Soul-and-a-Half Fortress

The **Soul-and-a-Half Fortress** *(Замок Двоедушников)* is home for the Soul-and-a-Halves, a gang of kids with Notkin in charge of them as their chief. It is located in the Knots Quarter in the Warehouses.

## Description

The Soul-and-a-Half Fortress was established by Notkin after his exile from the Polyhedron. The place used to be an abandoned warehouse where Artemy, Stakh, Grief, and Lara used to play when they were kids. Notkin chose to dig a lair by the Warehouses, which later became the headquarters of the Soul-and-a-Halves, a gang of children who are defined by sharing special bonds with their pets. Located in the Warehouses, the kids often clash with Bad Grief's bandits and Barley the Barber.

In both *Pathologic* and *Pathologic 2*, the Haruspex can visit the Soul-and-a-Half Fortress to buy a map of infected areas. In *Pathologic 2*, the Haruspex can also trade with Dandy and Catnip for additional food, medicine, and other items.

## Plot

### Pathologic

#### Bachelor Route

On **Day 12**, as Notkin is one of the Haruspex's Bound, there is a chance that an Executor will be stationed outside of Notkin's warehouse with Notkin being infected inside. If the player wishes for the Haruspex to attend the Cathedral meeting, they must give Notkin a Shmowder or a Panacea to cure him.

#### Haruspex Route

On **Day 1**, the Haruspex will visit the Soul-and-a-Halves' Fortress multiple times whilst completing the main quest and side quests. In the morning, he may hide here while running away from angry townsfolk. Alternatively, if the Haruspex avoids being chased by townsfolk, he may end up here while attempting to clear his name. Notkin will ask him to do a favour in dealing with a traitor and may later tell him to visit Bad Grief.

On **Day 3**, the Haruspex may be asked by Capella to check on Notkin. Notkin will also ask the Haruspex for Twyrine Extracts in exchange for allowing him to buy maps of the infected districts every day. If Haruspex is unable to provide the tinctures, he will have to trade Crowbars to Notkin in exchange for maps.

On **Day 4**, Notkin will ask the Haruspex's help in getting rid of looters in the abandoned districts and to bring him Crowbars as proof.

On **Day 10**, the Haruspex must ask Notkin for his thoughts on what to do with the auroch at the Bone Stake Lot.

On **Day 11**, Notkin will ask Haruspex to meet with him and advise him to check on what happened to the auroch from **Day 10**.

#### Changeling Route

On **Day 1**, Anna Angel will advise the Changeling to speak to Notkin about the allegiances of the Haruspex. The Changeling can also persuade Notkin to give her a Double Barrelled Pistol.

On **Day 4**, while investigating Bad Grief at the behest of Alexander Saburov, the Changeling will have to talk to Notkin about the rumours surrounding Bad Grief and his gang. Although Notkin will corroborate Bad Grief's statement that he is not responsible for throwing bodies into the river, Notkin warns her that Bad Grief seems to be hiding something else.

On **Day 10**, the Changeling receives a letter from Notkin. She talks to him at the warehouse learns that Stanislav Rubin is looking for her.

On **Day 12**, as Notkin is one of the Haruspex's Bound, there is a chance that an Executor will be stationed outside of Notkin's warehouse with Notkin being infected inside. If the player wishes for the Haruspex to attend the Cathedral meeting, they must give Notkin a Shmowder or a Panacea to cure him.

### Pathologic 2

##### Day 1

On the first day of his arrival, a pair of children standing outside of Stanislav Rubin's Apartment will inform the Haruspex that not only does Notkin in the Soul-and-a-Half Fortress wish to hold a trial to which the Haruspex is invited, they also need a doctor as three of their friends - Alma, Duke, and Wolfling - have been poisoned. Upon arriving at the Fortress, the Haruspex will discover that the three friends are dogs who have already died, and the trial is more of a rhetorical conversation wherein Notkin asks him questions about when murder is justified (knowing full well that the Haruspex recently killed three men at the Train Station).
If the Haruspex presses Notkin for more information, Notkin explains that their dogs' killer (a Doghead named Lika) has left for the Gumstone, where they are hiding to avoid retribution from the Soul-and-a-Halves. Notkin asks that the Haruspex go to the Gumstone and give Lika a leash.
* If the Haruspex gives the leash to Lika, Lika will next be seen in the **Soul-and-a-Half Fortress**, where he will claim to not recognize the Haruspex, and speak nonsensically. If the Haruspex approaches Notkin about Lika's condition, it is implied that he was buried alive, though Notkin refuses to say where. Notkin returns the leash to the Haruspex as a reward.
* If the Haruspex chooses to let the Doghead go, Lika promises to testify to Alexander Saburov at the Town Hall regarding the Haruspex's innocence (though in truth he never shows up). If the Haruspex reports back to the Fortress, Notkin is seemingly unphased by the Haruspex having let Lika go.

##### Day 2

On **Day 2**, the Haruspex may speak to Notkin in the Soul-and-a-Half Fortress regarding Isidor Burakh's List, which he received from Aspity earlier that day. Notkin offers some insight on the matter, but eventually recommends that the Haruspex consult Capella instead.
##### Day 3

On **Day 3**, Notkin will send for the Haruspex to help his friend Patches, who has contracted the Plague and is in need of help. Outside the Fortress, Aspity will warn the Haruspex against treating the child, on the grounds that he is not yet ready to grow into his father's legacy. If the Haruspex agrees, and abandons the endeavor, then Aspity will take over and she will die in the process.
Inside the Fortress, Notkin explains that they already requested help from the Bachelor, who told them it was a lost cause. Notkin will give the Haruspex his first Antibiotics -- which are otherwise unavailable in Pharmacies until **Day 4** -- however the Haruspex will need to provide his own Tinctures for diagnosing Patches' infected layers. The Changeling is also present, however she offers little beyond general discouragement. If the Haruspex has a Shmowder on his person, she will adamently insist that it is poison, and that it not be given to Patches.
If the Haruspex misdiagnoses Patches' infection, or fails to complete the event before the Town Hall meeting (which starts at 19:00, or if the Haruspex enters the Stillwater in search of the Bachelor.), then Aspity will attempt to help instead, resulting in her death. Regardless of what Patches is given (even a Shmowder), he will die during the course of the night.
##### Day 4

On **Day 4**, the Fortress will be locked until 07:30, at which point a messenger will notify the Haruspex that Notkin has become infected (presumably from his visit to the House of Death. While visiting Notkin, a Soul-and-a-Half (Dandy) will be waiting outside of the Fortress. He will give the Haruspex a map of infected districts, however subsequent days' maps will have to be traded for (the trade value of which will slowly increase).

Should Notkin die of plague at any point in the game, Dandy will stand in his place at the center of the room. If asked whether his status has changed, Dandy will say that he has not replaced Notkin as the Soul-and-a-Halves' leader.
Day 8
During **Act 4** (which starts at 07:30 on **Day 7**), the Haruspex will find a Mysterious Note in a Children's Cache that will allude to a murderer who will be at "Friday's Yard when pigs fly." At 18:00 on **Day 8**, the map will reveal the murderer's location to be in the Skinners district, which will remain available until the game's end. If the Haruspex goes to this location (even without having found the Mysterious Note, and therefore the map marker.), he will be ambushed by an Ouzel. Killing the man will not affect district reputation.
When looting the man who attacked him, the Haruspex will find a Suspicious Note. It is similar to the children's caches' notes, but instructs the man to meet a "nutso" thief in Friday's Yard. Realizing that he has been tricked, the Haruspex becomes angry and goes to talk to the kids at the Soul-and-a-Half Fortress. When he arrives, he talks to Yawn. Yawn asks him if he found the murderer and he asks why the children tricked him. Yawn tells him that it was because he had been playing the game incorrectly.
Regardless of how the Haruspex has been playing the children's cache game up until this point, Yawn will always tell him that he has been kicked out of the game. Yawn will mention that one of the reasons he has been kicked out is because he has not been leaving behind notes in the caches (which is impossible for the player to do). This even will have no bearing on whether or not the player can continue to find and use the children's caches.
Day 10

On **Days 4**, **7** and **9**, the inhabitants of the Soul-and-a-Half Fortress will be in danger of becoming infected with the Sand Pest.

### Pathologic: The Marble Nest

Located in the condemned part of Town, the Soul-and-a-Half Fortress is inaccessible during *The Marble Nest*. When checking the map, Notkin will be noted as dead.

## Gallery

* Pathologic 2
* Pathologic

* The exterior of the Soul-and-a-Half Fortress
* The exterior of the Soul-and-a-Half Fortress
* The interior of the Soul-and-a-Half Fortress
* The interior of the Soul-and-a-Half Fortress
* The interior of the Soul-and-a-Half Fortress
* The hidden children stash behind the Soul-and-a-Half Fortress

* The Soul-and-a-Half Fortress
* The interior of the Soul-and-a-Half Fortress
* The interior of the Soul-and-a-Half Fortress
* The interior of the Soul-and-a-Half Fortress

## Notes

* In the original *Pathologic* English translation the Soul-and-a-Half Fortress was called **Dual-Souls Castle**.
* In the *Pathologic Classic HD* English translation the Soul-and-a-Half Fortress was called **The Castle of the Soul-and-a-Halves**.
* In *Pathologic* the soundtrack that plays inside of the Soul-and-a-Half Fortress is called ***Warehouse Notkin***.
* In *Pathologic 2*, two soundtracks can play inside of the Soul-and-a-Half Fortress, the first being titled ***There is No Hope***, the second being an untitled piece not present on the official OST.
	+ About the second track, Vasily Kashnikov stated that he had intended to "[delete] it from the project as [it was] not consistent to the game, in fact it was just [a] placeholder and experiment."
* In *Pathologic 2* the Soul-and-a-Half Fortress plays a number of animal call sounds such as dogs and chickens - though none of the animals can be seen.

## References

1. ↑ The warehouse with little flags? Oh, I remember… Seems like you kids took over our old place. - *Haruspex Route, Pathologic 2*