Entry 1: On Raiders

    Given that the primary research project of the Mortus Supremus is focused on raiders, it is first important to attempt to understand what a raider -is- and why they are the primary focus of this research.
     From the view of the layman, what a raider is seems simple; a deranged individual, often masked, obsessed with the torture and murder of others, and in some cases the conversion of others into insane raiders. The whys of this don't matter to most people. From a more scientific viewpoint, a 'raider' is an individual that has been exposed to Bad Brain Disease via contact with the bodily fluids of a living 'raider'. The damage caused by this disease to the brain is irreversible. The prevailing theory amongst scholars is that a 'raider' has had their mind subsumed into the Gravemind for the most part, leaving a mad husk. The Mortus research has determined that raiders will always return from death, rather than become a zombie, resulting - effectively - in an insane immortal. This new information has been ignored by most, who have simply posited that a raider is 'too insane' for the Gravemind to absorb completely. I believe the prevailing theory to be wrong, and my evidence and theory follow.

     It has been noted in the progression of Bad Brain Disease (further in this document abbreviated to BBD) that at the later stages, psion crystals begin to form in the brain tissue. Our research has discovered a loose psionic connection between raiders -- the so-called 'raider king' phenomenon wherein one particularly powerful raider can draw others to him/her from a distance and seem to control them. Other mutations have been noted, for instance the 'raider rage' adaptation that creates a sudden surge of activity in the infection that regenerates flesh and bone in mere moments. This suggests that BBD is more than simply a degeneration of nervous tissue, but is in fact merely an early stage of something more.

   A brief listing of some of the evidence towards the theory I am forming:

• This is a degenerative, contagious, genetic-altering disease that targets the brain.
• Sufferers are spurred to acts of sadism and murder against non-raiders, including conversion into others like them.
• Despite the claim that raider minds are subsumed into the gravemind, raiders have been seen to attack zombies in the past.
• Psion crystals form in raider brains, creating a loose hive-mind that more powerful members can take advantage of.
• Further beneficial mutations, such as the 'raider rage', have been noted in raiders.
• BBD prevents advanced sufferers from being physically absorbed into the Gravemind, allowing them to return again and again without notable decay or degeneration of flesh.

     I will continue to expand upon my theory, which is as such: I do not believe that this is simply a degenerative disease. I believe, instead, that we are witnessing the early stages of the evolution of a predator that targets the Gravemind. Much in the way that the Gravemind itself is a creature that - technically - includes all of the strains as part of its makeup, the theorized 'Raider Entity' that is beginning to evolve is both immune to the Gravemind's largest threat (subsumption) and specifically targets creatures that are still connected to the Gravemind.

     My next entry will go into what we have learned from the Galton scenario, and how that information impacts my theory - and how my theory may affect our research and its potential results.