Lab 13

```
Trigger warning: Themes of human experimentation.

```

Much more to the story.

Among the general public, not much is known about the mysterious Laboratory 13. It is known to be an abandoned governmental building in the middle of the Cedargrove Wildlife Reserve, and thus much of the public believes that it was related to evaluating the fauna and flora of the area.

However, back in 1939, disaster struck.

A fire took out the whole facility, or so they say. Many people died. And not long after, sightings of Shadow Monsters increased.

### SRI Knowledge

Those in Root and the Supernatural Regulation and Intelligence (SRI) would be privy to a little more information regarding the Fire of 1939, in that it was in regards to a project referred to as Original Beasts. The exact details of projects would be highly classified. Even those with the highest level of clearance may well be unaware of the horrors that took place there.

Those who would know would be the Original Beasts themselves.

### Original Beasts

A divine creature, name redacted, was discovered by interdimensional travels achieved by the Supernatural Regulation and Intelligence (SRI) in 1910 (note: this travel was only possible through the repeated exploitation of and experimentation on supernaturals with relevant abilities). This divine creature was repeatedly exposed to Lost Cove's toxic drinking water in a failed attempt to garner some control over it. And when that failed, the SRI called upon the power of alchemy to break the beast down into 13 individual creatures.

These creatures were then transplanted into compatible supernaturals throughout the 1920's.

### Second Generation

Throughout the 30's, the SRI tried and failed to control these Original Beasts. Several freed themselves from their confines and roamed the forest. Others were abandoned within the facility. That's right. There was no fire at all, but instead the SRI realized they could not possibly hope to kill the creatures they created, and so left them behind to rot if they were deemed failures. Others who could control their powers and were compliant enough went on to work for Root in ultimate secrecy.

But none of this was done without reassurance that their powers be passed on. Many of the Original Beasts were encouraged to reproduce, and it was discovered that most of the second generation of Original Beasts were unintelligent, bloodthirsty things. The ones that did have a lick of intelligence were generally malevolent at best and were hunted for sport. So the SRI reported.

### Modern Variants

A solid supply of DNA samples, eggs, and sperm remain preserved within the SRI's facilities. These are regularly used in modern days to create what is considered to 'watered down' Original Beast. It was discovered that breeding a human with an Original Beast generally yielded much more predictable young, though their bodies struggle to handle the power bestowed upon them. Many of them, when exposed to extreme emotions, would leak black goo from their eyes. And if pushed beyond their breaking point in terms of power, may combust into black flames and reduce to little more than a tarry puddle of rot and flesh.

Supernatural people and Original Beasts have been bred, but those specimens tend to be much more unstable and more likely to lose control.

Though barely any of this generation survive, those that do tend to thrive in Root. Those who fail out of the program (read: regularly produce Black Tears or otherwise are considered imperfect) may be discharged from duty by the Supernatural Regulation and Intelligence (SRI) with the understanding that they are to maintain utmost secrecy in exchange for a semi-normal life. If they fail to do so, the SRI will come to collect.