SCP-1625
Tradition
Object Class: Esoteric
Special Containment Procedures
SCP-1625 itself cannot be contained due to its incorporeal nature. All members of the Amaski tribe, as well as their descendants, are contained at the former Quarantine Area of Site-37. As of this date (20██/1/17), there are fifty-three (53) individuals of the tribe living at the containment site, who are to be provided standard living arrangements for on-site personnel, including food, water and shelter. The current containment area consists of fifty three (53) cells for members of the tribe, which are their personal living areas. Amaski members are allowed contact with each other under supervision in the Site-37 cafeteria, however, multiple guards must be present at all times to prevent "spread" of SCP-1625. Guards are stationed around the living site, and are to refrain from using lethal force unless authorized (see Security Document 371-A: "Appropriate Security Measures During Minor Containment Breaches of Non-Anomalous Individuals").
Under no circumstances outside of official testing are any Amaski descendants permitted to pass on oral or written tradition. Site security performs containment area search and sweeps for any possible recordings or documents of SCP-1625 once a week. Any Amaski members who are discovered attempting to record SCP-1625 are to be immediately reassigned to D-Class status following approval by Site Director Easton.
Foundation operatives are currently searching for additional ethnic members of the clan, though a majority have been found and taken into Foundation custody (███ out of an estimated ███, approximately 85%). All agents who believe they have encountered an Amaski descendant are to acquire a DNA sample and send the sample to Bio Site-4 for testing. If the individual is confirmed as being of at least ten (10) percent Amaski descent, Foundation agents are to secure and escort the subject to Site-37.
SCP-1625-1 is secured at Observation Site-1625, located near ██████, Kenya. The site is currently presented to the public as an archaeological dig in the nearby █████ area. Any testing performed involving SCP-1625 is to be relayed to Site-1625 immediately so researchers may locate SCP-1625-1. If a SCP-1625-1 instance develops on site, all personnel are instructed to remove samples with caution and send them to Bio Site-4.
Description
SCP-1625 is an oral tradition within the Amaski tribe of Kenya. Said tradition consists of a mythic story, explaining the history of the tribe's ethnarch, known as ███ (translating roughly to "originator") and the creation of the Amaski people. The anomalous features of SCP-1625 are only apparent when an individual attempts to recount it. All individuals who attempt to "pass on" SCP-1625 will provide a different ending for the story (for documentation, refer to Testing Log 1625-1). There have been no documented 'repeat' endings, i.e. those which appear more than once from different individuals. SCP-1625 follows a consistent structure for all retellings, beginning with ███ being held in slavery in "the north", followed by his escape, his founding of the Amaski tribe, and the liberation of the Amaski people from slavery. The "standard" story ends after this point, with each speaker providing their own ending.
The secondary trait of SCP-1625 is its genetic transfer. SCP-1625 is inherently known by any individual who is at least ten (10) percent descended from an Amaski member, even if they have received no previous knowledge of SCP-1625. Attempts at using amnestics have met with failure, as afflicted subjects will remember the legend after several days. For this reason, all genetic Amaski members are to be secured at Site-37.
SCP-1625-1 is a corpse, identified as that of an African male, and understood to be that of ███, patriarch of the Amaski tribe. A new instance of SCP-1625-1 will be created appear after any attempt to pass on the ███ legend. The body will continually appear at Site 1625, though the specific location varies. The condition of the body, as well as any objects surrounding it or inscriptions in the area, varies, and will change each time SCP-1625 is "passed on". The location will often change with SCP-1625-1, with the body being located, in several cases, in either a large mausoleum, a common grave, or buried several feet underground in a nondescript location. While anomalous, SCP-1625-1 is to be considered a standard corpse and handled as such. Following the events of Incident 1625-1, personnel are to treat SCP-1625-1 instances with extreme caution until the specimen can be safely secured. It is unknown as of writing how SCP-1625-1 is continually transferred to Site-1625, though research at Site-37 is ongoing.
Testing Log 1625-1:
Subject: Ethnic Amaski member Adhra Abasi
Summary: Subject was asked to inform Junior Researcher Marrson about his ancestral story. After relating the "standard" story, the speaker's legend continued with ███ taking many wives and living into old age, until one of his unfaithful wives (identified as █████) poisoned him using guaya (Lathyrus sativus, the Indian pea).
SCP-1625-1 Results: SCP-1625-1 was discovered in an ornate above ground tomb, featuring carvings along the walls, picturing ███'s burial, and █████'s execution. SCP-1625-1 was found with no external injuries, though later testing revealed large amounts of guaya in SCP-1625-1's stomach, as well as evidence that neurolathyrism was the cause of death (a full list of autopsies performed on SCP-1625-1 is located in Document 1625-78C).
Subject: Junior Researcher Marrson
Summary: Following the above test, Junior Researcher Marrson was asked to write down a summary of the legend. Marrson proceeded to repeat the same story related to him by Adhra Abasi. However, once he reached the point following the "liberation", his written account diverged. ███ became a tyrant of the people, according to the written account (and Junior Researcher Marrson upon questioning), and committed atrocities against his people. The legend goes into graphic detail, denouncing ███ and his actions, as well as describing his arrest, trial, and death. Junior Reseacher Marrson claimed that the account was the same as the one he learned of three (3) hours prior.
SCP-1625-1 Results: SCP-1625-1 was found in a common grave, and the body showed signs of extreme mutilation. Among the injuries sustained were several broken bones, a crudely amputated leg, third degree burns and [REDACTED]. No markings were present nearby, nor were there any artifacts.
Incident 1625-1: On 1993/11/5, during routine tests involving SCP-1625, an ethnic Amaski member (Joseph West) created what is now Document 1625-A-3, a transcript of SCP-1625. The "ending" in said document stated that there was a plague which afflicted the Amaski tribe, that eventually killed over ███ people before being stopped via quarantine.
Following standard procedure, the research team at Site-1625 searched for and located SCP-1625-1 in a previously undiscovered tomb. The tomb was sealed off and placed underground, and was seemingly carved out of the surrounding rock. Inscriptions along the walls described a disease with symptoms similar to those of the bubonic plague, though several qualities were similar to [REDACTED]. The inscriptions also gave multiple warnings addressing the body of ███. SCP-1625-1 itself was found several dozen feet underground with ███ other corpses and returned to the surface for testing. Seven (7) other corpses were also moved above ground for additional testing.
After four (4) days, the head researcher of Site-1625, Dr. Betros, requested additional medical supplies due to staff illness. Supplies were sent from nearby Site-91, escorted by MTF-Beta-9 (aka "Dead Reckoning", equipped and trained to handle dead or undead entities). Upon arrival, Beta-9 discovered the members of the research staff were infected with the disease detailed in Document 1625-A-3, and Site-1625 was deemed a quarantine area. Members of MTF-Beta-9 carried out Procedure 37-Romeo, and new staff members were brought in to replace the previous researchers. On 1993/11/15, the current procedures were approved for Site-1625 and for the Amaski tribe. The tribe, along with twelve (12) descendants, was moved to Site-37 on 1994/4/17.
Incident 1625-2: On 2006/9/28, Researcher Gerret compared genetic testing from an instance of SCP-1625-1 to a sample acquired in 1953. Gerret found the samples to be from two different individuals, and further testing has shown that each instance of SCP-1625-1 possesses a separate genetic code. In ██ cases, samples from SCP-1625-1 have been matched with missing persons from various parts of the world. It is unknown how these individuals were transported to Site-1625, how they developed the appearance of SCP-1625-1 (a majority of the missing persons were not of African descent), or how they sustained the injuries documented in SCP-1625-1. Further funding and analysis has been approved by O5 as of 2007/7/9.
Addendum 1625-1 On 2009/8/15, SCP-1625 was officially reclassified as Keter due to its rate of spread, danger to other individuals, and inability to be contained. For further information, refer to Dr. Anderson at Site-37 and Document 1625-K4 ("Reclassification Measures").