Haruspex

Pathologic 2=

Artemy Burakh (Артемий Бурах)—also known as the Haruspex—is one of three playable characters, alongside the Bachelor and the Changeling.

Background
"The Haruspex is blood and organs... ...The Haruspex’s overarching idea is the interconnectedness of everything and restoring the connections... ...The Haruspex hears (rhythms)... ...The Haruspex: water + forward vector."

- [from the game’s design documents]

"The Haruspex, a butcher, a killer, one could even say a murderous psychopath, gets the warmest character arc. It’s about love."

- [from the game’s design documents]

Artemy is the son of Isidor Burakh, the Town's only physician and a menkhu - the spiritual leader of the Kin. His unnamed mother was not from the Kin and died while giving birth to him.

During his childhood Artemy was friends with Grigory Filin (better known as Bad Grief), Lara Ravel (nicknamed Gravel) 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. Artemy studied the steppe lore and medicine under Isidor's guidance, learning the fundamentals of surgery and herbalism, all closely tied to the Kin's perception of the world through the concept of the Lines - connections between things both of physical and spiritual nature.

At one point, however, Isidor had come to a conclusion that it would do his son well to seek knowledge outside of the limits of the Kin and the Town, and sent him away to study medicine elsewhere. Artemy left his home town for several years, and in that time he grew distant from his roots as a man of the Kin and started to see their ways as backwards. He had been studying surgery for at least some time until the war broke out, taking away his chance to graduate.

At some point he receives a letter from his father, where Isidor expresses great concern and warns his son of some great trial that awaits him, and urges Artemy to return to the Town. He hitches a train ride as a stowaway and, in the middle of September, returns home to find it changed beyond recognition. Through the story, he is tasked with discovering a solution for the plague outbreak.

Spoken Dialogue

 * → See Haruspex/Spoken Dialogue

Description
"How do they call upon the menkhu, the faithful of a Warden kin? Known by their hands, for they are butchers; known by their eyes, for they are surgeons; they who follow the lines; they who are the leaders of the Kin; they who speak to udurghs; they who know the secret art of haruspicy. What is a haruspex? Reading the future in the entrails, he knows that a body bears semblance to the Universe. His scalpel follows the lines of the body; his steps follow the lines of his kin's fortune. A haruspex that can tell a true line from a false one is entrusted with power. A haruspex who is confused by his path gets buried into the deep black flesh of the Earth. This is the story of a person who has avoided the contradiction eager to rip a doomed life apart, masterfully fulfilling his true purpose in the process."

Artemy is a severe, restrained man with a sharp gaze. He tells rough, even cruel jokes and is generally sarcastic. Those that fear him think he smells of blood. However, for all that, Artemy is straightforward, honest, and comes to the rescue in times of need. He uses violence only when it comes to matters of duty and honour—and the smell of blood is relative. In fact, one of the herb brides says Artemy smells "like autumn earth, and the smoke of burnt leaves."

Big Vlad describes Artemy as follows: "He stands out from the crowd, my friend... You will know him at once. He is quiet—unlike the others... and has a Steppe phenotype. There's a deep wrinkle on his forehead. He'll wear protective garments... I bet they'll be stained... with blood."

Background
"Artemy Burakh is coming back to his home town after an absence of ten years. Born to a family endowed with a caste right to cut living beings open, he was preparing himself for this line of work since childhood. Artemy's father, Isidor Burakh, a wise man and philosopher well-respected by the locals, had admitted to the limits of traditional knowledge and sent his son off to study modern medicine in the academy. Artemy has been travelling from town to town learning theoretical and practical surgery for several years now. Suddenly a mysterious letter appears with his father giving him notice of his impending demise and begging Artemy to return and accept succession. Unwilling to wait for a regular freight train, Artemy follows the rails through the Steppe until he's caught up with by a small shunt locomotive. This is how young Haruspex arrives in the Town."

- "Sacrifice" Route Introduction

Artemy Burakh; a haruspex, an oynon, and the only heir to the greatest local shaman: Isidor Burakh. He is a member of a menkhu family, which according to local custom gives him the ancestral right to dissect bodies.

He left the Town-on-Gorkhon at the age of 16 to study surgery at the Capital. He's been defined as a "vagrant scholar"—indeed, Artemy has lived in more than a few places while learning medicine, prior to his return home at his father's request. Not much else is known about Burakh's background, and it is probably safe to assume that Artemy does not remember much of it himself.

Goals
Artemy's main objective is to fulfill the obligations of his father. His route is called The Path of Sacrifice.

Because he is an oynon, or sage, he cannot afford to allow the dead of his family to have outstanding commitments. If they do, he shall be divested of the right to his title. The Haruspex relies upon the traditions and wisdom of his ancestors; he is a menkhu first of all, no matter how long he lived in the Capital.

He strives each day to create a Panacea, in the hopes of being able to cure the Sand Plague, and believes that the future of the town rests on the survival of those that are Bound to him. Whether or not this is the case is dependent on one's disposition.

Abilities
Unlike the other two playable characters, the Haruspex begins with no starting or special weapons, and only can use what is obtained during the game. Artemy is the only playable character who can take organs from dead bodies, as in local tradition only "Those Who Know the Lines" (menkhu and butchers) may dissect bodies. He can trade said organs with the hunchback for medical supplies. He can gather herbs as well, and unlike the other playable characters, may trade them with Worms. Both organs and herbs may be also be useful for making healing tinctures in the distiller inherited from his father.

The Haruspex can also gamble on rat racing or fight in the Circle of Suok for rewards.

Bound (Termites)

 * Sticky
 * Murky
 * Notkin
 * Khan
 * Mother Superior
 * Grace
 * Capella

Spoken Dialogue

 * → See Haruspex/Spoken Dialogue