The Essential Guide to Grimm

The Essential Guide to Grimm is a book written by Doctor Whitaker Valkoinen aimed at educating the basic citizens of Remnant on what the Grimm Control Program has discovered about Grimm, in addition to basic lessons taught in conventional schools, combat schools, and huntsmen academies.

Foreword
Hello, dear reader. I am Doctor Whitaker Valkoinen, assistant head of the Research Group of the Grimm Control Program and a whole host of other titles for the Research Group that would unnecessarily bloat this foreword. Before you delve further into this guide, I wish to pose you a question I asked during a recent orientation speech I had to give for future members of the Research Group. Think to yourself, for a moment, on the Creatures of Grimm. I want you to think about everything you know about them: names, sizes, amount you've killed, maybe even how many teeth are in the mouth of an average Beowolf. Once you've collected your thoughts, try to answer this queston: What exactly are the Creatures of Grimm? Now, I don't mean for you to list every known species of Grimm. No, I mean to ask you to determine what role Grimm have in nature, what ecological niche they fill. Some legends, especially those of Ancient Sanus, claim Grimm are evil nature spirits beckoned forth by man's misdeeds and strengthened by his constant need for the destruction of his surroundings. Another quite popular idea is that they are the creations of the God of Darkness from a time before man, and were created independent of the God of Light.

However, we in the Research Group find those explanations unscientific. Unless these gods step down from the heavens and reveal to us the true nature of the universe, we will have to rely on the observable. These were not the first gods or spirits created by mankind to explain away misunderstood principles, and most likely they will not be the last. Through this guide, a joint collaboration of the efforts of everyone in the Research Group and compiled by myself, we aim to enlighten the general populace on just what Grimm are and how they work.

Why Classify Grimm?
Many do not see a need to classify Grimm, especially not by size. Size does not matter when it comes to Grimm. The smallest Ravager all the way to the Leviathan are both very capable of killing the unarmed and Auraless person. Danger or threat level, however, are not very easy to calculate. Grimm also do not typically follow similar shapes bar the covering and bone. Thus, the Research Group has decided that the best method of classifying Grimm is by size.

In the lists, Grimm are listed not by individual sizes within their categories, but in an alphabetical order. It should also be noted that the names given to some Grimm are used only to further distinguish them from subspecies, and as such, may not line up with what they are commonly referred to as.

Small
Grimm in the "Small" category typically stay smaller than the average adult male. Internal studies have also shown that Grimm in the Small category are easier to augment and train. Grimm in this category include: Creeps, Creep Alphas, Ravagers, and Seers.

Medium
Grimm in the "Medium" category remain at near-human heights throughout their lives, never going below or far above. These Grimm are also the ones most commonly encountered both in the wild and inside the Grimm Control Program. Grimm in this category include: Apathies, Beowolves, Boarbatusks, Centinels, Dromedons, Jackalopes, Sabyrs, and Ursa Minors.

Large
Grimm in the "Large" category are, on average, the size of personal vehicles and even smaller aircraft such as the Bullhead or Manta. It was Grimm of this size being captured that directly led to the development of the Rhino and the H-GCV. Grimm in this category include: Alpha Beowolves, Beringels, Griffons, Lancers, Lancer Queens, Manticores, Sphinxes, Teryxes, and Ursa Majors.

Gigantic
Grimm in the "Gigantic" category vary wildly in size, though are typically no smaller than public transport vehicles and small houses. These Grimm are considered the deadliest of all, and we are inclined to agree despite how inexact that term is. These Grimm, on average, lead far longer lives and grow much smarter than any other category. Grimm in this category include: Blind Worms, Deathstalkers, Goliaths, King Taijitus, the Leviathan, Megoliaths, Megoliath Alphas, Nevermores, Nuckelavee, Sea Feilongs, the Wyvern (rumored), and Ziraphs.

Valean legend speaks of a giant, Grimm wyvern sleeping within Mountain Glenn, and surveys of the area have shown that something is indeed inside the mountain. What it is, if anything alive at all, is uncertain. However, these legends cannot be completely discredited, as even the most outlandish of tales have a hint of truth somewhere.

Unclassified
This last category is very unique, as it contains only one, albeit very unique, Grimm: the Geist. Due to its nature as a possession Grimm, the Geist can change its size to fit any scenario. Recordings have shown Geists taking up no more space than a couch or swelling to completely fill a seven meter by seven meter room. Geists also have a base form that is only shown when it is not currently possessing objects. This form was measured to be within the Medium category, though Geists are rarely seen in this form. Typically, Geists will be seen between the Large and Gigantic categories. However, due to the irregularity of their sizes and how some are smaller, the Geist fits into a size category of its own.

General Makeup
Grimm generally follow similar body structures to animals existing today. Beowolves are akin to wolves, Ursai to bears, Goliaths to elephants, and the list goes on. However, for every species that fits the mold, there are several more that break it. The Geist, for instance, has a distinctly human base shape, yet rarely is it ever seen in this form. Geists are most commonly observed when possessing objects and taking on a more gaseous form. There is also the Creep, which evokes imagery of both large birds and reptiles.

This is not a section meant to debate on likely evolutionary origins, however. This section instead describes the fundamental components of a Grimm: what they are, where they are located, how they work, what tasks they perform. All Grimm, regardless of where they are formed or how, have red matter, covering, and bone. While Grimm may have these in varying quantities or shapes, all Grimm have them. Some Grimm deviate from this basic formula, like the Deathstalker, and have unique materials with unique properties and functions.

Red Matter
In most Grimm, red matter constitutes the largest portion of the body. While the exact makeup of red matter is unidentifiable at the time of this guide's writing, the properties of red matter are what set Grimm apart from every other organism ever studied. Red matter will be talked about at length in a later section of this guide.

Covering
Covering refers to the black hide/scales/fur/feathers that cover a Grimm's body, hence the name. Unfortunately, there is not much that can be said about covering other than its durability. On most Grimm, it is between three and five centimeters thick. Covering also has a strange relationship with red matter, in that the two work in conjunction to produce the bone that appears on all Grimm. In this process, red matter eats away at covering while also secreting a white substance and coating the inner walls of what will become the bone. This secreted liquid then hardens before growing and forming the "root" of the bone, equatable to bone marrow. The visible portion of the bone then grows out from this root and takes on the shape of plating, spikes, claws, or other unique features on a Grimm.

It should also be noted that not all Grimm exhibit purely black covering. While Grimm like the King Taijitu blatantly show that covering may also be white, one must also take into consideration regional differences in Grimm. Solitas variants of other Grimm, such as Beowolves and Manticores, exhibit white covering in some places and also white fur, feathers, and the like.

Bone
Bone is the most defining attribute of the Creatures of Grimm as a whole. Not only does it form on the outside, the amount of specialization Grimm can have in terms of their bone layout and makeup is astonishing. The Beowolf, for instance, is lightly armored but has dozens of spikes on its body, strategically positioned to catch unwitting prey if they move around its attacks a certain way. The Ursa also uses spikes, but in a much more defensive manner. It relies on its spikes to protect its backside, as its lack of dexterity makes that location a prime weak point.

Another unique feature of bone is that it has canals connecting it to the red matter inside a Grimm. These canals allow for red matter to reach the surface and create ornate markings and designs in a Grimm's bone. While this serves no purpose aside from making the Grimm look more threatening than they already are, it is still a great insight into how carefully Grimm evolved into the predators they are today.

Bone also takes much longer to dissolve than red matter and covering, with estimates tying a Grimm's age to an arbitrary time limit. All you adventurous huntsmen- and huntresses-in-training take note here, as bone can help secure you a temporary trophy.

Unique Physical Characteristics
Unfortunately, as is the case with many things in science, there are outliers and exceptions that run contradictory to supposed standards.

The Deathstalker's stinger, for instance, is not made up of a material found in any other Grimm. It is a bright yellow bioluminescent material of a similar makeup to bone. Much like bone, it takes longer to dissolve than covering and red matter if removed from the body. Unlike bone, however, the stinger is capable of synthesis much like red matter is. Instead of producing bone, however, the stinger produces venom. The venom is even stranger, as it only dissolves upon the Deathstalker's expiration if it remains inside the stinger. Once it is removed, it behaves almost exactly like natural venoms. This, unfortunately, is a very difficult phenomenon to study, and as such, tests are still ongoing as of the writing of this guide.

The Seer's headbody is bone attached to a never-before-seen substance. This translucent, almost transparent, membrane the bone is attached to is even more difficult to understand than the stinger of a Deathstalker. While the membrane itself does not bear a discernible color, it contains both red and black smoke. This smoke has been shown to serve as the Seer's red matter, yet not its covering. The red portion of the smoke has also been seen glowing at the center of the membrane orb, though what purpose this serves is unknown. The Seer itself is such a fascinating Grimm that I could dedicate an entire guide to just it alone and still not have said everything about it.

The Geist's gaseous emissions on the surface appear to be constantly dissolving covering, but are not that at all. Due to the difficulty in capturing a Geist, however, and their rarity, tests have been inconclusive. We at the Grimm Control Program simply know it is not covering. It is also not red matter, as it is not red. It is much like a Deathstalker's venom, in that it is a substance created by the Grimm to be used in the unorthodox killing of prey. Though rare, combat tests and capture missions have shown that Geists can and will use their gas emissions directly in attacks to surprisingly devastating effect.

The Many Roles of Red Matter
In the years since its inception, the Grimm Control Program has always had several teams of scientists dedicated to studying red matter. The versatility of the substance has been brought up many a time for possible reverse engineering, but how this could come about has never gone beyond the discussion phase.

Red matter performs an array of functions for the Grimm. Everything beneath the covering is red matter. This means that there is no endoskeleton, no blood, no organs, no nerves, and no muscle. All of these functions that would otherwise be performed by different and complex structures are instead all handled by a single entity. Entity is an applicable word for red matter, as well, as some of its behaviors make it seem like a symbiotic partner to the Grimm. Red matter can also be seen on the outside of a Grimm, such as with its eyes, markings in the bone, grooves in the covering, or even wings and fins on certain Grimm.

Red matter is also a site of synthesis, creation. It creates energy for the Grimm and gives it sustenance, completely nullifying the need for food, water, or even sleep. Red matter can also create more red matter and covering for purposes of regeneration, though strangely, bone cannot be regenerated. Studies into this regeneration factor were led by an anonymous doctor on the team, and revealed that, although slow, it is capable of restoring up to forty-two percent of a Grimm's red matter and covering in the span of three days. The time it takes, however, depends on several factors, such as: the Grimm's age, the amount of energy being expended in other activities, and even the type of Grimm it is. This same anonymous doctor also discovered that, if the stem cells of a Menagerie Crown Starfish were mixed with healing Dust and Aura, then this regeneration factor could be sped up by a factor of almost seventeen times. This miracle substance is known simply as "Red Matter Growth Stimulant", but will not be covered in this guide.

Red matter is also the only determinate manner of finding a Grimm's age. Though the method is still somewhat inexact, there have been no better alternatives found. The system we developed was simple in premise but difficult in practice. We first had to set a baseline for what shades of red correlated to different ages. This was done through the tracking, capturing, and studying of Grimm from different age groups, taking pictures of the red matter, and running those pictures through a program designed to create a color scale. Once the scale was established, equations were created to estimate the time it took red matter to change shades. These shades were compared to a newly-formed Grimm's red matter, and the scale is slowly being tweaked even now as more Grimm are being captured.

The last thing I shall note here is that red matter is an incredibly reactive substance. Shocking it causes it to quiver and spasm as if it has a mind of its own, burning it causes it to harden and break off charred sections for regeneration while also lengthening the dissolution time of the charred section, cutting parts of a large mass off shows it capable of limited regeneration, and freezing it changes its color to a light pink regardless of its original shade of red. There are many more properties of it being tested as I write, and many more I simply cannot put in due to time and space constraints.

Adaptations for Unique Behaviors and Environments
Grimm come in wide variety of shapes and sizes, from the bat-like Ravager to the indescribable Ziraph. It should come as no surprise, then, that each one has evolved to fit a specific environment and role. Each part of the Grimm, from its size, its shape, its movement capabilities, and even how much armor it has and how it's arranged and shaped has been finely tuned to fit its role perfectly. Some Grimm develop spikes to catch unwary prey, others rely on extensive armoring to outlast, and some even have wholly unique structures designed for the specific job of that Grimm such as the case with Seers or Deathstalkers. Grimm native to Solitas have even developed white fur to allow them to partially blend in with their surroundings, a phenomenon seen nowhere else on Remnant.

Let us look at the Creep. Overall, it has very little armoring. Its upper head is completely covered, creating the most defended portion of its body. The bone armoring also forms a horn not present on the Creep naturally. Then, a patchwork of bone plates traces from the cheeks to the back and splits, with two lines traveling down its legs and another continuing on to the end of its tail. Its underbelly remains completely exposed, as does much of its tail and legs. It lacks arms, and instead relies on only its head for attacks. Its tail exists purely as a balancing tool, though some records indicate that desperate Creeps will use it as a bludgeoning tool. This is the build of a tunneling, swarm ambush predator. The horn and dorsal-centric armoring allows for the Creep to tunnel effectively. Its low build also means that its under-armored underside remains protected at most times. Its lack of armoring on the insides or backs of its legs also does not hinder movement.

This is just one of many examples of the genius inherent to the design of the Grimm. While they are the only obstacle to human and faunus expansion, I cannot help but admire how beautifully they are built.

The Mind of the Beast
Grimm, on the surface, appear to have very simple minds. "They seek out negative emotions, and kill their sources." "They find older Grimm, and they follow them." "They do not generally use tactics or forethought in their attacks on humans and faunus." "They are simple." These are all common statements thrown around to describe the mental strength of a Grimm. However, Grimm are surprisingly complex creatures. Through means still unknown to us, they are capable of determining each other's ages by a mere glance and defer to them, regardless of species. One recorded instance I find both entertaining and fascinating at once shows a Creep leading a pack of Ursai through a mountain path in Mistral. Despite its smaller stature, it was far older than the Ursai present, and as such, they deferred to it.

Grimm also, surprisingly, have a universal language of barks, grunts, whistles, howls, and many other noises. There have been several recorded instances of older Grimm issuing orders to a pack during combat and immediately causing a change of tactics. It is also a fairly common sight to see packs, especially larger ones, split up to take on fortified targets. There has also been evidence to suggest that older Grimm will even defer to younger Grimm at times, as if the younger Grimm had a sudden stroke of genius. None of this would have been possible if Grimm could not understand each other, yet they have the capacity to not only understand each other, but also us.

Interviews conducted with Subjects have shown that they have varying degrees of experience with human ideas, vocabulary, and sentence structure. While incapable of reading our language without training, they are exceedingly capable at speaking and understanding it, at times even better than some people. Unless corrected, they refer to Aura as a "Barrier" and huntsmen and huntresses as "Warriors", yet they usually know what Semblance is. They are also surprisingly knowledgeable on the soul, even when they have admitted to having little contact with humanity, "Warriors" especially. If given enough time with us, however, they have shown themselves capable of learning how to use tools like we do. While obviously not all Grimm are dexterous enough to do so, some have been able to grip tools and even aim and fire our weapons.

People continually refer to Grimm as simple-minded, yet time and time again I am reminded of their surprising mental faculties. They are far more than the raving animals that society poses them as, but rather, I daresay they are as close to being our equals as anything can be.

Are Grimm Truly Soulless? Or, the Indeterminate and Misunderstood Nature of the Soul.
I'm sure many of you have taken one look at the understandably controversial name of this chapter and determined that this book is nothing more than nonsense and pseudoscience. For those that have decided to listen, I congratulate you.

Now, it has been cited countless times that Grimm have no soul. Creatures of such pure darkness and malevolence could not possibly have souls, according to many upstanding scientists and researchers today. However, countless tests and interviews conducted by members of the Research Group, including myself, have shown that Grimm are capable of showing some emotions even before their medical trials. While the results are still a hotly debated topic with the Program, it is of mine and several others' opinions that unaugmented Grimm are capable of expressing simple emotions such as excitement, fear, and anger. But, I hear you ask, if Grimm don't have souls, how then can they show emotion? That, fortunately, is a question I can answer.

Think back to the last time you heard someone say that Grimm were soulless. Then, try and remember how many times you have heard that statement. Now, however, think about how many of the people who claimed such things were given the opportunity to sit down and ask the Grimm themselves whether or not they could feel emotion. Emotions, especially to Grimm, are incredibly difficult to quantify. That is simply a byproduct of their inexact nature. Yet, when a Grimm looks me in the eye and tells me that an "unnatural cold crept up my back and my Mother whispered for me to flee", I cannot help but think that it felt fear. Or, when one feels "a need to crush the skull of one particular human because he or she killed a pack member long ago", I cannot help but think that it felt anger.

Some of you might try to write this off as a Grimm's instinct. While I can agree on the first example, the second example is simply flawed on a logical level. Logically speaking, if something killed a pack mate, why then would a Grimm seek out the killer rather than avoid him? The smartest course of action would be to put as much distance possible between oneself and the killer, yet this Grimm described a "need" to hunt down and kill the killer. What advantage does a thirst for revenge give?

This points me and many others to believe that the current definition of what constitutes a soul and, more importantly, what is a possible vessel for a soul, is outdated. If animals have souls, why then do Grimm not when more Grimm have shown more human-like emotions than animals have? Is it because more animals are passive towards humans than Grimm are? Or, is it because we are letting our preconceptions about their supposed creation get in the way of factual evidence? We must all understand that these legends were written from the perspective of man, so it is natural for us to demonize and outcast what is different, or what was seen as different in the past.

Conclusion
I have dedicated almost ten years now to the study of Grimm under the Grimm Control Program, and spent even longer being shunned by Atlas for my "unhelpful" ideas and research. I plan to spend much longer than that continuing my work with the GCP. The only chance we have at overcoming the Grimm comes from first understanding what they are and how they work. This guide is intended to educate the general populace not only for your benefit, but also for everyone's. By making this knowledge publicly and easily accessible, we have opened the doors for someone to step up and say that they have the answer to our problems. We are arming you with the most powerful weapon of them all: knowledge.