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Item#: 5523

Containment Class: esoteric

Secondary Class: Terminal

Disruption Class: dark

Risk Class: notice

Containment Update: Following the incident involving Sid Rothenberg1, governments affiliated with the Foundation have enacted an indefinite ban on the hunting and consumption of cervidaes species. Rothenberg has been taken into Foundation custody, and is receiving intensive care.

Special Containment Procedures: Due to the ecological niche SCP-5523 facilitates, removal of SCP-5523-1 specimens from forested areas is prohibited. Regions containing significant SCP-5523-1 populations have been cordoned from the public, with low-level security fences established around the perimeter of SCP-5523 affected areas.

Skeletal remains associated with SCP-5523.

Description: SCP-5523 is a Terminal2-Class group of environmental changes, consisting of behavioral modifications and biological mutations affecting members of the Cervidaes family.3 SCP-5523 events have been observed to occur after periods of severe environmental damage, such as forest fires or times of drought. SCP-5523 does not affect all individual Cervidaes specimens within a given area. Elderly populations or specific individuals experiencing sickness are more susceptible to developing SCP-5523 then young and healthy populations. SCP-5523 consists of the ingestion of Vaccinium vitis-idaea4 berries. Vaccinium vitis-idaea are typically not eaten by Cervidaes specimens, due to the individual berries containing toxic substances.

SCP-5523 affected individuals5 ingest great quantities of Vaccinium vitis-idaea, in which the poisonous materials will accumulate within the individual's bloodstream. After a period of approximately fourty-two hours, the SCP-5523-1 instance will die, leading to rapid decomposition occuring, without assistance from maggots or other decomposer organisms. Skeletal remains will develop Vaccinium vitis-idaea saplings, along with spear-heading the growth of boreal plants, including Greenbrier, Poison Ivy, and Buckweed, all specimens of plants favored by Cervidaes. Following continued research, it has been determined that over ██ percent of forest growth worldwide has developed due to SCP-5523.

Addendum No. 1: Rothenberg Incident

Sid Rothenberg, a Canadian civilian, outdoorsman and biologist, experienced a period of confusion and delirium following ingestion of venison harvested from an SCP-5523-1 specimen. An outdoor journal, kept during the period of delirium, was recovered. The following is an excerpt.

I am sick. There is a sickness within my body, I feel it inside me. The simple explanation is maggots, improperly cooked meat. But I feel as if there is something more, something that can explain why my mind is repeating words to me. 'Greenbrier.' 'Poison Ivy.' 'Buckweed.' Why are these words repeated to me? All speculation, at this point.

I'm resting by the fire, waiting for rescue. I'm looking at the forest around me, hearing the rutting of elk, the cawing of crow. The howl of a wolf. Something is clear to me. The Earth is dying, and we do not notice.

…

I fell asleep by the light of the moon, and I dreamt of my death, my skeleton, my bones, growing across the forest, like the roots of a tree. My death will bring the forest green, and the earth as brown as the first people.

Footnotes

1. Following contact with SCP-5523, Rothenberg is now refered to as SCP-5523-2.

2. Originally referring to an entity or anomaly that incorporates human beings into it following death. Following the discovery of SCP-5523, it has been determined that animal specimens can be incorporated into Terminal anomalies.

3. A biological group consisting of Deers.

4. Variously known as lingonberry, partridgeberry, mountain cranberry or cowberry.

5. Designated as SCP-5523-1 instances.