17/11/1965 Second observed event where 
battle did not take place. Instead, 
SCP-3514-2 instances 
representing all 9 Shahs of the 
Safavid dynasty prior to the fall of 
Isfahan appeared instead of the 
combatants. These 
representations all spoke 
continuously for the duration of 
the SCP-3514-1 event, giving 
what seemed to be accounts of 
percieved failures which occurred 
during their lifetimes. Most of the 
SCP-3514-2 instances were 
continuously crying ordinary 
tears, with the exception of the 
SCP-3514-2 instances 
representing Isma’il |, Safi |, 
Abbas II and Suleiman I, all of 
whom appeared to be crying red 
wine.& 


SCP-3514-3 is an intangible representation of an individual claiming 
to be Shah Ismail. SCP-3514-3 has the appearance of a man in his 
mid-30s with red hair and unkempt facial hair, ordinarily dressed in 
silk robes in a state of disrepair. This instance is separate from the 
SCP-3514-2 instances resembling Shah Ismail as part of 
SCP-3514-1 events. It is classified separately as it appears to 


demonstrate awareness of external stimuli in addition to being 
present outside of SCP-3514-1 events. SCP-3514-3 is difficult to 
converse with, often speaking in incoherent fragments and only 
occasionally attaining lucidity. 


SCP-3514-3 claims to be the creator and controller of SCP-3514-1 
events. This has not been confirmed, but occasional utterances by 
SCP-3514-3 demonstrate an awareness of future SCP-3514-1 
events. SCP-3514-3 ordinarily speaks in a 16th century dialect of 
Azeri, but apparently understands Persian, Gilaki and possesses at 
least some knowledge of Classical Arabic. SCP-3514-3 is located on 
top of the nearby hill of , which provides an excellent view of 
SCP-3514-1 events. Ordinarily, SCP-3514-3 can be found sitting or 
occasionally pacing within the immediately surrounding area. 


SCP-3514 first came to the Foundation's attention in 1886, when the 
Qajar authorities requested aid in the anomaly's containment. Based 
on the testimony of SCP-3514-3, SCP-3514 is believed to have 
been created sometime after the death of Shah Ismai’il in the early 
16th century. 


On 22/12/1973, the Office for the Reclamation of Islamic Artifacts 
(ORIA) was alerted to the existence of SCP-3514, and swiftly moved 
in to contain it. It was discovered through documents stolen during 
an ORIA incursion into Site. Due to the limited Foundation 
presence in Iran, holding the anomaly against ORIA was considered 
unfeasible, and the Foundation withdrew upon ORIA's request 
without incident. 


Interview 3514-24 
Interviewed: SCP-3514-3. 
Interviewer: Dr. F 


Foreword: This interview was conducted 
23/08/1966. The conversation has been 
translated from a 16th century dialect of Azeri, 
the native language of Shah Ismail. Of note is 
the unusual level of lucidity in SCP-3514-3's 
responses. 


<Begin Log> 


Dr.F : Good afternoon, SCP-3514-3. How 
are you this evening? 


SCP-3514-3: | am... well. Surprisingly well. 


Dr.F — : You- Er, good. Very good. Why is 
that? 


SCP-3514-3: |... remember. Other times. The 
good days, before, before this. When | was a 
God. 


Dr. F — :...| didn't think that you believed that 
yourself. 


SCP-3514-3: Oh, no, no, | didn't, but... there 
was a glory in it. There was something there 
that I- that we felt was true. That feeling of 
standing above the world, above one's 
followers, with all the strength of vengeance 
and righteousness pushing us forward- one felt 
like a God. One felt like the Mahdi. One felt 
like... like the expression of something greater. 


Then came darkness. Then came mortality. 
One moment | was thundering down, the 
immortal head of an immortal army, the arm of 
God's righteous revenge. And then, a minute 
later, | was a man, a mortal king fleeing from 
mortal foes, ensnared in the mire and spitting 
blood from my tattered lips. | was human. | 
was normal. Do you know what that feels like, 
to lose that? No, no, of course not. You could 
never know what it is to be a God. 


Dr.F  :So- why do you do this? Why do you 
hurt yourself? Why not just stop doing this? 


SCP-3514-3: Because | am mortal! Because | 


have to- | have to see it. To find a way to stop 
it. This was the battle that defined my life, my 
existence, my soul. This was the battle that, | 
have heard, defined empires and religions, 
created lines and contours that have echoed 
throughout centuries. | have to find a way to 
redo it and change history. 


Dr. F —_: But you've replayed the battle 
hundreds of thousands of times. And I've seen 
you replay the battle in the same way it 
happened, make yourself die, conjure up 
impossible fantasies. Why do you still do it? 


SCP-3514-3: It's the only thing that makes 
sense to me. Maybe it was the only thing that 
ever made sense to me. All | am is a memory, 
a faded ghost, an imprint of Isma’il's mind. A 
projection from beyond the grave, sitting here, 
forever, and ever, and ever. My lot is to exist in 
the past. To see the moment | was made 
mortal, again and again and again, trying to 
understand. To percieve. To understand what | 
am, what | was, what | could be. To 
understand myself. 


Dr.F =: What do you mean? 


SCP-3514-3: | mean that I- that you- that ‘Ali... 
that... that... 


Hereafter, SCP-3514-3 reverted to its ordinary 
behaviour and speech patterns, remaining 
unresponsive to Foundation questioning. Dr. 
F thus ended the interview shortly 
afterwards. 


<End Log> 


Interview 3514-55 


Interviewed: SCP-3514-3. 
Interviewer: Dr. O 


Foreword: This interview was conducted 
23/05/1972. The conversation has been 
translated from a 16th century dialect of Azeri, 
the native language of Shah Isma’il. Once 
again, SCP-3514-3 demonstrated particular 
lucidity throughout this interview. 


<Begin Log> 


SCP-3514-3: You do not know what it is to be 
dead, Doctor. 


Dr. O : Wh- er, no. | haven't died. H-Have 
you? 


SCP-3514-3: | have. | was sitting in my palace, 
dreaming of older days, drinking more and 
more wine as the world became red. And then 
the red changed, into black and blue and 
green, and | saw Azrael. And he took me 
away. 


Dr. O : To where? 


SCP-3514-3: So many places. | saw the halls 
of paradise, and the depths of Jahannam. | 
saw ‘Ali and the Imams, | saw- | think | saw 
them, anyway. | forget. | saw the past, saw 
Kayumars and Kay Khusraw and the Prophet. 
| do not know if what | saw was real, if those 
kings truly roamed the earth or were merely 
real to me and the world | inhabited, but | saw 
it all the same. Then | saw the present, the 
Venetian ships plying the water, the dying 
emperors of old China, the screams of the 
servants as they found my body, the mourning 
of the my followers. | saw Suleiman's laughter 


and Babur's grave sighs. | saw the world in 
miniature. And then... and then... 


Dr. O : You saw the future? 


SCP-3514-3: | saw my son- not like me, but 
more bitter and far wiser. He knew from the 
start that he was not a god. He was a graver 
and a darker soul than I, but one who knew 
more than how to hunt, drink and kill. He made 
an empire. | saw brave 'Abbas, and the poorer 
men who followed him. | saw the land I'd 
conquered rise to heights unknown for a 
thousand years, and fall to depths seen only in 
the righteous destruction of the Mongols. And 
then | saw things | still do not understand... a 
red Shah, a living statue, and a darkness 
coating the world in silence. And | realised that 
none of it mattered. 


Dr. O : Those sound like things that 
matter. 


SCP-3514-3: They didn't, because then | saw 
myself. | was Isma’il. | was born and raised 
knowing | was a saint, a murshid, the messiah- 
king, the expression of God or maybe God 
himself. | was a divine instrument, a righteous 
warrior for vengeance. And then | died at 
Chaldiran. The divine part of me fled, and | 
was just a servant, a mortal, a dog that had 
been kicked from ‘Ali's threshold and was 
forced to roam the streets. In an instant, I, a 
God, became a man. In an instant. A single 
day of blood. 


Dr. O : That must have been... hard. 


SCP-3514-3: | can see the doubt in your eyes, 
little man. | can see the scepticism. What do 
you know of religion? Of God? What do you 


know of the blood and the need for revenge? 
The righteousness of our cause? The clerics 
never got it, nor the sayyids. We were 
overthrowing the heretic temples of the Sunnis 
and establishing a new order, a just kingdom, 
a place free of the blood and mire of this world. 
We were heroes! 


Dr. O : ...L apologise if | offended you. It 
was not my intent. 


SCP-3514-3: You didn't. | must give you 
apologies in turn. | thought time had turned me 
into a humbler man than that. You see, that is 
why God- or whoever | saw in the melting light- 
gave me this punishment. In life, | had been a 
man of arrogance, who thought himself divine. 
And so now, | must sit here, until | have learnt 
the truth; that the struggle was irrelevant. That 
this was no more different a moment than any 
other. 


Dr. O : You mean- you're being forced to 
stay here? As punishment? 


SCP-3514-3: Forced? Oh, no. | can leave at 
any time- but God knows | will not. | am here 
because | want to be. | must thank God, | truly 
must, for putting me here. An eternity of truth- 
seeking. You see, | never quite believed it. 
That | was not special, not a conduit for the 
divine. Even if | could only remember it in 
wine, | was still the Mahdi, the messiah, and 
when in my cups, Chaldiran was just a child's 
dream. | knew myself mortal by then, but felt 
myself more. So | stay here. Because | must. 
Because... because... then | will be free. 


Dr. O : Well, why don't you just- 


SCP-3514-3: Free, child... free... in the light of 


the sun and with the scim-scim-scimitar, 
beneath the noon of ‘Ali, in the twilight, in the 
free light... they're coming soon, you know... 
the men of false righteousness, here to reclaim 
me... | have seen them talking each to each... 


At this point, SCP-3514-3 began to speak 
incoherently, becoming increasingly unaware 
of its surroundings. Dr. O ended the 
interview shortly afterwards. 


<End Log> 


Footnotes 

1. Although this painting- which can be found on a wall of the Chehel 
Sotoun palace in Isfahan- is commonly believed to show the Battle 
of Chaldiran proper, several variations in dress and formation have 
led researchers to believe that it is, in fact, of an SCP-3514-1 event. 
The abnormalities in the painting have been publically written-off as 
stylistic variations and a lack of knowledge of the events on the part 
of the painter. 

2. The first ruler of the Safavid dynasty of Iran and the Safavid 
leader at the Battle of Chaldiran. 

3. The "Epic of Kings", a 10th century poem by the Iranian poet 
Ferdowsi detailing a mythical version of the history of the Sassanid 
period. It had become the standard narrative of Iran's history by this 
period, and was an important part of the Persianate world's culture. 
4. It should be noted that the Safavid decision to delay their attack- 
taken partly due to Ismaiil's belief in his own divinity, and partly 
because of poor advice from his senior generals- is commonly 
considered the reason for the Safavid failure at the historical battle, 
as the strength of their cavalry charges was mitigated by the strong 
Ottoman defensive position and power of their cannon. 

5. Amurshidis the spiritual leader of a Sufi order, the role Shah 
Isma’il played to his fanatical Qizilbash followers. 

6. It should be noted that those 4 Shahs are believed to have died 
from excessive drinking. 


SCP-3515: Unearth 


Item #: SCP-3515 
Object Class: Safe 


Special Containment Procedures: SCP-3515 is to be stored ina 
standard art locker at Site-77. Containment and testing locations 
must be situated no less than 50m from any on-site sleeping 
quarters or common area. 


Description: SCP-3515 is a 40 cm x 60 cm charcoal drawing on 
paper, currently fitted in a wooden frame. The drawing depicts a 
barren landscape with a large knotted willow tree in the foreground, 
at the crest of a hill of bare earth. The artist and date of creation are 
unknown. 


Persons spending more than one hour in close proximity to 
SCP-3515 (within a range of approximately five meters) will be 
subject to low-volume auditory hallucinations described as the 
sound of slow, steady digging. In noise comparison tests, subjects 
have most commonly matched SCP-3515-induced hallucinations 
with recordings of manual digging with a metal shovel in heavy clay 
soil. If an affected individual is no longer in proximity to SCP-3515, 
these auditory hallucinations cease. 


If an individual enters slow-wave sleep (stage 3 of non-REM sleep) 
while in proximity to SCP-3515, that individual will spontaneously 
dematerialize. Dematerialization will include clothing and other 
objects physically attached to the individual. No further evidence is 
available of the location of civilians presumed to have been affected 
by this phenomenon. In Foundation experimentation, the most 
notable test to date has been Experimental Protocol 3515-C-01. 


Experimental Protocol 3515-C-01: Selected Logs 


Notes: A single test subject (D-6042) was placed in the testing 


chamber with SCP-3515 and a standard Foundation single bedding 
set. D-6042 was fitted with a GPS tracking device, a head-mounted 
camera and microphone, and a transmitter affixed to D-6042's 
clothing. Relevant extracts from the recording logs are set out 
below. 


The initial phase of the experiment confirmed the presence of 
auditory hallucinations as anticipated, and showed no unexpected 
results. After initial observations were complete, the secondary 
effect of SCP-3515 was tested. 


<Elapsed time: 1:46:07> 
D-6042: So you want me to lie down and go to sleep? 


Dr. Hallard: That's correct. Please do not remove or 
disable your equipment. 


D-6042: Okay. Uh, what are you testing for, please? 


Dr. Hallard: I'm sorry, | can't tell you that. We will be 
monitoring you at all times. 


D-6042: Right, sure. Hey, is there anything you can do 
about that noise? 


Dr. Hallard: I'm afraid not. Just try to ignore it. 
D-6042: I'll try to. It's pretty quiet, anyway. 


D-6042 lies in a lateral position, with the camera facing 
the wall of the testing chamber. No sound is recorded 
other than D-6042's breathing. After approximately 17 
minutes, the attached electroencephalograph records 
D-6042 falling asleep. Approximately 20 minutes later, 
brain wave patterns indicate that D-6042 has reached 
slow-wave sleep. 


D-6042 dematerializes. Clothing and attached electronic 
devices also dematerialize, with the exception of the 
leads for the electroencephalograph, which remain on 
the bed. Signals from the camera, microphone and GPS 


of Team 1. 
HQ this is T2L please respond. 
T2L this is HQ we have you loud and clear over. 


Understood HQ, we are above deck on the vessel now. 
Sun is still up, we can see into the hold but not very far. 
Flashlights also aren’t helping matters much. We’re 
forgoing direct descent into the hull and are going to use 
the stairs to the crew decks and access it from there so 
we're not separated. Is this acceptable HQ, over? 


Roger T2L you have complete discretion from here 
forward, over. We've been out of contact with Team 1 for 
a couple days now already; a few more minutes won't 
hurt them. Proceed swiftly but cautiously. 


<Inconsequential Audio Deleted> 
HQ, this is T2L, we’ve got an anomaly here, over. 
T2L, this is HQ, what’s the situation? 


We're on deck three so far of the vessel sir, but it has 
taken us like, half an hour to get down this far. 
Something not quite right about the distance between 
floors for us to spend ten minutes getting between each. 


Understood T2L, we suggest you send one member 
back up to the surface and then have him return; please 
update us to the elapsed time, over.