SCP-ES-262

Item #: SCP-ES-262

Object Class: Keter

Special Containment Procedures: The movement of SCP-ES-262 is to be tracked via satellite imaging while it remains in an inactive state. MTF Alpha-8 ("Party Animals") are to create a graph of all possible locations where SCP-ES-262 will start an Acherus Event and respond accordingly.

All traffic within 200 meters of the city during an Acherus Event must be redirected under the guise of road maintenance. Civilians within the quarantine area are to be amnesticized following the conclusion of an Acherus event. All calls made to the local police regarding noise complaints must be intercepted.

In the event that an Acherus Event occurs in an uninhabited area, an exclusion zone with a 1 km radius will be implemented for the duration of the event.

Description: SCP-ES-262 is a castle that occupies an area of 275 m² located on a landmass of approximately 465 m². SCP-ES-262 resembles a Gothic castle made almost entirely of human bones. Its five towers have a large human skull at the top, each facing the center of the structure. SCP-ES-262 is typically located at an altitude above 500 meters and moves at about 80 km/h. The structure is intangible for all materials not located on the Earth's mass before its ascension and only becomes tangible during Acherus Events.

SCP-ES-262-1 are animated and sapient human skeletons that inhabit SCP-ES-262. They are able to speak, despite lacking the tissues and muscles needed to vocalize. The observed instances seem to behave in a similar way as they did in life and do not show any noticeable personality changes.

Acherus Events occur every first week of November, during which SCP-ES-262 will approach a currently or previously recognized cemetery¹ and land on the largest unoccupied surface within that place. An Acherus Event will occur in stages, detailed below.

1. SCP-ES-262 lands, becoming tangible. The drawbridge at the front of the structure will come down, and instances of SCP-ES-262-1 will descend.
2. The remains of the deceased will come alive, becoming instances of SCP-ES-262-1. The newly created instances will try to leave their coffins and reach the surface with the help of other instances of SCP-ES-262-1 that are already on the surface.
3. The jaws of the skulls mounted on the turrets of SCP-ES-262 will come down and start playing music of different genres². The eye sockets will produce strobe lights of various colors.
4. Instances of SCP-ES-262-1 will begin to interact, typically within a 60 meter radius of SCP-ES-262. During this time, the instances can be seen going in and out of the structure.
5. The Acherus Event will persist until 4-5 AM local time, after which the turrets will stop playing music and the instances of SCP-ES-262-1 will begin to enter SCP-ES-262.
6. The drawbridge of SCP-ES-262 will be raised once all instances of SCP-ES-262-1 are inside the structure³, and then ascends to become intangible again.

Addendum-262-1: During an Acherus Event on 11/02/2019, the deceased former MTF Alpha-8 agent, Émile Márquez was identified as one of the instances of SCP-ES-262-1 reanimated during the event. During the next Acherus Event, Agent Sam Rogers, who had known Emile Marquez while alive, was sent to the congregation to find and interview Agent Marquez.

During this event, the instances of SCP-ES-262-1 were wearing various disguises.

Display Logs of Interview 1

Interviewee: Agent Émile Márquez

Interviewer: Agent Sam Rogers

<BEGIN LOG>

Latin music can be heard playing in the background.

Agent Rogers: Hello? Excuse me?

No response from any of the present SCP-ES-262-1 instances.

Agent Rogers: [Louder] Hello? Excuse me?! Can you hear me?

An instance of SCP-ES-262-1 dressed as a pirate turns around, dancing and holding a margarita.

SCP-ES-262-1: What's up, fucker?

Agent Rogers: Hi, yes, I was wondering if…

SCP-ES-262-1: Oh shit, man, what a great fleshling costume! That's so fucking radical, dude, I remember being a fleshling! Those were hard times, dude! But man, having a left nut again is nothing compared to this party! And on top of that you're dressed!

SCP-ES-262-1 takes a sip of the margarita, the drink that falls down its neck.

Agent Rogers: I'm sorry, I'm trying to find someone.

SCP-ES-262-1: Well you're in luck, comrade, I know a lot of someones. Who are you looking for?

Agent Rogers: Do you by any chance know an Émile Márquez?

SCP-ES-262-1 stops dancing and looks directly at Agent Rogers.

SCP-ES-262-1: Fuck. Émile. Damn it. Marquez? Hell, I know who Émile Márquez is, man! Shit, man, were you his friend? You want me to go get him?

Agent Rogers: Yes, I would be very grateful.

SCP-ES-262-1: That's so cool, man! Let me go get him right now!

SCP-ES-262-1 enters the multitude of other instances of SCP-ES-262-1 in disguise and is lost.

The instance of SCP-ES-262-1 disguised as a pirate emerges a few minutes later with another instance of SCP-ES-262-1 disguised as a cowboy and carries two party hats inside its chest.

SCP-ES-262-1: This is the guy, my friend!

Agent Rogers: Is that really you, Émile?

Émile: It can't be. No way. Sam?

Émile drops the bottle of tequila in his hand and hugs Agent Rogers

Émile: I didn't think I would ever see you again.

They stop hugging, while Émile makes a movement similar to wiping tears from his face

Agent Rogers: It's certainly not how I expected us to meet again.

Émile: I guess you're not here just to have fun.

Agent Rogers: Sadly, no. They don't let me go to parties while I'm still breathing.

Émile: Damn, man, that reminds me of… Do you remember our adventures?

Agent Rogers: As if I could forget. Listen, the Foundation asked me to interview you. Do you think you can take a minute to let me do that?

Émile: Anything for you, pal. Can I offer you a drink? Marty, get this man a martini. You still like martinis, don't you?

Agent Rogers: No thanks, I'm not supposed to drink on the job. Anyway, let's get started. Do you remember what happened before you became an instance of SCP-ES-262-1?

Émile: Is that what they call us? What an ugly number. I remember when we were still in the double digits. Those were good times. Anyway, to answer your question, I remember dying. I remember being still for a long time until suddenly a skeleton woke me up. I was stripped of my fleshly remains and then it was an endless party. It's been a lot of fun so far, and I'm very happy to be here.

Agent Rogers: Thank you. Do you know if there is someone in charge of all this?

Émile: Oh, of course. The Cadaver Commander. He's the brains of this party and this is his Mobile Assault Necropolis.

Émile points behind himself to SCP-ES-262.

Agent Rogers: Cadaver Commander? Mobile Assault Necropolis? Is this a military operation?

Émile: What? No. We're not trying to wage war or anything. In fact, that's exactly what we're avoiding when we're inside the cemetery.

Agent Rogers: So you are avoiding a war by being inside SCP-ES-262? What kind of war are you avoiding? Is it something the Foundation should worry about?

Émile: Dude, you're at a party. Relax. All this talk about war is no fun for anyone, and the last thing you want to do at one of these parties is to be a buzzkill.

Agent Rogers: Sorry, it's part of my job.

Émile: Look, how about this? I'll take you to Cadaver Commander and he'll tell you about the war. Hell, he's the only one of us who's seen it. But I warn you, he's a little grumpy.

Agent Rogers: Sounds good.

<END LOG>

Display Logs of Interview 2

Interviewee: Cadaver Commander

Interviewer: Agent Sam Rogers

<BEGIN LOG>

Émile: Here is his office. The rest is up to you. I can't go in, nor would I if I could. I hope to see you again, even if they strip you down to your bones!

Agent Rogers: I'll be careful.

Agent Rogers enters the office of Cadaver Commander. The office contains what appears to be various birds, insects, and marine life arranged as trophies. In the background is a table with a chair against the wall.

Cadaver Commander: From the way your bones are silent, I'd say you're a stinky fleshling. Before I rip that flesh off you, tell me who you work for.

Agent Rogers: Sam Rogers, I work for the Foundation. I come in peace.

Cadaver Commander: Émile's rookie also told me that when he was still fleshy and it didn't do him much good

Agent Rogers: Look at me. I have nothing to hurt you with.

Cadaver Commander turns its chair, partially revealing its appearance. It can be seen that he is wearing a military uniform of unknown origin.

Cadaver Commander: Let's see what your bones say, fleshling.

Agent Rogers' bones begin to twist and weave in various ways. Agent Rogers does not suffer external damage.

Agent Rogers: Aaaaaah! I swear I didn't come here to kill you!

Cadaver Commander: Hundreds told me that and the luckiest ones are hanging on the wall. The bones don't tell me if you work for Belbu, Sirgum or Lev-tani and you don't seem to be a follower of the Old Mother either…

Agent Rogers' bones return to their initial position.

Cadaver Commander: I see that you're tanned. I usually leave broken arms and skulls. Let's see your peace offering.

Agente Rogers: Of… offering? Ah, yes, but before I give you the offering, I would like to ask you a few questions.

Cadaver Commander: Spit it out.

Agent Rogers: I'd like to know why you get activated every first week of November. I know there's All Saints' Day and so forth, but I don't think fleshling holidays matter to you?

Cadaver Commander: I can see it in your face that you didn't know Catri and the weirdos of the Company. It's okay, they are very busy people. Well, I was going by when my predecessor was young, he told the fleshy ones of the caves to take care of us to calm their conscience or something like that. The truth is a little more sinister…

Agent Rogers: Don't stop!

Cadaver Commander: Since we die as fleshlings, we live in a constant hell. Those who cannot move fall prey to the worms and if they are bathed by the sun, the flies of Beelzebub invite themselves to a torturous banquet.

Agent Rogers: This should be an advantage, to get rid of the flesh?

Cadaver Commander: Itis painfully obvious you are from the young Foundation. While digging in what was once a cemetery, we found what appeared to be a swarm of flies the size of a human thorax living in a cave. Since we were just bones, we knew they couldn't bite us. Defeating them was easy, but not what came next…

Cadaver Commander: From his guts came out decomposed flesh and skin that cried out in the name of my comrades, carving a mockery of what was his fleshy body. Melting bodies and invading minds. You can still hear the screams of those I had to leave behind if you know where to look.

Agent Rogers: Interesting story, but do you have any evidence to back it up?

Cadaver Commander: And what proof do I have here [Cadaver Commander points to the taxidermy of a fly hanging on the wall behind him.] You've never seen one like this, I assure you. You burn with the desire to touch it and crack it, my fleshy friend, but no one touches my trophies. Got it?

Agent Rogers nods.

Agent Rogers: And would you be so kind as to help find one?

Cadaver Commander: I would, but I would need a good offering in order to continue our recent and lovely friendship.

Cadaver Commander pulls out a piece of paper from a desk drawer and starts crossing out and scribbling on the paper.

Cadaver Commander: Don't worry about the studs, just look at what we want and everything will be fine.

Agent Rogers: I will refer it to my superiors.

Agent Rogers pockets the paper and leaves.

<END LOG>

Note: After this interview, the entity called Cadaver Commander was given the designation of SCP-ES-262-2 .

Addendum-262-2: Below is the content of the list delivered to Agent Rogers:

Greetings government eaicies obskurs grupi foundation. I, the great and illustrious Cadaver Commander ask for your great cooperation against the threat that afflicts us all.

I know these are difficult times, but there is an enemy more dangerous than all of us.

You can't attack it yet, but you can help us with:

Continuous supply of milk Preferably donkey milk or, if it is plant milk, soy milk. We also accept any kind of milk, even human milk. Do not steal the calcium from the milk or we will cut off all communication! And above all, milk NO MAGIC. We take care of the rest.

Exceptional Quality Lime Boats Our turrets require the best lime for the best defense. Don't ask how it works, you'll know that when we are loyal to each other

10 gramophones 10 record players with vinyl 10 walkmans 1 USB with 20GB of music of various genres Music is the best way to scare away the beasts that lurk in our day of rest. Flies from the depths, crows that lodge in minds and whatever is found in the dark waters are only those we have discovered.

Continuous supply of eggs: Only avian type eggs because they have the necessary size to be applied in our operations. Preferably from beings still alive.

Do not burn bodies. A burned body suffers from physical and psychological sequelae during the rest of its service. Although it may seem necessary, it is only used as a last resort.

Each skeleton must be a single consciousness with a single body. We have seen many skeletons with missing or defiled parts. These are usually irrational and hostile and are only used as raw material in our weapons. If you want to keep them, keep them away from cemeteries.

We await your response preferably before our departure.

Yours,

Cadaver Commander

Update: On 06/11/2019, the Foundation agreed to a partnership with SCP-ES-262-2 in exchange for containing and/or neutralizing entities similar to those described in the note. SCP-ES-262-2 accepted in exchange for acquiring instances of SCP-ES-262-1, which was agreed with the transfer of the bodies of D-Class personnel and military personnel of the Foundation to cemeteries designated by SCP-ES-262-2.

List of findings discovered after the alliance with SCP-ES-262-2: After several incursions made with instances of SCP-ES-262-1, the following information was found:

• Several cave systems found in cemeteries in Europe, North and Central America 300 m below ground. It is not known if access to them is related to a recently discovered spatial anomaly.
• Shrapnel and stink bombs of 3-7 cm made of eggshells and rotten yolk.
• Specimens of the family Sarcophagidae with a length of 15-20 cm with thaumaturgical runes engraved all over their body on a microscopic scale. In each stomach, a pocket dimension of variable area was found to contain diverse organic matter composed of decomposing skin and flesh.
• Organic matter composed of skin and flesh. When adhered to a human subject, the matter will begin to grow and the affected subject will progressively suffer from hallucinations and signs of dissociative identity disorder. Following DNA analysis of ███ samples, it was found that 14% belonged to individuals who had died in the last 10 years, 67% in the last 30 years, 9% were found to be descendants of individuals who had died 80 years ago and no matches could be found for the rest of the individuals.
• Screams in various cemeteries in Spain with no apparent origin, classified as psychophonies by individuals unconnected to the anomalous. The instances of SCP-ES-262 assure that they are fallen comrades and it is not possible to rescue them due to unknown causes.

Footnotes

1. including any other place where the remains of the deceased are buried

2. Mostly pop music and music genres common in Latin America.

3. SCP-ES-262 is apparently capable of containing more instances of SCP-ES-262-1 than a structure of its size is physically capable of. It is believed that the interior has a spatial anomaly.