Plot: Pathologic 2
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Come now, you haven't given us any time to change the set!
This entry contains potential spoilers for Pathologic 2. Read at your own risk. |
This entry contains potential spoilers for Pathologic 2. Read at your own risk.
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The following synopsis covers the plot of the Haruspex's Route in Pathologic 2. This page is not spoiler free! This only covers the relevant plot details and should not be considered a direct walkthrough. This may serve as an overview of the story's events through a narrative lens. Due to the act structure and nature of Pathologic 2, events may occur in individual games in an order that differs from this synopsis. For clarity, game-play such as sating hunger and exhaustion has been omitted.
References to omitted content:
- A summary of game-play mechanics (such as hunger and exhaustion) can be found at Game Mechanics.
- A summary of Infected Districts can be found on Plague.
- A summary of achievements can be found on Achievements.
Summary
The events of Pathologic 2 take place over the course of twelve days in the remote Town-on-Gorkhon on the Steppe. When an outbreak of a unique strain of Plague grips the town, it is up to the Haruspex - a surgeon born and raised in the Town - to discover the cause of the Plague and deal with it.
The Haruspex
Prologue
| “ | You are Artemy Burakh, a surgeon. You're coming back to your hometown, summoned by a disturbing letter from your father. | „ |
The Haruspex wakes up in an unfamiliar Theatre, backstage before a show. He heads to the front of the stage and sees a strange man standing there. He is the Theatre's director, Mark Immortell. He berates the Haruspex for being a bad actor as he has failed his performance. Mark then shows the Haruspex his failures, transporting him onto the stage in a new version of the Theatre. It is the 12th Day. He is met with the screams of the dying echoing in his ears. He steps off the stage and speaks to the Bachelor, who informs him that he has been forbidden from entering the Cathedral as the Inquisitor and Commander no longer wish to hear what he has to say. The Haruspex then speaks to the Changeling, who offers to heal his headache. He makes his way up the Theatre stairs to speak to an Executor, who informs him of the meeting in the Cathedral.
The Haruspex steps out of the Theatre and is met with a Town destroyed by Plague. The Military has failed, the Inquisition has failed, and, most of all, he and the other doctors have failed. The Town is dying, held in its final death-throes. The Haruspex makes his way to the Cathedral. On his journey he sees a firing squad of soldiers firing upon people that seem to be civilians. The Haruspex may choose to agree or disagree with the action but the choice ultimately means nothing. He then makes his way across the bridge to the Atrium and meets Aspity. Aspity implores him to speak to the Commander first, no matter how he feels towards the Inquisitor.
The Haruspex makes his way to the Cathedral and inside he find the Inquisitor and Commander at opposite ends of a large table. He speaks to one of them first, and then the other. They say that they are going to make the decision without him as nothing he can say will convince them he has a chance at stopping the plague. Mark Immortell then appears under stage lights. He offers the Haruspex a second chance at his performance. He takes it.
He wakes up on a train car travelling back to his home Town. He moves across the cabin floor until he is stopped by a coffin falling onto the floor and opening, revealing a man who refers to himself only as the Fellow Traveller. The Fellow Traveller steps out of the coffin and asks how the Haruspex got inside of this coffin. The Haruspex is confused and accuses the Fellow Traveller of being a free-rider.
The train car suddenly jolts as the train crashes. The Haruspex turns on his lamp and steps outside to an unfamiliar field. A giant bull - Bos Turokh - is standing on the tracks. Coffins are spilling out of the other compartments of the crashed train. They were the cause of the train's crash. The Haruspex makes his way over to an Executor, who explains that there is no longer blood running through this artery, and that there is a clot. The Executor asks the Haruspex if he brought any medicine with him. The Haruspex asks the Executor what the black particles ahead of the train are. The Executor is unhelpful and so the Haruspex walks out into the cloud. He is quickly infected and passes out.
The Haruspex wakes up in the train car once more. The Fellow Traveller is still there, but now he has a handful of dice. He asks the Haruspex if he would like to share secrets. The Fellow Traveller reveals that he is afraid he is going to be unwelcome in the Town. The Haruspex either replies that he is worried about his father, worried about his path, or does not reply at all. The Fellow Traveller then invites the Haruspex to play a game of dice. The stakes are his fate.
The Haruspex is then transported to a strange house. In the side rooms there are a number of the Bound; Maria Kaina, Capella, Katerina Saburova, Oyun, Peter Stamatin, and Anna Angel. As soon as the characters notice the Haruspex looking at them they unmask, becoming Tragedians. The Haruspex finds a sickly woman in the back room who begs for water. The Haruspex makes his way outside to the water barrel by the door. He may be distracted by the Dogheads and the Fellow Traveller by the nearby train. After he collects the water he returns to the house, where all the Tragedians have now become coffins. On the way to the woman the Haruspex opens the door to the Bachelor and the Changeling, who appear to be arguing. As soon as they notice the Haruspex they also unmask, becoming Tragedians. The Haruspex rounds the corner to the sickly woman to see an Executor standing over her. He wakes up.
The Fellow Traveller is shaking the Haruspex awake, waking him from his nightmare. He is soon once again thrust into another dream. He is in a fighting circle, surrounded by the Kin, who speak a language the Haruspex can no longer understand. A man is standing before him. The man tells him that his heart is rotten but promises that a fight will show his true nature. The pair fight and the Haruspex wins. The man then offers him his good heart in exchange for the Haruspex's rotten one. The Haruspex awakens once again.
The train car is open. They have arrived, but the place is strange. The train has stopped outside of Isidor Burakh's House.
| “ | "…My dear son, Artemy, I write to you after so many years apart in the hopes that you may find a way to return to us. Something worries me. I fear a difficult trial approaches. I hope that your studies have proven fruitful, and that you have achieved great skill as a surgeon. Such skill might be of use here. I remain the only physician in this town. But you know that I am growing old. I need an assistant…" | „ |
The Haruspex returns to his childhood home with the voice of his father in his ears. He is able to take items from the cabinets, but he will hear laughter as he does so. He makes his way up to his father's room, hearing someone strange in the back room. He opens the door and falls into nothingness.
Act 1
Day 1
| “ | Day One, in which the Haruspex finds out his hometown has changed beyond recognition. | „ |
The Play finally begins in earnest. The Haruspex steps off the train to a sudden attack. Three men armed with knives ambush him and he fights them off. He survives - but only barely. He is bleeding, and he is already hungry and already tired. A nearby Doghead named Lika mocks him, bragging that he saw the whole thing. He teases the Haruspex for having issues with his anger, knowing that the Haruspex is now already responsible for three murders. The Doghead gives the Haruspex a Tourniquet to help still his bleeding.
The Haruspex walks towards the Town to see two Executors standing before him named Talon and Beak. They explain that the Haruspex will need to watch his health, exhaustion, hunger and, specifically, the passing of time in order to survive in the Town. A Tragedian sits behind one of the Executors, claiming that the birds have just lied to the Haruspex. He warns the Haruspex not to go home under any circumstances.
The Haruspex continues into the Town. He may do one of four things upon his arrival. He may speak to Bad Grief in Bad Grief's Nest, speak to Lara Ravel in the Shelter, speak to the Bachelor in Stanislav Rubin's Apartment, or return to his home and speak to the crowd outside. As soon as he speaks to one of the four options he will discover that his father Isidor Burakh is dead and he has missed him by mere hours. Worse, the Town believes that his death - specifically his murder - was caused by the Haruspex. The Haruspex soon becomes hated in the Town. People close their doors in his face and hide their children from him. He is an outsider to the Town he once called home.
Throughout the Town, the hunt for Isidor's murder becomes bloody. Many believe the killer to be a Shabnak-adyr, a creature made of clay with bone legs. It is a local legend, brought up by a grieving Town as an explanation for the atrocities that had occurred the night before. Many Herb Brides die during the hunt as the Townsfolk believe that there is a possibility that they may be the clay creature of Steppe legend. One of them is burned at the stake in the Bone Stake Lot.
The Bachelor, sitting in Rubin's Apartment, will inform the Haruspex that not only does the entire Town think he killed his father, his old childhood friend Stanislav Rubin believes it too. The Bachelor claims that he has heroically prevented Rubin from resorting to violence, and in return he attempts to ask the Haruspex to become his aide. The Haruspex refuses in no short terms. As the Haruspex steps out of the apartment he is confronted by two children. One asks him to hurry to the Soul-and-a-Half Fortress in the Warehouses, as their friends Alma, Duke, and Wolfling have been poisoned. The other informs him that the Soul-and-a-Halves have also found the murderer.
Bad Grief, one of the Haruspex's childhood friends who is sitting inside of his Nest, will ask the Haruspex for his medical help. One of his gang members has been stabbed and is bleeding out in a house in the Tanners. The Haruspex makes his way to the house and finds two men inside, one severely injured. The Haruspex discovers that Piecework - the man with a lockpick in his stomach - was responsible for burning the woman in the Bone Stake Lot. The Haruspex may be angered by this and choose to kill the pair, or he may uphold his promise to Grief and save the dying criminal. No matter what choice the Haruspex takes, the house will be free to loot as the Haruspex is easily able to blame theft on the two men. The Haruspex may then report back to Grief with the bloody lockpick. Grief expresses concern for the state of the criminal underworld he resides over, but - if Piecework was saved - appreciates the Haruspex's work.
When attempting to leave Bad Grief's Nest the Haruspex is stopped by Var, who explains that he is willing to pay good money for organs. He has come to Bad Grief to ask for his add in his enterprise, but Grief has refused. The Haruspex, as a Menkhu, has the ability and right to cut open bodies. This interests Var and he shows the Haruspex where he lives in the The Bridge Square so that they can discuss it further.
Lara Ravel, standing inside of her home the Shelter, is less than pleased to see the Haruspex. She, too, was part of the Haruspex's childhood friend circle. She is grieving her father, Captain Ravel's death, as he died earlier in the year. She is sympathetic to the Haruspex's grief over losing his father and offers him a place to sleep. The Haruspex may sleep on Lara's couch for a moment before being woken to her frantically claiming she hears noises upstairs. The Haruspex makes his way upstairs to find the Changeling rummaging through Lara's things, looking for bread. She tells the Haruspex that she sees that he will "spill rivers of blood" in his future. The Haruspex is sceptical, and tells her to shoo. He reports back to Lara, who insists that it may be better to let her stay. She tells the Haruspex that she has spoken to some of the women in the northern parts of the Town to clear his name. He will no longer be attacked on sight in the Flank, the Backbone, or the Chine.
While dreaming, the Haruspex sees strange things. First, he sees the bodies of the men who attacked him at the train station laid out in a row. A Tragedian stands over each of their bodies and speaks for the dead men. They express their regrets to the Haruspex. From this the Haruspex discovers that not only was Isidor killed the night before he arrived, so was Simon Kain - a well-respected and beloved man in the Town. He relives the attack and an Executor mocks him for thinking he can struggle against his fate. He warns that men who struggle against their fates may find themselves repeating the same events but with a limp. In a second dream the Haruspex sees a dream of the Rat Prophet, who warns him not to sleep his life away while there are people in the waking world who require his help. Once the conversation is complete the Rat Prophet explodes into a flock of birds and the Haruspex wakes up.
The Haruspex makes his way to the Soul-and-a-Half Fortress, where the children claim three patients are in need of help. Upon arriving he will discover that not only are the patients already dead, they were also dogs, not people as he first thought. The leader of the Soul-and-a-Halves, Notkin, puts the Haruspex on trial. He asks the Haruspex if murder is ever justified. Notkin is planning to kill, or, at least punish, the Doghead Lika for poisoning the dogs. If the Haruspex had said that yes, in some cases killing is meaningful, he is able to suggest to Notkin that he can handle their issue with Lika. Notkin agrees and gives the Haruspex a leash to give to Lika by the Gumstone. The Haruspex can give the leash to Lika and return him to the Soul-and-a-Halves or he may keep the leash and tell Lika to get lost. Should Lika be let free he promises to meet the Haruspex at the Town Hall to vouch for his innocence.
While walking through the streets the Haruspex is approached by a strange Herb Bride. She insists that the Haruspex knows who she is, though he clearly has no memory of her. She is saddened but insists she will wait for him to remember as they are bound together.
Though warned by Bad Grief and well meaning Townsfolk not to approach the Town Hall, the Haruspex is able to do so. If the Haruspex steps inside he is confronted by Alexander Saburov, the Town's Mayor. He believes, like the rest of the Town, that the Haruspex is the killer of Isidor Burakh. The Haruspex is swiftly thrown into a cell below the Town Hall. The Town Hall plans to keep him imprisoned until Isidor's real killer can be found, but on the word of Big Vlad the Haruspex is released from prison. With Big Vlad's word the Haruspex's name is cleared and he can walk the streets freely.
Following his release the Haruspex is directed to Big Vlad by one of his young messengers. Big Vlad is in the Lump. When meeting the owner of the Bull Enterprise, Big Vlad remarks on how similar the Haruspex is to his father. He explains that he is interested in finding Isidor's real killer and urges the Haruspex not to interfere with the Town outside as it would only bring trouble. Big Vlad tells the Haruspex that it is likely that Isidor will be buried the following morning as the Kin's rites insist upon a speedy burial. The Haruspex thanks Big Vlad for his help and, upon Big Vlad's suggestion, makes his way to the Broken Heart.
In the Broken Heart the Haruspex meets the two Stamatin brothers, Andrey Stamatin and Peter Stamatin. They introduce themselves as the architects that built the Polyhedron standing in the Bridge Square. Peter Stamatin shares some of his Twyrine with the Haruspex and explains that drinking the liquid will dull the other senses and allow him to hear the Town speaking to him. He urges the Haruspex to do just that. The Haruspex cheers to his Father's memory and drinks some of the alcohol. He then hears the Town whispering to him behind the Theatre. Following the twyrine's trail the Haruspex finds a cache behind the Theatre. It is filled with a number of childish knickknacks as well as a note.
At Midnight the Haruspex is called to the Theatre to see a Pantomime. On the stage the Haruspex sees himself. He is speaking to the director, Mark Immortell, who is sitting in the audience. Immortell introduces the actor Artemy Burakh and explains that the most important thing in his journey is to avoid dying as it would irreversibly wound the world if he did. He tells the Haruspex that there will be a happy ending to this performance - one that will make him think that he has won. The Haruspex asks where the other two healers - the Bachelor and the Changeling - are. Immortell tells him that the other two are waiting for him to exit the stage so that they may learn of their fates as well. The stage lights then go dark and the Haruspex (the Player) is able to speak to Immortell off-stage. Immortell explains that he is staging a performance, to which the actor is the only audience member. He hopes this will bring about a more authentic theatrical experience.
Once the Haruspex leaves the Theatre he is able to find the Fellow Traveller in the Town. He explains that he will trade dead items, such as broken ampoules and bloody bandages, for useful items.
Act 2
Day 2
| “ | Day Two, in which the Haruspex's roots are unearthed. | „ |
On the morning of the second day, Isidor Burakh's funeral is occurring in the Cemetery. The Haruspex arrives and quickly discovers that all is not well. A number of the Kin are gathered around the Graveyard to pay their respects, but Isidor is not buried. Both the Changeling and Grace, the Cemetery caretaker, explain that Isidor Burakh's corpse was buried - but the Earth pushed him back out. The Haruspex is shocked that something so terrible could happen to his father. He asks those gathered why his father is not buried. They tell him that Isidor cannot be buried because the Earth senses that he has a debt unfulfilled. A debt that the Haruspex is to take on.
Before burying his father he is able to examine his body and will remark upon two oddities - dirt under his fingernails (when he was quite a clean man in life) and unusually dry skin despite Isidor's age. After examining the body, the Haruspex is able to take his father's inheritance and allow his father to be peacefully buried. Or, instead, the Haruspex is able to refuse his inheritance and have Isidor's body cremated.
Following Isidor Burakh's funeral, Aspity will ask the Haruspex to return to her Hospice with her to discuss his father. There, the Haruspex will learn of his father's List; a piece of paper with eight names written on it. The eight names are Victoria Olgimskaya (known more commonly as Capella), Khan, Sticky, Murky, Notkin, Grace, Taya Tycheek, and a mysterious Steppe symbol known only as The Eighth. The symbol, the Haruspex discovers, is the symbol for an "Udurgh". As some of those names on the List are familiar to the Haruspex, he goes to speak with either Notkin or Grace about their involvement in the list. Neither of them can explain it beyond that they used to see Isidor Burakh frequently. They tell the Haruspex to go to Capella, their leader.
The Haruspex makes his way to the Lump and enters the back of the mansion to find Capella in her room. Capella is the daughter of a Mistress, and almost a Mistress herself. She has the gift of clairvoyance and as such already knew the Haruspex would arrive and that they would one day be friends. She tells the Haruspex that she dreamed of him and that she can see trails of blood under his feet. This is eerily similar to the prophecy the Changeling gave him the day before. When the Haruspex inquires about the List she explains that she believes that Isidor was training the children on there to be the next leaders of the Town. They were the group Isidor Burakh trusted the future to. It falls then to the Haruspex to protect the children on his list - as well as The Eighth.
On the balcony of Capella's Wing in the Lump sits Yulia Lyuricheva. She is the one responsible for building the Town's roads, having been summoned from outside of the Town by the Kains for that very task. She explains to the Haruspex that the Kains have a very specific idea of architecture. They believe that buildings are uniquely powerful in moulding human souls and, in some cases, capturing them. She explains that she built the Town's roads so that the people walking through them became blood cells in a vein.
While walking along the streets of the Town, the Haruspex once again finds the Changeling. She asks for his help, claiming that Grace in the Cemetery is attempting to contact his father from beyond the grave. Unfortunately the strain of such an act is hurting Grace and, Clara suspects, killing her. The Haruspex then hurries to the Cemetery to meet with the caretaker. Grace is indeed contacting Isidor Burakh's spirit and it is causing her great distress. The Haruspex is able to ask her to contact Isidor again at the risk of her life or tell her to rest as he does not want to risk her health for the sake of speaking to someone already dead. If Isidor's spirit is spoken to he speaks, but he does not speak to the Haruspex. He appears to be talking to someone else, detailing the events that occurred the night before he was murdered.
Outside of Grace's Lodge, Murky is waiting. Murky has had a falling out with Grace as she believes that Grace's methods are dangerous and not worth the risk. She believes that her method of contacting the dead is far superior - and far safer. She takes the Haruspex out into the Steppe to collect herbs, claiming that with the right combination he will be able to speak to Isidor. Once the Haruspex collects the needed herbs he asks Murky to teach him her method. She says that her method is thinking really hard about who you want to speak to and they will appear. The Haruspex becomes frustrated, realising that Murky's method was nothing but daydreaming. He leaves in a huff.
As the Haruspex reacquaints himself with the Townsfolk through their bartering traditions he is able to speak to a number of them about the happenings in the Town. The children of the Town tell the Haruspex that there is a particularly interesting event happening in the Nutshell. Once the Haruspex makes his way there he steps inside to see Maria Kaina and Capella in the middle of an argument. They are both short with him, telling him in no vague terms to leave immediately. As the Haruspex steps outside of the Nutshell he is stopped by the Changeling, who also warns him to stay out of the business of the Mistresses. She warns that if he doesn't stay away she will curse him to silence, forbidding him to speak to even those he wishes to. The Haruspex either leaves the girls to their business or, instead, he returns to the Nutshell and finds that the Changeling was, in some ways, correct. He cannot speak to either of the girls. In the corner, another version of the Changeling is sitting curled in a ball.
While wandering the streets the Haruspex speaks to one of the men along the way. He tells the Haruspex that the Governor Alexander Saburov is beginning a neighbourhood watch in response to Isidor's death and most willing and able men are going to the Town Hall to join. The Haruspex makes his way to the Town Hall but is stopped outside by the crowd, who become angry that he is pushing ahead of them. A clerk asks if the Haruspex is here about his father's house. The Haruspex replies that he was not, but with this new information he supposes that's what his visit is for now. Inside of the Town Hall Saburov concedes that he has no legal rights to hold the key for Isidor's house now that his son is available. He gives the Haruspex the key and then he is free to leave.
The Haruspex makes his way back to his father's house and finds it now empty, a stark contrast to the crowds gathered the day before. The Haruspex enters his childhood home and is immediately beset with the feeling that this house is not as it should be. With the whispers of the Townsfolk in his ears, the Haruspex makes his way through the house towards the back room. On the second floor he opens a door and finds a cloud of black flecks floating in his father's workshop. As the Haruspex approaches the cloud retreats, disappearing. The Haruspex then continues through to the back room and finds a bloody hand print on his father's bed. On the table there is a chest and from it he pulls a note. It contains a key to a factory building and is labelled with V.O.
Quickly deciding that he wants nothing to do with this house where his father's blood was spilled, the Haruspex retreats to the front door. In a side-room he finds the Changeling. He asks her why she is here and she asks if he plans to live in this house. The Haruspex says that he doesn't want to and exits the home. Outside, the Bachelor has come with a sanitation order for the home. He demands to inspect the house and the Haruspex, with some resistance, allows him to. The Bachelor asks the Haruspex what the mould on the walls is. Confused, the Haruspex turns to find the walls that were once just brick covered in reddened sores - as if it were alive, and sick. As the Haruspex leaves the house's front yard he sees a number of bystanders gathered around nearby buildings. They, too, are covered in sores. They wonder if it is due to the soot blowout from the nearby factory. The Haruspex warns them not to touch it and then leaves.
When the Haruspex sleeps he will dream of a field crowded by rocks. The children on his father's List have all gathered to look at a closed door ahead of them. The children don't know what is behind the door, and neither does the Haruspex. They theorise that it might be his mysterious Eighth.
Around noon the Haruspex will become convinced that Rubin couldn't possibly think that he actually killed his father. He makes his way to Rubin's apartment and, unlike the day before, actually finds Rubin home. He is with Lara, and he is furious. Lara has attempted to calm him down but it seems to have done very little. Rubin snaps at the Haruspex, claiming that he really does believe that the Haruspex is his father's killer. He is enraged that the Haruspex would take his father's legacy - his work - when it was Rubin, and not him, who had been beside Isidor in his final days. The Haruspex concludes that Rubin is acting like a fool and leaves.
By the Termitary, several bystanders and a group of the Kin are waiting outside. A woman is wailing at one of the windows and soon she jumps, falling to her death. The crowd tell the Haruspex that she did not mean to fall, only escape. Inside of the Termitary, there is an apparent riot brewing and the building has been closed. A group of Kin ask the Haruspex to ask Big Vlad to open the Termitary, offering him coin to do so. The closure of the Termitary ensures that the Haruspex is unable to meet Taya Tycheek.
Following the trace of the letter found in his Father's house, the Haruspex makes his way to either the Lump or the Broken Heart to speak with one of the men named Vlad Olgimsky. The Haruspex asks the men what the key is for and who had given it to his father. If the Haruspex is speaking to Big Vlad, he will tell the Haruspex that he has no knowledge of the key but vows that he will look into it. If the Haruspex is speaking to Vlad the Younger, he tells the Haruspex that it was he who gave Isidor the key to the Warehouse.
With the key in hand, the Haruspex makes his way to a warehouse on the outskirts of the Warehouse District. Lit by a lantern, the location of the factory building becomes obvious. The Haruspex steps inside to find a small den filled with machinery and work tables. Inside he finds Sticky, the boy waiting outside Isidor's house the previous day. The Haruspex is shocked by his presence as he was supposed to be the only one with the key to entry. Sticky claims that he has never needed a key. He tells the Haruspex that he helped Isidor with his work and perhaps he may be able to help the Haruspex with his. Sticky tells the Haruspex that both the alembic (used to make tinctures) and the brewery (used to mix tinctures and more potent components such as organs and blood) are broken. Inside of the cabinet in the Lair, the Haruspex finds the springs needed to fix the alembic, though the brewery will pose a much greater challenge.
Upon repairing the alembic the Haruspex falls into a dream-state where he talks to his old childhood Tumbler Toy. The toy is mimicking the voice of his father and teaches him how to make tinctures and how to apply them to vulnerable and infected patients.
The Haruspex then makes his way to the Bridge Square to the Polyhedron to meet Khan. The Haruspex finds his path stopped by two Dogheads who are guarding the entrance. They forbid him from entry, claiming that if his meeting was truly important Khan would have informed them of it. The Haruspex leaves as it becomes apparent that he will not be able to meet Khan.
In the Bridge Square, a group of enthusiastic children have been waiting for the Haruspex in order to introduce them to their game. Their game is a cache game and involves bartering and trading items between hidden chests dotted all over the Town. The children often also leave notes in the caches. The children tell the Haruspex that recently a murder has been leaving scary and threatening notes in their game. The Haruspex suspects that this might very well be the person responsible for the death of his father and agrees to play. The children warn him that if he plays unfairly he will face the consequences. He is the second adult they have ever let into their game, a position they covet strongly.
After playing the children's game and searching through the caches by the Bridge Square, the notes in the chest lead him to a cache in the Gut. This, in turn, leads him to a playground by the Theatre. Inside of the playground are a group of children who wish to play hide and seek. They invite the Haruspex to be the seeker, asking him to turn around and count to five. The Haruspex turns around and allows the children to hide, starting the game. When found the children trade him their nuts for his and, strikingly, one of the children trades him a Shmowder.
In the evening, children gather at the Train Station. Lead by the instructions of one Soul-and-a-Half, the Haruspex makes his way to the Train Station. When he arrives he finds a group of children gathered by the platform. They tell the Haruspex that they are attempting to play a game they call "train summoning". With their thoughts they are hoping to summon a train to the Town so that they may restock food, medicine, and, for one child, his father's peaked cap from the war. It isn't going well. They invite the Haruspex to play. Should the Haruspex agree, he makes his way to the end of the train tracks, at the last turn before disappearing into the Steppe. While there the Haruspex is to name the train something and then wish for it very hard. As the Haruspex stands at the end of the tracks he hears the sound of a train in his ears - an event that seem to foresee a more sinister event than the supply train the children were hoping for.
At midnight the Haruspex is once again summoned to the Theatre to view the performance. There he watches as the three healers - the Bachelor, the Changeling, and himself - argue on the stage on the best methods to defeating a future epidemic. The Changeling claims that she is capable of miracles, that she is able cure people of ailments simply by laying her hands on them. The Bachelor claims that science is all powerful, and that the solutions to diseases are found only through scientific methods. The Haruspex supports local medicine, claiming that although while away studying he began to see the practices as backwards, at times it did work. In the wings, Talon and Beak mock the healers, laughing that while they bicker like children none of their methods will be of any use to them.
Day 3
| “ | Day Three, in which the alarm bell tolls. | „ |
Before sunrise a number of the Kin gather at Aspity's Hospice for her guidance. The Haruspex can make his way to the Hospice and speak to them. Many of them speak of a future "flooding of the Town". One man even sacrificed his own entrails to a mysterious cause of a similar nature. In the side room, the Haruspex finds the Kin who offered him coin to ask Big Vlad to open the Termitary. If the Haruspex still has the coin he is able to return it to them as he has failed. The Haruspex then speaks to Aspity about their words and she claims that though they were there to see her they were eager to speak to him. She explains that it is not the answer that matters, but the listening. The Haruspex listening to the Kin was enough to offer them guidance.
In the morning the Haruspex gets the urge to check on Lara to see how she is doing. He heads to the Shelter to visit his old childhood friend and finds her just as standoffish as she had been in the days before. The suggestion of reuniting the childhood friends of Lara, Grief, and Rubin arises. The Haruspex agrees to help gather the friends together, promising that at midnight of today they would all meet at the spot (referred to as Apple Road, located near the "Basket") just as they had done as children. Both Grief and Rubin are resistant to the idea, explaining that they are both terribly busy. Both are worried of the rift that has grown between the childhood friends and Grief in particular is concerned that he will not be welcomed by Rubin and Lara. The Haruspex convinces them both otherwise, begging them to consider his offer.
Later in the morning the Haruspex will receive a message from Big Vlad asking him to come to the Lump to speak of his father and his inheritance. The Haruspex makes his way to the Lump. There he finds a group of protesters outside of the mansion, angered by Big Vlad's decision to shut down the factory as they all no longer have employment. They ask the Haruspex to speak to Big Vlad inside. The Haruspex makes his way inside to speak with Big Vlad and finds that the owner of the Bull Enterprise is uninterested in speaking about the crowd gathered by his doorstep. Instead, he asks the Haruspex if he would like his father's house. The Haruspex answers that he does not wish to live in a place where blood was spilled. Big Vlad insists on the Haruspex reclaiming his father's house, even if it only so that he may sell it, as Big Vlad is interested in owning it. Though reluctant, the Haruspex agrees and is told to see the Judge in the Bridge Square.
The Haruspex makes his way to the Bridge Square to speak to the Judge, Georgiy Kain. On his way he sees three people staring up at a flock of crows gathered above the Cathedral. They claim that the crows are a bad omen and that anyone who doesn't notice them has a terrible fate awaiting them. The Haruspex continues towards the Crucible. Here he meets Victor Kain, who directs him to the Judge's workshop. As Rubin is in Maria's wing of the Crucible, he may be spoken to about Lara's reunion. A woman is standing outside of the Judge's workshop, and tells the Haruspex that he will not be hated for hunting criminals and he will instead be rewarded. Eventually the Haruspex makes his way to the workshop of Georgiy Kain and asks for the deed to his house. The Judge hands the title over with little resistance. He tells the Haruspex that before the end of the day the deed must be given to the prefect of the Skinners District to claim the house.
As the Haruspex enters the Skinners District it becomes obvious that something is not right. The entire district is clouded in the same black miasma the Haruspex found in his father's house. An orderly by the entrance to the district warns the Haruspex that the entire place is under quarantine. On the order of the Bachelor he provides the Haruspex with protective equipment and immunity packets, and warns the Haruspex that they are only allowing doctors and authorised personnel to enter and leave the district. With this in mind, the Haruspex makes his way to the prefect's office and finds it filled with cloud of disease. He carefully makes his way up the stairs to find the prefect in a room on the top floor. He tells the Haruspex that this house is now free to loot as it is better that he takes the items to save someone. This also applies to other infected houses. With this in mind, the Haruspex still gives the prefect the deed, despite it's uselessness.
At noon the Haruspex is approached by a frantic Soul-and-a-Half who urges the Haruspex to come to the Soul-and-a-Half Fortress as quickly as he can. Patches, one of their friends, has fallen ill and desperately needs a doctor's help. As it turns out, Notkin had already begged the Bachelor for help. The Bachelor's solution was only to suggest that the place become quarantined as he was desperately needed elsewhere, claiming that the Haruspex should leave Patches and report to him as soon as he can. The Haruspex is able to help and treats Patches using his knowledge of the Layers, lowering his infection and maybe saving his life.
After treating Patches, the Haruspex rushes to the Stillwater, an observatory owned by Eva Yan that serves as a guesthouse for visitors, and the current residence of the Bachelor. The Haruspex makes his way inside and finds Eva Yan on the ground floor. She demands to know who he is and why he is here. The Haruspex asks her where the Bachelor is and she grows wary. She tells him that the Bachelor is in the Town Hall. Suspecting that she is lying, the Haruspex makes his way up to the Loft, only to find that she was indeed telling the truth. The Haruspex leaves the Stillwater.
As the Haruspex exits the Stillwater he hears the Town's alarm bells begin to ring. As he walks through the streets he sees that they are empty. The only figures along the streets are Tragedians pointing his way to the Town Hall. The bell rings in time with his footsteps as he makes his way through the silent Town. The Haruspex eventually arrives at the Town Hall to find a meeting occurring. Inside he sees Big Vlad, Vlad the Younger, Victor Kain, Alexander Saburov, Katerina Saburova, Stakh Rubin, and the Bachelor gathered. As he approaches the group he is stopped by Big Vlad, who explains that there is an epidemic beginning in the Town and they are planning the best way to handle it. He explains that though there are only three doctors (and four healers) in the Town, he wishes to take the Haruspex as his own personal physician. The Haruspex refuses, knowing that his duty must instead be to the Town.
The Haruspex speaks to The Ruling Families gathered in the Town Hall and discovers that a Fund is to be set up in order to help the doctors of the Town. He speaks to Rubin, who claims that the midnight meeting is called off. The Haruspex is surprised that Rubin is planning to work both days and nights. He also speaks to the Bachelor, who asks for his help in creating a vaccine against the disease.
As the Haruspex goes to leave the Town Hall he is stopped by Georgiy Kain, who asks a favour of him. He asks the Haruspex to travel to the infected districts to check in on the two Stamatin brothers, as their minds are too precious to lose to disease. The Haruspex agrees and makes his way to Peter Stamatin's Loft. Inside he finds Peter alongside a Tragedian, who explains that the Haruspex must help the people of the Town in order to increase their chances against the disease. The Tragedian explains that though he can increase their chances of avoiding infection, he cannot truly prevent it. With that advice in mind, the Haruspex speaks to Peter who, despite not remembering who he is, is grateful for his help. Peter asks the Haruspex to also check in on Anna Angel in the District over, as he knows that she is mysophobic and is likely panicking. The Haruspex agrees to his request.
The Haruspex then makes his way to the Willows to treat Anna Angel. She is paranoid and flighty, snapping at the Haruspex to stay away from her as he may have brought the disease inside. The Haruspex attempts to calm her and administers an immunity booster, increasing her chances of resisting the disease. Once he has dealt with Anna, the Haruspex then visits the Broken Heart to check on Andrey Stamatin. He is completely safe as his District has not yet come under the threat of the Plague. Andrey asks the Haruspex to look after his brother, telling him that it is important that Peter survives. Andrey then gifts the Haruspex some twyrine.
As the Haruspex goes to leave the Broken Heart he sees Notkin meeting with a boy the Haruspex has never seen before. The Haruspex approaches the boys and finds out that the one sitting across from Notkin is Khan, the leader of the rival Dogheads. They are discussing the existence of a House of Death somewhere in the Town. They claim that the legend says that Death is a home-bird and he will always take a house as a place to rest. If one were to enter Death's house and either light a number of candles inside or wait until midnight they would scare Death away, saving his victims from his presence. Neither of the boys truly believe in the legend but they do claim that when their is smoke there is fire and it is likely that the legend does explain some sort of phenomenon. Hearing this, the Haruspex insists on finding the house instead of the boys. The two refuse, both not eager to hide behind the back of another man.
The Haruspex finds the House of Death in the Crude Sprawl. It is covered in the same infectious welts that the buildings in infected areas are covered in. He enters and the door locks behind him. He makes his way up the stairs and finds Notkin and Khan in one of the rooms at the end of the hallway. The Haruspex admonishes Notkin, thinking that the door locking behind him was one of the Soul-and-a-Halves playing a trick on him. Notkin says it wasn't one of his lot. He suggests that they might as well try to light the candles as the legend says. The house then becomes sinister as a face appears on the wall to follow the Haruspex. The whole house becomes infected and the Haruspex begins to breath in the infection. The longer the Haruspex stays inside of the house looking for the candles, the higher his chance of both infection and death becomes. Eventually, the Haruspex tracks down and lights all six of the candles. He returns to the boys and takes them out of the house. With his actions, he has protected the Crude Sprawl from infection on the following day.
In the evening Lara, Grief, and Rubin meet by the Gumstone. The Haruspex takes a moment to join his friends at the campfire and discuss the future with them. Lara is cynical, claiming that the Plague will only be bad for relationships in the Town. She tells the Haruspex of the First Outbreak, telling him that five years prior the Crude Sprawl was completely annihilated by the same disease that threatens the Town now - the Sand Plague. It is called Sand due to the drying effect it has on the skin. Rubin is planning to work to fight to outbreak for as long as he can. Grief is conflicted, unsure how the outbreak will effect his standing among his men. The Haruspex reunites with his friends, but under circumstances he never could have predicted.
At midnight the Haruspex is once more called to the Theatre to observe the nightly performance. On the stage stand Talon and Break. Together they announce the outbreak of the Plague and have a morose and pessimistic outlook to the survival of the Town. They claim that there is only about a week left.
Act 3
Day 4
| “ | Day Four, in which the Theatre observes a full house. | „ |
In the early hours of the morning, the Haruspex receives a messenger from Saburov, telling him to come to the Rod as he has caught Isidor Burakh's murderer. The Haruspex arrives at the Rod to find a Kin man has been arrested. He speaks to the suspect and finds that the man only witnessed Isidor and Simon Kain digging a hole in the Steppe. The suspect tells him that he ran to Overseer Tycheek to tell him of the breach of their law and watched Tycheek chase after them. He doesn't know what happened to them other than that they all returned to the Town, and then Isidor and Simon died shortly after. He had nothing to do with Isidor's murder after all. The Haruspex tells Saburov that he has the wrong man, but the Governor insists that it will be his decision in the end.
With the plague ravaging the Town, it becomes clear to the Haruspex that he will need to fix the brewery in the Haruspex's Lair. To do this he requires a Toolkit. Thankfully, Sticky knows where to find one as he knows of a shopkeeper in the Bridge Square who owes him one. As the Haruspex arrives in the Bridge Square it becomes clear that the shopkeeper owed Sticky nothing and instead he is planning to steal the toolkit from him. The Haruspex agrees to help Sticky by distracting the shopkeeper. The Haruspex invents a wild tale about a sick man to stall the shopkeeper with, talking long enough for Sticky to slip in and out of the store. Once he leaves the store Sticky is waiting on a bench with their toolkit, a gauze mask, a bottle of twyrine and some sewing supplies.
As the Haruspex returns to the Lair to fix the brewery, he opens the door to a grotesque hallucination of the children on his list hanging by their necks from the ceiling. The Haruspex is horrified and tells the Executor who has created the vision to immediately put the display away. On saying so, the vision disappears and the Lair returns to it's regular state. The Haruspex then repairs the brewery, and in doing so is then able to begin experimenting with antibiotics and painkillers by combining either infected or healthy organs with tinctures.
By the Cemetery, the strange Herb Bride from the first day is dancing by a bonfire. The Kin insist that the Herb Bride is "his" bride. The Bride once more asks the Haruspex if he has remembered her. The Haruspex, to her disappointment, still does not.
While walking the street and speaking to the Town's children, the Haruspex discovers that Khan has left the Polyhedron and is now sitting in the Nutshell. He goes to the Nutshell to meet the Doghead's leader once more. It turns out that Khan has removed himself from the Polyhedron as he does not want to risk bringing the infection back to the otherwise disease-free area accidentally. He apologises for his rudeness to the Haruspex on the day before. While in the Nutshell, the Haruspex is able to speak to a Doghead in the corner. She wants a leash as they denote the defeat of a rival Soul-and-a-Half and, if she had one, would allow her to gain a promotion within the gang. She is willing to trade the leash for a shmowder. The Haruspex, who gained a leash from Notkin on the first day, trades his leash for the shmowder.
Not only do the children of the Town inform the Haruspex of the situation in the Nutshell, they also inform him that the Soul-and-a-Halves are planning something special for him. When the Haruspex arrives outside of the Soul-and-a-Half Fortress he sees a teenager called Dandy sitting by the door. Dandy informs the Haruspex that although he helped them yesterday, Patches has since died. He reveals to the Haruspex that with the beginning of the epidemic the Soul-and-a-Halves have taken it upon themselves to scout Districts to create a map detailing the day's infected and looted districts. Shocked, the Haruspex initially refuses the map. Dandy insists that he takes it, but compromises that he is willing to trade protective medicines in exchange for it.
On the midnight roll between Day 3 and 4, Notkin has become infected. It is unclear where exactly he caught it from as he had both been near Patches and inside an infected home in recent days. Inside of the Soul-and-a-Halves Fortress, Notkin begs the Haruspex to take him away from the Soul-and-a-Halves to keep his friends safe. The Haruspex uses a shmowder on Notkin, curing him of the Sand Pest. Notkin becomes angry, insisting that it was a foolish thing for the Haruspex to do. He later sobers, thanking the Haruspex for saving him, even if he doesn't think that it was a good idea.
In the Stillwater, Eva Yan tells the Haruspex of a dream she had. She tells the Haruspex that she dreamed of a cemetery, one she believed was not one in the Town but one in the Capital. She tells the Haruspex that in her dream, while walking along the spring-melt, she saw a collection of bones - bones she believes belong to the Bachelor. She wonders about the purpose of her life, and asks the Haruspex what he believes the purpose of his is.
The Haruspex is able to collect his first reward from the Town Hall today. While in the Town Hall he speaks to the Bachelor, who complains of the oddities in both the Town's water system and their lack of Hospital. While within the Town Hall he can also speak to Dora Feugel, who informs him that there is a reward available for anyone who returns a healthy baby taken from an infected house to her.
Later, the Haruspex travels north to speak to Lara Ravel in the Shelter, who tells him of the broken water pumps. Someone the night before destroyed a number of the water pumps as they were worried that the disease was waterborne. Lara is planning to set up a shelter for the homeless and destitute in her home. To achieve this she needs a water barrel but, unfortunately, under orders from the Ruling Families, the water from the spring barrels is now being rationed due to the damage to the water pumps. Lara believes that since the barrels are being guarded by the Olgimskys' men, and since the Haruspex is in good standing with that family, he would be able to find her a barrel.
The Hospital opens in the Theatre. Inside, Stakh Rubin is already working. The Haruspex speaks to him about his plan to create a Panacea, a way to completely cure someone of the Sand Plague. Rubin, while supportive of his idea, tells him that his duty for today is to lower the pain of patients as the disease is clearly quite painful. By doing this duty the Haruspex ensures he will receive a reward from the Fund on the following day. While within the Hospital, the Haruspex is able to autopsy the infected organs of any dead patients in order to create his antibiotics.
While wandering the Town, the Haruspex stumbles upon a barrel of infected water. He is able to take the barrel away from the guards and give it to Lara Ravel, though if he does he opens her district to infection. If the Haruspex instead chooses to report the infected water to the Bachelor, he will reluctantly be forced to remove all of the barrels from the middle of the Town as he cannot say for sure that they are all safe. Conversely, the Haruspex can choose to do nothing and risk neither the barrels nor the Flank.
The Haruspex eventually enters an infected district (the Chine) and hears the sounds of a baby crying. He enters the infected house and, being careful to mind his infection, goes up the stairs to find Anna Angel standing over a baby's crib. The Haruspex demands what she's doing in an infected house. Anna, who is rude and panicking, refuses to let the Haruspex take the baby as returning it to the Town Hall would absolve her of past sins and allow her to increase her reputation. The Haruspex takes the baby anyway. When returning to the Town Hall, the Haruspex is able to take the credit for himself or tell Dora that is was not him who braved the house, but Anna Angel.
While wandering the streets, the Haruspex hears music coming from nearby houses. The piano's melody is striking and so he decides to investigate. Inside, he finds Capella by the piano. She, too, heard the melody and explains that it was one that she believes only her and her mother knew. She wonders if either someone is messing with her, or if there truly is a life after death and it is the spirit of her Mother playing for her. She explains that she has been hearing the melody all over the Town and has been searching frantically for the source. The Haruspex agrees to help her find out who is playing her mother's melody. While wandering the Town, he hears the melody again but only finds a man who did not know he could play piano, a little girl, and the Changeling by the piano. The Changeling explains that Capella also put her to the task. She tells the Haruspex that it is most definitely not the spirit of the White Mistress playing the melody. With a heavy heart, the Haruspex informs Capella who the culprits were, explaining that it was not her mother. Capella, though accepting the information, doesn't truly seem to believe him.
In the afternoon, Vlad the Younger sends a messenger to request that the Haruspex meets him in the Dilapidated Shack. When the Haruspex arrives, he sees that he is with a group of workers, alongside some Worms. Most strikingly, Vlad is building a well - something incredibly taboo in the Town. He is curious to find out what is behind the superstition and wishes to challenge it. Vlad informs the Haruspex that he is interested in the Kin's folklore as he believes that with understanding their culture he will be able to mould them into something that could work in his idea of the future. The well, however, is not why Vlad called the Haruspex to the house. Instead, he wishes for the Haruspex to speak to the two Worms with him, as they have told him that their kind is immune to the Sand Pest. He knows that the Haruspex is able to discover if someone is lying, and wants to know if they tell the truth. The Haruspex speaks to the Worms and discovers that yes, indeed, Worms cannot contract that Sand Pest. The Haruspex believes that this is because they are chimeras and therefore their body chemistry cannot be attacked by the disease.
Throughout the day, the Haruspex ponders the mysterious identity of the "udurgh". From Aspity, he discovers that one meaning of the word is that it is a "body that contains the world", such as the legend of Bos Turokh. From Rubin, he discovers that the symbol is one the Kin brand cattle with. From Vlad the Younger, the Haruspex discovers that he believes that the "udurgh" is a sacrificial bull. Vlad tells the Haruspex that he does know of one man who could tell him more: Foreman Oyun - though he believes that Oyun is unreachable as he is likely trapped in the Termitary. He admits to the Haruspex that the Olgimskys locked the Termitary to prevent an upcoming riot but, in doing so, accidentally created a place he believes is free of disease.
When visiting the Haruspex's Lair for the second time in the day, the Haruspex will find Murky sitting outside. She is still grumpy and standoffish, but she does seem to be warming up to the Haruspex. Later in the day, Capella will tell the Haruspex that the reason Murky is following him is that she is morbidly curious of him as he is Isidor's son, and five years prior Isidor locked Murky's parents in the Crude Sprawl as part of his plan to curb the First Outbreak.
At midnight the Haruspex is invited to the Theatre to view that night's pantomime. On the stage are Talon and Beak, who speak of Isidor Burakh. They monologue that Isidor was man who made severe judgements, that if the bones grew wrong he broke them. They discuss whether the Haruspex will be able to fix the mistakes of his father.
Day 5
| “ | Day Five, in which the Haruspex fully embraces the struggle of invention, and a sacrifice is offered. | „ |
In the early morning of Day 5, while walking through the town, the Haruspex will see a number of Worms standing along the streets. When spoken to they will ask the Haruspex for the whereabouts of Stanislav Rubin, who they claim is doing something that will inevitably cause trouble for them. The Haruspex cannot answer the Worms as he does not know of Rubin's whereabouts, but it does intrigue him. To find Rubin, the Haruspex finds Bad Grief in Aspity's Hospice, as he has come to get something off of his chest. Suspecting that it has something to do with Rubin, the Haruspex asks him further questions in Bad Grief's Nest, where Grief accidentally informs the Haruspex that Rubin is nearby. Following the trail of blood by Grief's Nest and looking for a lit lantern, the Haruspex finds Rubin's Hideout beside Bad Grief's Nest. He enters to find Rubin working on something secret, a well lit sheet illuminating the middle of the room. Rubin demands to know how the Haruspex found him, then asks for his help: he needs the Haruspex to distract the Kin while he works. The Haruspex agrees. Upon leaving the Hideout, the Haruspex is confronted by a Worm. By following the Haruspex's trail they now know where Rubin is. In order to protect Rubin, the Haruspex is then forced for kill four Worms dotted around the Warehouses. Once the Worms are dead, Rubin will then be safe for the night - but not forever.
Upon leaving the Haruspex's Lair at 7:30, Murky will be sitting at the entrance of the Lair. The Haruspex is able to ask her about her new friend, who apparently dislikes him. Murky refuses to tell the Haruspex more about her friend.
Outside of the Lair, the Herb Bride from earlier is waiting. She tells the Haruspex that the reason they are connected is that one day he will be forced to kill her. She reveals that her name is Nara, "Narana". She then vows to leave the Haruspex alone from then on.
At the Hospital, several patients need to be treated with the correct antibiotics. To find the correct ailment, the Haruspex uses his tinctures to uncover the source of the disease in each person. As patients are cured, the plague will manifest as clouds that attack the Haruspex. While in the Hospital the Haruspex speaks to the Bachelor, who laments that the Kains have asked him to build an isolation ward, yet have suggested the woefully unfit Cathedral as the place to build it. Alongside this, they also discuss the use of Shmowders, revealing that until the Haruspex discovers his cure they are currently the only cure to the plague.
In the Hindquarters, a group of the Kin are parading a bull around the Town. They are letting the bull say goodbye to the Town and, in turn, allowing the Town to say goodbye the bull, as they plan to slaughter it at the Ragi Barrow later that evening. The Worm by the bull asks the Haruspex for his assistance in cutting open the bull as he is a "yargachin" (a butcher) and is therefore allowed to perform the ritual. The Haruspex can agree, and meet the group at the Ragi Barrow after nightfall, or refuse, and miss the opportunity completely.
In the morning in the Haruspex's Lair, Sticky will tell the Haruspex that he was recruited by a Chemist in the Atrium to embalm corpses. Sticky tells the Haruspex that the Chemist wanted Sticky to recruit the Haruspex for the same job. Suspicious of the Chemist, the Haruspex makes his way to Var's place in the Bridge Square to speak to the man in charge of the operation. The Chemist informs the Haruspex that he is doing it on the Kain's suggestion - though not on their direct suggestion, only following their ideals. Concerned, the Haruspex makes his way to Victor Kain in the Crucible to inform him that this Chemist is hiding the infected dead under the Kains' name. Victor is surprised by the statement and asks the Haruspex to find evidence of this. When he does find evidence he is to mark the house's door with a white chalk cross.
On his search he will find a home with a loud banging upstairs. When he enters, two men will stop him, demanding that he leaves. If the Haruspex tries to get past them they will become aggressive and attack him. He will also find a healthy home marked with a cross - something the Haruspex considers strange. When he enters he will find Maria Kaina inside, as she was the one who marked it. She claims that the house is sick, and wants it gone. The Haruspex is able to tell Victor Kain about his daughter's deeds or, citing that the Town has always been ruled by Mistresses, leave her to her business. Eventually the Haruspex finds a house so quiet it's remarkable. Making his way upstairs the Haruspex finds a number of hidden corpses, proving the Chemist's claims. When the Haruspex exits the home the homeowner begs him not to mark the door, claiming that they will give up their dead in the evening. The Haruspex is able to believe her and leave the home alone or not, marking the house with a white cross. Leaving the chemist alone or not marking the home will expose the Bridge Square residents to the Plague the next day.
Throughout the day, the Changeling will stop the Haruspex on the streets and ask that he goes to the Rod to speak to her new parents. She claims that she can no longer protect them and has to disappear for a while. On her request the Haruspex makes his way to the Rod and speaks to Katerina Saburova in the back of the manor. The Rod is crawling with Reflections who lament that where Nina Kaina and Victoria Olgimskaya were powerful, beloved Mistresses, Katerina will never be able to fit into their role. They cry that Katerina will never have a child as she is barren. The Haruspex then speaks to Katerina, who informs him that he should speak to Alexander Saburov at the front of the manor, as it is he who has the problem. Making his way around to the front of the manor, the Haruspex finds a mob standing on the Rod's steps, demanding the carrier of the Plague they believe the Saburovs are harbouring. Pushing past them, the Haruspex makes his way to Alexander, who asks the Haruspex to speak to the crowd. The Haruspex does just that, reminding the crowd that witch-hunts are no way to solve their issues. The crowd believes him and disperses.
Murky will be waiting on the street, where the Haruspex is able to find her. She tells the Haruspex that she had a fight with Sticky about Isidor, as Sticky believes that he was a good man but Murky hates him. Murky says that she hopes that they can make up as she doesn't hate Sticky. She says that though he is grumpy, he is nice to her, and she likes having a brother.
While wandering through infected districts, the Haruspex will once again hear a baby crying inside one of the condemned houses in The Maw. However, this time it is not only Anna Angel by the baby, but a Kin woman. She is doing the same as Anna: returning babies to the Town Hall to absolve her partner, who killed a woman during the hunt for the Shabnak-adyr. The Haruspex can side with the Kin woman, with Anna, or with neither and take the baby for himself.
If the Haruspex has completed his experiments with his antibiotics and hit a dead-end, he will stop his testing and go to the Broken Heart to think on it. While in the Broken Heart, the Haruspex is able to speak to the Bachelor, who has also run into a dead-end with his vaccine. They discuss their projects and the Haruspex concludes that simple academia isn't going to help him here; he needs to think outside of the box. If the Haruspex finishes his experiments later, he will not go to the Broken Heart.
If the Haruspex agreed to the ritual in the Ragi Barrow, he is able to sacrifice the bull for the group. Upon sacrificing the bull he is then gifted with meat from the bull, alongside a vial of its blood. The blood, the Kin claim, will help in avoiding the Sand Pest (as bulls cannot become infected). The Haruspex accepts the blood and then has a thought: he cannot use this for an experiement and instead he needs to see this blood under a microscope. The Haruspex takes the blood to the Bachelor in the Stillwater (or, if he was spoken to earlier, in the Broken Heart). If the Haruspex goes to the Stillwater he is able to use the bed while the Bachelor examines the blood. Following his examination, the Bachelor concludes that the bull blood is useless, as their antibodies cannot be transferred to be useful to humans. From this the Haruspex decides that he will need to find something truly unique: a bull-man hybrid; a Minotaur.
While sleeping, the Haruspex will dream of the Shelter. Inside of what was once Lara's kitchen sits a collection of desks set up to look like a classroom. A number of children sit by the desks, including Murky, Sticky, and the Changeling. Lara is acting as the teacher and she is teaching the children to survive, though her methods are strangely harsh. She advocates for cannibalism and betrayal, telling the class that the only way to survive is to become wolves; to become solitary predators. The Bachelor stands in the corner, punished for questioning her, but still muttering criticisms under his breath. She threatens to punish the Haruspex in the same manner. Once the Haruspex speaks to her or leaves the classroom, he wakes up.
At midnight the Haruspex is once again called to the Theatre. On the stage sit the Bachelor, Haruspex, and the Changeling. The Changeling tells them that she once fell in love with a kind boy with freckles called Matvey. The Bachelor replies that he harbours a great resentment for her. The Haruspex confesses that he does too, then claims that he feels he does not know how to love at all. Mark Immortell, frustrated with their lacklustre performance, berates them and ends their rehearsal, sending them home.
Following the performance the Fellow Traveller is waiting in the Cape. Unlike other days, the Fellow Traveller is not trading dead items, but rather trading money for "unborn items." He sells Candy Wrappers. He refuses to tell the Haruspex if the items are useful or not, and asks the Haruspex to decide that for himself.
Day 6
| “ | Day Six, in which the answers reveal themselves if the Haruspex is brave enough not to seek them. | „ |
In the early hours of Day 6, Rubin is once again in trouble and requires the Haruspex's aid. He has finished whatever his mysterious project was but is now too exhausted to outrun the Kin, who have begun to swarm outside of Rubin's Hideout. To distract them, the Haruspex attacks the members of the Kin and flees, giving Rubin enough time to escape on his own. Depending on how the Haruspex chooses to complete the task, he can either kill the men or simply distract them. Later in the day, Rubin is found sleeping soundly in his bed. Though Rubin cannot reply, the Haruspex laments that their friendship fell apart, and wonders what he could have done that angered the Kin so much. He knows that Rubin could not have done something truly low or selfish as it goes against his nature but beyond that it is unclear what, exactly, Rubin was working on.
While wandering the streets, the Haruspex will once again run into the Changeling. She will ask how his meeting with the Saburovs - her adoptive parents - went. The Haruspex tells her that they are being harassed because of her and she becomes distressed by the news, insisting that she is a good person and could not be the terrible plague-bringer everyone speaks of. During the day the Haruspex will also be stopped by a messenger from Alexander Saburov, asking him to come to the Rod, as he has once again found Isidor's murderer. It is still the wrong man. The suspect was a thief, but he did not kill Isidor Burakh. After the Haruspex arrives, Saburov asks him to check on his wife, Katerina Saburova, as she is being tormented by an affliction that he believes the Haruspex can help her with. Katerina speaks of a strange being tormenting her. After speaking to Katerina, the Rat Prophet will appear in the corner and berate the Haruspex for not truly understanding the nature of the Sand Plague.
While walking through the The Backbone the Haruspex will once again hear a strange piano melody - this time coming from the grocery store. Stepping inside, the Haruspex finds Big Vlad at the piano and the store otherwise deserted. Big Vlad tells the Haruspex the story of how he met his wife Victoria Olgimskaya, telling him that he met her in this very store as she was buying a brooch. It is ironic that the store later lost its charm and became a grocery, selling the meat produced by his very Bull Enterprise. Big Vlad asks the Haruspex whether he should keep the shop as a grocery store, or leave it as a memorial to Victoria. Depending on what the Haruspex answers, Big Vlad will follow his advice and the store will either return to business as usual or remain empty.
In the Hospital the task for the day is a gruesome one - collecting organs. On the requirement of Dankovsky, both healthy and infected organs (excluding blood) are to be extracted and placed in the icebox on the Theatre stage. A Rusty Scalpel can be found in the cabinet on the stage in order to aid in the collection of organs. While in the Hospital, the Haruspex is able to speak to Yulia Lyuricheva, who offers her help in any way she is able.
Assuming the Haruspex has tested a few of his antibiotics alongside testing the bull blood, when he falls asleep he will dream of the Termitary. While dreaming he is able to speak to Taya Tycheek, the last unseen child on his List. Taya tells him that he should go to Shekhen and look into the ear. When he wakes the Haruspex is able to make his way to the old Steppe village and find a stone structure in the centre. If the Haruspex has an empty bottle he is able to collect up to two bottles of blood that is unusually heavy, and clearly important somehow. After collecting the blood, the stone structure's collection prompt will say "desiccated" and you will never be able to collect blood from it again. By combining a tincture with the blood, the Haruspex creates the first dose of Panacea, which he is then required to test on a patient to prove its effectiveness. He may give it to any infected individual - including himself. If the Panacea is not made before the beginning of Act 4, Rubin will die regardless of any previous aid the Haruspex provided.
In the evening the Haruspex is able to go to the Train Station and speak to two children sitting against the passenger platform. They tell the Haruspex that tomorrow the Inquisition will arrive, but that there might be a way to stop her: destroying the train tracks. The Haruspex, knowing the person in the Town most likely to have a stash of illicit explosives readily available, goes to Grief. They plan a meeting at midnight where Grief agrees to aid him in destroying the train tracks.
On a similar note, the Haruspex receives a message from Yulia Lyuricheva, delivered by Aysa Klyonina, a woman who lives and works with Yulia. Aysa tells the Haruspex that Yulia wishes to warn the Haruspex of an upcoming trap. When the Haruspex arrives in the Trammel, he finds not only Yulia in the front room, but another strange, shaken woman. When spoken to she reveals herself to be Voronika Croy, an Inquisitor's daughter. She tells the Haruspex worrying details of the Inquisition, claiming that they "craft people" to fit their own goals. Yulia tells him much of the same, saying that she knows that he is one of the remarkable people that the Inquisition often sets their sights on. She reveals that the Haruspex, the Bachelor, and the Changeling are likely to be targets for the Inquisition. In the side room the Bachelor can be found, comparing the Inquisition to angels; otherworldly, divine beings with their unknown and terrifying agendas. All three fear what the Inquisitorial train, and the following morning, will bring.
During the day, in the Haruspex's Lair, Murky tells the Haruspex that her mysterious friend is ready to meet him. She tells the Haruspex that if he comes to the Crowstone at night her friend will be willing to show herself to him. In the evening, the Haruspex makes his way to the Crowstone, only to find Murky crouched by the fire on her own. She tells the Haruspex that he needs to hide in order for her friend to reveal themselves. As the Haruspex hides behind the rocks, he finds the Changeling. The Changeling berates him for letting Murky come to such a dangerous place. Once the Haruspex takes his eyes off Murky, she disappears and another Changeling now sits where she was. The Changeling asks the Haruspex what he knows of the Plague and then offers him a deal: she will allow Murky's friend to speak to him directly, and Murky will have the chance to live longer. If he agrees to the deal, he will become infected. If he refuses, or answers any of the Changeling's previous questions incorrectly, Murky will die. If Murky dies she will appear in the Haruspex's dream the next time he falls asleep, warning him that he should take closer care of the people he cares for.
If the Haruspex conspired with Grief to destroy the train tracks earlier in the day, he will find Grief sitting by a bonfire near the tracks. When the Haruspex speaks to Grief, he reveals that he was never planning to destroy the tracks and, instead, seems to want the Inquisitor to come. For reasons unknown to the Haruspex, Grief believes that the Inquisitor will clean up the crime prevalent in the Town, perhaps neglecting to realise that he will be the first name on the list of criminals to prosecute.
At midnight, the Haruspex is once again called to the Theatre to view the nightly pantomime. The performance is of the Inquisitor Aglaya Lilich. She is questioning people in the Town, twisting them to reveal their crimes during the outbreak. If she deems the crime appropriate, she punishes them. Some familiar faces - such as Alexander Saburov and Capella - are among those questioned.
Act 4
Day 7
| “ | Day Seven, in which new actors enter the stage, and the old ones reveal themselves in unexpected ways. | „ |
On the morning of Day 7 the Inquisitor, Aglaya Lilich, arrives with the Inquisition. With her arrival, the distribution of food changes and groceries will now only exchange food for Inquisitorial Coupons obtained from the Fund (or through Bad Grief for exorbitant prices).
In the morning, the Haruspex is confronted by an Inquisitorial messenger, who informs him of the arrival of the Inquisitor. Alongside this is the request that the Haruspex is to meet with her immediately today, and for every new day that she is in the Town. She is stationed in the Bridge Square, inside of the Cathedral. When the Haruspex approaches the Cathedral he finds a line of people standing outside awaiting interrogation. Among the crowd are the familiar faces of Yulia Lyuricheva, Peter and Andrey Stamatin, and, most peculiarly, Mark Immortell, who otherwise is rarely seen outside of the Theatre. Each have their own concerns about the Inquisitor. The Townsfolk gathered seem particularly shaken by the Inquisitor's interrogations and are terrified of the mystery surrounding her methods.
As the Haruspex enters the Cathedral, he finds and speaks to Lilich, who asks him a number of questions. The questions seem to be attempting to deduce his nature and ask things like "Would you push an obnoxious fat man in front of a trolley to keep four children from being run over?" and poses the conundrum "Soldiers are about to execute your two daughters. If you offer them one voluntarily, they will only shoot her. If you refuse to cooperate, they will shoot both.". Following the questions Aglaya claims that she has now attuned herself to him and notes that the Haruspex's answers have a peculiar cadence to them, one she rarely sees. She reveals that she called the Haruspex to the Cathedral in order to question him about his cure; his Panacea. She requests the recipe for his panacea and the Haruspex reveals that he does not have one and that he only knows that one of the ingredients is blood of an unusual nature. This angers Aglaya, believing that the Haruspex is mocking her. She reveals that she can tell that the Haruspex is being controlled by hands that are not his, and knows that his fate has been changed in some way. The Haruspex replies that he doesn't care as he believes that his actions are his duty, regardless of any outside forces. Aglaya then dismisses the Haruspex.
In the Hospital there has been a mix-up following Rubin's absence and some living people have been thrown out of the Theatre alongside corpses. The duty of the Haruspex for the day is to recover the living ill mistakenly placed alongside corpses and return them to the Hospital.
Following the Haruspex's visit to the Theatre, he becomes concerned as to the whereabouts of Rubin. He makes his way to Rubin's apartment and finds him sleeping safely in his bed. The Haruspex does not wake him, but he does speak to Rubin. He recalls their fight before the Haruspex left to study in the Capital, recalling that Rubin was furious at him for leaving. He laments that though the Haruspex has finally returned, Rubin appears to now be leaving. He theorises that it was due to Isidor's death that Rubin has become unanchored, that Rubin was only loyal to the land because Isidor was. The Haruspex tells Rubin that though Isidor is gone, Rubin could always find something new to keep him attached to the Town. The Haruspex suggests that he could marry Lara and become a father, believing that a child may give him the purpose he is searching for. The Haruspex, having been talking to a sleeping and decidedly not listening Rubin, then leaves him to his rest.
While wandering through the Town, the Haruspex comes across some Townsfolk who tell him strange things about Anna Angel. They claim that they have seen the performer attempting to drown something - the Townsfolk believe rats - in the river. Intrigued, the Haruspex makes his way to the Willows. When he arrives, Anna reveals that what she was trying to drown was a human heart. She has been cursed to have one follow her indefinitely due to her dealings with a false steppe haruspex. The Haruspex is familiar with the curse and asks Anna to hold the heart and tell him what she sees. She says that she sees a spindle. The Haruspex then knows that in order to be rid of the heart she will need to trade it for a spindle, as bad fortune cannot be discarded, only traded away.
The Haruspex returns to Shekhen to search for further clues as to the origin of the blood he found earlier, and in doing so finds Foreman Oyun there. Oyun, having returned from his journey into the Steppe, was looking for ancient aurochs, but found nothing of use. The Foreman is concerned for the state of the Kin, knowing that in order for the Town to grow, the Kin had to wither. He claims that the outbreak may be the Kin's chance to once again flourish - a suggestion the Haruspex has hesitations about. Oyun then grows concerned that the Lines had led both he and the Haruspex to Shekhen - a place he claims is dead - and wants to know why the Haruspex has come. The Haruspex reveals that he is looking for the blood he needs to create his panacea. Foreman Oyun, who due to his work is surrounded by blood, claims that he knows the blood came from the Abattoir - known to him as Olonngo. The Haruspex then asks Oyun how to enter the Abattoir in order to gain more blood. Oyun insists that in order to grant the Haruspex access to the Abattoir he will need time. Oyun then asks what drives the Haruspex. The Haruspex can answer a number of ways - vengeance, duty, curiosity, or nothing at all - and is able to ask one of several questions, including the identity of his father's killer. Oyun then insists that he is unable to answer any of his questions as they must instead be asked to the Kin as a whole. Oyun suggests that Overseer Tycheek may be able to help, but he is trapped in the locked Termitary alongside most of the Kin, both of whom do not trust the Haruspex enough to bow to any of his demands. In order to become a leader to the Kin, he must find a way to open the Termitary and meet Overseer Tycheek.
The Haruspex may offer his father's home to Oyun. Oyun accepts and will then make his way to Isidor Burakh's House. Otherwise, he remains at Shekhen.
The Haruspex makes his way to the Termitary, only to see it already opened. Inside is the Inquisitor, who has come to investigate the situation. The Termitary was not an ark as was once theorised, but a locked coffin. Most of the Kin inside are already dead, having succumbed to the Sand Plague, which somehow made its way inside. The carnage is plainly clear and the screams of those remaining can be heard throughout the concrete structure of the Termitary. Overseer Tycheek is counted among the dead and the leadership of the Kin has passed to Taya Tycheek, his young daughter. The Haruspex makes his way up the stairs of the Termitary to the room where Taya has been kept safe. She is healthy, beyond some aches in her feet, gut, and gums from stomping around and chewing on resin. The Haruspex asks Taya if she knows what's happening outside of her room. She doesn't, as the Kin surrounding her won't let her outside. The Haruspex says that he will take her out of the Termitary. She is excited by the prospect, asking if he will take them all to Shekhen. The Haruspex replies that no, not all of the Kin can come with him, only her. She is angered by this and refuses to leave without them as one does not "cut fingers from a hand". If Taya is to leave, the Kin must too. The Kin surrounding her echo this reasoning, refusing to allow the Haruspex to take Taya away from them. The Haruspex concedes, knowing that he must find some other way to move the Kin from the Termitary.
While within the Termitary, the Kin ask the Haruspex to bring them the man they believe was responsible for locking them away to die and the one they call their master: Vlad Olgimsky, Big Vlad. They wish to look their oppressor in the eye. The Haruspex has several choices then. If he goes to Vlad the Younger first, the Olgimsky - who was the true culprit of the Kin's suffering - will be horrified by the events in the Termitary and leave to face their justice on his own. If this occurs, Vlad the Younger will die. If the Haruspex then decides to tell Big Vlad that Vlad the Younger has gone to the Termitary, he will be furious and leave for the Termitary himself. In doing this he will take his son's place in facing the Kin's justice. If this occurs, Big Vlad will die. If the Haruspex instead goes to Big Vlad first, the patriarch is stubborn and refuses to bend to the Kin's demands. If the Haruspex speaks to Big Vlad, he can then speak to the Changeling, who is sitting on a bench in the front room of the Lump. The Changeling tells the Haruspex that she has already been to Vlad the Younger to inform him of the events that have unfolded in the Termitary and that the younger Vlad has already left to face the Kin. The Haruspex can then speak to Big Vlad to tell him of this. Big Vlad will become frustrated at his son's actions and send people to collect him before he makes it the Termitary. If this occurs, neither Olgimsky will die. If the Haruspex does nothing at all, and both Big Vlad and Vlad the Younger are healthy, they will both go to the Termitary and both die. The Kin ultimately have no preference in who is sent, or even if no one is sent at all.
Following the Olgimsky decision, the Kin reveal to the Haruspex that a schism has occurred within the Kin. There are some who believe that the Haruspex is unfit to lead them and ask the Haruspex to solve this. The Haruspex can solve this through violence and kill the Odongh causing the schism. This will prove his strength to the Kin and they will be satisfied with the end of the schism. The schism does not have to be solved through violence, however, and can be solved peacefully at a later date.
Around midday, the Haruspex gets the feeling that Capella is attempting to contact him. The Haruspex approaches her in the Lump, and she expresses concerns for Grace, as the Cemetery is becoming overcrowded with bodies created by the epidemic. In the Town Hall, the Bachelor expresses a similar sentiment, frustrated that Grace has forbidden the burial of more dead, and the locals will not accept burning the bodies due to her words. The Haruspex makes his way to the Cemetery to find a distressed Grace, who begs him to ask them to stop bringing the dead to the Cemetery as they are overwhelmed. She laments that they are pressed side to side, so close that they cannot move. Grace implores him to go out and speak to the dead and sympathise with their plight. As the Haruspex leaves Grace's Lodge, he finds the Rat Prophet hovering in the bushes. The Rat Prophet offers the Haruspex a deal. The Prophet will deal with the corpses if the Haruspex asks him to. The Prophet, however, does not explain what they are going to do to the bodies. The Haruspex may take the deal and return to Grace or, instead, he may choose to continue towards the pile of bodies that has accumulated outside of the Cemetery. The Haruspex is able to speak to the dead. They speak to him in distressing and broken words, claiming that they are cold. They are incoherent and the Haruspex must soon cease speaking to them. The Haruspex can then burn the bodies and free both Grace and the dead from their suffering - though at the cost of upsetting Grace, who has forbidden cremation and burning. The Haruspex can also leave the bodies alone. The Haruspex returns to the Lodge to speak to Grace. He soon leaves but, upon leaving, finds Dora Feugel standing by the door. Dora has come to collect Grace, as the Town has found her a new place to live. The Haruspex can allow Grace to go with Dora or he may dissuade Dora from removing Grace from the Cemetery, leaving her to live in her Lodge instead.
Upon opening the first children's cache of the day, the Haruspex finds a strange note inside of it. It mentions that Isidor's killer will be found "when pigs fly.". The kids claim that they have found Isidor's killer and that he will appear in Friday's Yard when the time is right.
At midnight, the Haruspex will once again be called to the Theatre to watch the nightly pantomime. Today's pantomime features the Inquisitor Aglaya Lilich, as she interrogates and sentences townsfolk for their misdeeds. At the end of the performance she explains that there is only one crime: betrayal. There is no such thing as murder, evil, or abuse, only betrayal of another being who trusted you. The sentence for such a crime is always death.
Day 8
| “ | Day Eight, in which the Haruspex finally realizes how deep the rifts go. | „ |
In the early morning, more of the Kin have gathered at Aspity's Hospice. Those gathered have a number of questions to ask, both of Aspity and of the Haruspex. One wonders how they can cease loving their body as they believe it to be a hindrance. One wishes to abandon her name. Another worries about his speech as the language of the Town impedes his mind, and yet the language of the Kin does not have the appropriate words for the new things the Town brings to his life.
While wandering through infected districts, the Haruspex hears a distressing sobbing coming from one of the houses in the Marrow. The house is boarded up and the Haruspex must break his way inside to enter. When the Haruspex climbs the stairs, he finds Katerina Saburova in one of the upstairs rooms. She insists that the crying did not come from her, yet she is the only occupant of the house. The Haruspex offers to take her away from the infected home but she insists that she should stay as this is the Town's version of a witch trial - one she intends to face to prove her worthiness as a Mistress.
When the Haruspex falls asleep that morning he will dream of the Theatre. He appears backstage and when he steps towards the stage he sees himself standing with the Changeling and the Bachelor. The three are arguing over the best course of action for the Town. The Bachelor supports the path of the brain, the Haruspex the path of blood and organs, and the Changeling the path of skin; the path of touch and transformation. None of them can agree with each other and they separate, unable to co-operate even as the death toll rises higher and higher by the day.
In the morning, if the Haruspex relocated Grace the day before, he will learn from Dora that she has moved in with Peter Stamatin in his Loft. Neither quite know how to care for each other - Grace, because Peter is alive, and not dead, and Peter because he has never had to care for a child before - but seem to be getting along. Peter exclaims that Grace has given him a genius idea to rival his Polyhedron; a great pit. Where the Polyhedron rose into the sky the pit will descend further than should be possible. The Haruspex is sceptical of the idea, but leaves Peter to it.
In the Hospital, Victor Kain can be found waiting by the door. He laments the failure of the isolation ward in the Cathedral and worries that even the Cemetery has become a problem. He worries about the arrival of the Inquisitor and what that means for the Town in relation to the Powers That Be. The Haruspex wonders what else the Powers That Be could do to the Town. He flippantly suggests them sending the Army. Both he and Victor Kain brush the very thought off as ridiculous, as it would be a waste of soldiers.
The Hospital duty of the day is to take over for the orderlies while they switch their shift with another pair of orderlies. The Haruspex is then forced to stay within the Theatre for one hour while the infection creeps around him. The orderlies are then late (as time has begun to move strangely due to the Inquisitor's presence in the Cathedral; the building that makes the Town's time) and the Haruspex has to wait for one hour and fifteen minutes. Having survived the shift, the Haruspex then leaves the Hospital with his duty for the day complete.
As he was expected to report to the Inquisitor every day, the Haruspex makes his way to the Cathedral to speak to the Inquisitor. He gives Aglaya his report; that he is relying on Oyun as a lead, and his way into the Abattoir. Aglaya becomes angered by his lack of progress and demands that he find a way on his own, and soon. They have no time to waste on hope. Also in the Cathedral is Bad Grief, who the Haruspex first thinks has been arrested. Instead, he seems to be staying in the Cathedral voluntarily. He claims that he spoke to the Inquisitor for two hours and it has changed his outlook. He details that he now believes that they are all puppets and that none of their fates are really theirs. In this revelation he has decided that he no longer wants to live the way that he once did and asks the Haruspex to stop by his old warehouse and disperse the remainder of his gang. The Haruspex agrees to Bad Grief's request. Following his discussion with Bad Grief, the Haruspex speaks to Aglaya and demands to know what she did to him. She tells the Haruspex to leave Grief to think. Outside of the Cathedral Voronika Croy's body can be found by the Gallows with a note to her father in her possession.
At 4PM, Capella has another message for the Haruspex, asking him to come to the Cape. When the Haruspex arrives in the Cape, Capella tells him that they are to no longer be friends and that she is taking the children from his List under her protection, as she has had a premonition that he will harm them somehow. The Haruspex grows frustrated with this but is otherwise powerless to stop her.
The Haruspex stops by Bad Grief's nest. When he enters he finds not Bad Grief's Gang, but the gang of Barley the Barber. Barley, like Grief, is offering to trade illicit goods. The clock in the corner has been knocked over so the Haruspex cannot save. Barley demands to know what he wants. The Haruspex tells him that he needs to lock up the Warehouse and tells him to get lost. Barley becomes hostile at this and attacks the Haruspex, alongside two of his men. Through a scuffle the Haruspex defeats the three men, killing them and fulfilling Grief's request. The Haruspex then returns to Bad Grief in the Cathedral to tell him the news. Grief is concerned with how easily the Haruspex spilled blood on his behalf, but as a reward for his help gives him a shotgun. He claims that the gun was his purely for show and that he has never used it.
At 6PM, the Killer has appeared in Friday's Yard in the Skinners. The killer attacks the Haruspex on sight. The Haruspex fights him off and in doing so finds a note on the killer's body. The note is suspicious and written in childish handwriting. It reads "Found your thief. He'll come to Friday's Yard. Wait for him there. Just hit him first, he's a nutso. 450.". The Haruspex deduces that the note is connected to the children somehow and goes to the Soul-and-a-Half Fortress. He speaks to Yawn, who does not feel guilty for misleading him as he did kill a murderer, just not Isidor's murderer. Yawn then kicks the Haruspex out of the cache game, as he has been playing it incorrectly and not leaving any notes behind.
At midnight, the Haruspex is once again called the Theatre to view the nightly pantomime. In the centre of the Theatre sits a map of the Town, covered by canons. Atop one of the canons stands Commander Alexander Block, who monologues about his place in the performance. He laments that there is no true way to protect people as he wishes to. He believes that the Town is a war-zone, one where there are no rehearsals. Mark Immortell speaks to him from the second floor, reminding him that he was sent here with an order to kill. Block refuses to follow the order, claiming that it is criminal. Mark concedes that his part in the performance is lousy and insists that they try another part of his script.
Day 9
| “ | Day Nine, in which new blood is injected into the Town, disturbing the old. | „ |
On the morning of Day 9 the Army arrives with Commander Alexander Block. Soldiers and Flame Corp units flood the streets alongside military tents and barricades.
The Haruspex is soon called to meet the Commander in their base of operations in the Town Hall. When the Haruspex arrives Block asks him a number of questions on the nature of the situation such as the number of physicians available in the Town (four) and the current means to fight the outbreak. The Haruspex give Block a similar answer he have to the Inquisitor: that he has a panacea, but as the ingredient's origin is still currently inconclusive he has no way to recreate it once, let alone in the quantities the Town would require. The Commander informs the Haruspex that the Army was sent to the Town woefully ill-equipped to handle an epidemic. He tells the Haruspex that he is not to work in the Hospital any longer as he should devote all of his time and resources into finding the ingredients for the panacea. If the panacea is not found in two days the Army have orders to bombard the Town in order to prevent the spread of the Sand Pest. It is an order the Commander disagrees with, yet one he is willing to follow should it need to be done.
The Haruspex then reports to the Inquisitor in the Cathedral. She has concluded that the cause of the outbreak is the Polyhedron. She has measured the time from the last outbreak - five years - to the current outbreak and concluded that given that the timing on the Polyhedron's creation (alongside it's apparent rejection of the natural laws) it is the most likely culprit. She believes that the price of miracles is too often blood and suspects that this is the same. While in the Cathedral the Haruspex speaks to Grief once more who says that they need to escape. However, he does not mean escaping the Town but, rather, escaping his fate; escaping himself. He continues to insist that both he and the Haruspex are part of some higher powers game, just toys for their amusement.
As the Haruspex steps out of the Cathedral he finds Grace sitting by the door. She tells the Haruspex that she and the other children on the Haruspex's List have gone to the Polyhedron. They have gone to the tower as it is the safest place for them to be. The Haruspex then makes his way towards the Polyhedron only to be stopped by two children: a boy and a girl called Measly and Thrush. They tell him that adults are forbidden to enter the Tower and bar his entry. They tell the Haruspex that they are scared for their tower as they have seen the canon the Army brought and are worried it might be used on the Polyhedron. The two children then relent and allow the Haruspex to pass. The Haruspex is then once again stopped on the stairway by Khan, who lets him go no further. He tells the Haruspex that it would be irresponsible for him to come any closer as he may bring infection into the otherwise safe tower. The Haruspex, knowing that Khan is right, concedes, leaving the children behind.
In the Hospital there are no official duties, however, the Changeling wishes the ask the Haruspex for a favour. Her miracles have left her and she has promised the Commander that she would show him that he has a healing touch. She asks the Haruspex to cure someone for her so that she may lie to the Commander. With either a shmowder or the Haruspex's last panacea he cures a patient of the Sand Pest completely, allowing the Changeling to take credit for the action.
In the afternoon the Haruspex is stopped by a messenger who has come on behalf of Oyun. The messenger tells him that Oyun wishes to speak to him as he has found a way to allow the Haruspex into the Abattoir. Oyun claims that in entering the Abattoir the Haruspex will find the answers to many of his pressing questions. Oyun instructs him to take nothing into the Abattoir as he will need to travel light. Of its three entrances, only the Bulljaw, traditionally the door from which bulls are taken in, is open. This the entrance the Haruspex is to use. The Haruspex takes his advice and makes his way into the Abattoir.
As the Haruspex enters the Abattoir he sees a Worm sitting by a fountain - one that seems to be trickling blood. The Haruspex asks the Worm for some of the blood. This question confuses them as they believe the Haruspex does not know what to do with the blood - blood, they reveal, is the blood of the Earth. Regardless the Haruspex is able to take a sip of the blood and in doing so becomes revitalised, clearing himself of some exhaustion, thirst, and increasing his health. The Haruspex then makes his way further into the Abattoir, where he is attacked by a Worm with a bloody mark across their face. Through a struggle the Haruspex defeats the Worm and collects a bottle from their body. With the bottle he collects some of the Living Blood from a nearby fountain. Alongside the bottle the Haruspex receives a Candle Stub. It becomes clear then that the Haruspex will be unwelcome here, and must stick to the shadows in order to gain an advantage against the Worms.
Moving further into the Abattoir the Haruspex begins to hear the voice of the Plague in his ear. As he delves deeper inside he sees Herb Brides dancing with clouds of the Plague, seemingly unaffected by it. On a stone hidden away the Haruspex finds Nara alongside a group of Herb Brides. The Brides and Nara ask the Haruspex to cut Nara open as he, as a Menkhu, is allowed to do so. She wishes to give her blood to the Earth. The Haruspex agrees and is given a Menkhu's Finger to do so. The Haruspex traces Nara's lines, allowing him to extract her organs. In her stomach is a spindle, which the Haruspex takes. The Haruspex then continues into the Abattoir.
More Worms block his paths and these, too, must be defeated in order to pass. Each Worm provides the Haruspex with an empty bottle he may fill with Living Blood as well as a Fingernail. Eventually the Haruspex makes it to the main chamber of the Abattoir where a great pit lays. A Worm is standing by the lip of the pit and asks him to show them how to connect things. They then instruct the Haruspex to join the three items he collected - the candle, fingernail, and spindle - into one whole piece. The Haruspex does so and, in joining the items, creates a heart - his own heart. The heart speaks to him, allowing him to converse with it as though is were a stranger. The heart implores the Haruspex to look around and see that the Sand Pest does not effect the Kin who live here. The Pest does not harm the humble, the ones who do not know the concept of "the self". The disease only threatens those who sever themselves from the Earth. If the Haruspex chooses he may reconnect with the Earth and abandon speech he will become immune to the Plague, too. If the Haruspex refuses the heart will inform him that his path will only lead to death. The Haruspex then asks the heart about the pit, to which the heart replies that if he wishes to know which path to choose he should jump into the pit. Then, he will know.
The Haruspex leaps into the great pit and falls not to his death, but into an underground chasm. The tunnels are made of a fleshy, muscular material and a thumping beat can be heart through the walls. The Haruspex walks through the caverns and comes across a giant heart sitting in the main chamber, a spike hovering mere meters from the heart, moments away from piercing it. This is the spike of the Polyhedron, digging into the Earth, nearly destroying the heart. The Haruspex speaks to the heart, discovering that this may in fact be the Udurgh his father placed on his List. The heart only seems to repeat what he says, echoing his own thoughts endlessly.
The Haruspex then ascends the ladder at the end of the chamber. He reemerges from the Abattoir through the well in Vlad the Younger's Dilapidated Shack. It is 1AM the next day. Oyun waits by the well to greet the Haruspex. Oyun then reveals that it was Isidor Burakh who let the Sand Pest into the Town, that he was the one who deliberately infected himself so that the Town would have to face the disease. He tells the Haruspex that Isidor believed that the Plague would provide the Town with a vaccination. He then tells the Haruspex that he is exhausted and needs to rest. Oyun will return to his place in the Abattoir; a place he insists may one day be the Haruspex's.
Though midnight has passed the Haruspex is still able to view the nightly pantomime at the Theatre. The performance once again features himself, this time alongside the Inquisitor. The Inquisitor confesses that she is afraid of the Commander. The Inquisitor insists that they should escape the Town as it is outside of her capabilities and there is no hope of victory here. The Haruspex is not so pessimistic and instead insists that they will just have to see how things go.
Day 10
| “ | Day Ten, in which the plague finally stops playing to lose. | „ |
With the Living Blood acquired from the Abattoir the day before the Haruspex is able to brew a new batch of his panacea.
As the Haruspex sleeps that night he will dream of the Abattoir. In place of the Worms and Herb Brides will be a collection of Albino's. They struggle to speak as they have no throat with which to make words. The Albino's have no name but the Haruspex may choose to give names to them. They implore the Haruspex to think of the Earth, and to think of their Mother Boddho as his journey becomes close to it's conclusion. They insist upon the unique worthiness of their existence alongside the existence of the Plague and all matter of strange creatures that make up this world. The Albino's tell the Haruspex that the disease is not only a disease, but it is the Earth's pain. If he destroys the Plague he will, in turn, destroy the living heart of the Earth. With this all the miracles in the world will disappear. At the end of the Abattoir - by the great pit - stands Isidor Burakh. The Haruspex is able to speak to his father and, for the first time, have his father answer him back. Isidor tells the Haruspex that it was his goal to introduce the Plague into the Town in order to prove that the Town could survive it. He needed the Town to survive the inevitable in order to provide it with a future, to provide the Town with immunity. He believes that the Town was connected wrong and in order to restore it the Town first had to be redone, like a poorly healed bone re-broken to re-set. To him the past and future were incompatible. Both are the ways of love, but you cannot have both. He hopes that the Haruspex makes the choice he could not. He believes his son cannot make a mistake, and that both choices are the right one - so long as they are freely chosen.
As morning comes the Haruspex is confronted with the Executor who acts as the face of the Plague - Murky's Friend. The Executor tells the Haruspex that they are no longer playing fair. As such, the Plague is infecting all of the children on the List without a fair roll. The Plague challenges the Haruspex to attempt to win, but they have doubts on the Haruspex's ability to do so. The children of the Town have been evacuated by Commander Block and so no new shmowders can be traded for. The only children left in the Town are those on his List.
With the Plague's challenge the Haruspex sets off to cure or treat the children with whatever means he has available. Each of the children speak to him in their ill state, many wishing to become martyrs in place of another, wishing for the Haruspex to treat another before he cures them. Sticky, despite his pain, implores the Haruspex to treat him last as he is the closest to his equipment. Grace recognises the Haruspex beyond her bandages and - if she was moved from the Cemetery - will ask the Haruspex to tell Peter to leave so that she does not infect him. Capella is now just as ill and scared as the rest of her charges. Her children were taken away in an Army train earlier in the day and she is distraught by their loss. Pain has clouded her clairvoyance and she begs the Haruspex to take care of those she cannot. Notkin, ever the leader, asks the Haruspex how the other children are doing before he allows the Haruspex to ask of himself. Khan has little care for himself, only worrying about Capella and the others. He regrets that he and the Haruspex never got to connect. Murky, though thirsty, refuses herself water. She reveals, in what she believes is her last moments, that she never hated the Haruspex, not really. She loved him the first time she saw him. Taya is confused and complains that her fingers hurt. She begs the Haruspex to take the badges off of her face so that she might be able to see. She asks the Haruspex to tell her a story to take her mind off of her pain. She is worried about the Kin she cares for, even now.
The Haruspex is then to report to the Inquisitor, as per her orders. If he takes too long to do so a messenger is sent for him and will drag him to the Cathedral regardless of where he is or what is he doing. The Inquisitor still plans to destroy the Polyhedron and, in doing so, it will allow the Haruspex to collect the blood that bleeds from the wound it leaves behind, providing enough panacea for the Town to survive. She informs the Haruspex that the best way to destroy the Tower is through the Military. If the Commander is given a good reason to fire upon the Polyhedron instead of the Town, he will. The Inquisitor plans to send couriers carrying the orders for the Polyhedron's destruction the following day.
Around midday through Capella the Haruspex is able to sense something amiss at the Shelter. When the Haruspex arrives he finds Lara Ravel absent. One of the remaining people in the Shelter inform the Haruspex that Lara has gone to the Town Hall with plans to shoot and kill Commander Block for his part in the court martial of her father Captain Ravel. The Haruspex hurries to the Town Hall to stop her and fits her by the door, waiting. The Haruspex takes the revolver from her, stopping her from doing anything rash. Lara reveals that even had she wanted to - and she had - she would not have been able to kill Block as Longin's people, the mutineers, have arrested him and he was unable to be found. Lara theorises that Block's arrest was not the result of a true mutiny, but one created in order to cover for the Commanders reputation as his men adore him.
If the Haruspex did not solve the schism in the Kin through violence he is, with his knowledge gained from the Abattoir, able to solve the issue peacefully. The apostates will now to speak to him and accept his leadership. The Odonghe who rebelled are now content with his presence, and accept his answers for the future. They believe him worthy of the place he has tried to take within the Kin. Once solved the Haruspex is then able to convince the Kin to leave the Termitary to go to Shekhen, the old Steppe village. The Kin tell him that in doing so they will now be willing to answer any questions he might have. They tell him to come to Shekhen to speak to them later. The Haruspex does just that and, in asking the Kin, discovers that it was Oyun who killed Isidor Burakh. Though the Kin have gathered around Shekhen Oyun in noticeably absent. He is instead within the Abattoir, which the Haruspex can now enter freely. The Haruspex confronts Oyun about Isidor's death and he confesses that yes, he was the murderer of Isidor Burakh. He did not kill Isidor out of hate, however, but out of love. Isidor was delirious and dying of the Plague, and he made it so that he no longer had to suffer through the illness. Oyun deeply regrets what he had to do and willingly accepts whatever judgement the Haruspex has for him. The Haruspex is able to forgive Oyun, as he believes his father would, and Oyun will continue to live. The Haruspex can condemn him, asking him to prepare to die. If this occurs, Oyun will be killed and the Haruspex will bury him. The Haruspex is also able to tell Oyun to deal with his death himself and if this is said Oyun will die at midnight.
During the evening Capella will allow the Haruspex to hear a note being crumpled by the Inquisitor. She isn't calling, but she requires his presence nevertheless. When the Haruspex arrives in the Cathedral she asks the Haruspex to run away with her. The Haruspex can refuse as he still has the duty to his Town and his List to fulfil. The Haruspex is able to speak to the Inquisitor's reflection to discover that she is being ailed by something she considers a weakness, then leave the Cathedral. If the Haruspex agrees she will ask him to meet her at the Train Station after midnight. Should the Haruspex meet her at the Train Station at 1AM the next morning the pair will leave the Town in a train car. They are stopped not far out of the Town by the Army. In this case the Inquisitor is shot on sight and the Haruspex is directed to return to the Town.
At midnight the Haruspex is called to the Theatre to view the final nightly pantomime. Talon and Beak stand on second floor, overlooking the stage. On the stage stands all major characters - Bound, Healers and Leaders. Talon and Beak discuss the merits of both saving the Town and rejecting the Town. They cannot agree and conclude that they will just have to see what occurs.
Day 11
| “ | Day Eleven, in which the Haruspex looks for the courier. | „ |
It is on Day 11 that the final decision will be made. By now time is moving incredibly quickly. It is moving almost twice as quickly compared to the beginning of the performance.
In the morning the Haruspex makes his way to the Town Hall to see if the Inquisitor's courier reached Commander Block successfully. As he arrives he discovers that while Commander Block has returned to command his men he is no where to be found. An officer informs the Haruspex that the Commander is likely to be in one of the three outposts currently experiencing tensions between Block and Longin's men. Three Inquisitorial couriers were sent to follow Block's traces and it is there that the Haruspex is likely to find either Block or, failing that, the orders to provide the Commander with himself.
The Haruspex sets off to the first outpost located near Lara Ravel's Shelter. He finds bodies littered outside of the building. Inside, he finds much the same but, this time, he finds the last living soul amongst the carnage: the Bachelor. His hands are stained with blood. The Bachelor has killed the Inquisitorial courier following the fight between Block and Longin's men, burning the papers before the Haruspex could collect them. He has fallen in love with the Polyhedron and desperately does not want it to be destroyed. He implores the Haruspex to see it his way, to not destroy the Polyhedron.
The Haruspex then sets off to the second outpost located just below the Bridge Square. There, amongst the bodies following another fight between Block and Longin's men, is the Changeling. Her hands, too, are covered in blood. She has attempted to heal the men injured in the fight but found, much like earlier in the week, that her powers have failed her. She tells the Haruspex that she healed around three hundred people before her powers disappeared - more than the Haruspex could have ever hoped to heal. She regretfully tells the Haruspex that the courier with the orders was thrown into the water and as such the papers have been destroyed by the river. She warns the Haruspex that as he attempts to leave more men will be advancing on this outpost. She is not worried for herself, but urges the Haruspex to be cautious.
After avoiding the advance of soldiers the Haruspex makes his way to the third and final outpost. When he arrives he is stopped by an Officer who informs him that the shooting has moved towards the Crowstone. Nearby the Haruspex finds Rubin, who is planning to leave with the Army. The Haruspex implores Rubin to stay in the Town and work as his assistant, a suggestion Rubin takes some offence too - though he does have second thoughts about leaving.
The Haruspex makes his way to the Crowstone to find that Block is not there either. More soldiers crowd the spot and tell him that the fighting has moved back towards the Town, by the Broken Heart. The Haruspex makes his way towards the establishment and upon stepping inside finds the floor littered with dead soldiers. He makes his way down the stairs to see that the only people living are four bandits, one who is clutching his stomach in pain. The leader of the group asks the Haruspex who he is, to which he replied that he is Artemy Burakh. The bandit tells the Haruspex that they have already met an Artemy Burakh today. He tells the Haruspex that if he fixes their friend they will believe he is the real deal. Without much of a choice the Haruspex looks to the injured man. He has been hit with a ricocheting bullet from the firefight. The Haruspex carefully extracts the bullet from the man's stomach, ensuring that he has a chance of survival.
Following the surgery the Haruspex then moves to the stage in the Broken Heart where a townsman sits. He claims that he is Artemy Burakh, that he is the Haruspex's replacement. If the Haruspex has died before this moment he is familiar with the concept of being replaced by another actor. The man - Isidor Gasar - asks the Haruspex to spare him, for he may be useful to him. The Haruspex can either spare his replacement actor or, choosing to become his role, kill his replacement.
As the courier was not killed on location but is instead injured and wandering around the Town somewhere the Haruspex goes to look for him. The courier, having been injured having known the location of one of the few doctors in the Town, is found dead outside of the Haruspex's Lair. On his body are the Inquisitor's Orders to destroy the Polyhedron.
With the orders in his possession the Haruspex is then able to choose his ending...
Endings
| “ | Day Twelve, in which the lights die out. | „ |
If the Haruspex delivers the orders to Commander Block and destroys the Polyhedron he will end with the Diurnal Ending.
If he burns the papers and preserves the Polyhedron he will end with the Nocturnal Ending.
