Notes: "SCP-423's role is larger in this work, allowing a better look 
at its effects. The dialog written for the character is similar to that 
written for the other dwarves. Other differences in text match 
Tolkien's writing style as used in the rest of the book." -Dr. E. Mann 


Date: / / 
Test Material: Plain Journal 


Results: There was no result for some time, until one of the 
researchers wrote his name on the cover. The words "Hi, there" 
appeared underneath. A conversation was held, during which it was 
established that SCP-423 possessed both the ability and desire to 
communicate. 


Notes: "This proves that SCP-423 is sentient. If it can be controlled, 
it could be useful in dealing with certain text-based SCPs. This 
bears further research." -Dr. E. Mann 


Date: / / 
Test Material: Dragonquest, by Anne McCaffrey 


Results: A minor blue rider named F'Red appears in the story. No 
other changes are noted. 


Date: / / 
Test Material: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, by J.K. 
Rowling 


Results: A wizard named Fred appeared. Very few changes in the 
story are noted, except one scene in which SCP-423 is confused 
with an existing character in the series. 


Notes: "SCP-423 displayed paranormal abilities in the narrative, 
though nothing out of note for the fictional universe. However, when 
returned to the journal, SCP-423 said that it couldn't duplicate them 
outside of that particular narrative universe." - Dr. E. Mann 


Date: / / 


others. Our bloodline is pure - untainted by 
outsiders. 


Dr. Tobias Moser: | must ask this but why eat 
human? 


SCP-3288-ALPHA: We do not eat human. We 
eat peasants. We eat undesirables. We devour 
life undeserving of life. That is the nature of 
nobility. What else would be the point? 


Dr. Tobias Moser: Understood. | must take 
my leave. We will speak again soon. 


SCP-3288-ALPHA: Yes. We will think of you, 
King Moser, in your absence - over and over. 
We are eager to... [Snort] ...sample your 
flavor. So delightful. So delicious. 


<End Log> 


Afterword: We may be able to glean more 
information by playing to his delusions but it is 
difficult to say how much of it is true. However, 
DNA analysis has revealed that SCP-3288- 
ALPHA does in fact descend from the House 
of Habsburg and this so far appears to be true 
for all SCP-3288. 


A number of significant documents were recovered from 
SCP-3288-1, allowing the Foundation to develop a better 
understanding of SCP-3288. The following excerpts have been 
translated from their original German and are arranged in 
chronological order. Footnotes have been provided in order to frame 
these documents within their historical and cultural context. 


Excerpts from the Journal of Leopold | 


Leopold | (Leopold Ignaz Joseph Balthasar Felician; 9 
June 1640 — 5 May 1705) was the Holy Roman Emperor 
as well as the King of Hungary, Croatia, and Bohemia. 


Generally regarded as an intellectual, he was known for 
his interest in astronomy, alchemy, and the early 
sciences. 


10th of November, 1700 


And with the death of Charles22, so dies our 
noble line in Iberia. | will restore our rightful 
place. My claim is valid and will not be denied. 
| already hear the intoxicating drums of war. 


But his disease, his curse, concerns me 
greatly. Despite the purity of our blood, 
untainted for generations, Charles was a sickly 
creature with the mind of a child; | too was a 
sickly youth. 


But my mind remains sharp. | must make use 
of this blessing before my dynasty succumbs 
to madness and cretinism. 


4th of August, 1701 


The Jesuits have exhausted their usefulness. 
Against my better judgement, | have chosen to 
seek out those with knowledge of the so-called 
"abominable" sciences; scholars of the 
forbidden mysteries, both great and terrible. 


And | have found someone who knows the 
dark. A woman of rare, almost beguiling 
beauty. She is older than she appears, for she 
speaks with the experience of a hundred 
lifetimes on subjects | had only just begun to 
grasp. She is a creature of the wild - a living 
embodiment of all that is pagan. 


| am a stranger in her world. 
And | am afraid. 


22nd of October, 1701 


She says she will teach me but for a price she 
will name upon the completion of her tutelage. 
A strange request but all she presently asks is 
that | uphold my end of the bargain. | have 
more power and wealth than any man alive - 
payment will not be difficult. 


| will not allow our venerable House to fall. 


But my laboratory is ill suited for such a task. | 
have hired workers to begin construction on a 
new site; something away from the prying eyes 
of sycophantic courtiers. 


19th of December, 1701 


My tutelage, though difficult, progresses well. 
A universal essence - the way of all flesh - it all 
begins to make sense! My eyes are now open 
and | see with such clarity. 


| will cleanse my family of this curse. The 
essence is malleable - subject to change. 


But one piece moves the other, you see - 
resulting in an often unpredictable 
transmutation. My current experiments make 
use of the the simplest of God's creations; 
rodents and insects, primarily. | have formed 
living things; creatures whose very visage 
would sunder even the most resolute of minds. 


8th of February, 1702 


Construction of the new laboratory goes well. | 
predict its completion within the next three 
months. Equipment has been delivered from 
Damascus; if there is one thing those 
Mohammedans know, it is the occult sciences. 


More often than not, my teacher leaves me to 


my own devices. She appears only at night, 
though | cannot say from where; she comes 
and goes as she pleases, my servants 
seemingly unaware of her presence. 


27th of March, 1702 


The new laboratory was finished ahead of 
schedule; the workers merely need to install 
my equipment and | can take my experiments 
to the next tier. But fresh materials are 
required and pests will no longer suffice. | am 
not yet willing to experiment on my own blood 
but perhaps there is another way. 


The workers promised secrecy but in my 
dreams | see betrayal. | have come too far to 
allow such an interference. If the Church 
learns of this, it could ruin everything. These 
dreams are an omen and | know they will 
consume me unless | take swift action. 


| know what must be done. 
15th of April, 1702 


My teacher is less understanding than | had 
expected. For even her heathen heart does 
not dissuade the disgust and contempt with 
which she now looks upon me. 


| did what | had to. For my family - for the 
purity of our blood - for the IMMORTALITY of 
our chosen line! How could this witch 
understand my burden? 


She vows to return tomorrow for her payment. 
| would just have this over with. | am still a 
man of my word. 


16th of April, 1702 


| watched her burn. 


Her sorcery slew many of my guardsmen, but 
in the end she was detained and delivered to 
the Church. The zealots, having heard my 
testimony, proved just as eager to see that 
wretched bitch be consigned to the flames. | 
know such methods have fallen out of fashion, 
thus we committed the act under the cover of 
darkness and secrecy. 


| would have granted her land or made her rich 
as Crassus! But no, that wicked creature 
sought to be clever. She said | could never 
save my family without her aid and demanded 
- DEMANDED!- that | end my rule, destroy all 
titles and deeds, delivering my land and wealth 
to the common folk! Did she really believe | 
would plunge my kingdoms, my EMPIRE, into 
anarchy? Truly, she was mad. But now, 
nothing remains but ash and cinder. 


And | may return to my Great Work, no longer 
bound by her ethical inflexibility. 


There is so very much to be done. 


Later entries by Leopold | are increasingly frenzied and illegible, 
suggesting a deteriorating mental state until his death in 1705. It 
appears that he eventually had success, resulting in the creation of 
SCP-3288 (albeit with unintended consequences) via the 
introduction of an anomalous gene into the family bloodline. This 
gene allows human DNA to resist certain deleterious conditions 
associated with inbreeding. 


The House of Habsburg continued its practice of inbreeding, 
accelerating the development of mutations. Those with significant 
deformities were hidden from the public, the Habsburg monarchs 
eventually creating vast vaults to house them. The vault dwelling 
Habsburgs continued to breed, eventually developing mutations 
which vastly increased their rate of reproduction (in turn increasing 


the chances of entirely new mutations). 


Those who more closely resembled baseline humans remained on 
the surface while those sent below continued to adapt to 
subterranean life. DNA analysis has revealed that consanguinity 
grew increasingly more extreme over the years, further indicating 
that incest between parent and child or brother and sister had 
become the norm among SCP-3288 by the 19th century. 


It appears that the Habsburg monarchs went to great lengths to 
provide their vault dwelling kin with a lifestyle just as extravagant as 
those above. Documents reveal the steady delivery of food, wine, 
and entertainment; over time these requests become eccentric23 
and strange24 - and eventually depraved.25 All evidence suggests 
that these requests were met. It is unknown how long SCP-3288 
have survived without outside assistance. One document appears to 
imply that the Great Plague of 1738 led to the delivery of a 
significant amount of "feed". 


One document of singular importance contains a list of vaults similar 
to SCP-3288-1. The Foundation has used this information to locate 
and neutralize SCP-3288 hives but the document itself has been the 
cause of concern, half of it illegible due to mold related damage. 
This means that at least half of these vaults cannot be located and 
will continue to be a significant threat to the public. 


Addendum 09/23/2016: There are a growing number of reports 
describing violent sexual assaults and acts of cannibalism 
throughout Central Europe. Closer analysis of these attacks has led 
the Foundation to conclude that SCP-3288 are responsible for the 
violence. Due to the widespread nature of these incidents, it is 
feared that multiple undiscovered SCP-3288 vaults have been 
breached. 


An instance of SCP-3288 was recently captured at the Black Forest 
in Germany. Tracked to a derelict hunting lodge by MTF Sigma-6, 
the entity was successfully secured and contained with operatives 
suffering only minor casualties. Nine bound women were discovered 
in the basement; only one was still alive and the cadavers displayed 
ruptured lower abdomens he abdomen and evidence of partial 
cannibalization.26 


The survivor was dirty, malnourished, and her lower abdomen was 
heavily swollen and visibly throbbing. The woman screamed to the 
operatives, pleading that they "Get these things out of [her]", along 
with various expletives and religious invocations. She received 
medical evacuation via helicopter but crashed approximately five 
minutes into its flight. Four fetuses were discovered among the 
wreckage; though heavily charred, all displayed mutations 
associated with SCP-3288. 


The recently captured instance of SCP-3288 was interrogated. A 
transcript is provided in the following collapsible: 


SCP-3288-6971: Interview Log (09/24/2016) 
Interviewed: SCP-3288-6971 
Interviewer: Dr. Elizabeth Varga 


Foreword: Subject is restrained and muzzled 
and its cell is equipped for enhanced 
interrogation. Due to the severity of the 
circumstances, personnel are encouraged to 
use all possible means of information 
extraction. Interview conducted in German. 


<Begin Log> 


Dr. Elizabeth Varga: Are there other victims? 
Where are they located? 


SCP-3288-6971: [produces a chattering noise 
and begins to laugh] 


Dr. Elizabeth Varga: We don't have time for 
this. Use the light. [Security officer complies, 
flashing approximately 32000 lumens at the 

subject] 


SCP-3288-6971 : [Subject shrieks] You 
wretched whore! | will pluck out your eyes and 
sku- 


Dr. Elizabeth Varga: Put the screws to it. 


SCP-3288-6971 : [Subject continues to shriek 
as its bones begin to break] 


Dr. Elizabeth Varga: Tell us everything. 
SCP-3288-6971: | yield! | yield! Parley! 
Dr. Elizabeth Varga: Tell me what you know. 


SCP-3288-6971: [Subject trembles] You wish 
to know about the vessels? | am but a duke! 
The Empress!27 You want the Empress! 


Dr. Elizabeth Varga: Tell me about these 
"vessels". Now. 


SCP-3288-6971: We are merely claiming what 
is ours - by the divine right of kings! 


Dr. Elizabeth Varga: The women you raped... 


SCP-3288-6971: The Empress! She said it 
was time. For a thousand years, our blood has 
been pure. Untouched by the taint of outsiders. 


Dr. Elizabeth Varga: Why change? Why now? 


SCP-3288-6971: Our blood! It is strong now. 
So strong. It overwhelms the blood of the 
wretched and mud-bound. Our line will never 
die. It will never fade. We will rape every last 
one of you. Our blood line will never die, no no 
no... it will become everything. It is our gift. 
Our blessing. 


Dr. Elizabeth Varga: What do you mean? 


SCP-3288-6971: The meek will beget the 
strong. The doomed will beget the chosen. 


Don't you see? The greedy will devour the 
charitable, the merciless will ravage the 
peaceful, and the fornicaters will rape the 
chaste. 


We will make the world as perfect as us. We 
will all be aristocrats in the end. 


And our Dynasty will never die. 
<End Log> 


Footnotes 

1. Hyperdontia is the condition of having supernumerary teeth, or 
teeth that appear in addition to the regular number of teeth. 

2. Macrodontia is the condition of having abnormally large teeth. 

3. Mandibular prognathism is a potentially disfiguring genetic 
disorder where the lower jaw outgrows the upper, resulting in an 
extended chin and a crossbite. 

4. Dolichostenomelia is a condition in which the limbs are unusually 
long. 

5. Arachnodactyly is a condition in which the fingers and toes are 
abnormally long and slender, in comparison to the palm of the hand 
and arch of the foot. 

6. Polydactyly is a congenital physical anomaly in which there are a 
supernumerary fingers or toes. 

7. Kyphosis is an abnormally excessive convexkyphoticcurvature of 
the spine as it occurs in the cervical, thoracic and sacral regions. It 
is more commonly known as hunchback. 

8. SCP-3288-1's eyes containtapetum lucidum, a layer of tissue 
immediately behind the retina that reflects visible light back through 
the retina, increasing the light available to the photoreceptors. 
9.Complete heterochromiais when one iris is a different color from 
the other. 

10. Gottschall-Gartner syndrome is a rare condition in which the 
epidermis develops a layer of enamel. The substance tends to 
fracture and shift, causing pain but allowing the afflicted to remain 
mobile. 

11. Alopecia universalis is a medical condition involving loss of all 
hair, including eyebrows and eyelashes. 

12. Cadaver A includes the upper torso (truncated at the the center 


of the abdomen) and loosely attached head (the face had been 
rendered unrecognizable); the arms, much like the lower half of the 
body, were not found at the scene of the attack. Cause of death: 
exsanguination. 

13. Cadaver B had been disemboweled and suffered destructive 
trauma to the thoracic cage (which was then pried open); all internal 
organs of the torso were missing along with a sizable amount of 
flesh. Cause of death: traumatic cardiac arrest (TCA). 

14. Cadaver C was little more than a pile of shattered bones and 
bodily fluids. Cause of death: unknown. 

15. The Donaukanal ("Danube Canal") is a former arm of the river 
Danube, regulated as a water channel since 1598, within the city of 
Vienna.