Part 27: Main cast in order of appearance

Main cast in order of appearance


Artemiy Burakh – The Haruspex



The hero of our story, he arrived into Town after being summoned by his father Isidore. Since arriving here, he has been relentlessly hounded for his reputation as a murderer and a Ripper. Despite being hounded at almost every turn, our hero continues his fight against the disease, all the while trying to follow his father's legacy and take on his duties as the Servitor of the Order.


Notkin



The leader of a gang of kids that goes by the name of Dualsouls. A rash, straightforward youth who, nonetheless, has a great sense of responsibility, loyalty and honour. Fiercely protective of everyone he considers to be a friend.

Strategic, but quite brash and not necessarily intelligent. Has been quite helpful to Artemiy during the entirety of his stay in the Town, although Haruspex had to save him from quite a lot of tight spot. Is feuding with the Dogheads – another gang of kids ruled by Khan that lives in the Polyhedron – and the thieves. One of Artemiy's Adherents.

Kapella: ” Notkin was Khan's best friend. I don't know, exactly, what was the reason for their feuding – I think, it's because Notkin refused to obey him. However, they also say that Notkin was exiled from the Polyhedron by the Mother Superiour – even before she returned to the orphaned Apiary.”


Griff



The leader of the Town's underworld, known to Artemiy as Griff. A thief, murderer and a smuggler. Peddles in pretty much everything. Left a decidedly bad impression on Artemiy, making him quite glad that he didn't have to deal with this slimy fellow in the recent days.

Vlad Olgimsky Jr.: ”His real name is Grigoriy Filin, and thieves call him Father Grigoriy, even if he is really a whelp. Griff lords over the underworld. He deals in everything – especially things that are forbidden. Father is, unfortunately, forced to endure his reign – Griff is embedded too deeply with the local workforce. If we had the capability to work with the Order as closely as he does, then we wouldn't need such parasites to act as intermediaries for us..."


Laska



The daughter of the now deceased grave keeper who tends after the local graveyard. A morbid girl, who has been, nonetheless, quite helpful to Artemiy. One of Artemiy's Adherents.

Suffers from Tvyrine addiction and claims to hear the voices of the dead.

Kapella: “She talks with the dead. Sometimes, she sits in front of the gravestone and sings a song, very softly. She also brings various things to the gravestones – unusual ones, like a toy chariot, a typewriter or a birthday cake with candles. She loves music, although she doesn't play any instruments. Her singing is breathtaking, but raspy, as if she is suffocating. “

Ospina: ”Laska is strange, even unhinged. One remarkable characteristic of hers is her breathing. Her breathing is deep, loud and very raspy, as if she barely takes in any oxygen or as if she is barely holding herself back from weeping. Her breath is very fresh – aromatic and sweet, even – something that, considering her profession, should be quite creepy. She talks to me as if I am dead.”


Vlad Olgimsky Sr.



Another powerful man, a patriarch of the Olgimsky family. A harsh, ruthless man that is, nonetheless, very intelligent and strategic in his thinking. An industrialist, who holds the monopoly over the Town's chief source of revenue – the export of bull meat to the Capital. Is deeply involved in the Order's affairs and controls the Apiary and Abattoir.

His wife, Victoria Olgimsky Sr. was one of the Town's Mistresses and commanded considerable power over the Town – power that she frequently fought over with Nina, the Mistress of the Kain family.

For his own reasons, Vlad Sr. took a shine to Artemiy's plight in his early days in the Town, protecting him from other families' influence. His enemies, however, view him in a much less positive light.

Alexander Saburov: ”Vlad is both cunning and dour. Doing business with him is quite tough. I find it quite strange that he has managed to embed himself so deeply in the affairs of the Order and lords over them with such ease. Civilized people cannot communicate very well with the Steppe folk – in order to speak their language, one must, himself, turn into a beast from time to time. I believe that there is some sort of a secret arrangement between him and the Order – one bought with a malevolent tribute.


Kapella



An enigmatic girl, who has helped Artemiy in his early days in the Town with her prophetic vision. For now, Artemiy does not know much about her, although it's painfully clear that she will be important to Artemiy's efforts in the coming days.

Her real name is Victoria Olgimsky, just like her mother. She clearly inherited some of her mother's powers, even if she hasn't come into her own quite yet. One of Artemiy's Adherents.


Vlad Olgimsky Jr.



Son of Vlad Sr. and the heir of the Olgimsky family fortune. Not nearly as straightforward as his father and much more cunning. Because of this, there is a certain tension between father and son. Pursues a number of strange intrigues and plans, some of which involve discovering the nature and secrets of the Town and the Order.

Like the rest of the Olgimsky family, has helped Artemiy many times in the early days of his stay in the town. Still, Artemiy does not entirely trust the man, for he clearly has many secrets of various degrees of malevolence.

Lara Ravel: ” Why doesn't anyone notice just how much of a hardworking young man he is? He spends all of his time tirelessly working! He does everything for his family, but his father won't accept it. Indeed, instead of studying the financial intricacies, he is studying the ways of the Order, but now he understands them better than his father ever did. He will be a better ruler, wielding power without whips, violence and riots...”


Matchstick



A little kid, involved in the affairs of the other kid gangs. Has a talent for spying and keeps his ear to the ground. Privy to all the important happenings of the Town.

Present in Isidore's house at the time of his death, he helped Artemiy establish some details about his father's death. Also helped Artemiy prevent the Dualsouls from being involved in a foolhardy gang war with the Thieves. One of Artemiy's adherents.

Griff: ”This one will make a fine thief – an agile kid. Can steal a ring from your finger and you won't even notice. Knows a way into every house. I'm not even talking about the lockpicks he makes – a true virtuoso! If I ever manage to get to him, I'll definitely be making taking him into my gang. He has a bite, though, and keeps away from me... Maybe, I'll pass my business on to him later on – who knows what will happen, though...”


Mishka



A little orphaned girl who lives in a wagon near the station. Spends her days mucking about in the earth and does not sleep at night. Is considered by the townsfolk to be very standoffish and strange.

Would have allowed Artemiy to prove his innocence to the Bachelor if he hadn't come to that conclusion himself. One of Artemiy's adherents.

Matchstick: ” I'm friends with Mishka, even though she's a small fry. You know, she is very self-reliant. What she loves, though, is digging through the earth. She also has a habit of frequently, with a very busy look, going into strange, evil places at the most inopportune of times... I can respect that.”


Eva Yan



The owner of the house, where Daniil Dankovsky is lodging. A strange woman with a questionable taste in clothing. Initially deeply afraid of Artemiy, she has since chosen to ignore him. Not enough is known about her to Artemiy to make a proper summation.


Daniil Dankovsky – The Bachelor



A hero of another story, this man arrived into the Town to further his own research but stayed when it became apparent that his cause was ruined and that the Town was soon to be assailed by an extremely infectious and lethal disease. A man of science, Daniil is frequently confounded by the Town's customs and backwards ways and meets resistance at every turn, despite seemingly commanding great influence with two of the Town's powerful families.

Daniil and our hero Artemiy could very well have become enemies, but, against all odds, they have managed to form a good working relationship, helping each other combat the Town's powers and the disease itself – at least, for now.

While the above is true for the first seven days, on the Eighth day, Daniil sends Artemiy a charged letter, claiming that he chooses to fight for "utopians" - something that, according to Daniil, pits them against each other in some way. The days of friendship and respect seem to be over.


Alexander Saburov



A powerful man, the patriarch of one of the Town's three ruling families. His family has been traditionally responsible for maintaining law and order in times of strife and emergency, allowing the man to be in his own element during this epidemic. Relationship with Artemiy Burakh has been entirely hostile, the man is obsessed with bringing our hero to “justice.” Others, however, are of a differing opinion on him.

Stanislav Rubin: ”Alexander is a heroic man. When the fire broke out in the Curriers, he, with an axe in hand, was breaking into the burning houses, led people out and helped put out the fires. It just sort of happened, really. He wasn't recognized by anyone while doing so, and he didn't brag either. It only became known later on, by accident. He is capable of doing great deeds unnoticeably – there is a special sort of heroism in that.”


Katherine Saburov



Wife of Alexander Saburov. A mistress, blessed with a gift of prophecy. A very dark personage, frequently ailed by one malaise or another, likely due to her powers.

Alexander trusts her powers completely. Because of this, when she prophesied that Artemiy will drown the Town in blood, Alexander made it his personal goal to annihilate Artemiy without any hesitation. Not very well liked by the Order.

Ospina: ”She was a queen, but became a witch. She should've known better than to toy with night spirits. When Nina died, she gladly took on the role of the Dark Mistress – all the burden of taking care of the Town fell on Victoria, after all – Katherine was free to play around... She got carried away, though... They say that she has a morphine addiction and that, at night, she takes visits from men with cold skin...

While Artemiy does not have much goodwill for her, considering the treatment he suffered at Saburovs' hands, she commands a certain kind of respect from other denizens of the town.

Lara Ravel: ” Katherine took on herself the brunt of a very terrible blow and has managed to endure it with honour. Who could survive between Nina's hammer and Victoria's Anvil but her? That is how the Town was being built, after all – Nina was forging, while Victoria was holding her back, all the while Katherine kept the powers in balance.

You know, I am in awe at the way she and Alexander love each other. In the days of the antiquity, they would be a real king and queen – noble, powerful and just. These just aren't her times...”


Ospina



A strange, enigmatic figure who owns a den, where many of the escapees from the Apiary are hiding out. Claims to be an evil spirit born by the Earth, who brings the feeling of sorrow and a time long gone to those around her.

A poisonous being, quite full of anger and spite who has, nonetheless, been helpful to Artemiy. A strict adherent to the ways of the Order.

Matchstick: ”She's quite mysterious, that one! No one knows how she came to the Town. She isn't in any danger, either, because she is immortal, like Simon. They also say that Simon expelled all the evil from his soul, the Steppe gave the bones for her body and that is how she came to be!”


Andrey Stamatin



A talented, if quite short-tempered, architect. Arrived int the Town about five years ago and stayed behind for the sake of his younger brother Petr. Owns the pub on the bank of Vein - one of the tributaries of Gorkhon – where he spends most of his time getting into fights and debauching with drunks and one of the Herb Sisters that he stole from the Order. Treats our hero with a certain amount of respect, although begrudgingly so. Other adherents treat him with begrudging respect as well, though not without acknowledging his chaotic nature.

Vlad Olgimsky Jr.: ” Without Andrey's bravery Petr's imagination would exist only on paper. It is unfortunate that both of them are in a bit of a downswing right now. Petr is drinking himself to death, and Andrey spends his time amid perversion and cruel feasts. Such lulls, however, are normal for the artistic folk - they frequently emerge out of them with new discoveries in their jaws.”


Petr Stamatin



Younger brother of Andrey Stamatin. An architect, a genius and, currently, an alcoholic stuck in the depths of despair. Hasn't had much contact with Artemiy beyond a brief conversation in the bar and, thus, it would be too early to judge the nature of this personage.


Maria Kain



Daughter of Victor and Nina Kain, she is the inheritor of her mother's powers, although she, just like Kapella, hasn't fully taken them on quite yet.

Artemiy had a brief run-in with her at Stamatin's pub and the girl struck him as a very vain and arrogant girl, who deemed herself to be above everyone else. Still, making summations based on such experiences would be a bit rash and there might be more run-ins with her in the future.

A further run-in confirmed that evaluation to a T, although it also revealed the fact that Maria has been communicating with her deceased mother by the means of her old diary. However vain the girl might be, she is clearly gifted with mystical powers of the Mistresses. She also struck Artemiy as having a very dominant, ruler-like personality. Quite the typical aristocrat with a pinch of mysticism, that one.


Lara Ravel



A noble personage, well regarded by most of the Town's denizens. Artemiy had a minor run-in with her when he was searching for Stanislav Rubin's location.

Kapella: “There is no one here kinder than her. Lara has taught me that granting gifts is an exquisite art in on itself. She puts all others before herself, at all times. She lives her life for those, whom she cares about. I loved her father very much. Two years ago, he volunteered to fight in the war and joined the 4th Army. Yes - that 4th Army.”

Stanislav Rubin: “Since the Battle of the Karst Fords where Captain Ravel was shot, she became an orphan and turned her father's house into an orphanage. By the way - that house was built for Ravels by Vlad Olgimsky Sr., in exchange for a small bauble. She is sensitive, but reasonable – a combination that is very rare around these parts.”


Stanislav Rubin



Artemiy Burakh's childhood friend and Isidore Burakh's best pupil. A very knowledgeable, loyal man who was distraught by Isidore's untimely death. Turned his anger towards Artemiy and, for three days, hounded him before coming to his senses.

Like Artemiy and Daniil, is in search of a cure. Created a temporary vaccine that protects the imbiber from the disease by using the blood of Simon Kain. Current whereabouts are unknown.

Vlad Olgimsky Jr.: ”He is Old Burakh's best pupil. Stubborn. Willful. Temperamental. Will do only that, which he considers to be right, like a stubborn mule. You can't convince him of anything. Ignores all forms of authority, except for that of his precious teacher.”


Anna Angel



A singer of some sort who arrived into the town a couple of years ago under mysterious circumstances. Artemiy Burakh hadn't had a lot of run-ins with this particular personage yet, but the one the one he had has left him with a very bad impression of her. Still, our hero doesn't know much about this person quite yet, and it may be too early to make any permanent judgments.


Rat Prophet



A strange creature, encountered by Artemiy underneath the town's Theater. Claims to have prophetic powers and gave Artemiy a prophecy, similar to that which was given about him by Katherine, although Vlad Jr. suggested that it may be some form of mystical experience, shared by everybody who enters the tunnels underneath the Theater. Currently, its nature is unknown.

Klara - The Impostress



A hero of another story. Said by others to have mythical healing powers, this girl is also said to have crawled out of the Earth on the day of Artemiy's arrival. According to Rat Prophet, she is a true embodiment of Sand Fever given flesh, although she is ignorant of that particular fact. There also seem to be two of her - Artemiy encountered her in two different places and, each time, she was ignorant of the conversation they had at the other place.

Since the Rat Prophet told Artemiy that she would lose her healing powers if her true nature is revealed to her, Artemiy chose to keep the lie going and told her that she is a force of good. Whether or not there are going to be any consequences of this lie is not known.

Taya Tychik



A four-year old girl - or, perhaps, five-year old - who is deemed as the Mother Superior of the Order due to the fact that she is the daughter of the late Commandant of the Apiary. Nowadays lives in the Apiary where the Order venerates and serves her. A fair representation of the inner nature of the Order - a bit eccentric, childish at times but also wise and knowledgeable in the ways of the Steppe and Earth folklore, even if she is still learning.

Kapella: You know, she is still so very tiny... In the Polyhedron she organized a similar game and played the same role of a sacred child, before whom everyone trembles and after whom everybody cares not necessarily out of obligation, but also out of joy that comes with caring after such a beautiful creature...

Viktor Kain



Husband of the late Nina Kain, the Dark Mistress. Father of Maria Kain and Caspar Kain. A surprisingly calm, clear-headed and orthodox man - at least, for a Kain. Just like all Kains, is antagonistic towards the Inquisitor due to the feud that she and his wife had. Victor is rather bad at weaving intrigues and fabricating plots as the two times he has tried to pull these off on Artemiy were rather transparent and ill-conceived.

Aglaya Lilich



The Inquisitor, sent to this Town by the Authorities to solve the problem posed by the Sand Fever. Younger sister of Nina Kain, the last Dark Mistress of the Town. A calm, intelligent, perceptive individual who has won over Artemiy with her seeming honesty and straightforwardness. Extremely knowledgeable in all the information pertaining to the Town and beyond. Currently, she is Artemiy's greatest ally.

Aglaya was sent into this Town with the expectation that she will fail at her task - a failure that will lead to her certain death. The assignment was, essentially, a death sentence for her and only a miracle can save her.

Oyun



Elder of the Abattoir, he is, for all intents and purposes, the current High Shaman of the Order. Where Taya is the Monarch of the Order, Oyun is the Chief Priest - his domain lies in preserving and enacting the sacred rites and rituals of the Order.

By all accounts, Oyun is an extremely disagreeable fellow. Artemiy's father, Isidore, did not think much about him and was planning to usurp his rule shortly before dying. The Order believes that Oyun has somehow botched the latest sacrifice that would have led to the end of the Sand Fever.

The Elder is quite antagonistic towards Artemiy and will likely persist in being so, for he senses a threat to his rule in Artemiy.

Georgiy Kain



The current eldest member of the Kain family, Georgiy is the de-facto patriarch of the Kains. An extravagant man with an interest in all things mystical, Georgiy is thought by some to be a worthy successor to Simon, while others consider him to be a pale shadow of his brother's glory. Like two members of Kain family before, Georgiy attempts to use Artemiy as a tool in one of Kains' plot to increase the family's influence in the Town.

Katherine Saburov implies that, recently, Georgiy has been acting more and more like Simon . Since this is the Kain family we are talking about here, one should not discount possession of the living by the dead. For now, however, this has been only hinted at by a very unstable woman, so take that with a grain of salt.


Other characters


Simon Kain

A reportedly immortal man and the patriarch of Kain family. Daniil Dankovsky arrived into the Town in order to try and glean the nature of this man's immortality. Upon arrival, however, the Bachelor found the man to be dead, apparently killed by an infectious disease.


Isidore Burakh

A menkhu and an oinon, widely respected both by the Town and the Order. Made great advances in combating the Sand Fever, even managing to contain an outbreak of it five years before the game's events. He is a powerful influence on Artemiy, with his notes and inheritance guiding our hero's actions throughout the game.


Nina Kain

The Dark Mistress of the Town, dead several years before the game's events. Was known to be powerful and terrible, although loved by the Town's denizens. Maiden name - Lilich. Elder sister of Aglaya Lilich, the Inquisitor sent into the Town by the Authorities.


Victoria Olgimsky Sr.

The White Mistress of the Town, dead several years before the game's events. Was powerful in her own right and was a soothing influence that held back the excesses of Nina Kain's power. Treated the Town and its people with care and love.


Toady

A kid, who betrayed both Dualsouls and thieves in favour of Dogheads. Was spared by Artemiy during the first day.


Hunchback

A strange man, who trades in blood and organs out of Stone Yard.


Stump

A kid who works for Matchstick. Worked with Artemiy to prevent Dualsouls from getting involved in a feud with the Thieves.


Vera

A Herb Bride, who dances in Andrey Stamatin's pub and who provides Artemiy Burakh with a lot of useful information on Herb Sisters' biology.


Executors



Working hands of the Authorities, enforcing the rules of the Town on its denizens.


Tragedians



Mailmen and bards, these gentlemen take it upon themselves to inform people of important happenings and interpret them at night in the Theater.


Odonkhe

The herders of the Order, they take care of the sacred cattle.


Butchers

They work in the Abattoir, slaughtering the cattle in accordance to the rites of the Order.


Herb Brides

Given their power by Bodkho, they summon the Tvyr from the Earth with their warmth and dancing.