Bad Grief

Pathologic 2=

Grigory Filin (Григорий Филин), better known as Bad Grief (Гриф), is the head of the criminal world and a smuggler. Officially, he's considered a "shopkeeper". He sells weapons and illegally made twyrine in the Warehouses.

Description
"Grief dreams of not being ordered about by anyone (neither people nor, say, the steppe monsters, of which he has a slight superstitious fear). He prefers humiliating an enemy to really, reliably finishing them off (this isn’t humanism, just another side to his love of beauty). He’s a little playful in everything he does, but his is not an intellectual playfulness—more of the contrary, the natural antics of someone who is, in a certain sense, naïve. He’s an “anti-Immortell” who runs an “anti-Theatre” at the Warehouses, his outlaw domain. A general air of mockery. He knows something highly compromising about you; he knows the nets you’ve let yourself get caught in—and he relishes knowing it before you do. He may sneer and grimace, cocking his head to one side and then the other, as if appraising you like merchandise."

- From the game's design documents

Bad Grief is a poetic man who speaks in theatrics and metaphors. He is rarely serious and makes his job appear easy. Truthfully Bad Grief holds a tight grip over his reputation among his men - one that he occasionally finds slipping.

Background
During his childhood Bad Grief was friends with Lara Ravel (nicknamed Gravel), Artemy Burakh (the Haruspex), and Stanislav Rubin (more often called Stakh). Artemy claims that they used to disappear for weeks, enjoying their freedom in a way that children of the Town normally cannot, according to Khan. Grief eventually became the leader of The Town's underground criminal element. He rules over the Warehouses, existing beyond Big Vlad's otherwise watchful eye. It is due to his chosen lifestyle that his relationship with Stakh Rubin and Lara Ravel became strained.

Haruspex Route
"My path was not called 'The Spider'. No, think wider. It was 'The Silkworm'! The end of a railroad, I pulled strings firm; unaware someone more cunning pulled mine upstairs."

The Marble Nest
"Bad Grief, a local thief, used to hide here. But one can't steal themselves from Death."

Bad Grief died prior to the events of The Marble Nest.

Spoken Dialogue

 * → See Bad Grief/Spoken Dialogue

Description
Bad Grief is notorious in town. However, he is not without principles. In particular, he and his associates never attack people with knives and razors, and never to kill. As it turns out during the course of the game, it is revealed that it is Barley the Barber who is responsible for the night robbery. Barley broke away from Bad Grief's gang and in so doing, became his enemy. Grief seems to honor local traditions, only allowing flesh to be cut by those with special status, namely menkhu and butchers.

Character Concept
"In the novel this character doesn’t appear as significant as he truly is. He resembles Clopin Trouillefou: he is either the king of the underworld or the chief of a jesters feast. He sneers, grimaces, theatricalizes, speaks in riddles. Like Ivan the Terrible, he likes to poor-mouth and make a sight of himself, often acts as a wretched stupid and weak person while enjoying the fact that he is in the position to afford to pull this off. He always plays to the gallery.

''Bad Grief is in the control of the Town’s underworld. In the underground catacombs beneath the warehouses he has the say-so, and while in town his power is hardly present, it slithers like invisible tentacles and seizes those who get into its way."

- From original Pathologic character concepts ''

Portrait Quotes
"What is he? A store keeper that neither keeps nor stores. He's got a whole community of birds of his feather there. Somehow they manage the warehouse business past Big Vlad's pocket. They accept twyre-gatherers and throat-cutters as their brethren; uncharacteristically of the locals, sometimes they put their knives to use. But really, their twyrine is something else..."

- Peter Stamatin's take on him "His real name is Grigory Filin. The thieves call him Big Bad Grief, even though he's merely a nuisance. Grief is the kingpin of the shady world. Name any prohibited item—and rest assured they're selling it. Father has no choice but to tolerate him; somehow these loafers managed to get a firm grip over the workmen community. If only we had direct communication options with them, there would be no need for those parasite middlemen... or should I say meddlemen?"

- Vlad the Younger's take on him

Spoken Dialogue

 * → See Bad Grief/Spoken Dialogue