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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
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.