Characters

There are several distinct groups and factions in Pathologic. This page will list the most prominent.

Healers
The Healers are the three playable characters. They each have their own unique game-play abilities and solutions to the epidemic.

The Bound

 * See Bound.

There are three distinct groups of Bound, or Adherents in the game, each linked to a playable character. The Utopians are linked to the Bachelor. The Termites are linked to the Haruspex. The Humbles are linked to the Changeling.

Townsfolk/Civillians

 * See Townsfolk.



These are NPCs who live in the town, with whom the player character can speak and trade items.

"We have to portray the townsfolk as a Greek chorus: that is to say, depersonalized in the utmost, a many-headed hivemind. Not a collection of individuals but a mass, devoid of color and personality. Soulless."

- [from the game's design documents]

Steppe Folk
These are the people of the Steppe.



The Kin

 * See Steppe Culture.


 * The Kin is an organization of Steppe natives and a cult that worships Bos Turokh. They believe bulls to be sacred. Once, they were a nomadic people that lived on the Steppe, but now most live in the Termitary and work for Big Vlad as part of the Bull Enterprise.
 * They are the working class of the town, each caste performing their traditionally-given roles. Their labor supports the town economically.

Menkhu

 * See Menkhu.


 * The menkhu—"Those Who Know The Lines"—are a special caste who are allowed to open bodies. While menkhu are notable in-game for their ability to dissect human bodies, their main purpose seems to be the dissection of bulls.
 * The right to open bodies is passed down through family inheritance. Isidor Burakh is an esteemed menkhu, and he passes this knowledge to his son, Artemy.



Worms

 * See Worms.


 * Humanoid creatures—"the Worms inside Boddho's body"—who work for the Kin. They are responsible for many tasks, such as the harvesting of herbs, creating medicines, and trading. Many worms live in yurts near the border of the Steppe.
 * A worm that has the duty of herding cattle between the Steppe and the Abattoir is known as an odongh, translated in-game as "he who holds Him by the horns". The word odongh does not have a clear real-world origin, but may come from the name of a cryptid called the Mongolian Death Worm: olgoy-korkoy (олгой коркой), or 'intestine worm'.



Herb Brides

 * See Herb Brides.


 * While implied to be the females of the Worm "species", they nonetheless appear fully human. They commune with the earth and dance to bring herbs to the surface.
 * Traditionally, herb brides are only allowed to couple with odonghe, and can be bought and traded between them.



Butchers

 * See Butchers.


 * Workers of the Abattoir who are tasked with the the slaughter of bulls and the processing of their meat. Like the worms, their level of humanity is uncertain.
 * While they are traditionally able to dissect bulls, they are still prevented from the dissection of human bodies.
 * Traditionally, they are also the only ones permitted to dig in the earth (although Grace is allowed within the bounds of her duty as cemetery caretaker).

Adversaries

 * See Opponents.

The Pathologic world is home to a number of hostile enemies. No matter what you do in Pathologic somebody will always want you dead.

Standard
These enemies are general Townsfolk. They will cause health damage with their attacks.
 * Bandits
 * Looters
 * Arsonists
 * Guards

Special

 * See Plague.

These enemies are related to the Sand Plague. They will cause immunity/infection damage with their attacks.
 * Infected
 * Plague Clouds
 * Plague Angels

Gangs
There are several notable gangs in the Town. The adults of the Town fall into the Gang of Bad Grief, head of criminal activities in the town. They are responsible for trading of contraband items.

Children belong to either the Dogheads or the Soul-and-a-Halves.

The Army

 * See Army.

The Army is a sanitary force sent to the Town-on-Gorkhon by The Powers That Be to combat the Sand Plague and its sources of infection. The force dispatched to the Town is led by Commander Block. The force sent to the Town consists of several platoons and artillery capable of eradicating all traces of the Town—and the Plague—if needed. Shortly after arriving in town, the Army establishes its headquarters in the Town Hall.

The Inquisition

 * See Inquisition.



Inquisitors are people of a restricted group of specialists for whom The Powers That Be would assign tasks of extraordinary nature. The Inquisition arrives in The Town after it becomes clear that the Healers cannot solve the epidemic on their own. The Inquisitor that heads the operation is Aglaya Lilich.