is that there simply aren't enough of them. Bacteria divides faster than the antibodies and, in the end, there is nothing stopping it from spreading.

My conclusion is that human blood simply isn't enough to produce a panacea using your methodology.

D.D.

Another quite unfortunate dead end. Artemiy decided to wait until morning to despair � Daniil will, very likely, come up with a new idea by the morning, as he usually does.

Coming out of the �Folds�, Artemiy was met with a strange sight � a dying man who, somehow, set himself on fire. What was going on, exactly? The patrolmen were mum and the burning man was � well � burning so there wasn't much to glean right now. Artemiy moved on.

Diaries of Isidore Burakh: An excerpt on primitive immunoboosters (pg. 55)

Tvyr extracts, in conjunction with a proper combination of herbs, have been providing protection from the Sand Fever.

Now, it seems that the logic of these combination began revealing itself to me. Here are my most successful mixtures � if it weren't for Worms' resistance, I would get even better results.

Savyur almost always improves the result.

Transparent group

�Amber� - Brown Tvyr (2), Savyur (2)

�Tar� - Brown Tvyr (2), Savyur

Astringent group

�Bitterness� - Black Tvyr, Brown Tvyr, Savyur and White Whip

�Smoke� - Brown Tvyr (3), Savyur

Earth is giving birth to both the herbs and the plague. Roots bind beneath the Earth that, which is unbound by the seeds when underneath the Sun. When Nature dictates us its will, we ought to listen and search for ways around it. Only fools insist that the only option left for us it to bow down to it.

Another page of his father's diaries that made its way to Artemiy through unknown means. Quite strange, but not particularly surprising anymore. It became clear to Artemiy that if he must receive something, then the postmen in this town will make sure that he will.

The walk was uneventful, even if the �Folds� were clearly infected once again and the �Heart� district was shaking off the effects of infection.

Inside, another presentation was waiting for him.

So that's how it is...

The voice was neutral, contemplative even.

Indeed! So much blood has been spilled!

This one, on the other hand, was overly dramatic � shrill, even. It sounded incredibly insincere and hammed up � the actor was clearly biting off a bit too much off of the scenery.

Has been spilled? Do you mean to say that you had nothing to do with it?

This particular voice had a streak of cynicism or, perhaps, even cruelty to it. He was quite harsh on the hammy fellow, perhaps rightfully so.

It was necessary though, was it not? We are on the path to victory, wouldn't you say?

Indeed � now we know that we can fight the Sand Filth. The lies have been cast aside. It is not a demon, it is simply a collection of bacteria that die if they don't sink their fangs into blood.

People are afraid of Katherine's prophecy, but they don't pay attention to rivers of blood until they, themselves, become their tributaries.

Blood is, quite simply, a nourishing environment. Crops drenched in blood always grace us with a rich harvest!

Artemiy couldn't help but feel that one of the voices was ought to represent himself - he couldn't quite figure out which one, though... Or was it all of them at once, perhaps?

REEL 6: Masks' Nightly Production � Night Five

It was time to head to Notkin's place to get the usual map before heading to his hideout.

The night was moderately quiet, apart from an occasional bandit and a scream in the distance.

Track 12 � Steppe (Disease)

This, however, was rather unfortunate � this marked the first time the disease got to the Warehouses, and it just happened to pick the spot Artemiy frequented the most � an absolute coincidence surely.

Here was another of the �firemen�. It seemed that they were an organized force of some sort � this particular one having set an infected person on fire using a makeshift petrol bomb. Quite disturbing � were they trying to eradicate the infection through arson? Since the man didn't quite notice him yet, Artemiy walked on, not wishing to get tangled up with a crazed arsonists.

As usual, Notkin didn't have anything major going on � although, unusually enough, he brought the price of the map back down to 500 coins. Quite a strange pricing system that kid has.

There were more and more infected areas each day. Today, it were the �Folds�, the Warehouses, the �Tanners� and the �Skinflints�. Knots, however, were free of the infection for the moment, although some of the districts in the borough were just shaking off the consequences of infection. There was no denying that the situation was becoming dire by the hour.

By the time Artemiy got out of the warehouse, the Arsonist was gone. From Notkin's warehouse, it was a hop, skip and a jump to Haruspex's hideout and the road wasn't too tough.

Safe inside, Artemiy killed time performing various bits of research and experimentation with the mixtures. The mixtures described in the latest uncovered pages of Father's diary did indeed work fairly well and were quite effective. Beyond that, nothing too concrete was produced by the time morning arrived and Artemiy received his first letter of that day.

Anna Angel's Invitation

You are, obviously, still mad at this poor singer, aren't you? You are, but you're being that way in vain.

I'm scared, and I'm not holding on to any hatred towards people anymore... Whatever that Bachelor is saying about me is all lies and slander! There are some very strange things occurring around here, though... This terrible girl � an angel of death � came to me today and she won't leave! I think she is hiding from someone.

This Holy Healer doesn't look as holy as she did before � nor does she look like the Highest Authority. Quite the opposite, really � she is disheveled, her sweater is wet and she looks like she's been crying. If you're the one she's hiding from, then you're very welcome here � I'll keep her around until the evening.

Much obliged for your attention,

A.A.A.

More correspondence from that poisonous snake Anna � about some strange healer girl, no less. The townsfolk did, in fact, make some vague references to some girl-healer working around town � someone they called �Impostress�. Yes � that name came from Kapella, and that meant that the girl was important in some way. Artemiy had to see what that girl was up to, even if that meant helping Anna.

Artemiy was a couple of steps out the door when the Town clock tolled 7 AM.

Day Six, by the end of which the Haruspex will learn the important role that mythical beings can play in our lives.

The math didn't seem to work out, strangely enough. There were an extra four hundred dead unaccounted for. Where were these reports coming from? And who was this envoy that was arriving? What power would he wield?

Still, according to the map Artemiy was getting from Notkin, the disease was spreading exponentially � it would make sense that the death toll would be snowballing as well, even if the math itself didn't add up.

Anna Angel's house - �The Willow,� as it was called by the locals � stood on the line between two infected districts. The trek would be a bit dangerous.

On the approach to the house, an Arsonist began flinging firebombs at Artemiy � most uncouth. In order to bring the fight to him, Artemiy would have to close the distance and that would be a bit difficult, considering the narrow corridor of house the two were in. Considering that and the fact that �The Willow� was right there, Artemiy elected to duck into Anna's house and hope that the man wouldn't follow.

Anna's house was its same catlike self from yesterday.

It took a moment for Artemiy to see the visitor, but she was there.

He decided to address the lady of the house first, though.

You know, I am afraid of you, after all...

You'd be right to do so. Still � why did you invite me? What is that girlie doing here?

Shhh! Don't you see how shaken-up she is? So � does that mean that you aren't the one who caused her such troubles? Still, don't feel too sorry about that � I have nothing but gloating for her!

Kindness was, admittedly, not Anna's strong suit.

Again? Why is that?

Why? Well, because this girl caused someone a great deal of trouble recently... She has a talent � for reading souls and twisting them inside and out. I think that someone has done to her what she's been doing to everyone else until now. Come to think of it, maybe there are two of them, and one of them has found the other? Or, maybe, she simply looked in the mirror?

Not only was Anna an abhorrent person, but she was also quite daft it seemed.

Mirror? Why mirror?

Well, no � she obviously hasn't seen herself in the mirror... If she did, then she would find what she saw in it quite abhorrent and would straighten herself out. Do you think I should offer her some mascara? She is so ugly that she brings a tear to the eye and all the mirrors crack in her presence.

Well, aren't you the one to talk...

Anna snickered and waved her hand at Artemiy. At least she had a sense of humor, for all her faults.

The entire Town is after the witch again. Trying to catch the Shabnak-Adyr. I wonder who she is... Certainly not this weak thing... You ought to sneak into the Apiary and find that man-eater. What if she is hiding in there? I'm certain she is! Bachelor thinks so, Lara thinks so and, most importantly, Mistress thinks so too...

Maybe I will � if I have the time.

A slightly better conversation than yesterday, though still full of poison. Artemiy turned to the girl.

Oh misfortune... Such misfortune... Won't even the lying beasts - the servants of evil who are always ready to do one a disservice � help me?

Who are the ones who turned away from me?

I have quarreled with the Rat Prophet. Now, he hides from me and won't tell me anything... I have to hear what he has to say, even a couple of words! Especially now that I'm being exiled and hounded like this... What fate awaits me? What will happen to me? Why have I come into this world?

The girl was desperate and, in that desperation, has turned to a strange hallucination for answers.

You said yourself that he is a lying beast � why do you need him?

Well, I have to need someone, don't I? Oh, Burakh! I've helped you, haven't I? Haven't I helped you come one step closer to finishing your panacea? Won't you help me now? Won't you show mercy?

Help? How has she helped? This was the first time Artemiy met the girl... Still, even if she hadn't, Artemiy would've probably helped her.

What do you want of me, then?

Let's trick him! Approach him, as if you are meeting him on your own business � he won't refuse you. Appear as though you hate me and ask him about my fate! What will happen to me tomorrow? Most importantly, ask him who am I... Why have I come into this world? Will you remember? Will you ask him?

Ask him? I'm not even sure how to find him...

He lives under the Theater, or, maybe, even inside it. Burakh. Haruspex. Be good to me and find him! If you'd know how much I'm suffering... How much it hurts... How alone I am...

Very well � I'll ask him.

The Impostress is looking for an answer

Klara is desperate. Today is clearly not her day... Or is it the other way around? In any case, everyone has turned against her � even the dark creature that lives under the earth is refusing her... Let's see what that Prophet tells us about her.

By the time Artemiy left the house, the arsonist was gone � just like the one at Notkin's place. Quite lucky that the fellow didn't decide to try and burn the place down or something.

While getting close to the exit from The Land, Artemiy received a letter from Daniil.

The Bachelor's Invitation. Bull's antibodies.

I've just received the confirmation of yesterday's observations: the steppe folk get sick and die just like the rest of us. Unfortunate. Human blood can kill Sand Fever's bacteria, but it can't do it fast enough. It seems that even the Steppe folk' blood can't produce enough antibodies in order to stop the spreading of disease � it is simply faster than the organism.

I do have a new idea for you, though. Perhaps, today we will find the suitable material for your panacea.

Come see me and we will discuss it.

D.D.

It was a straight shot to Dankovsky out of the Theater � Artemiy got the letter at an opportune moment. He'd come to see the Bachelor straight away after seeing the Rat Prophet.

The �Heart� was a site of multiple scuffles, it seemed � Artemiy even unholstered his gun in case anyone would try and pick a fight. Nobody did, though � he only found occasional corpses and saw some fighting in the distance.

It took Artemiy a moment to find the manhole that he barely managed to crawl out of yesterday. Hopefuly, the Rat will be there.

Curiously enough, Isidore's voice was gone. The place was completely silent. The ratty fellow didn't seem nearly as agitated as he was yesterday, either. Artemiy approached him.

Are you here to hear your father's voice again? He won't be speaking with you. He is displeased with you, and I can't summon him � that is beyond my power.

Artemiy's curiosity was still not sated when it came to the thing's nature.

Who are you?

I'm certainly not the one you deem me to be that's for sure. I can guarantee that...

Are you a prophet?

I'm just a little beastie � can't you see that yourself?

The Rat was smirking, and it was clear this would get Artemiy nowhere.

There is a girl in our Town. Her name is Klara. Tell me � who is she? Why has she come into this world? What will happen to her?

Oh � I see. That's how this is... She sent you to me... Well, it's her own fault then. She should've known better than to keep forcing this intrigue to continue. I'll tell you who that girl really is. She is the sickness that ails us. A walking, living embodiment of Sand Fever.

That isn't true, is it? You're lying...

Well � and this is the important bit � she isn't aware of her nature. Because of that, she can still perform miracles and deems herself to be a miracle worker. She has been given a great bit of power � whatever she believes will happen will happen. When she finds out about her true nature, though, is when she will lose that power. That is why I won't see her.

You're obviously lying � you're clearly plotting something. This is all some sort of game to you, isn't it?

You think whatever you want to think. It's not like I'm forcing myself on you or anything � you're the one who barged in here. You asked and I answered... What sort of an oracle do you think I am? Am I supposed to predict past, present and future? You have eyes � watch. You have ears � listen. You have hearts � decide. Most of all, leave me alone, for God's sake.

Fine. Goodbye.

The Impostress is looking for an answer

The little girl has quite' a secret to her... Makes you think about who any of us can actually be... The Rat Prophet didn't seem like he was lying, either... Should I tell Klara the truth? I don't think I should be too hasty here, this seems like an important juncture... It seems that the fate has hoisted an important decision onto my shoulders...

A tough decision � Artemiy could use some advice, but there wasn't anyone to give it, was there...

When Artemiy exited the Prophet's hideout, all signs of battle were gone and the area was quiet once more, as if some sort of janitor always cleaned up whenever Artemiy was out of sight. Eerie.

Gloomy thoughts seemed to visit Artemiy whenever he was leaving the prophet's place, and this wasn't an exception. He felt exceedingly tired � of this Town, of its repeating landscape, of its scornful people, of their meaningless secrets and, most of all, of his duty. How easy it would be to reject them, to leave them behind. Would they manage? No, they wouldn't � of course, they wouldn't.

A strange thought, but an honest one. Artemiy wasn't sure if it was his, though � it felt quite similar to the effect that Ospina said she has on people, even if it was different in nature. It would make sense for the Rat Prophet to be a sower of scorn.

It was pointless, anyway � there wasn't a ship to jump or a stage to leave. Dying wasn't an option, either � neither the elements nor even the Sand Fever were doing a good job of inhibiting him. Artemiy was prepared for everything coming his way. Quite strange, that...

All this meanderous thinking allowed Artemiy to get to Dankovsky's place of residence quite quickly � time passes fast when you're lost in silly thought.

Yesterday's sample has given us a sort of a double-edged result. It will certainly be of use to me. I've caught the bacteria by the tail, and there soon will be a vaccine available for the public. The usefulness of the live blood for an anti-serum, however, isn't quite as concrete.

Antibodies do get produced, though � right?

They do and they even destroy the infection - the unfortunate part is that they get annihilated in the process. The microbe, on the other hand, spreads so fast that there simply isn't enough of them to keep it at bay. The end result is quite unfortunate. The cells need to be able to hold the infection at bay, or they need to produce a thousand times more antibodies.

What are we to do, then?

Let's try a tried and true method � introduce the disease into a bull's body and let's see what happens. I've been meaning to find a way into that particular animal kingdom - for ages have the epidemics been intrinsically connected to domestic animals. These, however, have a certain veil of mystery to them � to the point where I'm not even sure how to approach them...

If the bulls were the cause of the epidemic, then we'd have a mass murrain on our hands.

What makes you think that there wasn't one?

I'd imagine that we'd find out by the smoke or the overwhelming stench coming out of the Abattoir that would flood the whole Town.

Hmm... Well, it's possible that the bulls don't get sick at all � that's all the more reason to experiment on them. Give it a try. We can take a sample from an infected organ and introduce it into bull tissue and see how the blood will react to that little surprise meeting. It should work � we still have a good bacteria sample from yesterday.

Oh? Have you found a good use for it?

I have � the vaccine is almost ready. Let's focus on your work, though � the plan seems easy enough.

Easy enough? I doubt that...

Let's repeat yesterday's experiment � take a sample, infect a bull, wait a little bit then take a couple of samples of bull's blood. The result should be quite interesting, I think.

I'll try and find a bull then � hopefully, not all of them are dead quite yet.

Bull's Blood

Bachelor didn't find the right antibodies I so desperately need in human blood. There's no recipe for a panacea there... Now, it's bulls' turn... A strange sequence, come to think of it � it should have been the other way around. In a way, it makes sense � it's quite hard to find a bull, considering the mass hunger - if not outright famine - that has struck the Town. Is there even one left?

Artemiy didn't know an answer to that question, nor did he know anyone who would. Vlad Sr., perhaps? That seemed like a flimsy lead that would likely turn up nothing, but it's the only person he could think of. Artemiy left Daniil to his devices.

Well, this was quite insane � a literal Angel hovering in the air. Artemiy was about to write it off as some sort of hallucination when it began rapidly flying towards him.

This should have been it, but, instead, the �Angel� pivoted around and began flying towards him once again.

It was much faster than Artemiy and it caught up with him easily. It felt quite worse than the touch of the usual clouds � like a needle piercing one's heart. It was painfully clear that this was a new form of the infection clouds � as though the disease wanted to assert its authority in response to Artemiy's previous thoughts.

Amid all of this, Artemiy received got a strange letter from none other than Klara.

Klara's invitation

It's time for us to meet each other eye to eye. Come to Laska's shed. I'll be waiting.

I've been told that you're planning to cut open a bull and I have some things to tell you. Interested?

Klara

Meet each other eye to eye? What did she mean by that? They've already met today... And why, exactly, did she want to meet in a different place? Artemiy was going to humor her, but it was quite strange still.

In any case, the development with the new disease clouds was quite a bit more disturbing than whatever this little insane girl could throw at him, whatever her powers may be.

The old, weaker clouds didn't abate, either � at least, Artemiy could hope that the newer version was quite rare � it was very hard to evade it and they still posed a threat, even if Artemiy was already infected.

It occurred to Artemiy that he hasn't seen Laska in many days. In fact, he hasn't seen some of his adherents in a while and he hadn't even met two of them yet. Maybe, he wasn't meant to quite yet? Everything was occurring based on a sort of schedule in this Town, after all.

This part of town was quite a bit out of the way, and Laska was sure to have kept busy � hopefully, nothing bad happened to her in these days. At least, the disease didn't survive in dead bodies that she, no doubt, was working with quite a lot.

Everything was calm and peaceful, just like on the first day. Artemiy went inside.

Just like on the first day, Laska had a visitor.

Look at those little beasties hopping on the ground...

The girl seemed delirious, but that was her normal state, it seemed.

Where did this girl come from?

Her? Her... She was here from the very beginning � she crawled out of the Earth.

Out of the Earth?

It was... a long time ago � a couple of days ago. Now, she came back and wants to hide.

Hide? Hide from whom?

From everyone... She says that she is being pursued and hounded because she is a witch, even if she isn't a witch at all... Bachelor is the one who is hounding her the most � if he finds her, then she is finished...

I can't say that that is an unfamiliar situation for me... Let me talk to her, if you would.

Laska nodded then turned a little bit sideways and smiled at something crawling on her arm � something only she could see. Artemiy turned to Klara � her appearance seemed much more cleaner and resolute, though her words were quite the same.

What? Aren't you in a hurry to cut open my chest? Or would you prefer to give me up to the Authorities?

Neither of those, actually � why the angry tone?

Her defensiveness evaporated quite quickly.

I'm glad that you aren't in a hurry... All my friends have denied me. Even Saburovs, who told me yesterday that I will be their daughter, have exiled me from their home. What do you have to say about that?

Me? Nothing... Is this why you called me here?

No... Not this. I called for you because I know your intentions. You are a knower of lines, isn't that so? Listen to me, then. Today, two lines have converged. You want to kill a bull, right?

I don't, actually. I do need to find a bull though.

Oh yes � I'll even tell you why. You want to introduce infection into a bull's body to see who wins, right? I can tell you what will happen � it will be a draw.

A draw? What am I to make of that?

I don't know... My feelings rarely betray me, though.... Tonight, an everlasting drama will play out here, Burakh � it will be played quite poorly, though. Have you read the �Tale of the Daughters�? Do you know the fable of how Boos Turokh created the Wheel, Time and Fear?

I think I've heard a little bit when I was kid � don't remember much, though...

Listen, then! Back in the time, when there wasn't a day or night, up or down, water or land, there was only the great Bull, Father of Flesh, a Layer of Lines, The One who Swings his Horn - Boos Turokh. That is when the dark Suokh emerged from the abyss and filled the world with itself. She devoured the stars and the light...

Wait a second � if there was nothing but the great Bull, then where did the stars and light came from? And who was this Suokh?

Oh, don't interrupt me! Anyway, she devoured all the sunlight too. Suokh wouldn't burn in fire, wouldn't drown in water wouldn't age and she did not want to return to the Abyss. Darkness fell, and Boos Turokh, the Great Bull, froze in the darkness and his cry tore apart the darkness, but it didn't tear apart Suokh. Suokh was spreading farther, and the Darkness converged on the world.

Curious � the tale is just like what is happening around here...

That is when Boos Turokh, in desperation, opened its maw from horizon to horizon and began devouring Suokh. Suokh fought back and tried to sneak back into the Abyss, but, bit by bit, Boos Turokh sucked Suokh inside of him. Now and forever, she sits there and tries to gnaw him from inside out while he entombs her.

Quite the riveting tale you've got there...

Intriguing, isn't it? The tale will resume, though � I can feel you sculpting this fable out of clay even now. You want to feed a bull with disease to see if he manages to fight it off or not � that suits my goals as well. If you manage to do what you want to do, then I will be left alone. Want me to help you?

Sure... Why not?

Good. Your path will lead you to the Short Housing section of the Apiary. A very important personage will be waiting for you there � the Mother Superior, the convergence of life and will of the Order. Nowadays, only she, and nobody else, rules the Apiary. If you can come to an agreement, then she will gift you a bull.

Then, I'll see her in the Short Housing section. Thank you.

There were still questions to be asked of Klara, though.

Tell me about this Mother Superior, if you would.

She's still very little, but she is very important in the Apiary. All these terrifying butchers and worms obey her, as if by magic.

What did she do to warrant such obedience?

It's her birthright. She is the daughter of the previous commandant of the Apiary - Tychic. He was a very important man in the Order, too. They say that your father respected the deceased man.

How do you know all this?

Oh, just a rumour I heard in the wind...

I see... What's going on in the Apiary nowadays, anyway?

Oh, it's complete and utter hell. You'll see.

I thought that its inhabitants don't get sick.

Don't get sick? You're very mistaken. Not only do they get sick, but they suffer twice as hard as the rest. You'll see for yourself, don't you worry.

I can't wait...

Is there something else you wanted?

Yes � of course. I spoke with the Rat Prophet, just like you asked.

Have you now? Funny... What did he say? Actually, don't tell me � it's more interesting that way.

You don't want me to tell you? Why in the world did you send me to see him in the first place, then?

You have another part to play, Burakh. Go to Klara and tell her what that thing told you � or lie to her, if that will make you feel better. You don't have to worry � whatever your choice will be, I'll play the part you leave for me and I will play it well. It is really up to you.

Klara left the shed before Artemiy had any time to ask for any coherent explanations - she probably wouldn't have given any if he asked, anyway. Did Klara mean for him to go back to �The Willow� and meet the other Klara there? More importantly, why in the world were there two of them and what purposes did each of them pursue? He still didn't know whether to lie about prophet's words and he could still use some advice.

HellishWhiskers fucked around with this message at 23:04 on Sep 3, 2014

# ¿ Sep 3, 2014 22:38

HellishWhiskers: Mar 29, 2012; She was an awkward girl

There is actually no way to try and tell Klara at the graveyard about Rat Prophet's words - an oversight I felt the need to try and fix myself. Because of this, it becomes pretty obvious that there are two Klaras - it's just never spelled out in a way in which I wrote it.

Now, tell me - what should Haruspex tell the real (fake?) Klara?

HellishWhiskers fucked around with this message at 23:05 on Sep 3, 2014

# ¿ Sep 3, 2014 22:44

HellishWhiskers: Mar 29, 2012; She was an awkward girl

The Kickstarter for the remake is up.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1535515364/pathologic

They are shooting for a lofty goal, considering how much Knock-knock made, but I already backed the thing and I hope that it'll turn out to be successful.

# ¿ Sep 4, 2014 12:06

HellishWhiskers: Mar 29, 2012; She was an awkward girl

Here's a particularly cool image from the Kickstarter page that describes what they're aiming to do with the remake and makes me quite enthusiastic about it.

# ¿ Sep 4, 2014 12:30

HellishWhiskers: Mar 29, 2012; She was an awkward girl

woodenchicken posted:

Great stuff, looking forward to more of this.

I wanted to write some similar observations in my old thread, about real-life inspirations and whatnot, but I had my hands full with the LP, and by the time I got my poo poo together, the thread has kind of run its course. I'll try to write something down and we'll see if it's spoiler-safe to post.

That would be neat, yeah. Also, Ice-Pick clearly liked what you did.

https://twitter.com/IcePickLodge/status/507890701019803650

(Note how it's referred to it as being published by "Dendy". In case anyone is wondering, it's a bootleg knockoff of NES that mostly sold in Russia)

HellishWhiskers fucked around with this message at 19:45 on Sep 5, 2014

# ¿ Sep 5, 2014 19:42

HellishWhiskers: Mar 29, 2012; She was an awkward girl

The Glossary Post

Will be updated and/or edited according to the popular demand. If folks have particular questions about specific terms, feel free to ask them and I'll add stuff here.

Glossary

Bodkho � the name the Steppe folk use for the Earth. Female in gender. An entity cherished by The Order just like its sacred bulls. Considered to be a living being and opening its lines is only allowed to the select few.

Suokh � absolute darkness, the antithesis of life. Has existed since the beginning of time, even before the Boos Turokh existed. Now, it is contained in the depths of Boos Turokh, yearning to be free.

Boos Turokh � the Great Bull That Swings His Horns. Part of Steppe Folk' belief system, the bull represents the body, within which the known Universe is contained.

Tvyr � a herb that grows exclusively in the Steppe. Has mystical properties associated with it and is said to possess will, hiding itself from the outsiders. Has known healing properties, helps combat the effects of Sand Fever.

Order � the collective name for the Steppe people who live in the Town. They live in the Apiary and toil in the Abattoir, except for those who have tasks out in the Steppe. Include Butchers, Odonkhe and Herb Brides.

Apiary � a giant housing collective where the members of the Order live in extremely crammed conditions.

Abattoir � a giant complex where the bulls are ritualistically slaughtered before being transferred to the factories for further preparation for export.

Odonkhe � otherwise called �Worms�. Members of the Order, they are short, bald strange beings who are often tasked with herding the cattle and gathering Tvyr.

Tvyr Brides � otherwise referred to as Herb Brides, Dancers. Members of the Order, they are said to have a mystical power given to them by the Earth. Their ritualistic singing and dancing are said to draw forth the Tvyr from the body of Bodkho. Infection within them spreads at a slower rate and dies outright if there is a sufficiently small amount of it.

Menkhu � a specific caste within the Order. Healers, oinons and servitors, these people are granted certain privileges and have certain duties. They are the only ones allowed to �open up the lines of a body in accordance with the will of the Earth.� Menkhu hold a certain dominion over the rest of the Order � most people of the Order obey a menkhu's will without question. Becoming a menkhu is only part-birthright � one must go through a number of trials and tasks before becoming a full-fledged menkhu. Above all, a sacrifice must be performed.

Lines � intertwining paths and fates that all of us walk upon and have. Menkhu are said to be the only ones, who have enough wisdom to divine these paths and only they have the right to interfere with them.

Oinon � a wise man.

Olghoi � a derisive expression of some sort.

Shabnak-Adyr - a monster out of a Fable, it is said that this creature came from the Steppe and is the cause of the Sand Fever that is currently plaguing this town. A female man-eater, sculpted out of clay and bones of the Earth.

Tauro - metallic signs that the Odonkhe use to mark the cattle. Each Tauro has a particular meaning, and various tauro are used for demarcation of various sorts of things. A specific Tauro was left for Artemiy in his father's legacy but the investigation in its meaning has stalled on the third day due to the absence of the Elder of the Order.

"Udurg" - not much is known about this concept yet, although "talking with udurgs" was mentioned as one of the skills available to menkhu. Artemiy seems to believe that the uknown Tauro he received from his father has something to do with an udurg.

HellishWhiskers fucked around with this message at 18:55 on Sep 10, 2014

# ¿ Sep 6, 2014 21:42

HellishWhiskers: Mar 29, 2012; She was an awkward girl

The tally is 4 to 3 for truth and I'll close it in about 24 hours or so.

In other news, I had a dream where some guy was trying really hard to convince me that Dankovsky is a horrible person. It was weird.

# ¿ Sep 7, 2014 11:47

HellishWhiskers: Mar 29, 2012; She was an awkward girl

Glazius posted:

Lie to Klara. Klara 2: The Revenge seems like she already knows.

Well, if possible, say "he said that you are a miracle worker and can heal disease just by believing you can" which is true, but not the complete truth.

Which I suppose is still a lie.

I, myself, took this little sidequest as the Haruspex being given a possibility to decide which Klara is going to be which, based on what I know from the Impostress Scenario. Do you want the Klara 2: The Klarening, who seems to be a bit more competent and brash, to be the healer or do you want her to be the disease to be chased away by the other Klara, who, at least right now, seems all the way out of sorts and desperate.

That's pretty much the reason why I wrote the Klara 2: The Impostress Boogaloo as "knowing" about what the choice entails. The whole thing is, more or less, a throwback to the stuff a player might know from Impostress playthrough - which is why I decided to make this a community choice because that is the playthrough most people reading this are probably familiar with.

Anywho, Lie won, update will be up sometime tomorrow.

HellishWhiskers fucked around with this message at 00:54 on Sep 9, 2014

# ¿ Sep 9, 2014 00:47

HellishWhiskers: Mar 29, 2012; She was an awkward girl

Chapter Six � Part 2

The decision wasn't a particularly easy one, but, on the other hand, it wasn't too momentous. Artemiy seemed to worry too much about it that's all.

Cheery sights before Artemiy's eyes didn't help matters too much, either.

Telling the little girlie the truth would, most likely destroy any hope that she has left in her little heart. Whatever powers she has must have been useful to the folk in the Town, so far. Destroying that would be at least irresponsible at this point in juncture.

Besides, something told Artemiy that lying to Klara was simply the right choice, and he felt the need to abide by that.

Soon enough, Artemiy was at the Willow, ready to deliver one of his first major lies in this Town.

Coming close to Klara seems to have induced another episode of lightheartedness that was, so far, only produced by coming in contact with the Sand Fever. Funny, that.

Oh, such misfortune...

Hush. I've spoken with the Rat.

You have? What did he say? Tell me!

You are a supernatural being, Klara. You serve the Forces of good.

Oh dear... Can it be... You didn't lie to me, have you? Is it possible that he is lying?

You asked, and I answered. What more do you want?

Oh, don't mind me! I'm quite grateful to you, Burakh

If you're grateful, then try and help more people � not everyone in this Town has the powers you do.

I'll try � I'll do it even if I have to see her over and over again!

Good � that's all I can ask of you...

The Impostress is looking for an answer

What's done is done. It's up to her to decide now � I'm not sure she fully believed me, anyway. It seems to me that, for now, our paths diverge, although this won't be the last time we exchange words.

Strange bit of business all this has been � not much to be done to help it, though, but to leave it behind and move on to the more pertinent stuff. It was time to visit the Apiary.

The �Land� seems to have been ravaged by the disease time and time again in the last couple of days. Indeed, it was the site of the first infected district. Was there something that attracted disease here?

The Land's maze-like streets seemed desolate as well � even after disease left, people were still reluctant to return here. Was this desolation the eventual fate of the Town?

Soon enough, Artemiy arrived closer to the towering structure of the Apiary. It looked as cumbersome and filthy as ever.

If the other Klara's words were true, then what awaited him inside wasn't pretty in any sense of the word. Still, he heard of terrible conditions that the Order lived in before, although he didn't know the reasons, because of which the Steppe folk agreed to live in such conditions.

The blockade still seemed to be in place, but, for some strange reason, the patrolmen did nothing to impede his entrance. It was as if he was expected.

Track 13 � The Apiary

The ambiance was quite hellish, to say the least. The space was cramped and filthy and the interior smelled of death. A very cheery place indeed � how could anyone live in these conditions was beyond Artemiy.

It took Artemiy some time to find this stairway � all other paths he tried were barricaded.

It was an exceedingly long climb up � four or five floors. It was quite tiring and the constant moans of the diseased Steppe folk living here didn't help alleviate this fatigue. Finally, Artemiy found an exit out of this stairwell.

Three butchers... There seemed to be someone hiding behind one of them, though.

Was this the Mother Superior? This little girl was four years old, at most... Yet she, apparently, wielded the most power in the Order. Curious.

It's good that you've come to us in this hour, Servitor. Did you bring the ascorbic tablets?

Ascorbic tablets? What ascorbic tablets? What are you talking about?

Yellow tablets that burn the liver but keep the infection at bay. Don't you know? What did they teach you in the big city?

I see... I think I get it...

I need fifty ascorbic tablets. Exactly fifty � five times ten. I need them so that those who go inside don't get sick. Do that for me, and I will shower you with my grace.

I need a bull, Mother.

I don't have one right now. They've deprived me of my wondrous cows � white, silvery, red-eared, black-eyed and gentle. They've deprived me of my bulls with steel horns, with brass, stone and jasper hooves. I can tell you where to find another bull, though...

I see what you're driving at... Still � what is going on here?

I, myself, live in the Long Housing section � it's on the opposite side of the Apiary. Understand? I haven't been here yet, and I absolutely need to go upstairs! I won't go alone, though � someone has to carry me there, so I don't stub my toes. My servants, the kind children of Bodkho, need protection too!

Why do you want to go up there exactly?

To lead out everyone who's healthy, understand? A lot of them aren't sick yet. They won't go anywhere without me � they're terrified.

I see. There are other tablets out there, though � better ones.

How so?

They don't burn you as much.

If they don't burn you as much, then they don't help as much either. It hurts only because the disease in you is suffering. Bring me the ascorbic tablets!

Very well...

Bull's Blood

Tychik's daughter wants me to gather 50 yellow tablets of ascorbic acid for her butchers. She doesn't want any other tablets � they only believe in the ascorbic ones.

Artemiy sighed � this meant hunting around Town for barely useful tablets when Artemiy still had some left over from two days ago � the ones that Bachelor gave him. He hasn't seen the yellow tablets for a while either, and even stopped gathering them ages ago. He decided to check his knapsack nonetheless.

It was in quite a bit of disarray � various bits of medicine, ampules all lying about in a giant blood covered mess � one of the tubes of blood must have cracked somewhere. Artemiy checked one of the smaller side pockets and, to his great surprise, he found five packs of yellow tablets neatly stashed away � ten tablets in each, of course.

Amid all disorder, there they were waiting for their hour. When did Artemiy prepare these? Prepare was the right word � they were prepared beforehand with a very clear purpose in mind... Still, this was all quite helpful � it saved him quite a bit of legwork, however strange it was.

Before Artemiy would turn these over to Taya, he would ask her some questions that she might know the answers to.

You miss the old grandpa Isidore?

Very much. Mother � do you know the meaning of the �udurg� tauro?

�Udurg� tauro... This was odd � the word flew out of Artemiy's mouth on its own, without him understanding the implication properly.

A little bit. I've seen such signs before. It must be something very-very-very-very-very big! Maybe it's a mountain?

No...

Maybe it's Earth?

I doubt that...

Odd... maybe it's the people?

Do you know or are you just guessing?

I don't know my ABCs very well. They haven't taught me yet. I do know that it's something very-very big or something very important. Don't you see this angle?

Is it something alive?

I think so � don't you see the horns?

Can someone else tell me more about this tauro?

Only a servitor can. It's sad that we don't have any menkhu left. They've all died. All the knowledgeable odonkhe left for the Steppe � they're getting ready for an important celebration...

Quite a shame that... In any case � here are the ascorbic tablets. Fifty, as ordered.

She turned to her butchers in giddy excitement

Then, let's go! Let's go! Quickly! We've lost a lot of time! And you, Servitor � listen to me. When you exit here, go past the Long Section and go straight towards the Abattoir. Exit out into the Steppe and keep going past the Abattoir. Do you know where Ragha's Mound is?

No...

Go past the Maw � those are the big gates through which the bulls exit into the Steppe. Go a bit further and you'll see a tall mound.

I see � what will I find there?

Odonkhe will bring out a bull. I'll tell the worms to listen to you. Prove to them that you are you and then do what you want with the bull.

How am I supposed to prove that I am me?

They'll ask you some simple questions. Who knows, maybe you don't know what to do with bulls after all? Maybe you'll offend him or taint him... No � a proof is necessary...

What questions will they ask me?

Something about bulls, I think... What else would they care about, anyway?

Very well � I'll figure something out. Thanks, Mother.

Bull's Blood

Worms are preparing a bull for a sacrifice at Ragha's Mound, between the Abattoir and the cemetery.

It wasn't too far from the Apiary and, for once, Artemiy didn't have to wade through infected districts to get there � a rare gift nowadays.

In all the commotion about the tablets and the Tauro, Artemiy forgot to ask Taya about the reasons behind the Order's living conditions. He doubted that she would be able to answer them, either � someone like Vlad Olgimsky Sr. would likely know more - not that he would tell, of course.

Like Taya said that must be the entrance into the Long Housing section of the Apiary. Artemiy secretly hoped that he wouldn't have to go in there any time soon � the conditions there probably aren't pretty, either.

For the first time in many days, the realities of the Town began to get to him. It became increasingly clear to him that the Town had a number of things wrong with it prior to the Disease's rampage. It was rotten to the core, with the treatment of the Order being only one of the things to showcase that fact.

This was the Maw that Taya mentioned � Artemiy has only been here a couple of times during the last six days. This place didn't quite sit right with Artemiy � the unnatural warmth coming from the Maw was very strong and rather disturbing, considering what was going on inside.

It took Artemiy a bit more walking, but, soon enough, he saw the fog break by a large mound of Earth with makeshift stairs leading to its top.

It suddenly occurred to Artemiy that he didn't know who or what was the namesake of this mound. Ragha? He has never heard of such an entity. Must be one of the minor gods of the Order or something � he'd have to look into it while he's learning the meaning of the Tauro.

The Worms stared at him expectantly � Artemiy was in the right place.

We called for a Burakh and a Burakh came. Open this bull up for us.

Nobody called for me � I came of my own volition.

The Worms, admittedly, didn't seem to be interested in finer details.

Do you want to open this bull up for us or no?

Fine. Yes. I will.

Have you brought us the broth, the seed of Suokh, so that you can feed him before the rite?

The seed of Suokh? What do you mean?

Are you asking us? Do you not know, where the Fear, Iron and the Wheel came from?

I do.

Then tell us.

Boos Turokh expunged the Fear out of himself in order to vomit out his pain. Boos Turokh made the Iron out of his horns in order to form the Law and bind Suokh forever in his belly. Boos Turokh, with his thought, created the Wheel so that everything will always return to its source.

Artemiy knew a lot more about the ways of the Order than he was, sometimes, willing to tell. This knowledge extended far beyond any help that Klara provided with her tale.

You told it well. You are a true oinon. Feed him the broth, give him the seed of Suokh and open him up. Free him along the lines of Rhaga.

Perhaps, Artemiy knew who Rhaga was after all � he simply wasn't interested in informing the others about it.

Artemiy shuffled about in his knapsack before pulling out a kidney sealed in a polyethylene bag � a fresh infected specimen he thoughtfully picked up from one of the corpses in the �Heart� district. He handed it to the Worms, who began their rite immediately.

After the Worms made an incision, a strange thing occurred � Artemiy heard his father's whispers once more. They were very quiet and far-away, but they seemed to say the same thing they did in the Rat Prophet's tunnels. Quite a strange occurrence and not an easily explainable one.

Throughout this process, Artemiy didn't question why exactly the bull was being sacrificed � he did need the blood, of course, but it could've been procured without killing the bull. The Worms clearly pursued a goal of their own � something akin to what butchers were trying to do yesterday?

Still, it seemed like quite a waste, with bulls being rare nowadays. Regardless, Artemiy had what he came here for.

Since the trek back to Dankovsky wasn't exceedingly long, Artemiy elected to not muck about with silly things such as journals. He headed straight towards his goal.

The Worms were still on the mound, chanting something unintelligible in the Order's tongue. Was their rite going to be effective? Only tomorrow would tell...

The same notion applied to Artemiy and Daniil's experiments, as well. The unfortunate truth of it was that Dankovsky was quite skeptical of this undertaking.

If one were to throw in the other Klara's musings into the mix, one would get a rather gloomy result. Still, Artemiy had to try � there was nothing else to be done but this.

As always, the Sand Fever was quite unhappy to let Artemiy just sit in the neat little bastion of his thoughts � it was intent on letting its presence and dominion be known. This time, Artemiy did manage to evade the �Angel�, though it took quite a bit of sprinting to outpace it.

Artemiy's thoughts turned, once more, to this inquisitor that was arriving tomorrow. The Government of this country wasn't know for its kindness and he is bound to wield a terrible power indeed.

Someone was bound to pay for the disarray, in which this Town currently was. One of the ruling families, most likely � the Saburovs, perhaps? They were at the forefront of combating this epidemic and they've clearly failed miserably.

The more concerning prospects, however, were the ones regarding himself. Even if Artemiy cleared his name, he was still known as the Ripper. This inquisitor would surely be swift to dole out justice, and Artemiy could be one of the first people to taste it if he'd make a wrong move. Tomorrow was going to be a hard day.

Artemiy needed to stop this habit of letting gloomy thoughts be his roadside companions. At the very least, it made for a depressing read.

What sort of damned creature is transmitting this disease everywhere � that is what I'm interested in the most...

I've brought you Bull's blood.

Well then � let's see...

Once again, Bachelor took to the microscope

Well?

Ah... I see now why the bulls don't get sick. Their antibodies don't destroy the bacteria, but they block it and don't let it spread. It seems that after a certain amount of time, it dies. Hell � even if it doesn't die it still fails to kill the bull... Perhaps, it assimilates...

What sort of conclusion can we draw from all this?

In an ideal world, you'd need a hybrid of a man and a bull. Human antibodies can destroy this abomination, while the bull ones will keep it from spreading.

Such a creature doesn't exist...

That is, indeed, where the problem lies, unfortunately... You're quite unlucky � just as I am...

Perhaps, it can be synthesized in laboratory conditions? Take some tissue from a bull, some tissue from a human and combine it?

We could try it, yes, but Rubin has gone off somewhere again... I'd need him to get the samples. If he shows up, I'll give it a try. I'll let you know about the result.

Thanks... I'll be waiting...

Bull's Blood

It seems that trying to make a panacea out of an animal has proven unsuccessful. Tomorrow will be the decisive day that will put everything in its place... Still, I have a bad feeling. It seems that Bachelor is sure that his attempts at synthesis will fail...

Consumed by gloomy notions, what Artemiy sorely needed was a nap � a nap that he got right then and there. Bachelor was leaving � going out on his own business, no doubt � so the bed was free and Artemiy had time to kill.

When Artemiy woke up three hours later, Bachelor was back and busy at his table. Not much changed, except Artemiy seemed to have a new letter waiting for him.

Victor Kain's Invitation

The true thief of Simon's body has been found. He arrived here � to the �Horns� - today with a confession. Our family wants to make amends with You. I hope that You will understand our feelings if You'll try and recall Your own emotions when You have found out about the patriarch of Your family's death.

From now on, we will turn against anyone who dares to call You a Ripper.

Come � don't hold a grudge against us. It's best that we get to know each other better.

With penitence and respect,

Victor Kain

A strange, bombastic letter that seemed to try to apologize and seduce at once. Still, Artemiy didn't have much else to do and the �Horns� were quite close, so why not go and see what they have to say for themselves?

His destination was right there, to the right, but Artemiy decided to go on a bit further...

Over the last six days, Artemiy heard much about this monument to defiance. People were afraid of it, worshiped it and heaped all their hopes and dreams onto its nonexistent foundation. The Polyhedron.

Artemiy wanted to ascend its stairs and see what was at the top, but something told him that this was neither the time nor the place for it. He'd see the full glory and folly of this structure - in due time, of course.

There was some sort of a commotion down the street � a commotion Artemiy wanted nothing to do with.

From the outside, the house looked quite spartan. Knowing Kains, however, the same couldn't be expected of the interior.

The house seemed to be about as richly decorated as the Olgimsky residence, but there was a palpably darker ambiance to it. It seems that Kains wanted to live up to their reputation.

Victor didn't seem to notice Artemiy yet � he was a bit lost in thought.

He did, however, get up when Artemiy approached him.

We have been alarmed by the rumours of a provocation that is being prepared. Is this why you've come?

No. You've sent me a letter, remember?

Victor seemed rather focused on this one particular issue � it's clear that he wrote the letter only in order to get Artemiy's help in the matter.

A procession made up of the diseased folk was supposed to come to the graveyard in order to perform the rites before the sacred gravestones. Now, we have received the news that those murderous arsonists are planning to attack the pilgrims. Have you heard anything about that?

No � I haven't.

I do hope that those are just rumours...

Victor was trying a bit too hard to evoke concern in Artemiy � something that caused Artemiy to say his next line in a very wooden, sarcastic voice.

I hope so, indeed...

Victor, however, seemed too lost in his prepared speech to notice.

My daughter also wanted to ask for your forgiveness for all the troubles our family has caused you. I think that you should talk to her. Lately, she has been the person to decide all the important matters in the family. She's becoming more and more like her mother.

Who was her mother, again?

Oh, of course � you are a recent arrival. If you haven't heard anything about my wife, the godlike Nina, then I won't be able to describe just how important she was to us in a single conversation... How much it means to us...

Victor's thoughts trailed off and the silence lasted for quite a while before Artemiy broke it...

How much what means to you?

Oh... Why, the fact that my daughter is becoming more and more like her, of course. It means that soon, a real, powerful Mistress will appear in this Town � one that will stop this pestilence with her primeval, primordial power that comes from the darkest depths of the Earth and will revive this Town for the sake of its future glory.

Well � aren't you a poet... Fine � I'll go and meet your daughter, if that is the case.

All this felt like a bad setup to use Artemiy as some sort of an errand boy. Just like on the second day, in fact...

Maria's house was located in the same housing complex, to the North of Victor's house. A short walk later, Artemiy went inside.

The house was quite a bit more lavish than Victor's � in fact, the place was the most lavishly decorated house Artemiy has seen so far.

Almost all of the paintings shared the same subject � it was unbearably narcissistic for a person such as Artemiy.

Further inside, Artemiy finally found Maria.

I'm sorry that we have been enemies for so long, Burakh. Our familial temper has caused you a great deal of discomfort.

The girl had quite the nerve...

Discomfort? Is that what you'd call it?

I'm terribly, terribly sorry. I'd like to have peace between us now. I've heard that you've performed a number of good deeds � deeds worthy of great warriors of antiquity, in fact. It is true what they've been saying about your exploits, right?

Is this some sort of joke to you? What are you implying?

Maria smiled wryly � it was, in fact, a joke.

Calm, Artemiy � calm. Our meeting has occurred at the most opportune of moments. Would you be so kind as to help me with a small matter?

A small matter? Do tell...

I've heard that a mob of angry peasants is preparing to desecrate the tombs of the Mistresses. You see � recently, I have broken Mr. Dankovskiy's moratorium and went outside to talk to my mother. Her tomb is closer to the cape � you have seen it, I presume?

What cape? What are you talking about?

I brought her a gift that time. It was a diary � a simple collection of sentimental memories. However, it is precious to me. When I was a little girl, my mother used to write letters in it for me in secret � they appeared as if out of nowhere. I thought that the little book was speaking to me...

The notion seemed insane, but it was pretty clear what Maria was trying to achieve by taking the diary to her mother's grave. Still, it wouldn't hurt to probe a bit...

Hmm... Why did you take the diary to her grave, then?

The question brought a disproportionate amount of satisfaction to Maria � she became positively giddy.

Oh, how your brow has furrowed, Burakh! Yes � you are shrewd indeed! Precisely for that purpose, yes! Let that not trouble your pretty little head, though � us Kains have a longstanding tradition of conversing with our dead. To be honest, they are quite a bit closer to the world of the living than most people think.

So that's how it is...

This diary doesn't just have a sentimental value to me, if you get my meaning... Will you bring it to me?

Artemiy had to admit that his curiosity was piqued. It was a short walk, too � it wouldn't hurt at all.

I will. For a payment.

Oh my... I didn't expect you to be quite so straightforward about it - our relationship seemed to be so chivalrous, too... Of course, I won't be left in debt. Let us also pretend that you didn't say that last remark � it's much more interesting that way.

The girl was clearly used to getting away with everything with just a wink and a smile. Damned aristocracy...

Do not toy with me, Maria.

In any case... bring me that diary, Burakh. I'm afraid that it's about to be desecrated. I don't want the diary to be damaged or, even worse, to fall into the wrong hands.

Don't trouble yourself � you'll have your diary soon enough.

Track 14 � The Bridge (Stone Yard)

Knocking at the Mistresses' doors

The young Kain is asking me to bring her her mother's diary. Mad, insane people want to burn down the Mistresses' tombs. Why? Because the Matriarch aren't taking care of the Town like they used to? I remember them � Nina and Victoria. They were simple women, not goddesses. The deceased Matriarchs won't hear them. They aren't there � they are not under the Earth.

Perhaps, it was presumptuous of Artemiy to dismiss the Mistresses' powers so handily � especially, considering the fact that Kapella � a daughter of a Mistress herself � clearly had some prophetic powers of her own.

The little that Artemiy remembered of the Triumvirate of Mistresses' rule didn't present a compelling evidence for the Mistresses' mystical nature. Everything that was ascribed to them could, just as easily, be ascribed to the mass hysteria that occurred so frequently in this Town � especially back in those days.

A short hop, skip and a jump later, and Artemiy found the crypt he was looking for. Dark Marble � quite fitting indeed.

The interior was dark, cramped and disturbingly void-like � for all its small space, it felt expansive, as if it threatened to consume whoever was inside. Artemiy decided not to dawdle here.

Artemiy didn't venture to read beyond the first couple of pages, although what he did read was quite disturbing � disturbing enough that Artemiy threw it out of his mind upon reading it posthaste.

Knocking at the Mistresses' doors

I can return to Maria now. She is the one who knows everything about where the mysterious powers of the Town, to which the mad arsonists are calling, are located. That is the truth of it.

Upon exiting, Artemiy stumbled into a pair of arsonists flinging petrol bombs at a trio of infected persons.

Since Artemiy had the drop on them, the fight was a short one � Artemiy was glad to perform a public service, for once.

The sick folks were quite grateful and orderly, having, seemingly, completed their pilgrimages. There was still a matter of getting back to the infected districts without being hassled by the patrolmen, but Artemiy left that to them.

Artemiy didn't run into any more trouble on the way back.

For all her flamboyant scheming, Maria was still a dangerous player in the games of intrigue. Artemiy, for all his annoyance with the girl, made sure not to underestimate her. Because of this, Artemiy didn't hold any illusions about this peace offering of Kains.

A halfhearted peace is better than a hearty quarrel. Isn't that right, Burakh?

What's true is true... I've found this in the Tomb.

Oh, thank you! Burakh � you have done a great service for me! Let me reward you for your troubles and for the danger that you've went through for, obviously, my sake!

She winked slyly, as if chuckling at her own �wit�. Artemiy had nothing to do but to take his reward � a small, by today's margin, amount of coins � and leave.

Knocking at the Mistresses' doors

A curious woman, this Maria... Formidable, but charming at the same time... For someone like her, ruling is a birthright. One look from her, and one could willingly walk to his death or to the ends of the earth... Something about her reminded me of the little Kapella...

It seemed that meddling in the affairs of the Mistresses was an occupation reserved only for the most foolhardy people in this Town, and Artemiy was the foolhardiest of them all. With this little episode, his day was done � the rest of it would be devoted to his less extravagant activities.

Today, he would sift his Father's notes in search of any mentions of a mythical creature that would resemble a hybrid of a human and a bull. Would he find such a mention? No � of course not. It wasn't the time for it � not quite yet.

HellishWhiskers fucked around with this message at 23:00 on Sep 10, 2014

# ¿ Sep 10, 2014 10:32

HellishWhiskers: Mar 29, 2012; She was an awkward girl

Threw in a bit of a note on Tauro in the glossary since it has been pretty prominent this update and will likely be important in the future.

# ¿ Sep 10, 2014 18:56

HellishWhiskers: Mar 29, 2012; She was an awkward girl

A Curvy Goonette posted:

I have to say I was a little leery about your added flavor text. I was worried they would override the actual game text, but I find myself really enjoying the LP. So keep on trucking.

I'd love folks to tell me if it gets too dumb and/or overbearing, especially since I'm planning to ramp up the forth-wall-breakey aspects of it in the coming days due to the fact that the game's proclivity for doing so will be ramping up as well fairly soon.

# ¿ Sep 10, 2014 22:59

HellishWhiskers: Mar 29, 2012; She was an awkward girl

The Reader - Nina Kain, the Dark Mistress

In that time when the Town was ruled by Nina Kain, those who have grown unaccustomed to monarchy and, more importantly, to the primeval magic, saw, both with jubilation and horror, how a demonic queen can truly rule. It seemed as though a figure of a goddess with a crown of smooth dark hair was floating over the Town, enveloping herself in clouds, like a colossal statue of an ancient mistress. They said that she can do anything and everything. They said that at night, clad in her true guise � tall as the sky, thin as the branch of a willow and terrible as the lightning � she walked the streets of the Town and, with a shrug of her majestic white shoulders, she took that which belonged to her by right and gave, with a godlike generosity, that which could not, under any imaginable circumstance, belong to a human being.

They used to say that and they say that still. Now, even when fifteen years have passed and her biography is the domain of history and folk's tale, it is time to take a sober look at Nina's image and separate fact from fiction. Where is the truth here?

The truth, most likely, lies in the fact that Nina, in the shortest amount of time, has shaken to the core both minds and souls of people, who are, by nature, not prone to unfounded exaltation. The truth lies in the fact that she was strikingly beautiful � even the most picky of judges would admit her appearance to be both absolutely exquisite and demonic at once. Powerful angles of her graceful hands, milky skin, eyes that were darker than Darkness itself, a queenly stature, the perverse shape of her pale, ever bitten lips � the truth lies in the fact that the people's memory has empowered her personage with the traits that would be sought for by the most exquisite of tyrants and the most enlightened of emperors.

What is curious, however, is the following � everyone called her a witch, despite the fact that Nina has never produced and example of an unusual or a supernatural deed. In essence, she was not able to perform anything �special� or �magical�. She didn't throw bolts of lightning, didn't perform any parlour tricks, was unable to stop enemy legions with a wave of a hand and neither did she turn iron into gold. However, surely there was something there, right? People's memory, after all, is the most sober of historians. You can't bribe it or trick it with premeditated falsehoods. It begs the question, then - what was it?

This woman exuded a very particular sort of energy � energy that allowed her to create that, which, well, was impossible to create. When one was near her, that which seemed impossible under any circumstances seemed � and was � possible! In addition, this energy was very strong within her indeed � it was as if it was shooting out of her, akin to a pillar of flame that rose out of her darkest depths into the sky, pressured by an exceedingly strong force. This pillar was so strong that it was almost palpable. Unable to properly capture this feeling, the people created a legend of a Mistress of a giant stature that was toying with the Town as if it was a set of tesserae. That is precisely how the Mistress Nina is encapsulated in the children' drawings of that time. Exaltation, inspiration, a fierce joy and passion � these feelings would always occupy the space where Nina was present. That is where her bewitching power would lie.

It's not accidental that she fit into the family of Kains so easily. Kains, with their inclination towards daring, brave and dangerous experimentation and an unwillingness to accept any laws, including the laws of physics and history, became a true family for her. Their prowess in ruling as an unseen Force and regulating the flow, waves and storms of public opinion, had presented her with a great amount of opportunities. Nina took the Town into her warm hands, warmed it, compressed it into a lump of obedient clay, mashed it and began sculpting out of it a duchy of her dreams.

Of course, amid all of this, she evoked a great outpouring of love! Her passion was, indeed, very infectious � her stern eyes were secretly aflame with a manic joy that, however, was not reflected in neither her mimic nor her actions. Nina, with her personality, presented an archetype that is, nowadays, very much presented in Maria � she produced an impression of absolute composure, self-control and complete sanity while, admittedly, committing insane actions.

From another source

�... During all that time when Nina was the Mistress of the House of Kains, she gripped the Town in fear. Paradoxically, that is where lies the reason for an unexplainable outbreak of love towards Kains that took place in the recent fears � when compared to Nina, all other members of the Kain family looked like entirely normal human beings. Nina maimed and destroyed hundreds of lives � families fell apart and houses were destroyed all because of her. Those, whom she did not consider to be her equals were akin to ants to her. When Nina was bored � something that occurred quite frequently � she conducted herself not unlike Dracula in Valakhia � that is, she took a walk around the Town and, if she saw any situation that might pique her interest then she would solve it in accordance with her own perception of justice. She would easily take away a beautiful child from a stupid mother and give him to the Elder of the Abbatoir so that he could raise him as an odonkhe or a scout of the Steppe. She could wander into the house and order the most precious of things to be shown to her � if the owners of the house would try to hide something from her, she would immediately execute the liars. The people, surprisingly enough, tolerated this state of affairs. Nina was accepted as a beautiful and terrible guardian of the Town that was to be sated by the means of blood sacrifices. When Nina finally died everyone took a sigh of relief, even if they continued to treat her with a now greater sort of piety � perhaps, because now, in addition to all her aforementioned qualities, she was also quite dead."

HellishWhiskers fucked around with this message at 22:17 on Oct 12, 2014

# ¿ Sep 13, 2014 08:34

HellishWhiskers: Mar 29, 2012; She was an awkward girl

I've added yet another appendix section that will be updated irregularly - The Reader

These are little world-building articles that were present on Pathologic's old russian website that has now been usurped by the website for the remake. There were six or seven of them and they weren't particularly long, but they provided an interesting sort of flavour and I hope I'll manage to find all of them before they are gone completely off the face of the internet.

I've also updated the list of characters to include the new folks we've met on the sixth day.

Glazius posted:

Is there anything like an inventory limit in this game? Or can you just stuff your pockets full of medicine and never worry?

There is an inventory limit - 12 slots for five categories - "Weapons", "Clothes", "Food", "Drugs" and "Other" each. You usually have enough slots to not worry about it most of the time, unless you are Haruspex - mostly because the "Other" section gets a bit cluttered with all the cuttings. Almost makes one wish that you could put all that stuff into the "Food" category.

# ¿ Sep 13, 2014 08:39

HellishWhiskers: Mar 29, 2012; She was an awkward girl

Chapter Seven � Part 1

Various bits of research that Artemiy undertook bore no fruit, and, closer to the evening, Artemiy called his sixth day in the Town a day and went to rest.

REEL 7: Insquisitor's Arrival

There were, as usual, letters waiting for Artemiy when he awoke. He grabbed the first one that was written in Daniil's characteristic handwriting.

Results of the Analysis and the synthesis of bull's and human blood.

The bulls are able to get sick. The antibodies in bulls' blood block the Sand Fever microbes and stop them from multiplying. Human antibodies are able to destroy these microbes, but can't do so in time to stop the disease from reaching the critical stage.

I will attempt to combine them � doing so will take all night. Perhaps, there'll be a result, but I don't have a very good feeling about this.

Not much new information here, aside from the fact that the bulls can actually get sick. Is it possible for them to be carriers for the disease? That seems probable and can have dangerous consequences, if true. He grabbed the next letter � a slightly torn page, sealed in an official-looking envelope.

Diaries of Isidore Burakh. Excerpt on predetermination.[pg.29]

�She hurries towards me, overtaking the wind, and, on the way, she gathers the fragile fingers, weaves the thin bones and stretches out the flexible joints. Her black face has no eye sockets, her white face has no nostrils. Both of her heads will never agree on anything.�

Thus speaks �The Saga�.

I think that I will manage to do enough before her shabnak rises out of the earth at least up to its ankles.

[V] � the only one who must survive no matter the cost. I dearly hope that I can manage to make enough broth to feed its giant carcass in time!

The [V] rears its head once more. If this was truly the udurg, like Artemiy thought it was, then this letter only gave rise to more questions. Just how large was it, and how exactly would the �Dead Broth� that never managed to completely heal someone of the infection would save it?

More questions and no answers � business as usual. It was past midnight, and that meant that it was time to get more answerless question at the Theater.

The page from his father's diary gave rise to another curious possibility � it seemed to confirm the Rat Prophet's words about Klara in an indirect way.

Two faces of the disease that never agree with each other? Sounds like a pair of disease-carrying doppelgangers to me... It was also curious how Isidore referred to the coming of the disease as the arrival of �her shabnak�. Was Shabnak-Adyr supposed to be the avatar of the disease of some sort? If so, then Klara fit the bill completely. Not a great prospect � someone is ought to do something about the girl...

Seeking out the girl again was not something in Artemiy's plans, though � he had quite enough on his plate as it was. He did, however, have time for a little sideshow. The Theatre was getting a bit cramped, considering that it has been re-purposed as a morgue in the recent days, but there was still room for a performance.

Today, a certain someone got almost tied to a post! I have managed to avoid an execution only through a miracle! I have been valiantly saved by the Bachelor.

The voice was a little girl's � it was fairly clear whom this Tragedian was playing...

Unbelievable � the Sand Fever isn't a human, that much has been proven. One has to ask, though � what is the source? It's clear that it is all connected to this girl somehow...

You can run from anyone, even from the Inquisitor's ire, but you won't escape yourself. The Earth Sister is breathing down your neck...

Two old voices from before � one calm and the other harsh. Artemiy couldn't see them, but they sounded like Executors would...

What is there to do, then?

It seems, as though the entire world is against me! There is no escaping from this noose! Is there no way to escape the execution?

Ah, the shrill fellow is back, too... Artemiy was starting to come to the conclusion that this was the Masks' exaggerated interpretation of the Bachelor... Still, if that was Daniil, then who was supposed to be Artemiy?

Calm...

No moaning, now!

One can remain a weapon or he can become a rebel.

It's simply a matter of free choice... Marionettes are free to roam around calmly � it is a real man's lot to convulse in a noose.

It seems that the harsher fellow was not above a cruel joke at the Bachelor's expense.

REEL 8: Masks' Nightly Attraction � Night Six

Big on style, but lacking in substance � quite as usual. It was time to grab today's map from Notkin.

A hop, skip and a jump and Artemiy was there. Nothing new for Notkin yet again, although the kid raised the price of the map up to 2000 coins, the scoundrel.

That was somewhat understandable, though, considering that the disease was spreading exponentially and must have been taking its tolls on the scouts.

It was fairly close to morning by now, and Artemiy decided that he might as well begin heading to Dankovsky to ask him about the results of his night's work.

Even if there was only disappointment to be found, Artemiy was sure that, between them, the two wise healers will figure something out.

Artemiy was also curious to hear what Daniil had to say about this Inquisitor. His arrival was bound to cause a great deal of upheaval in the Town and will surely influence the healers' work greatly.

A nice little aphorism Daniil had there - belonging to Francois de La Rochefoucauld, to be exact. Artemiy wasn't sure whether Bachelor wanted to pass off these words as his own or simply couldn't be bothered to source his words. Still, men in positions similar to Bachelor's look quite silly when they spout deeply meaningful expressions with a raised brow.

Well � it's time to say farewell. I don't know if we'll see each other again, Burakh. It seems that we both have suffered a defeat. You weren't able to make a panacea, and I have nothing to soothe the inquisitor. For me, that is akin to suicide. I'm walking to the Cathedral not unlike how one walks up to a guillotine.

The Bachelor was gloomier than Artemiy expected him to be.

On what basis would the Inquisitor deprive you of your life?

The Inquisitor has no power over me, although, technically, the Inquisitors have power over everyone. This Authority needs no lawful precision � if an Inquisitor wants to kill, then he will kill. If he wants to remove you from the face of this Earth, then he will. They know how, after all... That's not what I meant, though....

What did you mean, then?

I have decided that if I am unable to return with a victory, then I will put a bullet in my head with this revolver right then and there. I've been chased into a corner. I can't look in the eyes of those, whom I've failed to protect. For my allies, there is only prison or exile and for my research � only fire.

The Bachelor was, indeed, becoming more and more akin to the likeness assigned to him by the Theater.

What is keeping you from the victory, then?

I still haven't managed to find the source of the disease. The infection resurfaces over and over and over again. This must be someone's will. I was unable to find the carrier � moreover, it doesn't even seem to be a question of time. I don't think that this is even a person's doing.

Quite strange indeed � the things that I've encountered have also led me to believe something similar...

That's the truth, isn't it? How many beings that aren't human still play a human role in our lives! We've haven't managed to find this creature, too � a hybrid of a bull and a man... Mythology seems to have preserved such a being for us, but not nature. It doesn't exist in our reality.

You said that you could try your hand at synthesis?

No... It's hopeless � I wouldn't manage to try without Rubin, anyway...

Daniil didn't even try? His fatalism was clearly getting the better of him...

What happened to Rubin, anyway?

Yesterday, he gave himself to the Kains' mercy. I don't know, whether he was relying on Victor's generosity or Georgiy's sobriety, but it was Maria who was sitting on the throne. I don't know the details of theirs meeting, but I haven't seen or heard of Rubin ever since.

It seems that, now, my last duty is the duty of my Father. Whom did he swear to save upon the honor of his lineage? I still don't know...

Artemiy was thinking out loud, not that the Bachelor would care too much right now...

My... have you actually grown desperate? Whoever this mysterious patient is, he can only be saved with a panacea � if it's not too late, that is... So many people have died these days...

I have to go to the Abattoir, to meet the Elder.

Abattoir is a forbidden territory. You won't get there unless you get the Inquisitor's permission. Nowadays, all the matters relating to fighting the epidemic � and even all other important matters, to be honest � are curated by the Inquisitor.

I'll find some way around that...

Even without that, you'd still need to get a permission to perform any further activities � it's best that you try to do so as early as possible, too. If the word of your �fame� comes sooner than you do, then...Well, it's best that you come there of your own volition. Preempt the deceitful rumours and let it be know that you are opening up the dead for a good cause.

Are you coming too?

Yes, but not with you. You should go � I still have to gather my thoughts. By the way, Burakh � I'm really glad that we did not have time to become enemies! Good luck to you.

Good luck to you too, Oinon.

However cheerful Dankovsky tried to make his last phrase sound, there was a strange note of bitterness to it. This whole conversation was quite unsettling, too � something was about to change, irrevocably so - I'm sure of it...

Hybrid of a Bull and a Man.

It's worth it to explain my intentions to the Inquisitor before malicious witnesses do that for me. I should get an audience with her as fast as possible.

It was a very short walk away from Dankovsky's residence, so Artemiy wasted no time. When he left Eva Yan's house, however, the clock tolled 7 AM.

Day 7, which, for Haruspex, a fatal � that is, fateful and decisive � day.

Somehow, it felt like a fateful day, too. A lot of things seemed like they were about to change.

The Cathedral's doors were quite heavy � it took Artemiy some effort to open them.

Well, this is a strange sight.

Why would the inquisitor dress up as an Executor? Artemiy wanted to ask the fellow on the sideline before addressing the main personage.

Kindly address all your questions to the elders, good sir. I hold no office here. I'm merely, if one could say so, an ornamental element.

Are you an extra or something?

Yes. I'm simply luckier than you, that's all...

Yeah, well � I have more chances to survive than you do...

Perhaps that is where this extra was luckier than Artemiy... He turned to the main Executor on the throne.

Oh my! Take a look at who graced us with his presence! Could it be Haruspex, the premiere comedian of the Town?

Oh? What have I done to deserve such a welcome?

You would say that you don't deserve it? Look, at least, at how you walk and remember the deeds that you've done!

As if you've seen the things I've done...

Who knows, who knows...

Well, - at least, if I'm the premiere comedian, then you are a reserve one.

Artemiy didn't come here to entertain individuals with highly punchable masks, however.

Who knows about that one, too... Why have you come?

I need the Inquisitor.

You are hereby informed that her grace has personally embarked on a scouting mission in the Apiary, preferring not to trust the emissaries and their exaggerated reports and wanting to see the site of the tragedy herself. She also wanted to meet the little personage who calls herself the Mother Superior, of course.

That sure was comprehensive there, buddy.

Hybrid of a Bull and a Man.

Inquisitor is investigating the crimes of the rulers in the Apiary. I wonder what did the Order tell her about me? I should ask Tychik's daughter about it.

The trek wasn't the easiest one, but it's one that Artemiy made before.

If this whole situation meant that he would have to go on a wild goose chase after the Inquisitor all over the Town, Artemiy was going to be pissed.

The smarmy Executors didn't help the matters too much, either � who did they think they were? A bunch of louts playing dress-up on a suicide mission. Granted, a situation like that might make one irreverent of pleasantries, but, surely, some tact surely must be maintained, still!

Of course, Artemiy shouldn't be too surprised � getting snarked at by the Executors was how this whole thing began.

They are a small fish, anyway, so there isn't much use getting mad at them. Still, seething is pretty much the most of what Artemiy did on the way to the Apiary � at least, it would have been if Artemiy hadn't gotten a letter on his way there.

Kapella's letter

Maria has shared her experience � Georgiy and Victor have returned from their questioning. Kains say that you won't survive your meeting with the Inquisitor. She turned out to be too smart to believe the tales of the Ripper and shrewd enough to understand the discovery, on the verge of which you are standing.

In any case, the Kains say that she will order your death if you won't confirm that you know how to make a panacea. I didn't quite understand why, though � it was all very strange.

By the way � is it possible that you actually know and will make it? That would be wonderful! Be careful with the Inquisitor. The patrolmen follow only her orders, nowadays.

V. O. jr.

P.S. Mother Superiour wants to see you. If she is in danger then be sure to protect her! She is a very, very miserable little being and she has a very kind heart. She must stay alive. I think that they'll open up the Apiary today, by the Inquisitor's order.

The guards were a bit reluctant to open up at first, but this explained why, soon enough, they relented. The letter gave him some food for thought, but nothing immediately actionable. He stayed the course and entered the Apiary.

If the short housing section of the Apiary was hellish, then the epithet for this was quite a bit more categorical. The moans of the sick were very much the same as they were in the Short Housing section, but there was much more death here.

Piles of corpses stacked up and covered by filthy rags and propped up by rusted metallic pipes. The Inquisitor must have seen this � someone will surely be responsible for this.

It was time to relinquish the anger and try to find the chamber where Taya was located. Considering her stature, it must be somewhere up high and regal.

The only place in the Long Housing section marked by the torches? That must be it � Artemiy tried the first door on the right.

This seems to be it.

These were the various letters of Order's alphabet � the Tauro were made mostly out of these. There was a wealth of knowledge hidden in these, but there was no one to reveal it to Artemiy there. He turned to Taya.

Look! Here he comes, the Servitor! Here, I'll put you to a test � are you going to answer?

I'll try to not look silly while doing so.

Tell me, how do they summon the menkhu, those of the lineage of servants? Well?

By their hands they know them, the butchers. By their eyes they distinguish them, the surgeons...

I see � you know. Now, I'm ready to speak with you. But look here � don't talk back to me, or else! I'm quick to anger!

She put her little hands to her side and scowled - a foolish man would've thought her to be a petulant little girl, but Artemiy knew better than that.

Please � stay your wrath, Mother.

Taya playfully giggled at Artemiy � it seemed to be a joke on her part, even if he still didn't want to take any chances.

We had a very curious guest today!

Is she still here?

No. She went to the Town prison from here. Oh, she was so angry! Can you imagine � she ordered the Long Housing section be opened, because no one can escape from here now. That's what she said.

What else did she say?

She said that she will make an example of those, who are at fault for what happened her. I told her that it wouldn't be so easy to find the ones at fault. Our guest will solve this puzzle, though � I think...

Doesn't the Order know who gave the order to seal the Apiary?

Me? No, I don't know. My guest promised me that she'll find out, though. She is very-very-very terrifying! Even I wanted to clump up into a ball from fear � and I'm not used to fear!

It's strange that she let you be...

Indeed � a distant emissary of the Authorities being completely fine with a four year-old girl being in charge of a big group of people during a deadly epidemic? That was quite strange, indeed.

Hybrid of a Bull and a Man.

The Inquisitor is investigating the crimes of the rulers in the Town prison. I have nothing to fear, however � my conscience is clear. I'm sure that today's visit to the prison will be the last one I'll undertake in this Town.

Taya wasn't quite done with him, though.

The Order has been quite worried � a riot is stirring...

What is bothering the Order, exactly?

They performed a sacrifice yesterday. A Higher one laid his head on a plate � one by the name of Boos Primogenius. Everything was supposed to change, but nothing happened. That means that the Servitor is a false one.

Yesterday's sacrifice was having unexpected consequences today, it would seem.

Servitor? Which Servitor?

Elder Oyun. He was the one to open up the Higher one. Nothing happened! The pestilence didn't end! Perhaps, he is a bad servitor? The lines would have continued, otherwise. The sacred blood of the Higher one would have cured the world, but it didn't work out that way.

Ah, it seems that she was talking about a different sacrifice than the one Artemiy witnessed. Still, there was a bit of important news here that Artemiy did not overlook.

Does it mean that the Elder has returned?

He has � this very night, too. That's when they brought the Higher one from the Steppe. They brought him in through the Gate of Maw. You know, he was so so so so very big! Wow! That was the first time in my life that I saw his shadow! My odonkhe tell me that I will never see one like that ever again...

How can I reach the Elder, Mother?

I don't know.

What am I to do, then?

You know, the Worms opened up a bull, too! They say that, because of their sacrifice, something changed in the world! Would they be capable, though? Their talk is for naught � they are only hurting themselves... Perhaps, you could ask her about what exactly did they do? They're in the Short Housing section, right at the top � hiding from the angered Order.

The two daring Worms had a part to play, after all.

The Order is angry with them?

The Elder says that they've spoiled his sacrifice. Oyun said that while he was opening up the Higher one, they were mocking the Rites � opened up a bull on Rhaga's Mound and that is why the lines have crossed. You can ask them whether it's true or not � it's all very curious...

I'll give it a try.

Artemiy already knew what happened � after all, he was present when it did. However, he was still interested in what the Worms had to say for themselves.

The Sacrifice

In the neighbouring housing section of the Apiary, a pair of terrified odonkhe are hiding out. If I can get to them, they will tell me just what exactly was achieved with yesterday's haphazard rite.

So, the sacrifice that the worms performed wasn't quite sanctioned, after all... Why did they do it, then? To achieve the same ends that the Elder was trying to achieve? Strange...

As before, the patrolmen did not bar his way.

Not much seemed different in the Short Housing section of the Apiary, except for a little detail.

This was rather inconvenient � the clouds were wedged in at the most inopportune of places. drat this disease and its will trying hard to be inconvenient.

It took a set of careful gymnastics, but, soon enough, Artemiy was at the top.

The Worms looked quite scared and looked at him with expectation of salvation that Artemiy wasn't able to bring them even if he wanted. He was only here to hear them explain themselves.

You have come?

Yes. Tell me why you have opened up the bull yesterday.

Why? In order to perform the foreordained. You can't fault one for that. Even the children are allowed to sculpt out of clay. Fill the belly of Boos Turokh with Suokh's broth, and the evil will diseappear.

They weren't going to be too explanatory in that avenue of questioning, so Artemiy turned to a detail that Taya mentioned.

What has changed in the world after the bull was opened?

We summoned an emissary from the other side. A giant one � not like us. He isn't human.

Isn't human? How so?

A lot of beings in this Town made a claim to a status of non-human, including the immortal Simon, who seems to have found his mortality relatively quickly

The one whom we've summoned is destined to restore the justice. Destined to fight Suokh. Destined to fall by the hand of a Servitor. The one, whom we've summoned, is destined to become the real Sacrifice.

Wait! Why are you talking like this?

That is how it was scribed in the �Fable of the Sons�. His death will make that, which yesterday's death did not. We've summoned the one who was needed and he came. We did a good deed.

Who is it? Is it the Inquisitor?

We do not know.

So, does it mean that you weren't mocking the Rites?

We wouldn't have dared, oinon. We don't know how. We've done a good deed.

Good. I believe you.

The Sacrifice

Now, I can find out what Tychik's self-reliant daughter thinks about all this.

All this talk about predestination, on the other hand, concerned me. It seemed like peeking too far ahead, even if it remained oblique. At the very least, it was some exceedingly heavy-handed foreshadowing. Is watching this little prophecy unfold really all that was left to us?

In any case, this train of thought was interrupted when Artemiy exited the Short Housing section.

It seems that some foolhardy soul was trying to exact the Order's ire on Artemiy. For associating with the exiled Worms, perhaps? In any case, the six patrolmen that were present did not take kindly to this and Artemiy went on after it was all over.

Artemiy decided to scout out the side corridors, in case he was missing something interesting or unusual. There was, however, nothing to be found but more death and misery, so he went on to Taya.

Artemiy still could not come to terms with just how disagreeable the Order's living conditions were. Any respect that he may had for Vlad Sr. disappeared that day.

Not much seemed to change in here since Artemiy was gone, although one of the butchers seemed to have gotten tired of standing and assumed a comfortable, resting position that is easy on the legs.

Everything was done correctly, and nobody was trying to perform the Rites, either.

Ah � so, that means that it's the Elder's fault. We should gather the Council and tell everyone who's still left in the Apiary. That's where the problem is � our Elder isn't worthy... He is not real � the real one would be able to chase the death away.

Who knows...

The Sacrifice

Yesterday's sacrifice wasn't a parody of the Rites, performed in the Abattoir. Rather, it's the other way around. The profaning Odonkhe on Rhaga's mound achieved more than the terrifying Elder Oyun. There's a conclusion to be drawn from all of this...

Drawing that conclusion and acting on it would be two entirely separate matters. For now, Artemiy was done in the Apiary � it was time to visit the Town prison.

All this talk of predestination only brought Artemiy back to the first day, when the Executor first mocked him.

�It is much more interesting to be a fatalist if one has an actual choice to make, wouldn't you agree?� However snarky, it still rang quite true.

It felt as if, in the past seven days, Artemiy has done nothing but go along with the current that dragged him ever closer to the center of Maelstrom that threatened to consume him. Was there nothing to be done?

If only he could make the panacea and perform the duty entrusted to him, then, perhaps, it will all be worth it.

The Town Hall was a sizable building that stood out in its surroundings, but Artemiy didn't manage to capture it's glory quite completely since he was being chased by an unpleasant Angelic cloud and two rats.

Instead of taking in the glory, he chose to duck inside as quickly as possible.

Inside, the patrolmen seemed to be processing a couple of criminals. There was no sight of Inquisitor. Ugh...

Justice and impartiality � those are the rules followed by the lawful emissary of the Authorities!

Are you so sure about that?

The Governmental Inquisitor will perform a swift investigation and will carry out an exemplary punishment of all those involved in the crimes� just as she should.

What crimes are you talking about, in particular? There were hundreds of them committed around here.

Oh, I'm merely talking about this prison. A mass incarceration of innocents took place here. Unwarranted executions were carried out using unlawful methods. Criminal negligence that led to the introduction of the infection in the cells and caused mass deaths has also occurred. Someone must be held accountable.

Aren't your sort the ones who should be held accountable for all the executions?

That wasn't our will. We carry out the orders without thinking about them.

Marionettes were abound in this place, and, according to the Executors, he was the premiere one. Or was it a comedian? It was probably both...

Anyway, where is the Inquisitor?

Her grace left to investigate the residence of the blood trader. He caused the uprising of the arsonists and was at the core of their entire conspiracy. He is sure to get his, now � should've thought twice about burning things!

Hybrid of a Bull and a Man.

Inquisitor departed into the lair of the hunchback trader in order to put an end to the Arsonists' riot. That is one dangerous witness, right there... He is sure to blame me for many things, and he's bound to sound truthful while doing so, too... I should hurry there.

He should have, but, truth be told, between the gloomy thoughts and this wild goose chase that he predicted, Artemiy was very tired and could have used a break. So, he took one � just like that.

HellishWhiskers fucked around with this message at 06:44 on Sep 25, 2014

# ¿ Sep 17, 2014 11:47

HellishWhiskers: Mar 29, 2012; She was an awkward girl

Also, the Kickstarter has passed 200k and has a ton of neat little updates that you should read if you haven't been doing so.

# ¿ Sep 17, 2014 18:37

HellishWhiskers: Mar 29, 2012; She was an awkward girl

woodenchicken posted:

drat, I really need to pledge already. It seems like the initial wave of supporters has ended and the dreaded mid-month drought has set in.

It will reach its goal and probably another 50k on top of it, give or take, so it's mostly good at this point.

# ¿ Sep 17, 2014 21:19

HellishWhiskers: Mar 29, 2012; She was an awkward girl

Deceitful Penguin posted:

Also, haha, resting position. Maybe our friend had a life before returning to the town?

Those butchers - and many other random Male NPCs, actually - have an "idle squat animation" where they just stop what they're doing and squat down for like 20 seconds - even in the middle of the street! Add to that fact the fact that it's a Russian game, and "The Squat" joke writes itself.

# ¿ Sep 18, 2014 04:34

HellishWhiskers: Mar 29, 2012; She was an awkward girl

The Reader - Daniil Dankovsky

Since in the next couple of game days The Bachelor will start acting a bit weird, I think this is a good time to link to the story, of which he is a namesake.

In 1894, a famed Russian author Maxim Gorky wrote a story "Old Woman Izergil" that consisted of three fables as they were told to the narrator by an old woman in the steppes of Bessarabia. One of those tales is called "The Flaming Heart of Danko" and it is the most famous of the three. The tale is very well known in the Russian literary culture and is frequently referenced in many other places - in fact, there is another game - Cryostasis: Sleep of Reason, another good Russian game that is hampered by various issues - that makes a wholesale reference to it and even provides an expanded - the actual story in the "Old Woman Izergil" is much shorter - voiced English reading of it, though it is a little bit hammy in my opinion.

There are obvious parallels between the fable's character and The Bachelor and then there are some not-so-obvious ones - the game does some fairly interesting things with this particular reference that will become clearer as we near the end. Keep this little tale in mind.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t9nFz4bqUyI

HellishWhiskers fucked around with this message at 03:11 on Sep 19, 2014

# ¿ Sep 19, 2014 02:51

HellishWhiskers: Mar 29, 2012; She was an awkward girl

A bit busy lately, sorry - the update will pop up in the next day or two. In the meantime, do read the latest Kickstarter update. The author of it knows my pain, she really does.

# ¿ Sep 24, 2014 19:20

HellishWhiskers: Mar 29, 2012; She was an awkward girl

Old Boot posted:

Lilich

She's still one of my favorite characters, and gets most of her best lines in this scenario.

Great job on this so far, HellishWhiskers. I'd considered doing an LP on this scenario, myself, but I got caught up unmangling the text and burned out early. I'm glad to see someone finally doing it (and doing it well!).

EDIT: There's a lot of stuff in this I either straight-up forgot, or missed. The conversation with the dancer in the bar/lounge/whatever, for example, which obviously wasn't absolutely necessary, since I still managed to get the good ending. I think I missed Isidore's house on my first play through, too...

One thing I will say is missed in a screen shot LP, though, is how goddamn oppressive those infected houses are when you're in them. Even if you're using console commands to cheat your lame rear end all the way through (which, I'll admit, I did, at points, because I wanted to see the story and got frustrated with Constant, Nagging Failure), it's absurdly tense, especially when those infection clouds start moving through closed hallways.

Anyway, y'all should check those moments out on youtube (if they exist). They're short, but effective, and made me constantly second guess whether or not I actually wanted to go into the infected houses, like, ever.

EDIT 2: And, actually, as I recall, I killed the Bride rather than the hunters. I think there's a way to convince her that it's the right thing to do, but I could be misremembering.

EDIT 3: I also didn't get the tablets talk with Taya. What the hell. I only ever met her in the room with the torches and the makeshift 'throne.' And I still got the 'open the bull' up bit.

EDIT 4: Last one after getting caught up entirely. a) I will never get over how ridiculous Maria's nippledress looks, and b) I still can't not hear 'Meet Bob Delecroix' in a couple of the OST tracks after someone else pointed it out in one of the other LPs.

You can totally sequence break in that section with the tablets and just go for the Rhaga's Mound, but I'm trying to have no unexplainable cutaways and having Burakh show up at the place with a bull for no reason would've been bad.

I haven't used any cheats yet - which means that I've been grinding quite a bit, as well as breaking into the houses at night, but I've been staying the gently caress away from infected houses. It's just not worth it - you won't get much and you'll almost certainly get slammed by clouds one way or another. Now, I'm already infected, but it still makes the infection worse and eventually forces you to drink the dead broths, which actually hurt you.

Aglaya is, hands down, the best character in the game, IMO - one of the big reasons I picked this scenario.

HellishWhiskers fucked around with this message at 05:33 on Sep 25, 2014

# ¿ Sep 25, 2014 04:55

HellishWhiskers: Mar 29, 2012; She was an awkward girl

Old Boot posted:

EDIT: comedy option for the elder: actually screen-cap his random expressions.

I haven't been showing them, but during dialogues, characters try to make various expressions - keyword here is "try", because what comes out most of the time are weird grimaces. My guess for what happened there was that the engine couldn't handle a character being that big - that dude is big, folks will see it in the next update - so his expressions are just completely broken all the time.

# ¿ Sep 25, 2014 06:16

HellishWhiskers: Mar 29, 2012; She was an awkward girl

Chapter Seven � Part 2

After a brief time-out, the wild goose chase was to continue.

It was somewhat admirable that the Inquisitor was taking such a proactive approach to fixing things in the city, but Artemiy would be damned if it wasn't bothersome. Going from one plagued district to another did not make for a pleasant stroll, after all.

It did not help that Artemiy was potentially heading straight towards his own execution, either. It may be a calming thought in its own way, sure, but it isn't one that leads to a productive ending.

Besides, how much trust the Hunchback � a man behind the massive conspiracy of insane arsonists � could really garner from an impartial out-of-towner?

The commotion on the streets of plagued districts wasn't ending, but, soon enough, Artemiy found the right house.

The interior of the house was eerily quiet, aside from hushed whispers upstairs. Artemiy ascended the stairs to check it out.

Well, this is a strange sight indeed � a pack of younger men in wealthy clothing standing amid a number of corpses of arsonists.

Artemiy turned to the closest of them to ask for explanations. This particular fellow did seem a bit confused, however.

No � I, myself, don't understand much, either. Address all question to him, right there, though I doubt that he will tell you much more... I'm here entirely out of the sense of camaraderie, if you must know...

That's somewhat admirable, at least...

Artemiy did have slight trouble telling just who is the leader of this bunch, but, soon enough, he found the right one.

Are you here for the same reason? We're waiting. I'm hoping that we'll manage to disarm her with one sudden stroke. Sever her spine with a cut of a scalpel � figuratively speaking.

It seems that this house was a haven for all sorts of crazed ideologues.

What in the world are you ranting about?

The youth was not pleased by that remark � perhaps, antagonizing them wasn't a very good idea?

What? Do you expect me to take that from you?

Be calm � I wasn't entirely serious.

A wise choice � it would behoove Artemiy to not get into a fight with them, especially since he needed information.

No matter � Victor will surely manage to dull her bite. He knows whose skeletons are lying hidden in her closet. Whatever sort of execution she'd want to subject the creator of panacea to, her intrigue will surely fail if we drag it out into the light. We did not feel sorry for Rubin before, but we are on his side now!

Hold on � are you speaking truthfully? Does she intend to get rid of the creator of the Panacea?

You need proof? Visit Victor for it. We are only here to bolster the forces of the resistance. Down with the coming tyranny! Down with the hypocritical investigation that hides the true, personal motives! Such an Inquisitor will never help our Town!

I hope that Victor is present at his house right now...

Hybrid of a Bull and a Man.

Victor Kain has some thoughts on the true goals of this... Inquisitor. I should exchange some words with him before I wander into the lair of the tigress.

If what these fledgling utopian revolutionaries were saying was true, then the Inquisitor wouldn't need any particular witnesses to condemn Artemiy to death. In times like this, her rule would be absolute.

Perhaps, it might not be a bad idea to not visit her at all? Still, Artemiy would be smart to ascertain her motives, and Victor seemed to be privy to them, if those crazed youths were to be trusted.

Artemiy was in luck � Victor was behind his desk, as usual, though he did seem gloomier and looked a bit older than he did yesterday. At the very least, he certainly seemed much less prepared than he was yesterday.

Do you see, Burakh, how unexpectedly the wheel of fate has turned? What a strange coincidence, if it is a coincidence at all! Why, against all expectations, instead of the experienced Orph and instead of the decisive Karmisnky, they saw it fit to send precisely her? Why did they send Aglaya Lilich?

Lilich? Artemiy could swear that he heard that last name somewhere before...

What is so amazing about that, exactly?

Well, first of all, because Aglaya Lilich is my deceased wife's sister. We would consider to be luck on our part, were it not for a deep-seated hatred that the two sisters shared for each other, despite the difference in their age. A horrible, irreconcilable hatred that did not abate even with the elder sister's death.

Quite the coincidence...

I'm afraid that Aglaya has too many vested interests in this situation that will surely collide with her duties, and all these vested interests don't bode well for us, I must add... I think that this expedition is perceived by Aglaya Lilich as nothing more than a means to an end - with that end being revenge, of course...

Revenge? Revenge against whom?

My deceased wife and her elder sister... Or, at least, everything that remains of her.

Who would allow an inquisitor to use her mission for personal revenge?

Indeed � it seems quite unlike the Authorities to send someone with such a conflict of interest here...

Not who, but what... Desperation. I've learned recently that Aglaya Lilich has been sentenced to death � for a certain passion for backstabbing intrigues, I might add. The only thing that can save her from the executioner's block is a miracle. When one exists in such a state, it's quite easy to let go... She might as well be hanged for a sheep as for a lamb...

How was she entrusted with this mission, then?

I have three versions of events that might explain that. First � my information is incorrect. Two � she arrived her of her own will, having usurped the position of the real inquisitor appropriated his powers along the way. That seems possible, especially since she has nothing to lose, though it is a bit too improbable, I must admit.

What is the third one, then?

Third � and the most probable one � lies in the notion that the Authorities gave Aglaya Lilich her last shot at rehabilitation, entrusting her with a hopeless task. It makes it especially probable, since the possibility of a deadly outcome for her is quite probable. Perhaps, this version is the best one for us... For you, though, it is the worst one.

How so?

Simply, my friend, because she doesn't need any competition. It is an inquisitor's task to find a daring solution for an insolvable problem that is so ingenious that it would justify the Inquisitor's immunity in full. It also must be quite effective, of course. That's why they're keeping them around. You, however, have deprived Aglaya of her chance to prove her competence, and I'm afraid that she already knows that...

This, then, must be the reason why she would try and get rid of the creator of the Panacea... This did not bode well for Artemiy at all...

I'm not her competitor, though...

What about your Panacea, though? Bachelor told me that you only have one tiny step to make in order to reach the victory. What is it, then, if not a solution for a problem? Were it not for unfortunate tribulations that Dr. Rubin suffered because of our faults, the solution would've been found already... Isn't that so?

No. It isn't.

The Bachelor was a bit too optimistic � a vital piece that was necessary was still missing, and it wasn't going to be found anytime soon...

Well then... If that is the case, then you can present yourself to the Inquisitor with a clear conscience. You won't manage to avoid doing that for long - unless you want to try to save yourself by escaping, that is.

I won't do that.

It's quite possible that she is already back at the Cathedral. The only thing left for me to do is to wish you luck. The Fate has been kind to you during these days, so, perhaps, it will keep showering you with its grace. If you enter the cathedral, I can even bet three against seven that you will exit it alive with your freedom intact.

I hope so � those aren't entirely bad odds...

Hybrid of a Bull and a Man.

Inquisitor awaits me in the Cathedral. Should I try to avoid the meeting? The consequences might be unpleasant, and if today has shown anything, it's that it's quite impossible to hide from her anywhere...

Getting to the Cathedral meant simply crossing the street, but it was one of the harder trek of all his days in the Town.

For the first time in a long while, Artemiy was entirely at mercy of an unknown element. It could, very well, prove to be his destruction � or, perhaps, his salvation?

The only thing that Artemiy could do was to be true to himself and his moral compass � like he always was. With this thought, Artemiy pushed against the Cathedral's heavy doors once more.

A strange sight � there she was, near her throne, with two tragedians swaying side to side near the steps leading to it. A Queen has to have her jesters, I suppose.

Her expression was quite tired, but she gave Artemiy a wry smile as he approached. Now, he was, irreversibly, a part of her web.

It is a great power that some wield over the others, isn't that right? Who, in our times, can remain truly free? Everyone is a pawn in someone's game! Everyone is blinded, everyone has been lied to...

Do you have an example, perhaps?

Take the proud Bachelor, who just spoke with me with thorough faith in his freedom... My worst fears have been confirmed. He has been a pawn in the hands of the Authorities. Believing someone's slander, he sent an arrow towards a worthy target and it went around and struck him squarely in the back!

I didn't think that I would catch an Inquisitor in such an uproar...

It is vile to take advantage of someone's sense of honour! Vile indeed, and I know exactly who would benefit from something like that... Those who decided my fate will decide the fate of other emissaries in a similar fashion... One has already taken to the stage, while the other is getting ready to do so. I can already hear the weapons of his battalions being prepared!

Artemiy's idea of an inquisitor was being shattered by the minute. Instead of cold, distanced personages, here was a person, who was completely emotionally invested in the matter at hand. Victor's words were proving true, it seemed... He still had doubts, though...

Is it possible that all this is just a pretense? Until now, I believed that everything that inquisitors do is done with a hidden intent behind it...

Aglaya chuckled � perhaps, she was used to scrutinizing the intents of her subjects and was surprised to see it happen the other way around.

What did the one whom they call the Haruspex, the Servitor, the Ripper come here for?

I wanted to tell you why I've done everything that I've done.

Aglaya laughed � it wasn't a cruel sort of laughter, though. It was not meant to laugh at Artemiy's expense � rather, somehow, for a second, Artemiy's words seemed to have lifted a great weight off of Aglaya's shoulders. It was strange, but Artemiy didn't begrudge her for it.

How interesting! Why, indeed? Do continue � I'm very excited to discuss the questions of self-determination nowadays! Considering how I've been treated, it seems that I've been too hasty to consider the matter resolved.

I thought that this was going to be a questioning, but it seems to be turning into a confession...

Not at all! From your father, you have received an invitation to his own funeral. Upon arrival, you've confirmed that he is dead and, afterwards, you have received an inheritance that carried within it, firstly, an obligation to preserve a certain unknown being by the means of panacea and, secondly, a warning about an inevitable sacrifice that you are preordained to carry out. Right?

How did she know all this? Nobody in the Town was privy to Artemiy's affairs to such an extent except Artemiy himself...

Well, that's not the whole truth of it...

So, they forced you to create a panacea? An unexpected play...

Forced me? I decided upon that myself!

All circumstances led you to it. You considered the creation of panacea to be your primary goal � do you honestly think that it was your idea?

There was no other way to cure the Marked one!

Where did you get that idea from? You don't even know who it is � and I think that it's not even human! This is where the figurative meanings come into play! I was preparing for this visit, you know � I've studied your rites. They're all symbolic...

However knowledgeable she was, her words were, above all, fueled by desperation. Victor's words rang truer by the minute.

You speak truthfully, though it's not like we ought to look for someone to blame for that...

Oh, it's not anyone's fault, anyway! How can you be to blame for anything? The Authorities have tricked you. Everything has been prearranged. Who has guided you along this path? Who played that evil role in your fate? You are a pawn in their ridiculous, clumsy hands. A weapon of choice for an execution of another human being.

I only do that, which I consider to be due and proper. I choose my own path. If someone chooses to use my decisions for their intrigues or to prove their points, then let it be so.

... You've got quite the nerve. Or, perhaps, I'm missing something obvious?... Listen to me! You were played! Perhaps, you simply don't believe the facts that I'm privy to by the virtue of my profession? Do you want me to prove it to you?

Would I really change my decisions to get pleasure from spoiling someone else's intrigue? My decisions are backed by familial duty and love � that is more than enough for me!

For one reason or another, Artemiy's answer stole Aglaya's breath away. All that fervour and desperation were gone like they were never there.

� That is a worthy response.

Indeed � it is worthy precisely because it is an honest one.

It's strange, but such a simple thought never came into my mind before... Is it possible that it really is that simple?

Being yourself isn't quite that simple...

... Amazing. Let me look at you closer. Perhaps, you were sent to me by fate? Wait... I need to think...

It's alright � I'm not in a hurry.

She sat down on her throne, her brow furrowing in deep thought. Whatever she was thinking, she was doing quite a lot of it, and fast. Entire scenarios seemed to play out in her head before Artemiy's eyes. After a while, she rose up and looked at him once more.

... Yes � this is my decision. The Bachelor confided in me � you need a hybrid of a bull and a man. I have a hypothesis. Go to the Abattoir. The passage should be open � due to my arrival, all entrances and exits are open.

Well now, that is interesting...

Everyone who survived the blockade of the Apiary is returning there. Use that opening. Visit Oyun, the Elder. Ask him about Auroxes. Demand that he give you the remains of the bull that, as they told me, was killed yesterday. Go. What's the matter? What's with your face? Go � before it's too late!

... Very well. I don't understand what just happened, but I'm going.

For the first time in all of his days in the Town, Artemiy suddenly felt that he was getting closer to the Truth. He did not even dare to grasp the nature of it, though, and he did not know where it would lead him, but he was getting closer to it, and Aglaya was instrumental in getting him there.

Hybrid of a Bull and a Man.

Amazing... Did I really get this lucky? Blood of a bull, blood of a man... I felt, that these two exceedingly close lines must inevitably converge! Perhaps, the Elder of the Abattoir still keeps the remains of the being that Bachelor considered to be nonexistent. I should go see him, posthaste.

Artemiy closed his diary and almost put it away when a small page fell out of it. On it was a drawing that Artemiy never made, but, somehow, he was not surprised to find it there.

Artemiy chuckled. It couldn't have been so simple, could it? Of course not � there were still many additions to be made, even if Artemiy wasn't going to be the one to make them. Still, whoever made this must have thought themselves to be quite clever...

Artemiy decided to keep it around, nonetheless. The trek to Abattoir was going to be long, but it was one that needed to be made, and Artemiy was excited for it, too. If Aglaya was correct, then he was on the brink of victory.

Something occurred to Artemiy along the way � how in the world was Aglaya as knowledgeable in the ways of the Steppe people as she was? That is the sort of knowledge that the Order routinely killed for � both the outsiders and those within the Order. Artemiy recalled the early days, when the gatherers of Tvyr told them of a wholesale slaughter among their numbers because of a perceived betrayal.

There was, quite simply, no way for her to know what she did. Such knowledge does not exist outside of Town, yet she explicitly said that she �prepared� beforehand. An exceedingly strange happenstance, but not much to be done about it. Before going to the Abattoir, Artemiy made a small detour.

If Aglaya's hypothesis was correct and the Elder would give Artemiy what he needed for panacea, then he would also need to make a number of Tvyr mixtures in order to create a suitable environment in which the material could thrive, and all the mixtures were spent on the �Dead Broths� in the recent days. Luckily for him, the Gatherer didn't haggle too much, and soon enough Artemiy had everything he needed except the blood of the Aurox, which The Elder was supposed to give him.

The Abattoir was only a short distance away from the Gatherer's yurt and, quite soon, Artemiy was there. He approached the entrance.

As before, a certain unnatural warmth emanated from the tunnel � this time, however, Artemiy had nothing to do but to go into the darkness.

Unfortunately, walking into darkness meant that one is unable to see where he is going � resulting in Artemiy slamming face first into a stone door which was, unfortunately, closed. He knocked, to no response. Ughhhh � this meant going all the way around into the Curriers and past the entrance to the Apiary. Goddammit.

Following the walls of the Apiary, Artemiy encountered a lone Worm standing near a sort of a makeshift arena. The odonkhe mumbled something about Arena fights and spilling one's blood for Suokh, of all the entities, but Artemiy was too cross to indulge him, and the rewards didn't seem too commensurate � only a vial of your opponent's blood.

Admittedly, the enemies whom Artemiy would fight in that arena were butchers, but he already knew that the blood of the Steppe folk, while stronger, was of no particular use in fighting the Sand Plague and, as such, was pretty much useless.

Finally, after another trek through a plagued district, Artemiy was finally nearing his goal. Hopefully, this tunnel will turn out to be open.

Once again, Artemiy was advancing through darkness. This time, however, he stuck out his hand before him � just in case.

Track 15 � The Abattoir

Soon enough, he was on the other side.

It struck Artemiy just how much like a cave and how unlike a built structure the Abattoir was.

But then, perhaps, it was not built, after all, but sculpted out clay � or, in this case, of granite. All the surfaces here were rocky and most of them were quite polished, aside from the occasional mossy stones.

Good � some of the bulls were still alive, and the recently blockaded residents of Apiary now seemed to be somewhat busy. The conditions here seemed to be better than in the Apiary, but they were still rather primeval in their nature. Quite reflective of the nature of the Order, that...

The ceiling in this place was unbearably large and everything seemed extremely oversized, as if it was built by giants or, perhaps, to contain giants. It took Artemiy a while and he wandered quite a bit, even finding the place where he tried to enter previously, but, eventually, he found the Elder's chamber.

The man was fiendishly giant and very imposing, his voice thundering in the stone chambers of the Abattoir. Artemiy was intimidated, and he wasn't afraid to admit it.

I know who you are, kinsman. Do you know how to properly address me?

You are Oyun, menkhu, the Elder of the Abattoir.

The Elder commanded respect and he also demanded it.

Good. Ask.

Tell me � whom do they call an Aurox?

The traders of the past hundreds of years called �Auroxes� those who are Akin to the Bull, whom we, in the memory of those who showed him to us, call Bos Primogenius.

That name is familiar to me.

He is of Mother Bodkho's flesh, his features are as large as the Universe. His lines are the lines of this world. There isn't anything in the world that couldn't be held in the body of the Higher one. His White Threads predict the flow of time, his Blue Threads control the waters and rains, his Brown Threads keep his warmth.

I know that, too, though I think that you are already missing some things. Even I know more.

I'm not entirely sure why Artemiy chose to antagonize the Elder here, but that is entirely on him.

What else do you know? That his bones are the bones of the mountain ranges? That his skull is the sky dome? That his juices are the rivers? That his hair is the grass and its roots? That his voice is Bodkho's song, that his seed is the joy of the Vein of Bodkho, that his black blood is the memory and time of our Earth? Is that what you know?

In any case, you've opened up a Higher one recently, correct?

Yes, and I was fully in my right to do so. Who else but me � a Servitor, Elder of the Abattoir � could open the lines of the Higher one?

Give me some of his blood.

You are quite cocky, son of Bodkho. Don't you think that you are presuming too much?

I act in the name of the one who sent me here. You must know about the Emissary that just arrived into Town.

Artemiy, it seemed, wasn't interested in handling this matter in a diplomatic manner.

I know all too well. Well then � it will be so. I will give you as much blood as you could carry out of here in the palm of your hand. That is the price I'm ready to pay for our collective peace and for getting rid of this Emissary. You will not get more from me, since I know neither you nor your name. Now � give me your hand!

Well this is rather strange � The Elder just contradicted himself. At the start of the conversation, he said that he knows who Artemiy was, yet here he is denying him. Was it some sort of a way to express disapproval or disrespect, or was Oyun losing his nerve? Tough to tell, at this stage. In any case, even Artemiy picked up on it.

I am Artemiy Burakh, son of Isidore. You know who I am.

Artemiy gave him his hand and Oyun pulled out a vial from one of his pockets and poured it � quite carelessly � onto Artemiy's palm. It was hot � unbearably so, but Artemiy took great care to not spill even a drop as he poured it from his hand into a vial of his own. In the end, he had just enough for one dose.

Hybrid of a Bull and a Man.

Thus, I am on the precipice of the most important accomplishment of my life. Now, I should take the best of my Tvyrine mixtures and create the most perfect �Dead Broth�. I must create the Panacea � a natural anti-serum, based on the blood of an Aurox.

Afterwards, I am to present this precious medicine to Aglaya Lilich.

Without a stop, Artemiy ran to the previously sealed exit � he had quite enough of this Oyun chump and this place. He had his victory to achieve, after all.

He sprinted all the way to his hideout � the anticipation was killing him. Surely, this will be it � this will be the victory he craved for all these days. Finding the Marked One will be small matter once he has the weapon of victory in his hands. Artemiy nearly took the metal door to his hideout off its hinges as he barged inside.

He rushed to the chest where he kept most of his herbs and added the choice specimens, as well as Savyur which he procured from the Worm trader today to make the best Tvyr mixture yet. Then, he took the result to the machine that produced the �Dead Broths�.

The process was a short one, but it was, nonetheless, nerve-wracking. Once it was done, however, Artemiy took out one of the bottles he specially prepared for this occasion and poured the result into it. This was it. He finally had his victory.

A strange tidbit about there being enough for only twelve doses, yet, somehow, Artemiy knew it to be true. Yet again, however, there was no time to lose � he had to present this to the Inquisitor.

It didn't occur too much to Artemiy at the time that the limited nature of the Aurox blood supply would mean that his Panacea wasn't entirely effective. It certainly wouldn't cure too many people or stop the spread of this horrible disease.

Still � the amount projected by the message that came with the bottle meant that it would be enough to save his Adherents and, more importantly, it should be enough to cure the Marked one, whoever or whatever it was.

Quite fitting that the last barrier that Artemiy encountered on his way back to the Inquisitor were two clouds converging on him from both sides. They almost looked like gatekeepers, but Artemiy was too quick for them. It was as though he finally outpaced the disease, although that wasn't entirely true.

Not much seemed to have changed inside � the Tragedians kept the same rhythm going. They must be working in shifts, surely � this would've been too tiring otherwise. Aglaya herself regarded Artemiy quite neutrally, although a number of small things betrayed a hint of anxiety in her demeanour. Or was Artemiy imagining things?

Why are you staring at me so closely?

Aglaya was, after all, one of a small number of people, on whom Artemiy was almost entirely unable to get a reading of.

I'm always looking at folks like that. I... I made the panacea. Here. The Elder gave me a handful of steaming blood of the Aurox.

Aglaya took the vial and held up gently, with a great deal of care, even as Artemiy cautiously recalled Victor's warnings.

Oh, it's beautiful. Let me look at it closely... I've never thought that it would look like this... I mean, I imagined that it would come in the form of a vial many times, but I never thought that it would be a vial of medicine instead of a vial of poison...

What are you talking about?

Oh, nothing � about death...

Artemiy knew that she was talking about what Victor told him � about her being doomed if she weren't the one to discover the panacea. This confirmed Victor's theory � the third one, to be exact. Nonetheless, even with the option to twist the knife being present, I chose to not take it.

It brings life, not death, and you are the one I should thank for it.

There is nothing to thank me for... Besides, this material is far too rare � before they manage to reproduce it in the Capital, the Town will disappear from the face of the earth three times over... That's not the worst ending, mind you...

Hold on. Were it not for you, then I wouldn't fulfill the obligation before my father! You don't know how... important that was for me.

Oh, I do. Don't be in too much of a hurry, though. Perhaps, the panacea has no relation to your udurg after all.

Udurg? You know about it? Do you believe in it?

I believe in you.

Strangely sentimental, but Artemiy had no time to dwell on it right now. This was important � they were both onto something here.

That's not an answer. Do you believe that the Marked One, the One Sought For is an udurg? Do you take the Steppe folk' superstitions seriously?

Absolutely. Everything on this earth has a hidden meaning. It is impossible to lie. It is impossible to make up a fantasy. Myths are always truthful � the real question lies in interpreting them properly. Your panacea, on the other hand, will still prove useful... For all of us...

I know what this step meant for you, and I won't forget it.

Hybrid of a Bull and a Man.

I've managed to create an antiserum out of the blood of an Aurox. The weapon of victory has been forged � too bad that it turned out to be of the double-edged sort... Inquisitor Aglaya Lilich has signed her death warrant by letting me ahead. Why, then, has she doomed herself to death so willingly? Something remains hidden here...

Once again, when Artemiy was putting the diary away, a drawing fell out of it. It seemed the same, except for a minor detail.

Good � more details, though still not enough. A number of crucial details is still missing � it only covers the fundamentals, and it doesn't do that quite well, either. Once Artemiy put it away, it was clear that Aglaya wasn't quite done with him yet.

There is one last task left and it needs to be completed before the end of the day. I've heard that you're quite brave, right?

Why do you ask?

In order to announce it to the Authorities that a cure from the disease has be found � that is, that you've found it � it needs to be tested. I have to find an executor whom I could trust. I would test it myself, but they wouldn't believe me... Are you ready to test your creation?

Once again, I had the choice to test her motives with a rather cruelly worded question and, once again, I've decided against that.

I am.

Then, you'll have to get infected and wait until you reach a critical stage. With witnesses present, of course. Drink it only when you'll start losing consciousness. Only then will the Executors admit that it works.

How are we going to carry this out, then?

I sent a messenger to the Executors that are on duty at the hospital. What was it before? Ah, yes � the Theatre. They know everything. They will bear witnesses to you reaching the critical stage of the disease and your recovery. Executors are those who walk around in the bird masks.

I know.

Testing the Panacea.

The antiserum needs to be tested. An Executor is waiting for me at the Theatre. These fellows are practically drenched in the dirt of their work � getting infected from their touch should not be too difficult.

To be honest, this is a slight waste of the Panacea � there are certainly others that could use it, and Artemiy had very little trouble keeping his infection in check.

It was clear, however, that the goal of this exercise was to prove a point and, more disturbingly, to further shield Artemiy from the Authorities at the cost of Aglaya's life. What did she know that let her be so... collected about this? Something must be hiding behind all this talk about foreordained things...

What was ahead of Artemiy was a bit difficult and he should not waste time worrying too much about things he is yet to have control over.

The fellow on the stage was Mark The Immortal � the proprietor of the Theatre. Not an important figure in our story, though Artemiy has seen him many times already during his treks to the Theatre at night. Now, the Executor was the one whom we wanted to see here...

Please welcome the Haruspex Artemiy Burakh, the ripper of our fate! So, it seems that you've managed to pull it off, right?

I have, yes.

I didn't expect such self-sacrifice from Aglaya... It's rather strange � it's very unlike her, I must say!

Quit it with the smarminess, would you?

Now, the panacea must be tested, right? That is when we can report to the Authorities about a working recipe?

I don't care about the Authorities and my conscience is quite clear, too...

Now, now � don't be in such a hurry. Don't count your chickens before they hatch! Theory is one thing, but putting it into practice is another. What is good under the microscope will turn to nil in the open air � to zero, one could even say. Well, in any case � I will infect you, now. Are you ready?

Ready.

The touch of the Executor bore with it some of the worst pain Artemiy experienced yet. It's quite strange how Artemiy didn't collapse right then and there, although his head was spinning quite awfully.

Testing the Panacea.

The fact of the infection is clear. Now, all that is left is to cure myself and to head back to the Cathedral. I can wait a little bit, though � to try to strengthen the effect and scare Aglaya with a live demonstration of the terrible effects of Sand Fever.

A strangely trickster-like thought for Artemiy, considering how unwell he was. Still, it would behoove him to reach the Cathedral in this state before drinking the Panacea � he could, very well, get infected along the way, and then it would be all for naught. With his business done, Artemiy staggered toward the exit.

The fresh, rainy air did its part to abate Artemiy's awful condition � the miasma of all the dead bodies in the Theatre must have surely contributed to Artemiy's symptoms in there.

This was a hard road, once again � not just because of Artemiy's bad health, but also because of the implications that today's actions of his would have for Aglaya.

Still, if Artemiy can save the Udurg � something that he absolutely must do � then he can save Aglaya in the process, as well. What's fated cannot be evaded.

Well, this is funny! The disease is escalating its efforts at gate-keeping, it seems! Artemiy would've been quite sorry if he drank the cure back at the Hospital, but, as it stands, the Angel can't hurt Artemiy at all. Chuckling, Artemiy heaved open the Cathedral doors once more.

Admittedly, the Angel's touch had a slight effect on Artemiy, but the lightheadedness abated soon. Once it did, Artemiy pulled out the little bottle, pulled out the cork and drank the substance in one gulp. It didn't taste like his usual Dead Broths. It wasn't foul at all � it tasted like clear water, drawn from a spring that has been heated by the rays of the sun. Not cool, but still refreshing. His pain was gone. He was cured. It worked.

I'm back. The Panacea works. It seems that there is absolutely no trace left of the disease.

Well... That means that I can finally go into retirement. I will, however, try to fight it, still... How much tissue did you manage to procure?

Painfully little. The Elder gave me a handful.

They've told me a lot about these slaughterhouses... You know, the more I study the materials about this Town, the more I pay attentions to the beliefs of the Steppe folk. With every source one has to speak in their own tongue and every source has to be asked only those questions which it can actually answer...

Techniques of the Inquisitors, huh?

Well then, Artemiy Burakh. Come back here after some time. It's best that you do so tomorrow. Perhaps, I'll tell you something interesting... If we manage this without their help, then it will be a real miracle. If that is the case, then I will be able to return with my head held high! Now, go � I need time to think.

Very well. I will come back later.

Testing the Panacea.

The Panacea works! If it is possible to get enough of this precious blood, then the entire Town can be saved... It's not too late yet!

Thus, this fateful day was done. Artemiy accomplished much today, though there were still many questions left unanswered and he managed to find more goals for his victory along the way. Still, today was a day that, for the first time in many days, has filled Artemiy with an undeniable sense of optimism. With it, Artemiy heaved open the Cathedral's heavy doors for the last time today and went on his way to pursue his own day-to-day affairs.

HellishWhiskers fucked around with this message at 03:43 on Sep 29, 2014

# ¿ Sep 26, 2014 09:16

HellishWhiskers: Mar 29, 2012; She was an awkward girl

Old Boot posted:

EDIT: I can post the whole, ridiculous thing if people are interested/HellishWhiskers doesn't mind.

Great update, by the way. It's nice to see Lilich in the proper context, since a lot of the first conversation in the official translation only ever gives you the impression (via extremely weird lines) that she's loving with you. Then it boomerangs around to seeming like even your nice answers are you loving with her.

Totally stoked to see the rest.

One other thing, though. One thing that struck me pretty consistently (even in this update) is the repeated use of the word 'intrigue.' I get what it's going for, but I'm curious what sort of nuance/abstraction goes into the Russian word.

I wouldn't mind, mostly because I haven't been much "in contact" with the bad english translation. Woodenchicken gave me a copy of the script he used, but I only used it early on if I had word choice troubles and then I stopped altogether.

About weird tonal shift, it does make a bit of sense because there are a lot of options you can pick that are totally devoted to you loving with her in a rather uncharacteristically cruel and mean fashion. I pointed that out in my side-narration but I didn't take them, both because Artemiy doesn't seem to me like a fellow who would go for it - at least, the PC Artemiy, and also because I don't really like them that much.

Word "Intrigue" mostly just refers to various bits of scheming that Inquisitors apparently love to engage in - especially Aglaya, who was, apparently, sentenced to death because of her excessive passion for such flamboyant scheming. It does make sense that it crops up a lot in this simply because every goddamn character is pushing their goddamn angle, and you can choose to try and pursue these angles or not i.e. being an rear end in a top hat to the Inquisitor at every turn possible at Victor's behest or being an rear end in a top hat to the Bachelor in the early days at Olgimsky's behest or killing Vera Willow because Anna Angel told you a lovely, obviously false story.

It's very Telltale-like in this regard, because acting on these choices you're presented with or not won't change much, but it will add flavour to your further interactions that is, sometimes, even acknowledged by the characters themselves, although, more often than not, it isn't.

# ¿ Sep 26, 2014 20:35

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# ¿ May 15, 2024 14:50

HellishWhiskers: Mar 29, 2012; She was an awkward girl

A Curvy Goonette posted:

I've noticed a lot of the dialogue in this game has this vague, kind of circuitous quality to it. You really have to stare at a sentence for a couple seconds to get the meaning. Is that a function of your translation or is that how the original Russian is written?

Most of the NPC dialogue is written in about the most unhelpful and obtuse manner imaginable with a ton of old phraseology injected into the writing. It's granted that I could be doing a poor job at coherently translating meaning, but most of it really is that bad. The game is an intentional jerk to the player on all fronts - dialogue included.

# ¿ Sep 29, 2014 03:21

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Video Games > Let's Play! > Butchering for Peace: An SSLP of Pathologic

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