Per 
| Item #: SCP-XXXX |  |
Object Class: Euclid |
| Level 2 Clearance | Threat Level: Orange ● |
An instance of SCP-#### (author's name censored.)
Special Containment Procedures: SCP-#### is to be contained in a 6m² holding cell requiring a Level 3 or higher security keycard for entry. All instances of SCP-#### are to remain stored within a 2m² metal safe with aluminum walls at least half a meter thick on all sides, which must be kept in the center of the cell and only be unlockable via a six-digit code that can be obtained from Dr. Lucien Durand. In order to ensure the contents within the safe hasn’t changed, the safe must also feature a scale weighing the contents inside. If said scale measures anything above or below 21.36kg, it is to be reported to senior staff immediately.
Any personnel who come into direct contact with SCP-#### are to immediately undergo a psychiatric evaluation and are prohibited from interacting with any instances of SCP-#### again for a minimum two-week period. Under no circumstances are any personnel permitted to open or read the contents of SCP-#### without prior authorization by Dr. Durand. Any personnel who fail to adhere to this precaution are reassigned to Class E, then administered amnestics as deemed necessary.
Any instances of SCP-####-1 are to be destroyed. Anyone who is exposed to SCP-####-1 is to be administered Class B amnestics.
Description: SCP-#### is a black hardcover book that is 162 pages thick. The book's cover features an illustration of a humanoid figure wearing a yellow cloak, with a pair of red feathered wings sprouting from its back and a red halo present around its head. Printed in large white text above said illustration is the book's title: The King in Yellow.
Subjects that remain within a two-meter range from SCP-#### for more than one minute begin to feel compelled to read the book, a feeling which grows exponentially the longer they stay within range. The compulsion grows at a much faster rate if the subject makes direct eye contact with the book, and seems unable to take their eyes off of it until they give into the urge. If eye contact is forcefully broken and the subject is moved out of the effect’s range, the compulsion gradually wanes, with most cases having it cease completely after two weeks. In severe cases, Class B amnestics have been administered.
The writing within the book itself details a three-act play, though anyone who reads the play develops a severe aversion to the book, especially after completing Act I. At the same time, they are often compelled to continue reading the rest despite their expressed reluctance in doing so. Anyone who reads the entire play begins to exhibit symptoms of psychosis shortly thereafter.
Usage of Class B amnestics have proven effective in treating the psychological effects that SCP-#### has on people, however that doesn’t save individuals who have read the entire play from its anomalous effects. No matter what class of amnestics were administered to subjects, they still somehow recall the play and enter a psychotic state immediately upon viewing an odd symbol that appears to them somewhere in their daily life. This symbol, which exposed individuals have referred to as "the Yellow Sign", is believed by Foundation researchers to be an extension of SCP-####’s anomalous properties, and as such is classified as SCP-####-1.
Little is known about SCP-####-1, other than how it affects people who are exposed to it. Individuals who have read SCP-#### are aware of the existence of SCP-####-1, and have reported seeing it appear to them in multiple different mediums, including in places it couldn't have been before. SCP-####-1 has appeared even to subjects who had Class E amnestics administered to them, who not only recognized the symbol immediately upon viewing it, but recalled all memory of SCP-####.
When someone who has read SCP-#### sees SCP-####-1, the reaction will vary by the individual, though they will always express taking it as “a sign of his coming.” When someone who has not read SCP-#### sees SCP-####-1, they develop an unnatural obsession with determining the meaning of the symbol, which always leads them to seeking out or somehow discovering an instance of SCP-####. Subjects who are exposed to SCP-#### or SCP-####-1 may feel compelled to recreate SCP-####-1, but any of their attempts to do so must be thwarted in any way possible to prevent potential breaches in containment. Even so much as a drawing made from a description of SCP-####-1 is enough to trigger its anomalous effects, and as such, any written descriptions of SCP-####-1 are strictly forbidden.
On top of the psychological effects of SCP-####, every person who has read the play has either died or disappeared without a trace, under circumstances which the Foundation was able to link to at least ██ other similar cases around the world. While some of those deaths were suicides, the majority of deaths were caused by cardiac arrest or murder. Every case of cardiac arrest or murder showed signs of forced entry into the victim’s home, while some of the disappearances and even suicides also showed similar signs of forced entry. Forced entry was always through a door, with the door’s hinges, locks, and other metal components rusted until they fell apart. In a number of those cases, there was an additional corpse on the scene, which had no known connection to the victim and appeared to have been dead for weeks or even months before the victim’s death.
Object History: The SCP Foundation first discovered SCP-####’s anomalous properties after the book developed an infamous reputation among headlines and reviewers in March of 1920. The book quickly spread from New York to the rest of the world, including major cities such as London and France. After an investigation headed by the Foundation indicated a link between the book and thousands of patients being admitted into insane asylums, the book was seized from all outlets which distributed it and a recall was issued. A large majority of the books recovered by the Foundation were successfully destroyed via burning, though a number of copies were kept in order to conduct further research on the anomaly.
The source of this anomaly has yet to be uncovered, though the supposed author of the book, █████ ██████ ███████, committed suicide three months after the book was published, according to death records for the city of New York. All research the Foundation has conducted into finding the cause of the anomalous effects of SCP-#### have yielded no results.
Currently, there are ██ existing instances of SCP-#### known to the Foundation, all of which are contained within Site-██. Despite the Foundation's best efforts to recover as many instances of SCP-#### as possible, more of them keep cropping up even now, making it difficult to ascertain just how well the Foundation has contained this anomaly.
Addendum ####-A: In one of the initial tests conducted by Foundation researchers, one scientist suggested that they try putting a thick sheet of metal between SCP-#### and a test subject in an attempt to block its psychological effects to those near it. Out of the ten different metals they tested, aluminum showed to cut off the effect almost completely, and has since been implemented into containment procedures.
Addendum ####-B: Some of the Foundation’s research scientists hypothesized that SCP-#### may be capable of relocating itself near individuals who have been exposed to SCP-####-1, and have asked containment specialists to add a scale to weigh the inner contents of SCP-####’s safe to ensure no instances of it go missing. So far, there has been no proof of this occurring, and the weight has gone unchanged since the scale’s implementation.
Addendum ####-C: As of [REDACTED], any personnel believed to have read the entirety of SCP-#### are to be terminated in order to avoid [REDACTED]. See Incident Report ####-Alpha for more information.
Additional Files:Incident Report ####-Alpha
Have you found the Yellow Sign?
