The central mound of Site 732

Item #: SCP-1987

Object Class: Euclid

Special Containment Procedures: SCP-1987 is to remain contained in situ within the area claimed as its territory, designated Site 732. SCP-1987 is currently a willing partner in its containment, in accordance with the treaty between SCP-1987 and Hans Majestets Norsk Forening for Spesiell Oppdemming Prosedyrer (His Majesty's Norwegian Association for Special Containment Procedures) established during the Valthing of ██/██/18██, as ratified by the Foundation on ██/██/19██ and most recently amended on ██/██/20██. Any proposed non-emergency alterations to the following containment procedures are to be submitted to SCP-1987 during the next session of the Valthing for discussion and approval. In the event that SCP-1987 terminates its cooperation, fails to uphold its treaty obligations, or negotiations become untenable, unilateral alteration of containment procedures is authorized subject to O5 approval.

A fence with barbed wire is to be erected around the perimeter of Site 732 to prevent unauthorized access and is to be monitored by ground personnel, security cameras, or unmanned aerial vehicles as necessary. One gate, with an attached guardhouse staffed by Foundation security personnel at all times and by a representative from SCP-1987 while active, is to be maintained at the eastern end of Site 732 along the site of the former road leading through the area. Unauthorized civilians entering Site 732 during daylight hours may be apprehended and escorted out of the area by Foundation security services. When SCP-1987 is active, SCP-1987 is responsible for apprehending trespassers and returning them, alive if possible, to the main gate, where they are to undergo medical treatment and Class-A amnestic therapy prior to release. The Foundation shall liaise with Avinor to prevent civilian air traffic from overflying Site 732.

Any authorized Foundation personnel may enter Site 732 during daylight hours for security purposes or to conduct non-invasive geological/archaeological study of the area. Any research that involves excavation of mounds or disturbance of buried human remains is prohibited. All personnel engaged in archaeological research on Site 732 are to enter the facility no earlier than thirty minutes after dawn and depart no later than thirty minutes before dusk, and are excluded from entering Site 732 while SCP-1987 is active. No personnel are to enter Site 732 while SCP-1987 is active without first presenting themselves for approval during a meeting of the Valthing. Each session of the Valthing is to be attended by at least one Level 4 agent fluent in Old Norse and possessing a working knowledge of traditional Norse law and etiquette.

At the time that containment was established by HMNFSOP, the existence of SCP-1987 was widely known to civilians living in the neighboring towns of H███████████, L█████, M█████████, O████████, and S████████. The Foundation-SCP-1987 treaty prohibits the mass use of amnestics against the civilian population of those towns; targeted dispersal of Class-B and Class-E amnestics is authorized to prevent information leaks. Information Management Procedure 608-B shall be enforced to prevent civilian knowledge of SCP-1987 from being transmitted beyond the area of those towns and neighboring agricultural areas. The Foundation shall maintain liaisons within local and regional governments and law enforcement agencies for the purpose of maintaining stable relations with SCP-1987.

The Foundation shall screen and approve owners and employees of civilian businesses within the treaty area for the purpose of engaging in the selling of approved goods to SCP-1987. All deliveries of goods shall be scheduled and overseen by the Foundation; the Foundation shall collect all gold coinage provided as payment and exchange it for Norwegian kroner at the current market rate, and shall conduct directly all purchases of approved goods not available within the treaty area. Consult Document 1987-32-M for a full list of approved goods.

Description: SCP-1987 is a phenomenon affecting several hundred skeletal human remains buried in and underneath several dozen pre-Christian burial mounds, located in a rural area of [REDACTED] District, Norway. Forensic analysis of artifacts recovered from the mound complex, designated Site 732, indicate that an unknown number of humans were buried at the site over a period of several centuries from approx. 400-900 CE. Examination of remains unearthed prior to the ban on excavation, and ultrasound examinations of the mounds conducted since, indicate that the remains are largely intact and undamaged in spite of their age, and that both males and females of varying ages were buried at the site.

SCP-1987 is inactive during daylight hours. During a period each night beginning within approximately 15-20 minutes of sunset, SCP-1987 becomes active, whereupon a thin layer of fog can be seen to exude from the burial mounds and approximately ███ living human beings will manifest therefrom. Physical examination of SCP-1987 individuals indicates no discernible differences between the specimens and non-anomalous human beings; all specimens appear to be in good health for their apparent age and display no apparent scars, signs of injury, or symptoms of communicable or congenital illnesses. SCP-1987 individuals persist until approximately 15-20 minutes prior to sunrise the following day, whereupon the specimens will briefly become transparent before being observed to evaporate into a fog similar to that observed at sunset and gradually dissipate. Specimens that are injured or killed prior to sunrise will demanifest as usual and remanifest alive and unharmed the following evening. A census conducted by HMNFSOP in 18██ identified ███ individual members of SCP-1987, 87% of whom were male, all appearing to be of Nordic ethnicity, with a range of self-attributed ages from 13 to 89; current observations of SCP-1987 are consistent with these findings.

SCP-1987 specimens speak several dialects of Proto-Norse and Old Norse, and identify themselves as adherents of several varieties of Norse polytheism. All specimens manifest fully clothed in handmade garments or armor believed to be typical of pre-Christian Norse culture, and many of them manifest carrying or wearing swords, axes, spears, or other weapons. In interviews with Foundation personnel, specimens identify themselves as having been born in various areas throughout Scandinavia and northern Europe, and claim to have been warriors who died in battle with a rival clan, invading force, or civilians defending themselves against a raid the individual was participating in. Specimens state an awareness that they are dead and a belief that their current status is a reward from the gods for their bravery in life, but claim no knowledge or understanding of what happens to them when they demanifest at sunrise or the cause of the phenomenon.

SCP-1987 specimens have been observed spending the majority of their active phase engaged in recreational activities, including the preparation and consumption of roasted meats, consumption of alcoholic beverages, mock battles, recitation of songs and poems relating to gods and legendary heroes, sexual activity, and a team sport resembling medieval football. Religious rites, including animal sacrifices and shamanic rituals, have been observed on solstice and equinox days and on other days identified by SCP-1987 as significant. SCP-1987 has historically engaged in trade with towns neighboring Site 732, offering gold coins acquired from an unknown source in exchange for goods used in religious rites and recreation. Limited trade has been allowed to continue under the terms of the Foundation-SCP-1987 treaty; since the Foundation assumed control of trade, approximately [REDACTED] kg of gold coinage has been collected by the Foundation.

Approximately once per month, on nights when the full moon is visible, (or on the following night if the full moon falls on one of the above-mentioned holidays), all SCP-1987 specimens will gather at the base of the largest mound and conduct a meeting it refers to as the Valthing (Old Norse: assembly of the dead), a legislative assembly based on traditional Norse law. The Valthing hears grievances brought by SCP-1987 individuals, which are resolved on the basis of a code of law recited from memory by the oldest member of the assembly and/or by a vote of all individuals present, and is additionally responsible for negotiating treaty terms with the Foundation and trade contracts with civilian businesses. The Valthing has been observed to order various forms of punishment against members of SCP-1987 for violating its laws, including indentureship to another individual for a given period of time, beatings, or one or more consecutive death sentences to be served successively over a series of nights.

Addendum: On ██/██/20██, an SCP-1987 individual escaped Site 732 while under the influence of alcohol and assaulted patrons of a tavern in O████████, resulting in three fatalities before a civilian shot and killed it. The body was acquired by Foundation personnel and returned to the custody of SCP-1987's representative at Site 732's gate. During the following Valthing, the individual was convicted by the assembly and sentenced to Helviti (Old Norse: Hel's punishment), which consisted of being dismembered, emasculated, and burned alive. Following the individual's execution, the assembly dug up a section of a mound and exhumed what is assumed to be the skeletal remains of the individual, added them to the burning pyre, and delivered the ashes to the Foundation the following night with the request that they be taken and scattered in the Atlantic Ocean. An analysis of the ashes indicated no anomalous properties and the request was carried out after a sample was preserved and archived; the individual so disposed of has not been seen again within Site 732.