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Pathologic is a game with alot of strange game-specific terms. Many of these terms are described in greater detail over on the Official Pathologic Wiki, but this page aims to keep things as simple and spoiler-free as possible while also being understandable.

For definitions of Steppe terms and phrases, check out this community-maintained dictionary!

Abattoir: An ancient Khatanghe temple used to sacrifice bulls. Steppe rituals still occur here, but it also serves as the slaughterhouse of the Bull Enterprise.

Bound: A group of special, standout members of the Town who have the power to transform the Town into something new. Each group of Bound follows a different ideology and is assigned to each protagonist to watch over.

Butcher: A member of the Kin who is allowed to cut open bodies, specifically of bulls. They are also allowed to dig holes, something normally forbidden in Steppe tradition. They exist as a separate caste in Pathologic (2005) and Pathologic Classic HD. In Pathologic 2, this is seemingly another term for a menkhu.

Capital: A town possibly serving as the largest city within the country, far away from the Town-on-Gorkhon. Many settlers in the Town come from there, yet not much information is given on it in-game.

Executor: An actor from the Theatre who wears a cloak and a bird mask. They play many different roles within the story, but most are volunteer medical workers sent out to perform specific duties within the Town.

Focus: An object that serves as a vessel for a human soul. Only the creator of a Focus is able to access it.

Gorkhon: The name of the river that passes through the Town.

Herb Bride: A female member of the Kin who performs sacred dances to draw herbs out of the Earth. They are only allowed to partner with odonghs and are traded amongst them.

Inquisition: A group of specialized Inquisitors overseen by the Powers that Be who are sent on missions to various sections of the country experiencing unique troubles.

Inquisitor: A member of the Inquisition. They are selected for their gifts in solving seemingly unsolvable problems and use strange and unusual methods to do so. One of their main methods of gathering information are through interrogations and they have the power to execute people at will.

Khatanghe: The indigenous people of the Steppe. Also known as the Kin.

Kin: The indigenous people of the Steppe. Also known as the Khatanghe.

Menkhu: A member of the Kin who is allowed to cut open bodies, specifically of bulls and humans. This right is usually passed down through family inheritance.

Mistress: A woman from the Town who possesses powers of clairvoyance and the inability to tell a lie. They are most often part of one of the town's ruling families, but this is not always the case.

Odongh(e): A Steppe term for a shepherd who herds cattle. Commonly used to refer to the Worms, but can also apply to others who are shepherds.

Olonngo: A Steppe term for the Abattoir meaning "Ford".

Panacea: A cure for the Sand Pest made out of herbs and living blood.

Polyhedron: A physics-defying structure designed and constructed by the Stamatins. It is made of its own blueprints and houses a lot of the children within the town.

Powers that Be: A mysterious force or group that hold some sort of influence over the events in the story. They oversee the Inquisition and occasionally send in-game letters to the playable characters.

Reflection: A Tragedian who serves as a "reflections" of a person's soul. They hold a person's deepest secrets and guilts.

Sand Dirt/Fever/Pest/Plague: A disease of unknown origin that has appeared twice within Town-on-Gorkhon. The nature of the disease and its cure are under debate.

Shmowder: A mixture of different crushed up pills that can cure the Sand Plague at the cost of most of one's health. It was created by the children while they were playing a game.

Shabnak-adyr/shabnak-adyg: A creature of Steppe legend which takes the form of a woman made of clay. Legends vary around what it actually is or what it does, but supposedly it devours people and can kill someone just by looking at them.

Steppe: A large, flat grassland. It sometimes refers to the area the Town is located on, and other times refers to the vast area outside of the Town where other members of the Kin may live. When used as an adjective, it refers to the Khatange.

Termitary: Two large, concrete buildings built close to the Abattoir that house factory workers from the Kin.

Town-on-Gorkhon: A term frequently used by fans to refer to the Town the games are set in.

Tragedian: An actor from the Theatre who wears a skintight black bodysuit and a white mask. They generally fill in "extra," less important roles and serve as Reflections in Pathologic 2.

Twyre: An herb indigenous to the Steppe. It is an herb important to the Kin and for brewing tinctures. It blooms in September and releases a dizzying aroma that can cause headaches and nausea, among other things.

Twyrine: A beverage made out of twyre that has alcoholic/psychedelic properties. Originally brewed by the Kin, but other people in town have tried making their own recipes.