The Pandorica

SCP-3677-1 and SCP-3677-4

Item #: SCP-3677

Object Class: Safe

Special Containment Procedures:
At all times, SCP-3677 is to be contained in a Standard Secure Object Locker within Site-73. It is recommended that SCP-3677 be kept in a controlled environment with a temperature that is regulated below 297 Degrees Kelvin with humidity kept at a stable 45% rH. These procedures are in place to prevent erosion, fading or other forms of damage to the materiel of SCP-3677.

Access to SCP-3677 for research purposes requires Security Level 2 clearance. Exposure to harsh light for prolonged periods is prohibited, therefore limiting any sessions with SCP-3677 to a maximum of 10 minutes, with 12 hour intervals. It is strongly advised that any photography of SCP-3677 be carried out without flashing equipment and at low levels of light to minimize exposure. Photographs, digital or printed, of SCP-3677 are to be retained within the Site at all times.

Description:
SCP-3677 consists of a 4 page document written on parchment paper and cut to the approximate dimensions of 270x138mm. Both the ink and the parchment can be radiocarbon dated to a point of origin in the late 19th century. Pages 1 and 4 are near identical illustrations, while the remaining pages are handwritten in Chinese script (Jin dialect). The meaning of the illustrations has yet to be deciphered by Foundation cryptographers but the main body of text has been translated several times over.

The text of SCP-3677 is a political manifesto defending the Qing Dynasty and the “Militia United in Righteousness” (rough translation), more commonly known as [REDACTED]. The text covers a range of topics; from unequal treaties imposed by foreign powers, to religious freedom and the importance of self-discipline. However, SCP-3677-3 contains no overtly political message, but rather a series of linguistically ambiguous lines that, when translated, reveal a set of oblique phrases that can be linked to major historical events. The text within SCP-3677 has been analysed for authenticity and studies conducted by Dr. A. ████████ have placed the publication of SCP-3677 in the year 1900. Given the year of publication, the details enclosed within SCP-3677 regarding future historical events proved so accurate that The Foundation was compelled to recover the object.

Addendum 3677-1: Partial Translation of SCP-3677-3

+ Information classified - Level 2 access only

THE RISING SUN WILL DROWN THE EAGLE

ALL SHALL BREAK THE RIFLE, THEN BUILD IT ANEW

THE SUN WILL BURN TWICE IN FIRE, THEN DROWN IN WATER

THE IMPERIAL SONS SHALL DEVOUR [EAT?] THEIR FATHER

THE EIGHT SHALL BECOME SIX, WHO WILL EAT THE TWO

THE FLAG OF ANOTHER SHALL FLY OVER THE TOWER [PALACE?]

TWICE RISEN, TWICE DEFEATED, THE THIRD TO FALL ONCE AND FOR ALL

THE SWORD SHALL FALL UPON THE CENTER OF THE WORLD

A REQUIEM WILL SOUND FROM THE HILLS 8 TIMES

THE EAGLE WILL DIE IN A DARKENED CAVE, THEN RISE AGAIN IN BLOOD [RED]

THE STARS WILL WALK THE MOON

THE CROSSED FLAG WILL BE LOWERED IN A FINAL RETREAT [DEFEAT?] HOME

THE MANTLE [BANNER?] OF THE WORLD SHALL PASS THRICE

A GREAT WALL WILL RISE AND FALL

THE LEG SHALL BE BROKEN INTO TWO

THE CHAIN WILL VANISH AND THE SLAVES WILL BE FREE

THE JOURNEY ENDS AT MIDNIGHT

A VOYAGER WILL FIND A FELLOW TRAVELLER ON AN EMPTY SEA

MIDNIGHT COMES AT DAWN

AN ARCHER IS ABLE TO MISS ONCE, BUT NOT TWICE

ANOTHER COMES TO SUPPLANT [OVERTAKE?] THE EIGHT

LANDS WILL RISE FROM THE WAVES AND BRING WAR

THE MASTER BECOMES THE SLAVE - THE SLAVE BECOMES THE MASTER

-THE BEIJING CHAPTER-

Addendum 3677-2: Recovery Log

+ Information classified - Level 3 access only

SCP-3677 was initially discovered in 1900 by Lieutenant [REDACTED] of the 12th Battery Royal Field Artillery, during combat intended to break the siege of the Legation Quarter, Beijing. Recovered diary entries reveal that the original authors of the document, who remain unidentified, had performed acts of ritual suicide around site of discovery.

SCP-3677 was then transported via the Royal Navy cruiser HMS [REDACTED] in the care of the Lieutenant, who would be re-deployed to the Transvaal, Dominion of South Africa. Lieutenant [REDACTED]is listed in the casualty report dated 25th December, 1901, at the Battle of Groenkop. SCP-3677, along with the rest of the Lieutenant's personal effects were issued to his widow. SCP-3677 remained in relative obscurity before being donated to the [REDACTED] Museum in 1998. It was during this time as part of the museum's research inventory that the anomalous nature of the object was recorded by Dr. A. ████████. SCP-3677 was brought to the attention of The Foundation when a manuscript entitled The Prophecy of Peking, written by Dr. A. ████████, was forwarded to prospective publishing houses, which was subsequently intercepted by a local Observation Post. Dr. A. ████████ was detained and is currently awaiting release, pending review by the Ethics Committee.

The recovery operation was executed by MTF Rho-1 ("The Professors") on ██/██/██. Recovery of SCP-3677 was carried out successfully and the object was officially recorded to have been lost in an electrical fire, which was staged as part of the recovery mission.

Addendum 3677-3: Update Log

+ Information classified - Level 4 access only

The following notes were submitted to the files of SCP-3677 by Dr. Xie Yizhen.

My initial translations of the document have yielded similar results as previous studies. This particular session was concerned with the lesser analysed details of SCP-3677. Most revealing was the oblique references to the collapse of the Qing Dynasty, which is warned of in the political manifesto. The warnings speak with a degree of certainty - but this remains circumstantial as, given the historical context, it is not an unlikely assumption to make. However, given the direct references to "the coming rule of the peasant", one can't help but speculate and draw a comparison to the present People's Republic. Perhaps I am thinking about this too deeply.

Understanding the era and location in which the object was initially recovered, it has been suggested that this object is somehow related to the [DATA EXPUNGED]. However, there is no evidence yet to substantiate this claim.

Which brings me to a more recent debate within the team assigned to SCP-3677. The reference to a Beijing Chapter has sparked discussion at the possibility of other chapters, other groups, other letters. I will be writing to notify the Site Director of this possibility. The value to The Foundation these letters pose is not to be understated.