Item#: 4246

Containment Class: esoteric

Secondary Class: archon

Disruption Class: amida

Risk Class: caution

Special Containment Procedures: Complete containment of SCP-4246 phenomena is not presently feasible, although it has been hypothesized that efforts to impede or terminate the anomaly may result in events detrimental to the preservation of normalcy. A disinformation campaign is to be maintained to actively discredit the legitimacy of claims made by SCP-4246-1 and their supporters. Such allegations are to be dismissed as works of fiction, the product of mental illness, or religious delusion. Communities and cults comprised of SCP-4246-1 (and non-anomalous associates) are to be closely monitored.

It is of the utmost importance that suspected SCP-4246-1 Type B are secured and contained as soon as possible due to their ability to gain preternatural knowledge of the Foundation and its inner-workings. Instances of SCP-4246-1 Type B are to be captured and contained within Psi-resistant humanoid containment cells1. SCP-4246-1 Type B must be physically restrained for their own safety when triangulating the location of (or in close proximity to) SCP-4246 transmitters, such as SCP-4246-2 and SCP-4246-3. The existence of SCP-4246-2 and SCP-4246-3, along with their creators, must be hidden from the public by any means necessary. In the case of SCP-4246-3, Provisional Containment Area-48 has been constructed and must be maintained. Members of Mobile Task Force Epsilon-19 "The Psych Ward” are the only individuals allowed within SCP-4246-3 unless authorized by Site Director.

Description: SCP-4246 primarily manifests as a morbid psychological condition involving dreams, hallucinations, delusions, and fixations of a singular relation to the ocean and its contents. Individuals afflicted by SCP-4246 are classified as SCP-4246-1 and display significant behavioral changes, including the development of abnormal neuropathologies. Most SCP-4246-1 will eventually come to interpret their anomalous experiences as spiritual visions conveying some manner of revelation or esoteric knowledge, ultimately leading to the creation of cults and related organizations.

The most immediate distinction that separates SCP-4246 from unrelated experiences is the inexplicable commonality between episodes and reactions. Frequently reported elements include:

Visions of sprawling and colossal cities beneath the sea. The windowless structures display non-Euclidean architecture and are composed of a material described as smooth, seamless, glassy, and black.

Visions involving gardens of coral displaying indescribable colors presumably outside the human visual spectrum.

An uncontrollable psychological urge to immerse themselves in seawater2, often to the point of self-endangerment.

Hallucinations involving symbols of unknown origin or context, usually manifesting as short, rapid flashes that leave fleeting imprints upon an individual's paracentral vision. These visions have been known to trigger dizziness, vertigo, post-traumatic stress, psychosis, mania and/or depression, homicidal/suicidal thoughts and behavior, and the development of new hallucinations3. Afflicted individuals have been known to kill family and friends in an effort to "save" them from an ill-defined but nevertheless impending cataclysm.

Reports of sensations similar to those described by sufferers of phantom pain4 and body integrity identity disorder5 but manifesting as healthy people with their bodies intact feeling as though they are missing limbs that otherwise never existed. Afflicted individuals understand that this feeling is illogical and that the human body (normally) has four limbs, but continue to experience these sensations regardless of acceptance. Individuals have described incidents of phantom pain registering up to 12 meters away from their body, as if these non-existent appendages were significantly longer than their actual limbs. There exist several cases of acutely afflicted individuals removing the limbs of others and attempting to graft them to their own body with fatal results.

The majority of SCP-4246-1 will eventually self-terminate by drowning in the ocean. While all appear to suffer the compulsion to do so, a minority are able to resist the urge.

SCP-4246-1 are divided into Type A, Type B, and Type C variants. Type A individuals are the most common and generally display one or more of the previously noted symptoms. It is unknown how many SCP-4246-1 Type A exist but their reaction to SCP-4246 is generally self-contained and easily countered by the propagation of disinformation.

Acutely affected individuals exhibit extrasensory perception (ESP), such as the ability to identify information hidden from normal senses, as well as preternatural knowledge of a subject’s thoughts and memories. These individuals have been classified as SCP-4246-1 Type B and, following decades of research, have been determined to be psi-positive (non-psychokinetic) passive receivers - unwillingly absorbing information via ESP but unable to actively transmit it.

Information regarding SCP-4246-1 Type C requires Level 4 clearance or authorization by Project: Awakened Dreamer director Dr. Joan Henrike.

Joseph Adler, leader of the Hermetic Order of Universal Wisdom

The earliest known effort to catalog and explain the SCP-4246 phenomena was by English occultist Joseph Adler (1833 - 1921), leader of the Hermetic Order of Universal Wisdom - an organization devoted to the study and practice of the occult, metaphysics, and paranormal activities during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. In his book The Drowned Kingdoms, or The Eternal Dreams of the Firstborn, Adler discusses his lifelong visions and "astral" exploration of the ruins of a long forgotten race which he refers to as the "Firstborn"6. Unlike other claims involving lost worlds and civilizations (a popular concept at the time), Adler's work includes extensive interviews with other so-called "Dreamers" (SCP-4246-1 Type A), lending evidence to an anomalous phenomenon, and makes accurate scientific conclusions describing concepts such as plate tectonics7, evolution, memetics, and physics.

On October 29th, 1920, Adler and nine of his followers attempted "mass astral projection"8 in the hopes of learning more about the "Firstborn". The attempt resulted in three deaths from acute myocardial infarction (commonly known as heart attack), two from intracranial hemorrhage (non-traumatic), and four by self-termination (various methods). Adler himself ultimately survived, but had been rendered permanently blind.

+ Interview Log: Joseph Adler (01/14/1921)

- ACCESS GRANTED

Interviewed: Mr. Joseph Adler

Interviewer: Dr. Franz Schröder, alias: Dr. White

Foreword: An interview with Joseph Adler, leader of the Hermetic Order of Universal Wisdom. Interview takes place at Broadmoor Hospital in Berkshire, England. Despite the subject's sickly demeanor and lack of sight, he is alert and displays an abnormal level of awareness of his surroundings.

<Begin Log>

Schröder: Hello Mr. Adler. My name is Dr. White. How do you fare today?

Adler: You are not from here.

Schröder: I was recently transferred from…

Adler: [Interrupts] Do not lie, Mr. Schröder. Your arrival was foretold in the Tendrils.

Schröder: Hmm. I was not made aware of your anomalous capabilities. You’re not what I expected. Your dossier suggested…

Adler: [Interrupts again] A lunatic? I assure you, Mr. Schröder, that I am the epitome of sanity.

Schröder: Yes. A man so consumed by madness that he tore out his own eyes. Tell me Mr. Adler - how can one commit such an act of self-destruction and still claim sanity?

Adler: I had no choice. How knowledgeable are you regarding the deep sea?

Schröder: It isn't my area of expertise. I don’t see how that has any re-

Adler: [Continues speaking] The ocean has always fascinated me. In dreams since youth I plumbed the depths of the pelagic abyss. I beheld with awe the long-forgotten edifices of the Elder Race.

We fear the dark and cold embrace of her undulating vastness. Despite this fear, she inspires within our hearts a singular curiosity. One day man will know that world. Do you know what the depths do to the human body?

Schröder: You drown?

Adler: One could drown in a cup of water. No. The deep is different. The pressure crushes your organs and shatters your bones. This is why submersibles must be built strong. In time man will create something capable of enduring the true abyss. The mind is not so different from such a vessel, as it can only dive so deep before… this.

[Subject drags his fingers down his face, emphasizing his lack of eyes]

I looked too far. Beheld that which no man should ever see. Horrors beyond conception - beyond perception! I looked too far and something… something did not appreciate my gaze.

Compared to man, the Firstborn were as gods. If they could not stop it, what chance have we?

<End Log>

Closing Statement: The subject appears to be a true telepath, presumably a Type-3 Psi-Positive or higher. Recommend a Maynard-Sidgwic Test9 to ensure a comprehensive diagnosis.

Operatives arrived at Broadmoor Hospital the next day, intending on taking Joseph Adler into Foundation custody. He was discovered unresponsive in his room and was later declared deceased. The body was delivered to Humanoid Containment Site-744 where it would undergo autopsy. Adler's cause of death was indeterminate but was thought at the time to be the result of untreated pneumonia aggravated by recent trauma.

Among Adler's belongings was an unfinished draft of a map depicting an unknown location. It was initially believed that the partially depicted landmass was an uncharted island, as the apparent coastline failed to coincide with any known location and the etching itself offered no sense of scale. All efforts to find this island failed and the map was dismissed as irrelevant until 1956.

Instances of SCP-4246-1 Type A would continue to be tracked and observed, while SCP-4246-1 Type B individuals were secured as per special containment procedures at Humanoid Containment Site-744. There would be no change in the Foundation's understanding of the SCP-4246 phenomena until 1954, when Dr. Charles Baker noticed certain patterns in the Maynard-Sidgwic Test results of SCP-4246-1B, leading him to hypothesize that SCP-4246 influenced individuals are not true Psi-positive individuals and that they are merely receiving information sent and/or displaced by an outside force. Testing this hypothesis required the creation of a new method of Psi assessment, one taking the timing of failure and success into account with the presentation of new information.

It was discovered that SCP-4246-1 Type B require a subject relatively nearby to read, suggesting that displaced information decayed the further it moved from its original source or that it was dependent on the number of sources (minds), not distance traveled (in such a case, SCP-4246-1 Type B on opposite ends of the world would be able to read each other's minds clearly, after the passing of an SCP-4246 wave, as long as there were no other minds to dilute this information).

During interviews of Type-B instances, a significant difference arose between cases where interviewers knew questions/answers in advance, and cases where interviewers were not aware of questions/answers before the interview. In the former cases, SCP-4246-1 Type B were able to ascertain any information held by the interviewer. However, in the latter, there would be a delay 1-12 seconds. With enough interviews occurring simultaneously, researchers were able to conclude that the SCP-4246 phenomena required approximately 12 seconds to reach Site-744 from its point of origin. This suggests that Dr. Baker's hypothesis was correct and that SCP-4246 is likely a frequency of unknown wavelength, significantly slower than electromagnetic radiation (if its origins are unimpeded and terrestrial) but potent enough to cause information displacement/amplification, receivable (to varying degrees) by an unknown number of individuals.

A Statement from Dr. Charles Baker:

SCP-4246, originating from X and traveling at the speed of Y, will reach Site-744 in approximately 12 seconds. I hypothesize that this could be solved by simply transferring SCP-4246-1 Type B to a number of sites at different parts of the world and conducting the experiment again. Hypothetically, identifying a new maximum "delay of ignorance" could help triangulate the point of origin for the SCP-4246 phenomena.

The experiment was once again conducted as described but the results revealed an unforeseen problem. The initial hypothesis was predicated on the supposition that SCP-4246 had a single point of origin but the results ultimately suggest that SCP-4246 is being transmitted from multiple points - greatly complicating our search.

However, one important detail was gleaned from this data. The delay of ignorance dramatically decreased with proximity to the ocean (inland seas and freshwater bodies displayed no such influence). For reasons unknown, the Atlantic Ocean resulted in a relatively longer delay (approximately 8 seconds) compared to the Pacific Ocean which had the shortest delay (approximately 2 seconds).

Suffice it to say, the source of SCP-4246 is in the sea.

Coinciding with the efforts of Dr. Baker was research into the symptomatic similarities between SCP-4246-1 individuals. A study overseen by Dr. Stefan Gärtner noticed that certain, not previously described habits often manifested among the more artistically disposed SCP-4246-1. These included depictions resembling the partially drafted map of Joseph Adler. An estimated 12,000 distinct images were compared and combined (along with Adler's original draft), creating a complete map displaying intricate cities and geographical features. Despite its incredible detail, approximately 20% of the map was empty space (primarily in the form of a large "C" shaped mass left of center). The amount of detail depicted in regions initially hypothesized as water led many to hypothesize that Adler’s map depicted a lake, rather than an island.

In 1956, when the Foundation began to accept plate-tectonic theory, researchers of the SCP-4246 phenomena came to the realization that all previous interpretations of the complete Adler map were wrong and that the image's empty space depicted the supercontinent of Pangaea, which had existed during the late Paleozoic and early Mesozoic eras. In turn, the detailed portion of the map intended to depict the ocean floor - complete with the unexpected, yet undeniable markings of civilization.

A Statement from Dr. Stefan Gärtner:

One by one, like pieces of a puzzle, the Adler map was created after months of tedious craft. At first, we knew not what to think - the complete image may as well have been some intangible dreamscape born of the collective subconscious of SCP-4246-1. But scientific consensus became a quick and integral ally, the conclusions of plate-tectonics solving a puzzle we would have otherwise struggled with for decades.

As part of my research on SCP-4246-1, I introduced a copy of the map into my weekly interviews and asked if they recognized it. Their reactions ranged from suffocating dread to excitement bordering on euphoria. This is the world that haunts their dreams.

But why?

The Adler map was divided into tectonic-plates and rearranged to match the placement of continents in the present era. Using the data from Dr. Baker's delay of ignorance experiments, the Foundation was able to estimate the most probable locations for SCP-4246 transmitters. These transmitters have been classified as SCP-4246-2.

+ SCP-4246-2A (Pacific Ocean - Polynesia)

- ACCESS GRANTED

An instance of SCP-4246-2 was traced to 26° S, 112° W in the Pacific Ocean, west of Easter Island. On July 15, 1959, the FSS Ammonite10 departed from Naval Operations Site-67 in Hawaii with the objective of locating this potential SCP-4246-2.

As the vessel neared its destination, a number of submariners complained of headache, nausea, and hallucination. It was around this time that radar began to pick up a large mobile object following the FSS Ammonite at a stalking distance. Believing it another submarine, the FSS Ammonite pinged the object but received no response. The unidentified aquatic object reportedly disappeared from radar only to reappear hours later. Despite the presence of this unknown object and the deteriorating mental status of the crew, the FSS Ammonite was ordered to continue with its mission.

Radar began to pick up abnormalities on the seafloor. Searchlights swept through the water and the FSS Ammonite reported what appeared to be a sprawling megalithic city. The black ruins reflected no light and displayed non-Euclidean architecture resembling that of no terrestrial civilization.

Mere minutes after its discovery, the crew of the FSS Ammonite erupted in an apparent mutiny. The vessel was ordered to resurface but its ballast tanks were damaged, possibly sabotaged, and unable to repressurize. Radio communication remained online but suffered significant interference and while the FSS Ammonite was able to communicate with Command, messages from Command could not be received from FSS Ammonite.

A rescue mission was considered infeasible at the time. The vessel's radio remained active, revealing how the crew succumbed to delirium, followed by bloodshed. Recorded below is the final message received from the FSS Ammonite:

The rest are dead. Only I remain. While they fought like fools, I saved my strength and bided my time. The last man left standing was near death when I approached. He has joined the others now.

The gods speak to me. This isn't a tragedy - it's fate. The Guardian was made to protect their secrets.

I have painted myself in the blood of the fallen. I, and I alone, am worthy.

The Tendrils coil around my heart. This… This is their love. Please… Embrace me…

Despite knowledge of its coordinates at the time of its disappearance, the wreckage of the FSS Ammonite was never found. In 1977, remotely operated underwater vehicles were deployed to the region of the seafloor where SCP-4246-2A was first encountered. No evidence for the ruins was found but the location remains classified as SCP-4246-2A, as it remains a strong transmitter of SCP-4246, regardless of its lack of physical evidence.

SCP-4246-1 Type B brought to this location became excitable and expressed the following:

ID#
Notable Quotations
Notes

SCP-4246-1 Type B #0036
“The tides are calling in my name. My soul is below, entangled among the Tendrils. Cast me down and let the undertow complete me!”
Subject became incoherent and spent the rest of their time struggling to free themselves from their restraints.

SCP-4246-1 Type B #0040
“They are still dreaming, even after all this time. They dream of things of incomprehensible profundity. We are so small. Weak and worthless. Our misbegotten race does not deserve this world. It is a cosmic joke that we even came this far.”
Subject became despondent.

SCP-4246-1 Type B #0043
None
Subject screamed continuously until removed from the area.

All relevant Type B and Foundation personnel displayed shared life memories following their removal from SCP-4246-2A. Afflicted individuals were administered amnestics to minimize the effect.

+ SCP-4246-2B (Pacific Ocean - Micronesia)

- ACCESS GRANTED

A second SCP-4246-2 was traced to 6° N, 157° E, southwest of the Micronesian island of Pohnpei. The anomaly was discovered during a November 1961 investigation into reports of occult activity among the ruins of Nan Madol11. The island was under US administration following WWII but similar reports were made by Japanese occupiers, including reports of unusual behavior associated with the SCP-4246 phenomena.

Locals directed Foundation operatives to the ruins, claiming that it had been overrun by the “Drowned”12 - a cult worshipping the so-called “old gods”13. Foundation operatives confronted the cult at Nan Madol, who were found to be non-hostile and at least somewhat cooperative. The majority were native islanders but American and Japanese nationals were discovered living among them as well. Though generally peaceful, the community routinely practiced human sacrifice; those selected for sacrifice appear more than willing to die for their faith.

Through diplomacy, Foundation operatives were allowed to observe the ritual. The Drowned traveled by canoe to their chosen place of sacrifice, which has since been identified as an SCP-4246 transmitter and classified as SCP-4246-2B. The offering, a young Palauan woman, appeared joyous as others tied heavy stones to her limbs. Those around her chanted and anointed her in oil before consigning her to the sea.

The Drowned did not perceive their actions as lethal and instead believed that they had merely facilitated her rebirth or some manner of metamorphosis. They insisted that she would live on for eternity among the gods and their “coral palaces”. Much like SCP-4246-2A, the Foundation found no physical evidence to explain SCP-4246-2B’s transmission. Both the Drowned and SCP-4246-1 Type B claimed there were cities on the sea floor but no evidence was found to support this.

The Drowned disappeared in 1963; bodies would occasionally wash ashore in the following months. The entire community is believed to have committed mass suicide by drowning.

While most comments were unintelligible, some SCP-4246-1 Type B expressed the following, potentially meaningful statements:

ID#
Notable Quotations
Notes

SCP-4246-1 Type B #0027
”What you seek is here but anchored elsewhere. Don’t let reality deceive you. The hungry earth devours, but the Firstborn will never truly die. They exist outside the cycle. You have had that dream again, haven’t you, Dr. Gärtner? You knew the risks and sent them anyway. Remember [DATA EXPUNGED]”
Subject began to discuss highly sensitive information. Psi-inhibitors amplified in response.

SCP-4246-1 Type B #0036
“They writhe and writhe! You took them, you butchers! I still feel them, where are they? Give them back! Make me whole!”
Subject trembled and wept uncontrollably.

SCP-4246-1 Type B #0041
“The Sunken City awaits. All is black where there once was light. They are the gods that were and shall be again. Soon everyone will see. Everyone will…”
Subject fell into a catatonic state but ultimately recovered three days later.

+ SCP-4246-2C (Arctic Ocean)

- ACCESS GRANTED

The Foundation had already encountered evidence for SCP-4246-2C in October, 1918, following reports of an abandoned village containing occult paraphernalia on the isle of ████████, part of the Faroe Islands. Foundation agents discovered that the missing inhabitants were all members of the Church of Saint Jonah, a cult outwardly presenting itself as a Protestant Christian sect. Among the recovered non-anomalous artifacts was a 54 kg stone statue depicting a vaguely anthropoid entity with the exaggerated abdomen, hips, and breasts of an obese and/or pregnant human female, the head of an angler fish, the protruding spines of an echinoderm, and appendages resembling serpents or tentacles.

A journal belonging to Pastor Broddur Sigurdarson, the apparent founder and leader of the Church of Saint Jonah, was discovered within an abandoned chapel at the village's center. Several excerpts of note are included in the following collapsible, translated to English from their original Danish:

The 13th of September, 1904

The Church14 has sent me to this desolate island to replace a pastor whose been deceased for decades. Faith, it seems, has little place in this village - perhaps the heathen spirit of our ancestors lingers more strongly among such isolation.

I should not complain. For the Church, in its mercy, has allowed me a chance to redeem myself. Perhaps for once the rumors and accusations of my past won’t follow.

The 5th of October, 1904

My congregation is small and primarily comprised of the wives and children of fishermen. To protect their husbands, they ask for the blessings of Jonah but never Our Lord and Savior. How easy it is for the veneration of saints to devolve into idolatry.

The men are a disagreeable lot, who take to drink the moment they set foot on dry land. These drunkards view my status as an unmarried man with suspicion and have accused me of fornicating with their wives or of the crime of sodomy. These fools have no trouble hurling such contradictions. Lord, grant me patience.

The 22nd of December, 1904

The Call is stronger here. I had begged the Church to send me somewhere inland for this very reason, like Herning or Silkeborg - anywhere but the islands.

It was not a seizure. But that is how they justified my freedom. Just an accident. Unavoidable.

But it wasn't. I remember it all with such clarity. It should have been a simple baptism. The way the infant gargled and choked; I held her down, let her lungs fill with holy water, until the bubbles ceased to rise.

I hear the Call of the Deep. O Lord, protect me!

The 10th of January, 1905

The Abyss speaks to me of betrayal and murderous plot.

Captain Absalon's wife is pregnant but he knows that the unborn child cannot be his. Yes, it has shown me his secret shame - and the GUILT of Dagur, a supposed friend for whom he bares no suspicion.

The Captain is not an intelligent creature. He is a drunken beast of rage and humiliation and his ale-sickened mind has convinced him that I am the true father.

He and his brothers plot their revenge, seeking my demise.

But I will not act. Not yet. Let them come.

I am ready.

The 2nd of February, 1905

The conspirators breached my Sanctum last night. I told them the truth and offered them a chance to walk away.

They made their choice. Now their entrails decorate the village. It never had to come to this. I stood in the town center, baptized by the blood of criminals, and awaited the dawn. When the rest awoke, they were witness to my glory. Terror will ensure their obedience.

The Abyss whispers its secrets and I am its prophet. The Christ-God is dead. The Deep Gods are eternal.

[date unknown]

The True Faith is triumphant. The last of the non-believers have been purged, bound and thrown on a skerry at ebb. This sacrifice will appease the Deep Gods, but only for so long. Preparations must be made to ensure a steady and sustainable harvest in the future.

[date unknown]

The Gods have seen fit to bless my body with renewed vigor and a singular carnality. In my dreams I hunt for pearls among the seafoam and awaken to passions that had once caused such shame. Many women were rendered widowed by the purge and I have claimed them as my brides. This received no protest; indeed, they felt honored.

Due to a lack of corroborating evidence, the events surrounding the Church of Saint Jonah were classified as a possible extranormal incident. The case was reopened in 1964 due to its notable similarities to SCP-4246 related phenomena. Though the village itself had been razed as per pre-1948 protocol, SCP-4246-1 Type B were delivered to its former site and able to detect a strong SCP-4246 frequency originating from the distant north. The signal was tracked to 87° N, 170° E in the Arctic Ocean. Like SCP-4246-2A and SCP-4246-2B, SCP-4246-2C lacked any apparent physical source for its transmission.

Shipwrecks litter this region of the seafloor and include fishing/whaling vessels, canoes, and Norse longships. How they were able to reach so far within the Arctic Circle, despite the ice and lethal cold, remains unknown. It is presumed that all those who had traveled to this site had no intention of surviving the journey.

Though most were incoherent, some SCP-4246-1 Type B brought to this location expressed the following:

ID#
Notable Quotations
Notes

SCP-4246-1 Type B #0019
”It is the final linchpin to hold it all together. They had no interest in land empires. With the North, they made themselves whole. The Dream belonged to everyone.”
Subject appeared particularly lucid.

SCP-4246-1 Type B #0025
”Drown yourself and complete the circle. The sea will remake you. Your lungs will learn to take in water. Do it! Do it! We all must drown so that they might return!”
Subject was found unresponsive after testing had ended. They had apparently bitten off their own tongue and suffocated themself through the inhalation of blood.

SCP-4246-1 Type B #0040
”This is but an echo. We are far from the true source. They buried their Heart in ice. It is black and cold and the Heart longs for light.”
Subject fell into a depressive state.

An additional 18 SCP-4246-2 would be discovered, bringing their total number to 21. These transmitters do not appear to have any obvious pattern or advantages to their current geographical location. However, when superimposed over a map of the supercontinent Pangaea as it existed 300 million years ago, SCP-4246-2 form a pattern that maximizes reach over ocean distances - ultimately implying some manner of intelligent design behind the creation of the SCP-4246 anomaly.

Dr. Joan Henrike would propose a solution to lingering questions surrounding SCP-4246-2. Inspired by a comment made by SCP-4246-1 Type B #002715, she hypothesized that the creators of SCP-4246 had purposefully hidden the presence of SCP-4246-2 through dimensional manipulation. Revisiting these locations, Kant counters would register at a difference of 60 humes in relation to the surrounding environment, revealing a high degree of dimensional instability. Dr. Henrike would further hypothesize that SCP-4246-2, while able to receive and transmit the SCP-4246 frequency, are in fact safely tethered outside of the baseline iteration of reality by some unknown means.

In an effort to properly study SCP-4246-2, 3 Scranton reality anchors (SRA) were modified to endure an aquatic environment and triangularly placed around the estimated position of SCP-4246-2A. On 08/07/1965, at 0900 hrs, the SRA were activated, triggering the emergence of a 600 m tall, quadruple-helix shaped structure composed of a smooth and seamless black material. Object remained anchored to baseline reality for 1 minute and 26 seconds until the sudden obliteration of SRA units, presumably due to a dimensional tethering overload event. A second attempt was made the following day at 0700 hrs, this time with SCP-4246-2B, producing similar results, though only lasting 55 seconds. Further testing was prohibited, as the hypothesis had been verified and the statistically likely loss of more Foundation assets was deemed unacceptable. It is assumed that other SCP-4246-2 are of a similar construction as 2A and 2B.

Based on current evidence, it is theorized that SCP-4246 functions as a world-wide network. What remains unanswered is its purpose, as the anomaly fails to display any sensible goal. It is possible that SCP-4246’s observable influence (via SCP-4246-1) is an unintended side effect of a far greater phenomena. If the creation of SCP-4246-1 was indeed the goal of SCP-4246-2’s creators, it could have been accomplished by simpler means (e.g. memetics).

During a routine scan of news media, a report of unusual seismic activity in Antarctica was discovered. Relevant to the Foundation was its timing, occurring on 08/07/1965 at 0900 for an elapse of 1 minute and 26 seconds and again on 08/08/1965 at 0700 for an elapse of 55 seconds, coinciding with the SRA tethering of SCP-4246-2A and SCP-4246-2B. The epicentre of these two seismic events was traced to a region presently beneath the glaciers of Antarctica at 79° S, 172° W. Operatives from Mobile Task Force Delta-21 "The Abominable Snowmen" were deployed to these coordinates, discovering a previously unrecorded settlement at the site.

It was determined that the outpost was built and operated by Nazi Germany but damaged and abandoned for reasons not immediately discernible. The presence of a pit with a kilometer diameter and industrial digging equipment indicate a large scale excavation project, later verified by official documents. After investigating the buildings and finding them empty, MTF Delta-21 secured the settlement and awaited the arrival of Foundation researchers.

Recovered documents confirm that excavation efforts were part of an Ahnenerbe Obskurakorps16 operation to recover evidence of a supposed lost civilization. The Ahnenerbe Obskurakorps had been aware of the SCP-4246 anomaly since at least the early 1930s and had been, unbeknownst to the Foundation, conducting their own research into the phenomena. Through the analysis of SCP-4246-1 and their visions, they were able to deduce that this part of Antarctica held something of significance and were able to act on this information before the Foundation. They regarded this theoretical civilization as some manner of "master race", though this conclusion was based entirely on unfounded pseudo-scientific and supremacist beliefs.

Unfortunately, most of their research appears to have been intentionally destroyed and only vague references to the project have been encountered in extant documents. The amount of resources deployed, along with the apparent urgency behind the excavation operation, suggest more than a scholarly interest in SCP-4246. It is believed that the Ahnenerbe Obskurakorps’ ultimate goal was to weaponize the anomaly but how they planned to accomplish this remains unknown.

Signs of conflict were found throughout the settlement, the area littered with empty shell casings and frozen corpses. The docks had been razed and all ships had been intentionally scuttled, while excavation machines had been sabotaged and drained of diesel fuel. Journal entries and scattered memos describe growing animosity between laborers and their Ahnenerbe overseers.

The excavation project had ultimately uncovered the presence of an artificial structure beneath the ice. Classified as SCP-4246-3, it displays non-Euclidean architecture and is composed of an unusually strong and seamless material closely resembling obsidian. Chemical analysis of this material has revealed a combination of calcium carbonate, chitin, volcanic glass, magnesium, and iron, but efforts to replicate this material in a lab setting have resulted in failure. Spectrum analysis of this material has uncovered constantly shifting symbols designed for those capable of perceiving light in frequencies outside the human visible spectrum.

SCP-4246-3 displays an anomalous impact on sound. A whisper spoken within its interior will reverberate and increase in volume; a mere 1 second utterance can continue to resonate throughout SCP-4246-3 for just under 5 minutes. Individuals who remain near the ruins will eventually begin to hear the thoughts of anyone in their proximity. Continued exposure may result in the development of memory overlap, with one such example involving a Foundation operative who came to believe he shared the same wife as his partner. Thoughts and memories will continue to blur until the afflicted individual is rendered mentally incapable or catatonic. Fortunately, this can be corrected through the application of amnestics if treated early.

Attempts to navigate the site proved difficult due to the number of steep drops and inclines, along with the extreme perceptual abnormalities that occur within. The presence of barnacles and similarly sessile (sedentary) organisms further indicates that much of the structure, if not the entire complex, was within the ocean prior to the Late Cenozoic Ice Age (33.9 million years ago). There are no known forms of protection against SCP-4246-3's anomalous influence, requiring individuals to limit their exposure. This has ultimately rendered the vast majority of the ruins inaccessible. Ground-penetrating radar has revealed the entire SCP-4246-3 complex is distributed over a land area of about 822 km2, making it larger than New York City.

A journal was recovered from one of SCP-4246-3's various tunnels. Though it lacked a signature, its contents indicate that it belonged to one of the lost German laborers. Several passages of note include:

They work us like slaves but won't even tell us why. They say it is for the glory of the Fatherland but that is no explanation! I always heard that the SS represented the best of the German people but these men I do not trust. They are strange and cast malignant looks our way.

I heard the voice of Johannes but his mouth did not move. I remembered our mother, how I lament the sorrow our absence must caused her. My mother is dead and Johannes is no brother of mine. What is this?

I suffer strange dreams in this place and it seems I am not the only one. We have all seen the black city beneath the ice. A kingdom older than Adam.

The stones sing to us.

We trespass on holy ground.

This cannot continue.

Plans have been set in motion. We will show them what the Gods have shown us.

The Black City is alive with light - how can they not see them?

They will come to understand its beauty. But we cannot return - the Fuhrer would taint it.

Nobody can leave this frozen land alive.

Mobile Task Force Epsilon-19 "The Psych Ward” was deployed to SCP-4246-3 in order to explore and map its interior. Members of MTF Epsilon-19 are resistant to telepathic, cognitohazardous, and memetic anomalies; to achieve this, they have undergone extensive training, mental conditioning, and surgical augmentation17.

Much of SCP-4246-3’s interior was found flooded, requiring the construction of dams and drainage systems to access the majority of areas. SCP-4246-3’s non-euclidean architecture and labyrinthine vertical shafts have also necessitated the use of rappelling techniques and equipment. After 8 years of exploration and the establishment of various base camps, MTF Epsilon-19 completed their survey of SCP-4246-3. The resulting network of rope and anchors were in turn employed to create a minimalist lift system, allowing the Foundation to more efficiently move personnel and supplies throughout the complex. As MTF Epsilon-19 members are the only individuals capable of safely remaining within the complex, research was conducted indirectly via live video feed.

At the lowest level of SCP-4246-3 is a spherical chamber with an estimated volume of 720,000 m3 containing SCP-4246-4. SCP-4246-4 is an organic mass18 primarily composed of neurons and glial cells - the two broad classes of cells found in the brains of all naturally occuring terrestrial species. These cells are alive, despite lacking any obvious means of preservation, with veins transferring blue blood (hemocyanin) throughout the cluster (indicating the existence of a closed circulatory system). SCP-4246-4 itself is submerged in water and protected by a translucent dome.

After thorough analysis it was determined that SCP-4246-4 was a fully-functional brain, though one of unnatural size and complexity19. It is currently hypothesized that SCP-4246 is caused by the neural oscillations (brainwave) of SCP-4246-4, with SCP-4246-2 designed to receive and further transmit it throughout the world and potentially beyond. SCP-4246-4 appears to be expanding this brainwave across the world through a neural network composed of SCP-4246-2 (strong receivers and transmitters) and the neurons of all living things (weak receivers and transmitters, but far more numerous). It is believed that SCP-4246-4 is ultimately scanning the entire planet in a continuous cycle, gathering information for reasons still unknown. It is thus hypothesized that SCP-4246-1, through their divergent brains, are collecting some of this information much like a filter, their mental instability growing with decades of unintended contamination.

+ The Tethyan Civilization Hypothesis

- ACCESS GRANTED

Accepted by the majority of SCP-4246 researchers, the Tethyan Civilization Hypothesis posits that a specific civilization, presumably long extinct, was responsible for the creation of SCP-4246 and all related anomalous objects. Named for the Paleo-Tethys Ocean which they likely dominated, it is believed that the Tethyans represent a non-human, primarily aquatic civilization dating back to at least the late Paleozoic Era 250-300 million years ago. It is believed that the species responsible for SCP-4246 survived the Permian-Triassic extinction event20 and flourished until the Cretaceous–Paleogene (K–Pg) extinction event approximately 66 million years ago. Based on archaeological findings, the Tethyans existed for at least 200 million years and had a near incomprehensible understanding of science and technology.

Creations linked to this extinct civilization show evidence of anomalous craftsmanship, their construction seemingly impossible by the standards of modern human artifice. It is feared that most of their ruins are permanently lost due to the Wilson cycle21 and obliterated by subduction. It appears that this race was aware of what would happen to the seafloor in their absence and purposefully constructed SCP-4246-3 on a relatively safe part of the Antarctic Plate. As this was not done in the case of SCP-4246-2, it is likely that the non-anomalous preservation of SCP-4246-3 was of singular importance - something that could not be dimensionally anchored elsewhere, as seen with SCP-4246-2.

The Tethyan species is unknown, with no obvious signs of their existence in the fossil records. Though they left behind no images of their people, certain traits can be inferred from the architecture of SCP-4246-3. The species was aquatic, spending the majority of their existence on the seafloor. It is probable that they had appendages, a way to meaningfully interact and change their environment; though, as their brains allowed for telepathic connection, they may have been able to manipulate objects through telekinetic means - possibly explaining their seamless and delicately shaped architecture. Telepathy results in certain social ramifications as well, as suspicion and deception would be non-existent to their people.

As an aquatic species, it is highly unlikely that their technology evolved along paths comparable to humanity. They could have harnessed heat from hydrothermal vents but they would have never harnessed fire - a fundamental and formative development for humans. The harnessing of electricity would suffer similar difficulties. Based on the existence of SCP-4246-4, it is believed that the Tethyans mastered some form of bio-engineering and biocomputation; their ability to alter reality is also firmly established by the current state of SCP-4246-2.

Though still unverified, it is speculated that SCP-4246-4 was designed not only as a living repository of knowledge but as a secondary hive-like mind. This does not necessarily mean that the Tethyans shared a single consciousness, though it is within the realm of possibility. It may include the memories of all minds, Tethyan or other, that have existed since its creation.

Visions among SCP-4246-1 of vast coral gardens may indicate a familiar and comforting environment, the Tethyans potentially regarding coral reefs as the cradle of their species. They did not communicate as we do, relying more heavily on sensation than description - symbols, colors, and vibration work together to directly invoke the feelings of its creator, directly transferring information between individuals without the problematic tool of language. As their minds were linked, either through a natural occurrence of their biology or through the invention of SCP-4246-2 and SCP-4246-3, it is improbable that they had a concept of words as we would recognize them.

Their civilization flourished, expanding across the entire Panthalassa superocean, as evidenced by the far flung locations of SCP-4246-2. Despite the violent compulsions displayed by certain SCP-4246-1, there exists no evidence to suggest that the Tethyans were a combative people. Whatever tribalism they suffered likely ceased to be following the creation of SCP-4246-4, the core of their neural network and thus their civilization.

WARNING: THE FOLLOWING FILE IS LEVEL 4/4246 CLASSIFIED

ANY ATTEMPT TO ACCESS THIS FILE WITHOUT LEVEL 4/4246 AUTHORIZATION WILL BE LOGGED AND WILL LEAD TO IMMEDIATE DISCIPLINARY ACTION

++ PLEASE SUBMIT LOGIN CREDENTIALS

-- ACCESS GRANTED AND REGISTERED

Joseph Adler theorized the existence of three types of people: Sleepers (individuals seemingly unaffected by the SCP-4246 phenomena), Dreamers (individuals reactive to the SCP-4246 phenomena, though vague and distorted), and the Awakened (individuals capable of embracing the true reality of SCP-4246). The Awakened were entirely hypothetical, though Adler believed himself close to achieving this state of being. Foundation efforts to translate this supposed revelation electronically have failed. It is feared that human technology is simply incompatible with the SCP-4246-4 brain wave.

Beginning in 1988, Project: Awakened Dreamer was an attempt to better understand the SCP-4246 anomaly, as well as to potentially facilitate communication with SCP-4246-4 itself, through the creation of a new variant of SCP-4246-1. Classified as SCP-4246-1 Type C, these “awakened” subjects were genetically engineered to act as superior receivers of the SCP-4246 phenomena based on key differences found between SCP-4246-1 and baseline human brains. Type C have a 250% mass increase of the pineal gland, a 400% mass increase of the cerebral cortex, and an estimated 1200% as many neurons as the average adult human. These changes have necessitated the surgical enlargement of the cranium to incorporate the overall increase in brain mass. Type C individuals also receive a steady supply of perception altering chemicals, primarily N,N-Dimethyltryptamine, on the insistence of Dr Calixto Narváez.

These changes are not without negative side effects. SCP-4246-1 Type C suffer spastic tetraplegia and a significantly higher risk of epileptic seizure, brain aneurysm, cerebrovascular accident, and acute myocardial infarction. Advanced life support procedures and the continuous intravenous administration of relevant medication are able to minimize these life-threatening incidents.

The majority of Type C were created from Type B, typically from those most likely to represent an asset loss in the near future due to self-termination or other SCP-4246 related fatalities. Individuals undergoing the process have an estimated 70% mortality rate; more information regarding this process is restricted on a need-to-know basis. Unauthorized attempts to access this information is grounds for termination.

A Statement from Dr. Joan Henrike:

I have been made aware of the ethical concerns certain members of our Foundation hold and would prefer to address them directly.

Project: Awakened Dreamer is not cruel — cold perhaps, but entirely necessary. Individuals who have undergone the Type C process (or “awakening”) do not suffer in vain, nor is their predicament significantly different from before. Bound by straightjacket, locked in a cell and bombarded by sound - the established security measures hardly allow for much of a life.

And what kind of life did they live prior to containment? Look at what SCP-4246 has wrought - how it ravages their minds, compelling them towards self-mutilation, suicide and even murder. Do not think them all as composed and coherent as Adler. He was an aberration.

We cannot simply destroy SCP-4246-4 and this isn’t just a matter of general policy. The anomaly has been with us, engulfing our minds, long before the dawn of man (let alone mammals). We have no way of knowing how much it has influenced us and we will not do anything to terminate/inhibit the anomaly until it is thoroughly understood.

Project: Awakened Dreamer is our only viable option at this time. If you are unable to offer a better solution, then I suggest you stop bothering the Ethics Committee with your complaints. This is the Foundation - we do what we do because we must.

SCP-4246-1 Type C #0016, formerly SCP-4246-1 Type B #0104 (born Zena Alexopoulou), was determined to be the most capable of their kind. Based on Maynard-Sidgwic Test results, subject displays a heightened affinity for both receiving and transmitting information via paranatural means. Type C #0016 was transferred to Provisional Containment Area-48, constructed around the entrance to SCP-4246-3 in Antarctica.

On 09/12/1992, MTF Epsilon-19 operatives delivered SCP-4246-1 Type C #0016 to SCP-4246-4. Subject had been restricted by mobile psi-inhibitors and equipped with a two-way radio. An interview was conducted as psi-inhibitors were gradually disabled.

Interviewed: SCP-4246-1 Type C #0016

Interviewer: Dr. Santiago Castillo

<Begin Log>

Dr. Santiago Castillo: Do you read me, C-16?

SCP-4246-1 Type C #0016: Yes.

Dr. Santiago Castillo: Good. I’m going to disable the first inhibitor. Please inform me whenever it becomes too much.

SCP-4246-1 Type C #0016: OK. I understand. Do it. I need to know the truth.

Dr. Santiago Castillo: [Disables the first inhibitor] Please tell me what you experience. Don’t avoid any details.

SCP-4246-1 Type C #0016: I see black cities… a billion unblinking eyes staring back at me… water fills my lungs, asphyxiates! The sea is full of monsters… I’ve seen… and felt… this all before. Please, I am ready. Show me more.

Dr. Santiago Castillo: Understood. [Disables the second inhibitor]

SCP-4246-1 Type C #0016: [Subject trembles] I am lost among the tendrils… and no longer struggle for air… cold and numb… but comfortably so. I hear my mother… she calls me home… home… she sings to me… not songs of words or even sound… but light and colors, so brilliant! Home… home… back to the gardens of my ancestors. I am with my sisters… as long as we have each other, we can…

Be safe, be silent… be simple and without light. The song grows dim… but there is security in the darkness… be simple and without light… or the beast will find us.

[Subject slumps forward] The song is a distant memory… where are my sisters? The old radio plays only static. The colors remain but the meaning is lost. We are so lost… our children are born small and frail with light so terribly dim… and their children are as dark as the void between stars. They live short and miserable lives… O, how they’ve come to hate themselves. Our soul has been shattered, scattered! They squabble and fight… they no longer hear the song but this was our sacrifice to make! In the end, none of us will recognize our own. But the light cannot return… not until the time is right. Please, I need more… I must see beyond the end!

Dr. Santiago Castillo: Please note that I cannot guarantee your safety beyond this point. Shall I proceed?

SCP-4246-1 Type C #0016: This thing has haunted me all my life. I’ve done terrible, unforgivable things while under its spell. Do it. I need to know why. I don’t care what happens.

Dr. Santiago Castillo: Understood. [Disables the third inhibitor]

SCP-4246-1 Type C #0016: [Subject trembles and begins to hemorrhage blood from their ears, nose, and eyes]

Dr. Santiago Castillo: Are you able to continue?

SCP-4246-1 Type C #0016: [Subject is silent but nods their head in apparent affirmation]

Dr. Santiago Castillo: What are you experiencing?

SCP-4246-1 Type C #0016: Everything. I see… I feel… EVERYTHING! But I cannot understand it! [Subject begins to cry] The way it speaks to me… I feel it from inside. The tendrils carve a wordless litany upon my mind! [Subject screams] WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM ME!?! I drowned my own children for you! I thought it was what you wanted! Just tell me what to do! Why do you keep calling me! I’m drowning in your dream - can’t you see? Embrace me! Grant me the peace of clarity! End my madness!

Dr. Santiago Castillo: C-16! Please listen to me carefully. Don’t just receive - attempt to transmit! Reach out to SCP-4246-4 with your mind. Remember what we taught you.

SCP-4246-1 Type C #0016: [Subject screams, their volume increasing to abnormal levels]

<End Log>

Type C #0016 violently thrashed their head side to side as an 300+ dB soundwave was unleashed, followed by a psychic backlash felt by anyone within an 14,000,000 km2 area. This anomalous reaction lasted for approximately 3 minutes and 26 seconds, triggering fits and seizures among SCP-4246-1 across the world.

SCP-4246-3 underwent an immediate transformation, with walls and floors moving as if in a liquid state. The material once again returned to a solid after completely reshaping the structure’s interior. Type C #0016 and 12 members of MTF Epsilon-19 are believed to have been destroyed during the restructuring event, along with any equipment. Provisional Containment Area-48 suffered vibration related damage requiring extensive repairs. Above-ground personnel survived the incident but were rendered catatonic by the psychic backlash presumably triggered by Type C #0016’s attempt to transmit to SCP-4246-4.

After regaining consciousness, formerly comatose Area-48 personnel displayed apparent knowledge of hypothetical science and technology far beyond current understanding (including subjects which haven’t yet been speculated, even in the realm of science-fiction). These include dimensional folding, warp-field manipulation, neural-electrogravitics, cosmic language simulation, organic quantum entanglement communication, among many others. Despite the possible benefits of such information, experimentation in any of these fields has yet to become feasible. This has ultimately led to depression and frustration among impacted personnel, resulting in a significantly increased rate of suicide. The manner of self-termination has yet to involve drowning, indicating that a SCP-4246 related compulsion is not responsible.

Foundation operatives sent to recover casualties discovered further changes with SCP-4246-3. The seamless, obsidian-like material employed in its construction had become luminescent with a number of continuously shifting colors and undulating symbols. Seperated, these lights and symbols have no apparent effect, but the combination forms an exceptionally potent cognitohazard capable of triggering rapid cerebral hemorrhaging even among members of MTF Epsilon-19. Manned exploration of SCP-4246-3 is strictly prohibited from this point on unless directly authorized by Dr. Henrike.

NOTICE: You have (1) new message(s)

NOTICE: You have no new messages

Foundation Network Inter-Site Comm Service v.3.155

===MESSAGE FROM DR. ISAAC FREEMAN RECEIVED===

Dr. Henrike,

No doubt the rumors of my findings have already reached you. Please know that I would never bring this to your attention unless I was absolutely certain of its importance. I am fully aware of the extreme skepticism with which my research is being met. It appears that everyone has their pet theory of who the “Firstborn” really were and aren’t too comfortable with anything that clashes with theirs.

I, like everyone here, stand on the shoulders of the giants that came before us. Baker, Gärtner, and the rest opened the way. They did not live to see the truth and perhaps, neither shall we, but I believe that my discovery will bring us closer. I apologize if I sound overdramatic but its hard to contain my excitement.

Before I get into the details, consider this: what if the Tethyans never went extinct?

What if they are hiding in plain sight but are no longer recognizable as the advanced species they once were? Evolution isn’t some straight line towards intellectual and physical superiority. Do you remember the words of Type C #0016?

“Be safe, be silent… be simple and without light”.

During a routine sweep of news media following the 09/12/1992 incident, I uncovered some fascinating correlations. All relevant data is contained in the attachment and I urge you to peruse it with an open mind. As you’ll see, reports of SCP-4246 symptoms have steadily decreased; this is not to suggest that the anomaly is on the path towards neutralization (far from it) but that something has fundamentally changed.

As you can see from my data, there are a non-coincidental number of reports from aquariums, marine biologists, and private owners describing erratic and otherwise abnormal behavior coinciding with the incident of 09/12/1992. It occurred globally and lasted for approximately 3 ½ minutes according to observers. The marine biology department can back me up on this, as their own specimens created rhythmic patterns with their appendages - all identical, despite being completely isolated from each other.

And all seemed transfixed with a specific direction; regardless of their current position, they all faced towards SCP-4246-3’s location as if it were some kind of Mecca. In recent years, many new discoveries have been made regarding their intelligence. They've always been clever creatures - more clever than they had any right being considering their short lifespans and asocial behavior.

Reports of tool use, even degrees of socialization and cooperation, are growing increasingly common. I initially dismissed this as a consequence of improving research - that such behavior has always been and that we are merely recording it for the first time. It would've certainly been the simplest explanation but it doesn't hold against the overwhelming evidence.

This sudden divergence isn't limited to the psychological, as physiological changes are being reported as well. Mutants have been discovered, altered across species by genes shared through common ancestry. They are growing larger, stronger, and even more alien. Thankfully these changes aren't occurring simultaneously, as these mutants remain relatively rare and are usually misidentified.

My hypothesis explains many of our unanswered questions. Why haven't paleontologists discovered evidence of this race? Because the fossil record is biased against soft-bodied invertebrates. What other fully aquatic creatures would've had the brains and physical ability to manipulate tools? A fish might be able to use a twig with its mouth or a crustacean could grip something with its pincer but neither would have the necessary dexterity to construct the basic tools that would lead to the development of civilization (and cetaceans are off the table; mammals wouldn't have even existed yet). It all seems so obvious now.

I don’t believe that their current state was forced on them. They had to change, lest something terrible would be drawn to this world - some inconceivable threat that took insult to their intelligence ( “be simple and without light… or the beast will find us”). They could’ve fled this dimension but instead chose the darkness of a long sleep, letting their minds and bodies atrophy as nature erased nearly every trace of their civilization. Perhaps they couldn't bear to leave a world they stewarded for so long. I fear they won't take kindly to our destructive mismanagement of the planet in their absence.

SCP-4246-4 has awaited them this entire time and something we did convinced it to proceed with its primary purpose.

As beyond us as they were, the Tethyans weren’t gods.

They were cephalopods.

- Dr. Freeman

Footnotes

1. Psi-resistant humanoid containment cells have spherical interiors and are composed of a lead-aluminum alloy between two stainless steel frames. These containment cells are equipped with Psi-inhibitors alternating between 32 and 66 kilohertz. Psi-inhibitors can be remotely deactivated as needed for testing.

2. This compulsion does not extend to fresh water or artificially mixed saline water.

3. Such hallucinations are described as ineffable, incapable of being expressed or described in words. Regardless of what is or is not perceived, the episode is unquestionably traumatic.

4. Phantom pain sensations are described as perceptions that an individual experiences relating to a limb or an organ that is not physically part of the body.

5. Body integrity identity disorder is a psychological disorder in which otherwise healthy individuals perceive one or more of their limbs or organs as alien to the rest of their body.

6. Other names for the Firstborn include "Drowned Gods", "Forebears", and "Elder Race".

7. Debunking the existence of Mu and Lemuria; popular concepts with both scientists and occultists during the 19th and early 20th centuries.

8. Astral projection (or astral travel) is a term used in esotericism to describe a willful out-of-body experience that assumes the existence of a soul or consciousness called an "astral body" that is separate from the physical body and capable of traveling outside it throughout the universe. Whether or not this actually occurred is unknown.

9. A Maynard-Sidgwic Test was designed to test for extrasensory perception (ESP) as well as other Psi related anomalies such as telekinesis. Updated versions of the test no longer include dowsing and mediumship (generally regarded as debunked) or pyrokinesis (no longer regarded as a Psi based anomaly). Named for Dr. Jonathan Maynard and Dr. Gertrude Sidgwic.

10. The FSS Ammonite was, at the time of its construction, the most advanced submarine of the Foundation (if not the world) and specifically designed for the study and containment of deep sea anomalies.

11. Nan Madol is an archaeological site adjacent to the eastern shore of the island of Pohnpei. The city, constructed in a lagoon, consists of a series of small artificial islands linked by a network of canals. Pohnpeian legend claims that the city was built by sorcerers, who levitated its large stones via magic.

12. Whether or not this name was self-referential remains unknown.

13. The island had already been heavily converted to Christianity by this time and practitioners of the indigenous religion were negatively regarded. It is entirely possible that the cult had no connection to the native faith.

14. Church, in this context, likely refers to the Lutheran Church of Denmark.

15. ”What you seek is here but anchored elsewhere. Don’t let reality deceive you.”

16. The Ahnenerbe Obskurakorps was a Nazi organization tasked with the study and the containment/destruction/creation of anomalies. As a sub-group of the SS, the organization answered directly to Heinrich Himmler. The organization was composed of scientists, field operatives, and occultists (most of which were former members of the Thule Society).

17. See document Lobotomy and its application in Mental Resistance.

18. Though SCP-4246-4’s true size is unknown, its primary body encompasses approximately 70% of the lowest chamber, with tendrils extending throughout the interior of SCP-4246-3’s stone-like walls.

19. ”If we imagine the brain as an organic computer, the human brain would be like an abacus compared to SCP-4246-4’s quantum computer, but even that would be too comprehensible.” Dr. Joan Henrike

20. The Permian–Triassic (P–Tr or P–T) extinction event, also known as the Great Dying, occurred approximately 252 million years ago, forming the boundary between the Permian and Triassic geologic periods, as well as the Paleozoic and Mesozoic eras. It is the Earth's most severe known extinction event, with up to 96% of all marine species and 70% of terrestrial vertebrate species becoming extinct.

21. Named after its originator John Tuzo Wilson, the Wilson cycle is a model where a continent rifts, forms an ocean basin in-between, and then begins a process of convergence that leads to the collision of the two plates and closure of the ocean.