2018/06/01 - PM02:17
Early summer. A beautiful aroma peculiar to summertime was beginning to be faintly fragrant at Site-PL-69, the center of the Baltic Sea containment operations. Only about two months remained until the long vacation. Of course, as is the usual with Foundation personnel, there is a risk that a single outburst of some anomaly could destroy the entire summer plan… but then again, summer vacations are always fascinating for everyone. And summer cannot be complete without the sea.
What is the sea? The contrast of white sandy beaches, light blue sky and yellow sunshine. A cold sweet flavor slips down your throat amidst the soothing sound of the waves. Green grass and trees grow to the sky with vigor, making this landscape even more vivid.
For an old man named Jędrzej Schultz, the sea was nothing like that. Well, maybe only Tymbark Apple Mint was Schultz's clear tropical favorite… Anyway, for him it is never an elegant summer companion.
For him, the sea was a place of endless wonders, more secretive the further in he went, and a provider of salmon and mackerel to make sandwiches with. The last few years had made that idea especially deep and rich as he had been working on the most important discoveries of his life.
The Baltic Trench. Anyone with some familiarity with these waters would snicker and say they are shallow, averaging 180 feet. But on his side of the Veil, things are a bit different.
A depth of 13 kilometers. The research vessel under his command discovered it eight years ago. A huge, fat maw that looked like as if it was about to swallow up any kind of giant. Since then, time had passed unbelievably fast, but understandably he had never been bored. He became the head of a site in the trench, contained all sorts of strange schools of fish and deep-sea creatures, encountered an underwater-adapted Fae tribe, and three years ago had to deal with an unfortunate incident that resulted in the flooding of the site. It was truly an eight-year period that was like a wild horse.
Out of habit, he reached into his coat pocket for a pipe, then quickly remembered that he was underwater, 400 meters below the surface. It would not be appropriate to smoke aboard the research vessel. Instead he began to enjoy the rest of his lunch, which had been left on the table in front of him. The taste of bread, tomatoes, and grilled salmon filled his mouth. The thick flavor of the sauce was vertically pungent, but the delicate flavor of the red fish was clearly horizontally extended. Delicious, this salmon was one of his catches at the Foundation's fishing club on his last vacation.
"Sir, did you not have enough lunch?"
Paziewski looked at Schultz with his characteristic smile. The leader of MTF Gamma-9, one of the marine anomaly containment experts. An honest man who deserves both trust and credibility.
"Nah, at my age I can't eat everything at once. Oh well, it would be a shame to eat the feast too soon."
"I suppose you caught that "feast" yourself?"
It was no secret that Schultz was an avid fishing enthusiast, a fact known not only to Paziewski but also to most of the staff; Paziewski, however, was also a friend who was willing to accompany him in his hobby.
"You want to come too? I've just recently found a good spot."
Once summer starts in earnest, mullet, bream and hake will become catchable. A long vacation should allow him to try fishing from early in the morning all day long. As in past years, he hoped to enjoy this irreplaceable time again this year… unless something unexpected happened.
"What is that?"
An unpleasant tension flared up in the room. Paziewski immediately approached the crew who uttered the words and peered into the footage.
"A structure… No, it's moving. But this size… No way."
"Fifteen… no, at least seventeen meters."
The sea, for better or worse, did not seem to bore him.
Special Containment Procedures: No procedure has been established. An operation to secure URA-3843-JP is currently being developed by the assigned team.
Description: URA-3843-JP is a large ichthyomorphic entity that is presumed to be a deity.1 According to recovered historical data, URA-3843-JP has been active in the Baltic Sea since at least around 270,000 BC, indicating that it is an extremely persistent divine entity. Although it is unknown if there are any religious groups or individuals worshipping URA-3843-JP, the highly active nature of URA-3843-JP suggests that it is likely that medium to large worship activities still exist. Research is ongoing.
Addendum: History
URA-3843-JP was catalogued during the 12th expedition to the Baltic Sea Trench (Conducted on: 2018/06/01), which was part of the ongoing efforts following its discovery by the Foundation2 on 2010/04/10. The Foundation research vessel observed a large fish-like entity on several occasions and classified it as URA-3843-JP due to its unidentified scale and the fact that such an organism had never been found in the Baltic Sea.
Research conducted by the Department of History has uncovered a folkloric aspect to URA-3843-JP. After focusing on the extensively compiled materials, the department staff noted that URA-3843-JP was likely to have appeared offshore or coastal areas of the Baltic Sea in the past. Three research logs are excerpted below for reference purposes.
The Great Sea (Wielkie Morze)
Acquisition: Transcribed at the Wanderer's Library3, 2008/05/26.
The Great Sea (Wielkie Morze) is a series of poems dedicated to a deity symbolizing the sea, composed in an unknown period around 275,000 BCE in the territory that is now known as northern Poland. It is written in ancient Fae language, and its style and emblem suggest that the author was likely a member of the aristocracy.
The theme of the poems artistically glorifies a deity known as the Sea Lord, and expresses that Fae, who are protected by it, have superiority over Yeren and Humans. The author appears to hold strong patriotic sentiments toward the Fae Empire4, often worshipping the Sea Lord as another aspect or style of Queen Mab. Most notable is the reference to an "all-eating" monster treated as a faithful servitor of the Sea Lord, which bears a strong resemblance to URA-3843-JP. If the poem is true, it indicates that a significant number of Humans were sacrificed to the "all-eating one" for offerings to the Sea Lord during this period. Although information is scarce, it is presumed that a faction of Fae who thrived along the coast of the Baltic Sea were responsible for the sacrificial practice.
However, several different interpretations of the relationship between the Sea Lord and Queen Mab have been proposed, and it is possible that the Sea Lord is actually a portrayal of a different anomaly. A more comprehensive study is scheduled, as adopting such an interpretation would create discrepancies with the known documents.
Notes on Revelation (Uwagi na temat Objawienia)
Acquisition: Document integration for the establishment of the SCP Foundation, 1870/12/29.
Portrait of John Dee (1527-1608).
Notes on Revelation (Uwagi na temat Objawienia) is a travel memoir written by John Dee5 in the 1580s. He was traveling through the Kingdom of Poland with occultist Edward Kelly at the time, and his account suggests that this memoir was inspired by his observations of URA-3843-JP.
His understanding of the elemental forces, a fundamental concept in alchemy, allowed him to attribute URA-3843-JP to the water element and to compare it with the traditions and deities of European countries. The actual sighting of a deity seemed to be an extremely shocking experience for him, and a document he wrote during this period records his own analysis of URA-3843-JP as "the king of Topielec6, the marvel of the waters."
Following John Dee's death, the document was recovered by one of the normality inquisition agencies of the time and stored in England. URA-3843-JP had long been considered a powerful and brutal "demon" by the inquisitors and had been expunged from public knowledge.
Report on an Unidentified Entity in the Baltic Sea: 1942-1944 (Berichte über unbekannte Entitäten in der Ostsee: 1942-1944)
Acquisition: Seizure of documents following the dismantling of Obskurakorps, 1945/02/03.
Report on an Unidentified Entity in the Baltic Sea: 1942-1944 (Berichte über unbekannte Entitäten in der Ostsee: 1942-1944) refers to a comprehensive compilation of reports related to the discovery of URA-3843-JP as documented and analyzed by Obskurakorps. It describes the appearances of URA-3843-JP in the Baltic Sea bordering West Pomerania Voivodeship in German-occupied Poland, and the initial report attracted the interest of certain high-ranking Nazi Party officials who were well-versed in the occult. This was supported by the literature on paranormal entities collected by Obskurakorps, and various approaches using thaumaturgy and folk sorcery were attempted. Many of these approaches were conducted to intentionally call URA-3843-JP to coastal waters by some means, while several were explicitly aimed at summoning URA-3843-JP as a biological weapon.
However, their research was gradually curtailed by the deteriorating war situation for Germany, and the project was completely discontinued in July 1944. Documents that escaped destruction indicate that a dangerous ritualistic intervention was carried out in the closing days of the project, which resulted in the obliteration of several Obskurakorps members by URA-3843-JP.
Based on these materials, the assigned personnel devised several thaumaturgy-based interaction attempts. However, these approaches to securing the subject were fruitless and containment efforts proved difficult. The following is a meeting transcript (Date: 2018/07/14) regarding this matter.
[The video shows the meeting room in the Gamma Sector at Site-PL-69. A circular table and eight chairs can be seen in the center of the modern meeting room. Director Jędrzej Schultz is seated in the chair positioned in the upper right corner of the video. Director Schultz is wearing a light blue and white striped shirt and is drinking a glass of cold Tymbark Apple Mint.]
[The door opens and Dr. Bogusław Kubica and Captain Konrad Paziewski enter; Dr. Kubica, who is clearly confused by Director Schultz's outfit, sits down in a chair across from him. Captain Paziewski does the same.]
Dir. Schultz: It's rare that we are all here on time. Now let's get down to business, I'd like to hear your report on the current URA-3843-JP containment analysis.
Cpt. Paziewski: Yes, sir. The ichthyomorphic entity designated URA-3843-JP in early June of this year remains uncontained. The entity has been observed to be active in the deep waters of the Baltic Trench and, notably, it occasionally-
Dr. Kubica: Wait a minute. I didn't expect that you wouldn't explain anything about the Director's particular style.
Dir. Schultz: We are in the middle of July, which means it's extremely hot. Old people like me have to watch out for the sun.
Dr. Kubica: I remember that the meeting room at this site was 8,500 meters underwater.
Dir. Schultz: Can't wear a marine-esque coat all year round. Just looking at you guys makes me feel awfully hot.
Dr. Kubica: You are the captain and site director, the head of about a hundred people on this site.
Cpt. Paziewski: [Coughs] Gentlemen… may I continue?
[Everyone in the room goes silent. Captain Paziewski looks at them and resumes his report.]
Cpt. Paziewski: The anomaly occasionally appears in relatively shallow areas of the ocean, from 200 to 1,000 meters deep, namely the twilight zone.7 Timed to coincide with this activity, basic to high-level ritualistic summoning attempts, luring through symbols, practical divination, interference with its existence through paradoxical worship, and even the 'Law of Attraction' have been implemented to date as containment operations, all of which have proven to be of little or no effect.
Dr. Kubica: The situation is tense. An unknown deity is lurking in the trench. We lack all information about what it is doing and what it can do, but we know for sure that it is certainly dangerous.
[About 8 seconds of silence. Director Schultz slowly looks at Dr. Kubica.]
Dir. Schultz: Dr. Kubica, what do you believe this anomaly to be?
Dr. Kubica: My view? I think it is not much different from those of other researchers.
[Dr. Kubica turns to several pages of the document at his hand.]
Dr. Kubica: A kind of ontokinetic entity that is closely linked to the water element. A detailed categorization may be premature, but based on historical descriptions it would probably be Class ⊿, roughly equivalent to Keter-Danger.
Dir. Schultz: If that's the case… what strategy do you think we should adopt?
Dr. Kubica: Um… given the fact that the early standard means of securing and containing deities was unsuccessful… more intensive countermeasures must be taken, I would think. But activating anti-divine weaponry underwater is… well, it's not a wise choice. The most effective way is to cut off the supply of faith to it.
Cpt. Paziewski: But unfortunately, scrutiny of membership data for known groups-of-interest has not turned up any worshipers of URA-3843-JP at all, let alone cult-like secret societies. Literally zero clues.
Dr. Kubica: Another abhorrent antimeme! Or some cognitive inhibition. I have no idea how many applications I'd have to fill out to borrow that kind of testing equipment… perhaps we'll have to spend our entire vacation working on this one…
Dir. Schultz: You may not need to go through those procedures, Doctor.
Dr. Kubica: [Adjusting his attitude] I appreciate it. But then you'd have to write at least three complicated forms, Director?
Dir. Schultz: [Smiles subtly] No, that's not what I said. I mean that we could devise a different containment approach. No proof that it would be effective, but I suppose it's not such a far-fetched idea if so many different approaches have been considered so far.
Dr. Kubica: Oh, really? Let me hear it.
Dir. Schultz: Dr. Kubica, have you ever gone boat fishing?
[Dr. Kubica becomes silent with a deadpan expression on his face, while Director Schultz and Captain Paziewski look at each other and laugh aloud.]
At the decision of Site Director Jędrzej Schultz, their approach was changed to a more classical method, specifically an attempt to capture a physical entity. Members of Mobile Task Force Gamma-9 ("Caught Herrings") were assembled by Captain Paziewski, and the capture operation was launched three days after the above-mentioned meeting.
[00:00]: Site-PL-69's entity detection field detects the movement of a large entity at a depth of around 1,000 meters. Almost simultaneously with the detection, footage of the entity is transmitted to the Site Command. Although the footage is unclear, the entity is determined to be URA-3843-JP based on the stocked dynamic data.
Foundation research vessel during the operation in the trench.
[01:56]: MTF Gamma-9 members, who were on standby for the containment operation, board the Foundation Research Vessel. URA-3843-JP is traveling at a depth of 900 meters.
[02:33]: The Foundation research vessel departs from Site-PL-69. A hunk of meat is suspended directly below the research vessel from an attached mechanical arm.
[05:29]: The Foundation research vessel is standing by at a depth of approximately 200 meters. During the same time, part of Scranton Reality Anchors and Asheworth-Rivera Conduits, both operating as the invisible barrier in the Marine Life Conservation Zone at the same depth, are shut down by the personnel.
[09:08]: URA-3843-JP rises to a depth of around 550m.
[13:20]: URA-3843-JP approaches to a depth of 200 meters where the Foundation research vessel is located. The distance between the Foundation research vessel and URA-3843-JP is approximately 70 meters; the Foundation research vessel crew is instructed to approach URA-3843-JP.
[14:04]: The Foundation survey vessel approaches significantly closer to URA-3843-JP.
[14:46]: URA-3843-JP suddenly approaches the Foundation research vessel. Half of the invisible barrier in the Marine Life Conservation Zone are shut down.
[15:38]: The Foundation research vessel increases its speed in response to that of URA-3843-JP. At the same time, the invisible barrier in the Marine Life Conservation Zone are completely shut down.
[16:13]: As soon as the Foundation research vessel enters the Marine Life Conservation Zone, a hunk of meat is detached from the mechanical arm. URA-3843-JP enters the Conservation Zone and quickly moves toward the hunk of meat. All systems producing the invisible barrier are reactivated.
