SCP-8140: “Burial Goods - Part One”

Hey everyone, it's Pacific, and welcome back to another episode of SCP Archives. And thank you so much for joining us this week, and for all weeks, and every week that you listen. I've recorded like four of these. I haven't gotten it quite right, so bear with me as I exist in this temporal loop. Anyways, I have a very special announcement today. Because it's July, and my birthday is a little later this month,

I'm always looking for fun new ways to like, you know, reward our patrons for helping us make this show and like make this all possible. So as a little... Birthday treat from me to all of you. This month, we'll be sending out our first ever batch of SCP Polaroids. I don't know if I can actually call them Polaroids, but, you know, photos. We have two photos designed by our wonderful artist, Valdivia Arts. The first is of SCP-173, or as you know him, Peanut. But maybe not...

As you know him, this is a new rendition of everyone's favorite SCP, one that is much more haunting and bloody and honestly quite terrifying. And the second, of course, is that of SCP-6000. The Serpent, The Mouse, and The Wanderers. That is a design that Val did with Rounder House, one of the writers on the SCP wiki, which obviously made it into the 6,000 slot. So...

We have two really cool photos that we'll be shipping to all of our patrons. It's printed on like real photo page. This is nerdy, but like it's got a little photo paper wiggle. I don't know. That's the thing I get excited about anyways. If you're a patron or if you sign up to be a patron anytime between now and July, I have to look at my calendar, July 17th, that is two weeks from when you're hearing this.

you will be getting these two very, very special, very exclusive, maybe like one time only Polaroids in the mail. We're going to try it out. We're going to see how it goes. And if this batch goes well, we're going to try and do more of these in the future. So if you want to sign up to be part of our experiment or just get like a really cool piece of SCP ephemera, you can learn more by visiting our Patreon.

at patreon.com slash scp underscore pod there's also a link to our patreon in the show notes below um or you know you can just google scp archives patreon um i think it'll all kind of bring you to the same place. But yeah, anyways, all of our patrons, that's everyone $5 and above. We'll be getting two really cool little Polaroids mailed to you.

We mail worldwide, so no matter where you are, I will make sure this Polaroid gets into your hands. And yeah, that's, I don't know, I'm really excited. I'm really excited to see you. what everyone thinks of these pictures. I spent like months finding a photo lab that prints on real photo paper. I'm really excited about this nerdy stuff. Anyways, if you want to get your own Polaroid,

check out our Patreon. If you're already a member that supports us, thank you so much for donating and supporting our show. And there's a Polaroid with your name on it, probably in the mail right now. So anyways, stay tuned for that. You have until July 17th, that is two weeks from now, to sign up at patreon.com slash scp underscore pod. Anyways, again, a very happy birthday to me. That's not right.

thank you so much for supporting the show. It is wild that I've got to spend yet another incredible year making this show and I couldn't do it without you. So as a little celebration for you and for me, um, yeah. Get some cool merch, my birthday present to you. Up next, a quick ad break, and then this week's episode. Oh, this is part one of two, so make sure you come back next week and check out part two. All right. Enjoy.

Site 91, Medical Center, October 2nd, 2003. How is Orit? I won't lie to you, Dr. Linkwitz. Your brother was seriously injured. I have to warn you, or it isn't pretty. He's suffered some unexpected side effects from the anomaly. Jesus Christ, what's happening to him? We don't know all the details. We're still waiting for access to the anomaly containment file. All we know is it happened during the breach.

In addition to the mutations, he's suffered significant blunt trauma and has first-degree burns over 20% of his body. Oh my god. I... I can't believe this. I know it's hard, but we're going to need you to give some details on his medical history. Of course, I'll help any way I can. Is he going to be okay? Too early to say. I don't want to give you any false hope.

He still has some internal bleeding and we need to get those things off him. We plan to resolve both issues in surgery this evening. What's that device? It's a Scranton reality anchor. Just a precaution to prevent further mutations. He's able to breathe on his own, but we also have him intubated and monitored just in case. What's that noise? What's happening?

The anomaly just flared! It's taking over his system! Do something! Security! Please remove Dr. Liquid! Get your hands off me! What's happening? It's breaking loose! Oh, fuck, goddammit, tell me what's happening. Doctor, please. Site-91.

Office of Director Varga, November 10th, 2004. You're sure about this? You really think you're ready to come back? Of course. It's been over a year. I wouldn't be here if I wasn't ready. The psychological report says you're fit for duty. But they're concerned you might have lingering post-traumatic stress. Have you ever lost anyone?

Like this? Yes. In this way? He was pretty badly. I've lost colleagues in containment breaches before. It's hard to get to this point without witnessing at least a handful of... Horrific deaths. The deaths of colleagues. I know it's not the same. It really isn't. And that's not the point. The point is that after something terrible happens, we eventually have to move on and get back to work. That's the point I'm at now. Look, I know this was a deeply personal traumatic event, and you seem fine.

But you also refused amnestic treatment. The pain of seeing what happened to your brother could be deleted from your mind. Permanently. No. I need to remember what we're fighting against. What's at stake? That containment breach was preventable. I'm sorry. So why come back now? Cabin fever? Exhaustion. The need to be productive again. Take your pick. Sitting around at home, I have nothing to do but think about what happened. I'm ready to do something else.

There's an archaeological dig in Turkey where we've just discovered some new anomalous artifacts. A project leader hasn't been assigned yet. Oh, well, let me have a look. Gurbleki Tepe. That's the one. Looks like a fairly straightforward project. And you're right. No one has been assigned to it yet. As I understand it, the job should mainly involve overseeing the cataloging and study of some new artifacts. How did you find out about this? A friend at the Turkish Ministry of Health tipped me off.

We both have the necessary clearance. And you think this is the kind of work that will ease you back in? Yes, absolutely. That's why I chose it. All right, you're qualified for a simple job like this. I'm assigning you as project leader as long as you're sure you're over what happened. Yes, of course. I can't change the past, right?

Item number, SCP-8140. Object class, safe. Classified level 5, top secret. Special containment procedures. Access to instances of SCP-8140s restricted to assigned research personnel. Personnel assigned to SCP-8140 are permitted to study the artifacts in the collection provided that appropriate measures are taken to prevent direct contact between the researcher and the object.

At the discretion of the senior researcher individuals may be selected from the research team to study the effects of direct physical exposure. All exposures are to be monitored and logged. The experiences of test subjects are to be recorded in detail and added to this file. As of December 2004, the maximum safe exposure rate is once per week, and no more than three exposures per calendar month.

Individuals who exceed the contact limitations for any reason are to be apprehended and subjected to psychiatric evaluation until it is confirmed they do not pose a threat to foundation operations, personnel, or the integrity of the timeline. SCP-8140 is a collection of Davite artifacts unearthed from the prehistoric ruins of Gerbekli Tepe, an ancient settlement in the southeastern region of Anatolia, abandoned circa 8,000 BCE.

When an individual touches an instance of SCP-8140 with their bare skin, they experience a fragment of the original owner's life. The length of the fragment varies wildly. Some have memories of a few moments. others years. In all cases, the transfer of experience takes under one minute. Those affected retain their sense of self throughout. Individuals affected by this process may experience side effects such as delirium, fatigue,

agitation, slowed cognition, temporary aphasia, derealization, and the inability to recognize faces. These side effects typically endure for several minutes after anomalies effect ends. but may worsen with subsequent exposures, especially over a short period. The experience is transferred from the artifact to hold or exhibit significant nested properties.

Subjects exposed are able to remember minute details about their experience. Furthermore, amnestic treatment has been entirely ineffective in all cases. The collected instances of SCP-8140 were found in a field outside Gerbekli Tepe, and exhibit cultural identifiers consistent with early Daevite civilization. as well as a second culture identified as ancestors of SCP-1000. Analysis suggests both cultures existed concurrently.

No anomalous artifacts were found at this site until a civilian archaeological excavation in November 2004. The anomalous effects were first discovered when a graduate student experienced what he described as a psychotic episode. after breaking protocol and touching SCP-8140-1 with their bare hands. Foundation agents within the Turkish Ministry of Health reported the student's circumstances and symptoms and were able to secure and contain the artifact.

They fabricated a cover story about dangerous methane gas deposits, closed the site, and established a perimeter at the location. The graduate student was subsequently interviewed while at a hospital in Istanbul. and provided a detailed account of a prehistoric battle. Amnestics failed to suppress the students' experiences, so they were recruited to the project to assist the senior researcher assigned by Dr. Varga of Site-91, Dr. Niels Lindquist.

The other members of the civilian archaeology team were mnesticized and sent home. Addendum 1. Private Research Journal of Dr. Niels Lindquist. Begin log. 14th November 2004. Malcolm has found the adjustment to life behind the veil hard, but their options were limited. It's unfortunate for them that the amnestics didn't work.

Despite how difficult it would have been for them to prove what they saw, the powers that be felt they couldn't be allowed to wander free with such dangerous information in their mind. I guess the other option would have been to have them committed at home back in the UK. But given their first-hand experience with the site and their discovery of the anomaly, it seemed more productive to just give them a job.

I was recruited in much the same way. SCP-81401 is bizarre. It resembles the hilt of an Iron Age sword, but dates back to the late Paleolithic. Stranger still, it is entirely shaped from petrified wood, which takes millions of years to form. I say shaped... because it doesn't seem to have been constructed in any traditional way. Rather, the weapon was coaxed to grow into this shape, perhaps by use of thaumaturgy.

The pommel is larger than an ordinary human hand could easily manage, and even though more than half of it is missing, the weapon weighs nearly 15 kilograms. It would have been far too heavy to wield in battle. But strangest of all, the edges are still paranormally sharp, despite the inexorable corroding pressure of time. When Malcolm was packing it away, using reinforced work gloves no less, they slipped.

and the edge cut straight through the glove and into their palm. A sword, made from petrified wood, countless centuries old, cut through gloves designed to resist hundreds of pounds of pressure and radiation. Even without the memory transfer, it would be a startling anomaly. Malcolm's description of the anomalous memories leaves a lot to be desired. They are mostly confused by the experience.

i've sent them to work with the excavation team to survey the area for any other hot spots of akiva radiation i'll be working on the artifacts myself i need to experience the memory transfer myself Maybe I'll see something that'll give me a clue about where to start. 15th November, 2004. It was like nothing I could have imagined.

It's true. The artifacts reveal the memories of the past. SCP-81401 allowed me to witness a violent battle from the perspective of one of the participants. We hear about the horror of war in catchphrases and documentary anecdotes told by detached historians, but I'm getting ahead of myself. I touched the artifact and shared for a time. the body of a huge bipedal creature. He was three meters tall and incredibly strong. He waded into a tide of constructs made of mud, grass and clay.

cleaving them to pieces with a sword as long as a man is tall. He held the weapon with one hand and swept it before him like a farmer scything grain. tearing heads and limbs from the bodies of his enemies. I could smell him alongside the blood, mud and death. His arms were thick, muscled and covered in curly brown fur. damp with sweat and blood. His musk filled my nostrils. At first, I wondered whether he was some kind of lycanthrope, like a werewolf or similar creature.

But as my head turned, I saw he was fighting next to two huge primates. And I knew they were of the same kind as him. His brothers. I saw a woman. ostensibly human, leading the mud clay constructs. She directed them with shouting, an incendiary flicker of her eyes, and grand, decisive gestures. The clay figures followed her commands without hesitation.

and maintained formation like seasoned veterans the woman wore flowing robes of crimson an ornate golden headdress and carried a jet black spear tipped with volcanic glass Her eyes blazed with anger and disdain, and her lips leveled curses as my host hacked her army of earthen automatons to fragments. She was his enemy. and his kin killed her constructs by the hundreds as they struggled to reach her finally

The gap closed, and she slashed her palm on the edge of her spear, drawing on dark magic. She flung droplets of her blood, and they became deadly projectiles, tearing through the primates like cannon fire. My host was hit and stumbled back, falling as the horde of clay minions surged over him. The blade fell from his hands as he tumbled down out of life and into eternal darkness.

I'm confident. The woman I saw was a Daiva. Perhaps a priestess. I formally requested access to SCP-140 so I can compare my new memories of the Daiva. to the most comprehensive record of their empire. The Daeva have been what I've been looking for. The only reason to come back to work was this. Nothing else. matters.

Hey everyone, Pacific here with a quick ad break. And just a reminder, for just $5 a month, you can get early and ad-free access to all of our episodes. You can find that by visiting Patreon.com slash SCP underscore POD. There's also a link to our Patreon in the show notes below. Up next, a quick word from our sponsors. All right, thanks so much for listening. And now, back to the show. 18th November, 2004. My request for access to SCP-140.

A retrocausal history book entitled A Chronicle of the Day was granted. Unfortunately, the special containment procedures for that object preclude its removal from the storage vault at Site 76. I've booked a flight for this evening, so I can go overseas to study it. In the meantime, the next artifact is SCP-8140-5, a fragment of clay with a daivite rune inscribed upon it. Most of the artifact is missing and believed to be destroyed.

Hopefully, the explicitly divite artifacts will give me insight into how they were able to implement the retrocausal effects that gave them control over their own history. I touched the artifact. and became a Daivite craftswoman, arms decorated in gold and topaz bangles. Her calloused fingers wielded a chisel and hammer, deftly carving a Daivite rune in the forehead of a clay figure.

As before, I retained my sense of self, and was able to recognize the figure as one of the construct warriors I'd seen while handling SCP-8140-1. Any knowledge about Dive-Eyed magic could be useful to me. but construct animation is too far removed from what I need. Nevertheless, I had no control. I could do nothing but watch and listen. The figure was made of mud, grass, and clay.

I could tell she had made hundreds of these. Thousands. The work on each one was long, but she took great satisfaction in the perfection of each one. This one was nearly finished. With the shallow grooves of the rune in place, she pulled a brush from a small pot of human blood. It was fresh, drawn from a warrior sacrifice. She filled the channels of the rune.

uttering the magics that would give the creature life. The construct twitched and awoke. The priestess approached and helped the new one to its feet. Although she had done this many times before, the craftswoman smiled and felt a surge of pride as the construct's strides became more confident with each step. It shuffled towards a warrior standing near a wooden weapon rack. The woman was an apprentice of the Master of Arms.

dressed in red robes with a breastplate made of lacquered wood slats, overlaid with golden precious stones. A long double-edged athaeum hung from her belt. She held out a bow and a quiver of arrows to the construct. and it carried them purposefully out of the room. The craftswoman decided to take a few moments to herself before beginning work on the next construct. She rose to her feet, adjusted her robes.

and walked to a first story window overlooking a garden below at its outskirts another davite priestess was organizing the constructs into platoons of 40 each My host turned, and I saw a Daevite priestess approaching. How do things progress? With the grass children? Yes. And the defenses as a whole. It goes as well as can be expected, given that I am the only one gifted to make the grass ones. The progress is slow, as you have seen.

We should wait for reinforcement from a dytum. We have no time. Our enemies will be here soon. At least I will have the opportunity to study their tree warriors up close. If we can discover their technique, perhaps by securing one for ourselves, I can add a cadre of animated trees to lead our vanguard into battle. Another time, Matriarch. Today.

You must bolster our ranks with more grass children. The scant conscripts we have here will not hold off the Nightkin alone. Yes, you're right. The craftswoman. A matriarch, apparently, turned back towards the tools of her labor. Matriarch, may I ask a question, freely? This once. Why did you and your sister general preclude use of the ritual? It is not ready. She works towards the culmination, but it cannot be relied upon. Could it have saved us?

Maybe. But we will have to rely on each other and the conscript's daughter. The font will lend us her life-affirming vigor for the strength to push back the barbarians. The font provides, Matriarch. The matriarch walked back to the table and gathered the materials to begin shaping another body of clay, grass and blood. But will that be enough? It seems...

The information I need to prevent my brother's death is not forthcoming. I need to look harder. There must be something among these artifacts that will help.

19th November, 2004. My flight was uneventful, and I've now had the opportunity to study SCP-140. Each expansion of the material in the book causes reality to wall to match its contents after each expansion of the text archaeologists have found new davite artifacts that did not exist previously I was able to verify that the book does contain mentions of a battle, consistent with the artifacts found in southeastern Anatolia, as expected. However...

The log of changes which have occurred since SCP-140 was first contained does not include this event. Furthermore, this conflict is not listed as part of the original history. This suggests the battle is an expansion of Daevite history, which manifested separately from SCP-140, and was therefore not noticed or recorded in the log. It is impossible to know who could be responsible.

philosophically the deva had little respect for the concept of time they viewed past events as malleable somehow over the span of their multi-millennial history The ruling classes of the Empire were able to use thaumaturgical rituals to rewrite events and retroactively change the results. It is this ritual that I must find. I must know everything about it so I can perform the right myself. End log. Addendum 2. Briefing transcript. Office of Dr. Varga.

November 21st, 2004. Log begins. Thanks for coming in so early, Nils. How was your trip over the pond? Fine. Just fine. I was able to confirm the place the SCP-8140 artifacts originate from in Davite history. Excellent. That's what I wanted to talk to you about. Davite history? In a roundabout way. I've reviewed the test logs you've recorded in the last week, and I've seen several things that made this meeting imperative. Are you familiar with SCP-1000? No.

I'm not. Good. I'm upping your clearance level for this project, Doctor. The reason I'm telling you this is that nothing about this file can be revealed to staff not cleared to know the information. Why was I not informed of this from the beginning? I didn't know it was relevant to your work until I reviewed the test results. I'm... I'm at a loss for words. An entire non-human civilization predating all recorded history. And somehow we've forgotten it all. Yes.

I know it's a lot to take in. I want to review any and all archaeological records we have from SCP-1000. That's the thing, Nils. There aren't any. We've never identified an archaeological site confirmed to be from the Children of the Night. Really? Nothing at all. Ancient humanity did the job too thoroughly, and the record of their existence was wiped from history. They didn't delete the children of the night themselves, per se. We know they existed.

We know their civilization spread all over the world, but they vanished without a trace into obscurity and great lengths were taken to ensure that they were forgotten. I'm sure you can appreciate how important this side is. They've lived on the margins of humanity for centuries now, and this is the first real insight into their antiquity.

But according to the file, that happened during the Stone Age. Which begs the question, how and why did this force take military action against the early Davites? I don't know what to make of that. I think I do. What? How? SCP-140 changes reality retro-causally. Not solely for the Daeva, but also for the societies around them, including SCP-1000. You're suggesting someone expanded the record in SCP-140 to extend the influence of the Children of the Night? Not exactly.

The log of changes to SCP-140 didn't include the introduction of events that left artifacts at Gobekli Tepe. Either someone circumvented security at Site-76, or... The book expanded Daevite history unilaterally. Given how tight the security is at Site-76, I find the idea of a breach unlikely. So you believe the book can expand history all by itself?

It's possible. But we don't know how SCP-140 works. We don't know whether it has an undocumented effect which expands Dayvite history autonomously, but there's another possibility. What if... some other Daevite retrocausal anomaly, or even a thaumaturgic ritual performed by a third party, caused the expansion. If a personal group with their own motivations were to perform, say,

A thaumaturgic ritual that expanded the history of SCP-1000 such that it affected the Davites? Wouldn't that necessarily appear in SCP-140, given that it's a comprehensive record of Davite history? All we know is the effect such expansions have. I wouldn't be surprised if we find more archaeological data pertaining to SCP-1000 after this. Hmm. You've given me some food for thought.

I think it's imperative that you find out everything you can about SCP-1000. Yes, of course. Personally, I feel it's even more interesting. To understand how SCP-140 and Davite Palmaturgy can affect causality in general. Think of the possibilities. Nils? No. That type of inquiry could lead to changes in the timeline. Timeline manipulation and experimentation with SCP-140 is strictly forbidden at every level of the Foundation.

Even the O5 Council is forbidden from using that book. You're right. Forget I mentioned it. End log.

This episode is possible thanks to our patrons. Joining us this week was... Jack Guy. William Small. Blademaster969. Chris Lamb. Michael Williams. Michael Cooler. T. Ty Esteby. Logan Jensen, Christy Katz, Mary Brady, Lucy Ha, Malbrows and Shine, Penguin Games, William Newman, Philip Raunch, Crowning, Nathaniel Gaines, Rick Another Run, Shotgun Badger, Morgan B, The Heretic, Hayden Gordon, Elijah Barlow,

Jason Artemis Artie Winstanley, and Travis Philbrant. Thanks so much for supporting our show, guys. We couldn't do what we do without you. SCP Archives was created by Pacific S. Obadiah and John Grylls. SCP-8140 was written by Grigori Carpin. Our script was by Kevin Whitlock. Our narrator was John Grylls. Agent Collis was Brandon Nguyen. Agent Edwards was Steven Andresano. Priestess was Risa Montanez. Dr. Lene Quist was Chris Harris-Beachy. Director Varge was Katrina Pessina.

Subject 16 was Michelle Kelly. Subject A was Faye Roberts. Subject 11 was William A. Wellman. Foundation doctor was Bailey Wolfe. Leader was Nate DeFort. Lanessa was Erica Sanderson. Our art was by Eduardo Baldez-Hebbia. Our dialogue editor was Derek Vallon. Our theme song was by Matt Roy Berger. Our sound designer was Brad Colbrook. and our showrunner was Daisy McNamara. I'm your creative director, Pacific Ass Obadiah, and our executive producer is Tom Owen. And this is a Bloody FM show.

For more information, visit scparchives.com.