SCP-830-JP

Mt. ███████, the area that SCP-830-JP appears.

Item#: SCP-830-JP

Object Class: Euclid

Special Containment Procedures: The area affected by SCP-830-JP is to be blocked and patrolled by 5 security personnel - a cover story about wild bears has been recommended. Any trespassers are to be immediately detained, questioned, and administered Class A amnestic. At 20:00 on 08/30 every year, Security personnel are to speedily withdraw from the affected area. When SCP-830-JP manifested, it is to be observed via stationary security cameras on the top of Mt. ████, a neighboring mountain of Mt. ███████; direct observation of SCP-830-JP is never allowed.

As soon as the manifestation of SCP-830-JP is confirmed, an autopilot strategic bomber is to take off in the guise of normal aircraft and start bombing SCP-830-JP by incendiary bombs. Fireworks displays are to be held throughout surrounding area, under the cover stories of "Village revitalization campaign" and "Remembrance festival in memory of the fall of ███████ Castle". After the protocol execution, the surrounding areas are to be monitored to ensure that the local citizen didn't notice the anomalous phenomenon. If someone notices the anomaly, use of Class A amnestic is approved.

Description: SCP-830-JP is a structure with the appearance of a Japanese castle of the Azuchi–Momoyama period that manifests on the top of Mt. ███████ of ████████ Prefecture, Japan. SCP-830-JP only materializes from 21:00 on 08/30 to 03:00 on 08/31¹ every year.

The current area of SCP-830-JP is approximately 150,000m² and it consists of various kuruwa (including honmaru with a height of 55m, ninomaru and sannomaru), watchtowers and fortifications. Due to its current expanded armaments, it is believed that it is extremely difficult to bring down by the frontal attack using the arms of Azuchi-Momoyama era. Many banners have been discovered in various places of SCP-830-JP; and all banners are decorated with emblems, which have been identified as that of warlords who had served to the ██████ Family.

Upon the manifestation of SCP-830-JP, any other objects in the area temporary disappear. In the past, the Foundation installed the explosives beforehand to blow up SCP-830-JP - this plan failed when the explosives vanished by above-mentioned phenomenon. Disappeared objects will be re-appear when SCP-830-JP de-manifests.

Photo of an SCP-830-JP-1 instance, recovered from Shūshū-In.

████ instances of humanoid entity wearing the armor of Azuchi-Momoyama era (referred to as SCP-830-JP-1) exist in SCP-830-JP. SCP-830-JP-1 instances are armed with the common weapons for Azuchi-Momoyama era (katana, bow and arrows, matchlock, etc) and extremely hostile against any people approaching SCP-830-JP. SCP-830-JP-1 instances do not display abnormal physical resistance and can be killed like normal human by fatal wounds. Furthermore, the commander of SCP-830-JP-1 instances always can be found somewhere in the honmaru. If the commander instance is neutralized or ██% of SCP-830-JP is destroyed, SCP-830-JP will "fall" and de-manifest early.

Upon the de-materialization, individuals who are inside SCP-830-JP appear in the anomaly's manifestation area in the state of unconscious. All attempts for recording the de-materialization from the inside of SCP-830-JP ended in failure due to the malfunction of recording devices by unknown causes.

If a sapient individual makes direct visual contact with SCP-830-JP, they will be compelled to seek out any available tools and use those tools as weapons to attack SCP-830-JP; Class A amnestic or the de-materialization of SCP-830-JP can neutralize this effect. Usually, affected civilian are killed by SCP-830-JP instances at the main gate. Once killed, victims vanish immediately - and manifest as SCP-830-JP-1 instances the following years.

If SCP-830-JP has not "fallen" when it demanifests, following manifestations will experience a slight size increase. Documents recovered from Shūshū-In have shown that SCP-830-JP was expanded ██ times in total to date.

SCP-830-JP was handed over from Shūshū-In in 18██. Recovered documents state that this anomaly is originated from the grudge of ████████ Kitabatake, the lord of ███████ Castle and one of the vassals of ██████ Family. In 15██, despite Kitabatake's adoption of a defensive strategy, his castle fell in one night by a novel tactic of ███'s army. According to further details, its current anomalous property first occurred in 1615, at the point ███████ Castle was abolished by the Ikkoku Ichijo Rei². Before this, SCP-830-JP had been manifested as phantom samurais in ███████ Castle.

+ Recovered Document 830

The following excerpts are written about developments of the former containment procedure by Shūshū-In. Texts were translated into modern English.

1616/8/30
We started sealing the "One Night Castle" (#███). Different from reports of last year, manifested ███████ Castle has an additional watchtower. As this anomaly is based on the grudge of ████████ Kitabatake about his defeat in 15██, we tried to exorcise by the prayer. Immediately after seeing #███, however, the priest rushed at the castle while brandishing his Ōnusa; as a matter of course, he was killed by the phantoms and disappeared. While we sadly couldn't develop effective measures this year, it is a consolation that their matchlock guns had been disabled by heavy rain.

1617/8/30
This year, a new kuruwa added to ███████ Castle. Victory of the besieged army on last year may energize Lord Kitabatake. Our talismans successfully guarded us from the urge to attack mindlessly, but the castle had been no change despite the prayer throughout the night. Same as last year, the castle vanished at three in the morning. Prayer seems to be ineffective against #███.

1618/8/30
███████ Castle expanded its main gate this year. Based on the fact that the vassals of ██████ Family had formerly sealed the ghosts by armed interference, we sent an army and subdued them. In view of the record of 1616, some magics were exercised for bringing the rain and rendering their guns unusable. Siege was a success; we slayed ████████ Kitabatake with minimal loss of life. #███ disappeared without waiting for three o'clock.

1619/8/30
Despite we killed the Lord last year, ███████ Castle manifested again. it seems to not expand itself this time, though; probably Lord Kitabatake extends the castle only when his defense tactic succeeded. We attacked at a same method to last year and killed him once again, easily.

[…]

1748/8/30
Conventional procedures for sealing #███ began to pose many problems. Phantoms are getting used to our strategy year by year, and now, the castle extended its scale to almost same size with Kasugayama Castle of Uesugi Family due to our several failures. Regular tactics are no longer efficient; it will increase the unnecessary casualties. And so, we adopted ████'s proposal and dispatched a team of assassins. We had to take a big risk, but the result was a great success. We got no victims tonight. These tactics must be executed every year.

[…]

18██/8/30
Assassination teams have difficulties lying ahead. Lord Kitabatake finally placed himself under an escort, and started to prepare body doubles (that being said, I think he was rather slow to take countermeasures). Last year we suffered an unexpected defeat, allowing the expansion of castle for the first time in ██ years. We barely succeeded to find and kill him this year - but, in this situation, the sufficient management of #███ will become impossible. Worse, the negotiation with American so-called "Foundation" is not going well recently. We can push all of this matter onto them, maybe?

Initially, subjugation and exploration had been tasked to multiple Foundation mobile task forces.

In 19██, shortly after Foundation Manufacturing Department developed the high-powered incendiary bomb to contain SCP-███-JP, Dr. ████ proposed its diversion to the containment of SCP-830-JP, by combining autopilot bombers provided from U.S. Military. In following year, Dr. ████'s proposal was put into action and SCP-830-JP "fell" without any problem. Thereafter, current Special Containment Procedures were established.

Addendum: 20██/8/30, ██ years after the establishment of Special Containment Procedures, a wooden sign materialized in the SCP-830-JP area after the bombing.

S T O P

Next year of this incident, usual containment protocol was executed and no further anomalous deviation was observed. Thus, Special Containment Procedures have not been updated.

Footnotes

1. Japan Standard Time (JST).

2. Literally meaning "Law of One Castle per Province".