Things of Interest

Digest versions of texts found in the Drawing Board:

Dryad Labs
Experimental Mutation Guide
"Angels and Demons"
by Dr. Grigori Natolovich Bratislav

Summary for all readers:

The non-scientific prose in this manual is not extensive. A skimming reveals a few salient points however. Firstly, the reason for angels and demons is two-fold: Dr. Grigori admits something of an obsession with recreating the beauty and horror of the beings described in church, but this mutation has the benefit of being obvious and heretical enough that any such changed would find it nearly impossible to blend into the populace at large without some kind of powerful patron. The doctor even suggests that it would be feasible to gradually release certain of the less capable test subjects "into the wilds" of New Milan's sewers, convincing them that they had escaped in order to test their mutations in the field, and to provide sport and training for new Jakovians.

Secondly, the angels and demons are test subjects for various of the more experimental genetic modifications. In addition to their wings and genetic appearance alteration, most have one or more other modifications such as pheremones, enhanced physical capacities, or metonymic capacity. After these modifications are tested on the captives, they can be used for more practical ends such as super soldiers or spies (such as, you surmise, Cyrille and Eldritch). Unlike the more stable modifications of the Kossacks and other Decados mutants, Dr. Grigori's processes can give beneficial mutations to existing beings, rather than requiring pre-birth mutation, so agents can be selected rather than bred.

Thirdly, the transformation process is one of an initial genetic injection and incubation, followed by refinement treatments. A basic virus is introduced into the body initially, and then, over the course of several days or weeks, treatments are given which make the mutation semi-stable. Patients that get just the initial treatment often do not find it balanced for their bodies, and will suffer freakish mutation, cancerous cells, or death due to cell-rejection. These problems can be reduced in statistical probability quite easily at this point. There is no cure for the mutations, as so far a retrovirus designed to kill the initial virus and re-store cells before they're rejected has been beyond the doctor (especially since it hasn't been a priority).

Those with genetics knowledge can discover more facts from the rest of the document (a jumble of technical babble, diagrams, and mathematical sequences)

Dryad Labs
Side Effects of Experimental Mutation
"Angels and Demons"
by Dr. Grigori Natolovich Bratislav

Summary for all readers:

This document has a few technical diagrams and such, but is mostly a short prose outlining of later-discovered risks of the mutation process. Notably, the problem with weakened cell structure expressed as wracking blood cough in most cases, nosebleeds or skin peeling in others, is outlined in the same terms as those described by Lan. Simply put, the virus does not change the reproductive DNA of cells, but instead modifies them post-creation, and so the body continues to produce unchanged cells. These cells tend to reject mutated cells as foreign objects until they, themselves, are changed. This is generally not too much of a problem, but many individuals subjected to the process experience changes in their immune system's strength over time. Generally, the system gradually improves, and begins to outpace the speed of the virus, and thus rejects enough cells to make life uncomfortable for the mutant. In Decados-sponsored mutants, this can be fixed by a trip to the Shop to have post-change gene treatments.

Additionally, the document notes that since a variant of the same virus is used in all cases, each treatment contains legacy information on mutations that were not included in the package. In a handful of cases, severe physical or emotional trauma has led to a release of some of these legacy codes. In short, after trauma it is possible for a Changed made by this process to exhibit new abilities within the suite of traits (wings, pheremones, metamorphing, enhanced physical prowess, and so on).

Dryad Labs
The Kossack Process
4997 Compilation (Standard Version)
Various Authors

Summary for all readers:

This paper documents the genetic processes involved in making Kossack soldiers. The process seems rather straightforward. Essentially, it seems that instead of detailed cellular modification, a form of genetic trickery is used. Since Kossack training involves physical stress that is already pushing the body to develop massive new levels of strength and stamina, the process merely intensifies the limits to which muscles can grow. Since the treatment is non-invasive (involving chemicals in vats being osmosed into the skin), and the muscles are already in an excited, changing state, the chance of cellular rejection is minimal.

Those with genetics knowledge could use this document to replicate the Kossack creation process, or modify it into some other super-soldier process.

Data from Sergei's Interrogation

Most of the Jakovians in this city are involved in biochemistry, either as scientists or support staff.  Sergei didn't know what the current command structure of the agency was in the city, or said he didn't.

The following vague names and approximate directions were gotten, but no more specific information or directions could be pulled before Sergei died.

Cards Clues

The Clues found clutched in the hand of Anhetepf's dead mother: What could they possibly indicate?

The ripped bits of fortuntelling cards are printed on a cerulean background, with text mounted on a dark green box.

Each seemingly is torn from about the same angle, as if, perhaps, the cards were all stacked together and torn at the same time.