Herbs

This entry includes information regarding both Pathologic (2005) and Pathologic 2 (2019).

• Pathologic 2
• Pathologic

Herbs are an item category found in Pathologic 2. They play a vital part in both the mechanics of the game and the Menkhu_Knowledge of the Kin.

The most common herbs are called twyre, and bloom most fiercely in September as the Steppe cools. The bloom of twyre causes a period where the air surrounding the Steppe grows heady with pollen causing dizziness, fatigue and headaches. This period is referred to by collectors of twyre as "the golden time of harvest".

Twyre is also called "oxitocia tvirinum", the first word of which is the Greek-derived medical term 'oxytocia' (rapid childbirth) which is related to the hormone oxytocin. The name of the herb may be taken from the Russian word tvorit', which means 'to create', and the related Ukrainian word tvaryna, which means 'animal' or 'livestock'.

Gameplay

“

Not dead, but back to Earth that cast her clay. That's what we are, we Kin. Our Mother Boddho, our Earth, will grant us one more birth. As twyre, as swevery, white whip, bodies or odonghe…

„

In order to make Tinctures, the Haruspex must combine 2 herbs with 1 Water Bottle within the Alembic in his Lair. Tinctures may then be used for prophylaxis and diagnosing sick patients, or brewed with organs to create home-brewed antibiotics or painkillers.

Herbs can be found throughout town, on the steppe, and acquired via trades made with Worms. They can be sold to most stores, however they are worth very little to all except for the Broken Heart Pub. Additionally, the pub's bartender offers a daily special, for which he will pay an extra high rate for a specific herb each day.

Herbs can also be collected by pouring blood over root systems that appear around the town. These roots can be located via the loud grumbling noise they emit from the ground, during which time the player must stand still for the roots to emerge. Once the roots have surfaced, if the Haruspex pours a vial of healthy or infected blood onto the roots, they will produce 3 random herbs in exchange. The type of blood poured does not appear to affect the quality of the resulting herbs.

When hunting for herbs, the player can rely on sight and sound to find them. The three common herbs (Black, Blood, & Brown Twyre.) all emit an identical buzzing sound, presumably made by pollinators that frequent those plants. The three rare herbs (Ashen Swish, Swevery, & White Whip.) each have their own distinct sounds, which can be interpreted to resemble sounds made by cicada bugs, the rustling of dried grasses, or the shaker instrument that was used when making the sound files. Some players find it challenging to locate the plants via sound alone, however wearing a headset with stereo sound can make this process much smoother. At night, the plants' insects still make their respective sounds, but also light up in the dark, making it much easier to find herbs during nighttime.

On Day 2, Murky tells the Haruspex that there's a way to talk to the dead -- Isidor Burakh, specifically -- with the help of herbs, and requests that he help her collect herbs out on the steppe. While this does not result in Artemy actually talking to his father, it does serve as an implicit tutorial for how and where to find the more common herbs in the game.

Upon the game's start, herbs will not have spawned into the town, and will first appear at 07:30 on Day 2. From there on, all herbs will respawn each day at 07:30, however the three herb plots at Shekhen also respawn at midnight in addition to 07:30 each day. If a player wishes to harvest a certain collection of herbs directly before and after their spawn time, this is possible, however they must physically remove themselves from the herbs' area between harvests for them to spawn in. Herbs will not appear if the player is nearby, however there appears to be a ~30 in-game minute "buffer" of sorts, wherein herbs may trickle in if player proximity is initially too close.

Listed below are the different herbs that can be harvested in-game:

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  Ashen Swish. A rare, prickly herb, growing wherever blood has been spilled.

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  Black Twyre. Twyre, the herb with many faces. Used to make tinctures.

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  Blood Twyre. Twyre, the herb with many faces. Used to make tinctures.

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  Brown Twyre. Twyre, the herb with many faces. Used to make tinctures.

• 

  Swevery. A weed. Who knew tinctures can be made from these, too?

• 

  White Whip. A rare, bitter herb, growing wherever there is fear and anguish.

Gallery

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  Ashen Swish, found near the Cemetery

• 

  Black Twyre, found near Ragi Barrow

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  Blood Twyre, found near Ragi Barrow

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  Brown Twyre, found near Ragi Barrow

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  Swevery, found near the Cemetery

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  White Whip, found at the base of the Polyhedron

• Sound file for basic twyre herbs

• Sound file for Ashen Swish

• Sound file for Swevery

• Sound file for White Whip

Maps

• 

  Herb spawn locations. Green for black/blood/brown twyre, red for ashen swish, orange for swevery, white for white whip.

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  Map of root herb spawn points in Pathologic 2. Click to see full image.

Notes

• Several properties of the herbs are revealed in the Haruspex's conversation with the Tumbler Human:
  • The herbs have astringent properties which improve immunity.
  • Steppe herbs are too delicate for alcohol to be used in making tinctures, so clear water is used instead.
  • The immune boost effect comes from the soil rather from the herbs themselves.
• The steppe name for Ashen Swish is Bardo Suok, "the darkness of the depths".
• The Haruspex can tell the Broken Heart barkeep that Blood Twyre makes bad twyrine.

References

Collected herbs play a vital part in both the mechanics of the game and the culture of the Steppe. The most important is twyre — the "oxitocia tvirinum" herb.

Herbs

“	Twyre is the pain of the Steppe (‘huung twyrat ag agyl')	„
	— The Kin

Every root of twyre is different, and some may only be picked on certain days, months, or years. It is said that stalks of the herbs have name—these named ones are the most valuable. The people of the steppe believe that twyre feeds off the deeply-buried blood of the Earth and is proof of that area's pain. Some say it even brings the souls of the dead up from the Earth.

The following are types of herbs harvested in-game. While there are other species of twyre and grass mentioned, they cannot be collected by the player.

• 

  Black Twyre. A rare herb with unique properties. It is popularly called "woegrass".

• 

  Bloody Twyre. One of the more popular types of twyre. An essential component of the famous twyre infusions, which vary based on the age and amount of the herb.

• 

  Brown Twyre. One of the most fearsome types of twyre. The Steppe people believe that this herb is sentient and hostile to humans. The elders call it "the herb of Worms".

• 

  Swevery. A rare herb. The people of the Steppe don't worship it as much as twyre, but they use it in their potions, because it greatly amplifies the medicinal qualities of twyre.

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  White Whip. A rare valuable herb. The people of the Steppe don't worship it as much as twyre, but they use it in their potions, because it diminishes the danger of plucked twyre.

Location

While exploring as either the Haruspex or the Changeling, players have the ability to harvest herbs each day. Additionally, the Haruspex has the ability trade with Worms, exchanging blood, body parts, or food for plants. He can also use the herbs to create various tinctures.

Herbs can also be exchanged with Andrey Stamatin at his pub for weapons, bullets, or twyrine extracts.

• 

  Herb spawn locations
  (Lighter marks indicate Worms traders)

Herbal Recipes

Haruspex will receive several herbal recipes over the course of his story, which can be used to brew various medicines from harvested herbs.

The numbers in the recipes below represent the ratio of immunity boost to health damage upon ingesting the resulting Twyrine Extract.

Name	Ingredients	Effects	How to obtain
Herbal Recipe #1	Black Twyre: 1, Brown Twyre: 1, Swevery: 2.	100% Immunity, -9% Health.	Obtained from Taya Tycheek on Day 6, after bringing her 50 Alpha-Tablets.
Herbal Recipe #2	Black Twyre: 2, Brown Twyre: 1, Swevery: 1.	64% Immunity, -3% Health.	Obtained on Day 5 from Vlad Jr. for completing his "The Well" quest.
Herbal Recipe #3	Brown Twyre: 1, Bloody Twyre: 1, Swevery: 2.	56% Immunity, -9% Health.	Obtained along with Herbal Recipe #2 on Day 5 from Vlad Jr. for completing his "The Well" quest.
Herbal Recipe #4	Black Twyre: 2, Brown Twyre: 1, White Whip: 1.	32% Immunity, -1.5% Health.	Obtained on Day 5 from killing a Herb Bride by the request of butchers. It can be taken from her body.
Herbal Recipe #5	Brown Twyre: 1, Swevery: 2, White Whip: 1.	80% Immunity, -7.5% Health.	Obtained on Day 2 from Maria Kaina if you convince the Stamatin twins to stay in town.
Herbal Recipe #6	Black Twyre: 2, Brown Twyre: 1.	32% Immunity, -3% Health.	Obtained on Day 2 as part of Haruspex's inheritance.
Herbal Recipe #7	Black Twyre: 1, Brown Twyre: 2, Swevery: 1.	92% Immunity, -24% Health.	Obtained on Day 6 from Changeling, for completing her quest “The Changeling Seeks an Answer.”
Herbal Recipe #8	Black Twyre: 1, Brown Twyre: 1, Swevery: 1.	52% Immunity, -9% Health.	Obtained on Day 2 as part of Haruspex's inheritance.
Herbal Recipe #9	Brown Twyre: 2, Swevery: 1, White Whip: 1.	80% Immunity, -15% Health.	Obtained from the father Worm on Day 2, if you implore the Herb Bride to return to him.
Herbal Recipe #10	Black Twyre: 3, Brown Twyre: 1.	38% Immunity, -3% Health.	Obtained on Day 5, from the body outside the cell Haruspex wakes up in.

Gallery

• 

  Black Twyre, found in the Cemetery

• 

  Bloody Twyre, found near the Cemetery

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  Brown Twyre, found near the Cemetery

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  Swevery, found in the Bone Stake Lot

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  White Whip, found near the Train Station

References