Item #: SCP-1704
Object Class: Euclid-numen
Special Containment Procedures: SCP-1704 is to be kept in a 15m x 15m x 6m, humidity-controlled containment chamber at Site 23's Large Object Wing. All disappearances and remanifestations of SCP-1704 must be recorded, as well as all interactions between personnel and SCP-1704-1. Experimentation with or interaction with SCP-1704 requires permission from Dr. Galluzzo. Additionally, personnel requesting access to SCP-1704 for work related to Project Orpheus-30 must report directly to Liaison Barrett and Site Director Eriksson.
Ear protection is to be made available to personnel assigned to SCP-1704.
Description: SCP-1704 is an approximately 9m x 5.5m x 3.5m structure composed of animate, fully conscious human skeletons (hereby SCP-1704-1). The structure disappears and remanifests1 at irregular intervals; each time, the identity, arrangement, and exact number of SCP-1704-1 change.
Approximately 240 (± 30) fully intact skeletons compose the bulk of SCP-1704, the remainder being bones and bone fragments, along with a cementing material composed primarily of bone dust that holds the structure's shape. Instances of SCP-1704-1 have limited mobility and, provided that their jawbones are intact, vocal communication,2 despite the lack of any muscles or organs that would be necessary for these activities. Separation of any section of SCP-1704 from the main mass has resulted in the cessation of all anomalous activity from the removed material, including demanifestation.
All instances of SCP-1704-1 are capable of communication in at least one language, and those interviewed have been able to provide identities and personal information consistent with a person who has died within the past sixty years. Further commonalities between all interviewed members of SCP-1704-1 have been identified:

The subject was sixty-eight years of age or older at time of death.
The subject was a practicing member of an organized religion for at least thirty years and at the subject's time of death.
The subject had no history of drug abuse, sexual activity, or violence outside of what they believed to be the prescribed limits of their chosen religion.
The subject and their immediate family had no outstanding debts or obligations that were expected to cause significant financial distress at the time of the subject's death.
The subject died of natural causes that were not attributable to environmental factors.
At time of death, the subject felt contented with their life, had close relationships with all members of its extended family, and considered themselves ready to die.

Instances of SCP-1704-1 claim to recall events after their death and prior to incorporation into SCP-1704. While the exact imagery and sequence of events varies between subjects, all accounts involve the subject approaching a state which approximated their belief in the afterlife before being denied access by a hostile entity.3 This is frequently depicted as an act of envy or revenge. Subjects have identical recollections of being turned into a skeletal state and being deposited in and connected to SCP-1704 while inside an apparently featureless area. Those that have been interviewed on multiple occasions report returning to this area during times which SCP-1704 has demanifested, where other portions of SCP-1704 will be replaced or reorganized.
Typically, instances of SCP-1704-1 express feelings of hopelessness, confusion, and doubt, and are often reluctant to communicate with Foundation personnel or other SCP-1704-1. Subjects will often obsess over the details of their life, frequently questioning whether some unidentified "unfinished business" was responsible for their incorporation into SCP-1704.
Members of SCP-1704-1 uniformly report intense physical pain and discomfort resulting from a combination of high sensitivity to atmospheric conditions (particularly humidity and temperature), highly limited mobility, and the weight of the rest of SCP-1704. Due to this and the aforementioned psychological stress experienced by SCP-1704-1, distressed vocalizations are considered normal behavior.
Personnel with Clearance 4-1704 or higher (including those working on Project Orpheus-30) should consult Drs. Sanmugasunderam and O'Cruadhlaoich for theories regarding the exact nature and origin of SCP-1704.
Addendum: SCP-1704 was recovered from a Global Occult Coalition facility in Karlsruhe, Germany, in December 2012, along with three other items later given Special Containment Procedures and fourteen classified as Anomalous.4 The Foundation was alerted to an XN-class Interdimensional Breach scenario in progress and provided relevant expertise (see Document 792-1704 for details), along with thirty-six Class D personnel. It was determined that extraction of a number of items (including SCP-1704) from the breach was necessary for full containment.
Addendum: Three instances of SCP-1704-1 have claimed identities consistent with persons who were listed as missing since the recovery of SCP-1704. Review of relevant GOC documents shows that these disappearances are consistent with the known activities and abilities of KTE-4821-Grey-Light (see Joint SCP-GOC File 4-261). In light of this, research regarding KTE-4821-Grey-Light has been incorporated into Project Orpheus-30, and SCP-1704's documentation is slated for additional updates.

Footnotes
1. That is to say, it ceases to exist in this reality and later resumes its existence.
2. Instances of SCP-1704-1 communicate with voices appropriate for their stated identity.
3. This entity has never been identified by the subjects — physical descriptions vary, but rarely correlate with any real, fictional, or mythological entity with which the subject is familiar.
4. See documentation on Project Orpheus-30 and Joint SCP-GOC File 4-261 for further information.

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