Characters are welcome in general to take on roles outside of field investigations. The Life in Gloucester section of the FAQ includes a list of departments within ADI, and each character may choose up to two departments in which to work. If Cassie would like to join the Research Department, examining remains and artifacts could become part of her regular job duties (provided she has enough background knowledge/skills to prove herself useful there).
1. In regards to the selkie and kelpie remains, the kelpies appear to have human, equine, and piscean anatomy features. Depending on what stage of their shapeshifting they were killed in, they'll have more of one type of anatomy than the others. Their DNA is all over the place and different organs/features might have different types of DNA, again, depending on whether it appears to be more human/horse/fish at the time the kelpie was killed.
ADI will be destroying the sealskins if they collect them. Characters might be able to secretly keep one to examine, but they'll run the risk of the skin grappling them and selkie-fying them while they're working. ADI will not be amused if they discover this has happened and docked pay or a decrease in research privileges is likely to follow. Characters determined to examine the selkie skins will be able to determine that they're just... sealskins. Or seem to be. There's nothing biologically different about them.
2. In regards to the artifacts, researchers will quickly find that the burning sports gear only burns that which can feel pain--meaning people, mostly. Even artificial limbs will be burned (and will hurt in the process, even if that shouldn't be possible), but prodding the artifacts with a tool that isn't part of one's own body has no effect. Based on her research and what she's learned from just the primer on the Entities, it's likely going to be clear that these items are associated in some way with the Desolation.
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1. In regards to the selkie and kelpie remains, the kelpies appear to have human, equine, and piscean anatomy features. Depending on what stage of their shapeshifting they were killed in, they'll have more of one type of anatomy than the others. Their DNA is all over the place and different organs/features might have different types of DNA, again, depending on whether it appears to be more human/horse/fish at the time the kelpie was killed.
ADI will be destroying the sealskins if they collect them. Characters might be able to secretly keep one to examine, but they'll run the risk of the skin grappling them and selkie-fying them while they're working. ADI will not be amused if they discover this has happened and docked pay or a decrease in research privileges is likely to follow. Characters determined to examine the selkie skins will be able to determine that they're just... sealskins. Or seem to be. There's nothing biologically different about them.
2. In regards to the artifacts, researchers will quickly find that the burning sports gear only burns that which can feel pain--meaning people, mostly. Even artificial limbs will be burned (and will hurt in the process, even if that shouldn't be possible), but prodding the artifacts with a tool that isn't part of one's own body has no effect. Based on her research and what she's learned from just the primer on the Entities, it's likely going to be clear that these items are associated in some way with the Desolation.