nadarko
rating: 0+x

Item #: SCP-XXXX

Object Class: Safe

Special Containment Procedures: The Foundation will take an active role in directing archaeological policy on the island of Crete. This is to make it difficult for any individual or organization outside the influence of the Foundation to perform any archaeological excavations. Methods may include (but are not limited to) disruption of funding, selective bureaucratic mismanagement, or discriminatory permitting policies. If this fails to discourage individuals from performing archeology on the island, further steps should be taken to frustrate their efforts. Methods may include (but are not limited to) sabotage of equipment, harassment from foundation personnel disguised as local law enforcement, or using psychological intimidation to force said individuals from dig sites.

Foundation archaeology teams are to be trained by members of MTF Eta-10 ("See No Evil") in order to be able to safely handle artifacts containing instances of SCP-XXXX. "Scatter Shot" anti-cognitohazerd safety glasses should be worn by all individuals handling such artifacts. Effected artifacts should be taken away from the archeological site in containers that do not allow any visual contact with SCP-XXXX. All artifacts containing instances of SCP-XXXX are to be taken to at lease three separate cooperative instance of SCP-XXXX-A for translation in order to facilitate the creation an instance of SCP-XXXX-placebo. After translation and cross checking, a replica of the artifact is to be constructed, with the instance of SCP-XXXX to be replaced with the corresponding instance of SCP-XXXX-placebo. After passing quality control, the replica can be released into the public for academic purposes, under the strict supervision of Foundation personnel. Artifacts that contained the original instance of SCP-XXXX are to then be sent to Site-19 for long term storage. They should be placed in storage containers that do not allow for visual contact with SCP-XXXX. Access to the artifacts are restricted to assigned research personnel and Foundation staff with Level 4 security clearance.

In a situation where the extraction of an instance of SCP-XXXX is impossible and the threat of the public discovering SCP-XXXX is high, Foundation personnel are authorize to destroy said instance of SCP-XXXX. However, this is only to be done as a containment of last resort. All instances of destruction are subject to investigation by the Permanent Investigatory Committee on Containment Operations (PICCO).

Instances of SCP-XXXX-A are to be kept in low risk humanoid containment facilities. The conditions of their containment should be made on a case by case basis, with cooperative instances receiving preferential treatment compared to non-cooperative instances. Although instances of SCP-XXXX-A may be rewarded roaming and interaction privileges on limited sections of Foundation property based on their good conduct, they are absolutely forbidden from coming into contact with each other or learning about each others existence of SCP-XXXX-A without approval of head researcher Abigail Jaynes, head researcher of SCP-XXXX. Instances of SCP-XXXX-A can be created by exposing D class personnel to an instance of SCP-XXXX

SCP-XXXX-placebo has no anomalous properties. Foundation policy for the current moment is to not interfere or assist public efforts to decipher SCP-XXXX-placebo. Translations of instances of SCP-XXXX-placebo into English, Greek, French, Spanish, German, Italian, Arabic, Japanese, and Mandarin are available via inquiry request to Dr. Jacob Ventris, head linguist in charge of the SCP-XXXX-placebo project.

Description: SCP-XXXX are all of the symbols that make up the Cretan Hieroglyph System, created by the Minoan Civilization, an ancient civilization based around the Greek island of Crete. SCP-XXXX was used as a writing system by the Minoan Civilization from from 2600 B.C. to 1700 B.C. Instances of SCP-XXXX are often recovered on clay slates, although there have been some instances of SCP-XXXX were written on walls or weapons.

The subject manner of the writings range widely from royal decrees, to commendations of noted individuals, to financial records. All research and experimentation indicates that there is nothing anomalous about knowing the subject manner detailed in instances of SCP-XXXX. SCP-XXXX does has anomalous properties if viewed directly without any distortion.

If an individual looks at an instance of SCP-XXXX for approximately 30 minutes, that person will anonymously be given the ability to understand SCP-XXXX and be able to translate it into their native language. It is at this point that these individuals are designated SCP-XXXX-A. Ten minutes after being designated, instances of SCP-XXXX-A will begin to complain of headaches. After thirty minutes, instances of SCP-XXXX-A will begin to experience muscle spasms and nerve pain that is often described as "being continuously shocked by electricity". After an hour, instances of SCP-XXXX-A will go into a coma. Life support is required in order to minimize the risk of death in an instance of SCP-XXXX-A in this point of the transition.

Approximately five days after going into the coma, SCP-XXXX-A will awaken. The process will result in SPC-XXXX-A having a completely different personality and though process then they had prior to exposure. Common traits include an inability to explain any actions committed, an inability to explain their motivations for short or long term goals, difficulty in explaining their emotional state, and significant difficulty in explaining the underlying logic to their answers for complex philosophical problems, especially questions involving free will. Instances of SCP-XXXX-A do retain their memories, and their intelligence doesn't seem to be effected negatively by the process. They also still retain the ability to translate SCP-XXXX. Care should be taken by Foundation personnel when talking to instances of SCP-XXXX-A, as conversations with individuals who do not have the same though process as the instance can sometimes cause distress due to asking questions that they does not understand.

Due to the historical value that SCP-XXXX has, the Foundation has created SCP-XXXX-placebo, a hieroglyph based writing system that shares many similarities with SCP-XXXX, but has no anomalous properties. This is done to ensure that a potion of history is not lost to the world due to the anomalous nature of SCP-XXXX.

Addendum-A: The following is a select catalog of known instances of SCP-XXXX that have corresponding instances of SCP-XXXX-placebo introduced into the academic world.

  • A financial record detailing the sale of a sea going vessel to a high ranking Minoan official.
  • A receipt for approximately 10 (ten) bushels of Egyptian wheat in exchange for silver and fresh water.
  • A stele memorializing the death of a member of the Minoan royal family during a military expedition on mainland Greece.
  • A royal decree that states that a local "governor" (a sort of semi-elected leader for a town and its surrounding land) has been executed for the crime of conspiring with pirates in exchange for a portion of their spoils.
  • A royal decree declaring that "Outis", a noted member of the Minoan ruling class who had been assumed to have been lost at sea, has returned, and that all individuals seeking immediate collection from his estate are to cease immediately and to resume regular business with him and his family. It also details that some sort of compensation will be payed to the family of an individual who died during a quarrel on Outis' estate when he was gone.
  • A clay tablet from the ruler of the Minoans requesting a member of his court to "conspire with the muses to create story detailing Outis' return".
  • An written rule set for the proper method of bull leaping.