SCP-584

Item #: SCP-584

Object Class: Keter

Special Containment Procedures: SCP-584 is stored in a reinforced High-Security Isolation Cell at Site-54 with free-entry access. The nature of the containment chamber is such that radio-controlled machines cannot enter or leave. No personnel are to be sent within 500 cm of SCP-584, under no circumstances are any features or components of SCP-584 to be removed from its containment chamber, and all materials external to the containment chamber must be removed before entering.

Any personnel who violate these procedures or make contact with SCP-584 through any means (including the use of the devices mentioned above) will be irrevocably punished and amnesticised. It is strongly recommended that in case of an accident involving SCP-584 that you submit your report via email rather than on paper. Personnel who have been exposed to SCP-584 must remain in isolation for at least a month before they can be reassigned to other duties.

Description: SCP-584 is an ornate, golden-coloured ceremonial urn in the shape of a dragon with emerald eyes on a black marble pedestal. The typical design and markings which would be present on the normal container of this item are lacking. The base has a frame that appears to support the weight of the urn and the dragon itself.

SCP-584's effects manifest when anyone who has physical contact with it dies, or if it is brought into contact with a living person. When this happens, SCP-584 will shed all its components (the bronze base/stand, the urn, and any decorations), breaking down entirely into small particles when exposure to air exceeds 7 cm without being held. Upon reaching 0 cm of thickness, SCP-584 will reform as described above.

In addition to shedding its entire containment chamber upon itself, SCP-584 is capable of erasing memories of anyone who looks at it. This effect is cumulative from observing SCP-584 multiple times up until 3 days after initial observation. Unlike other memetic agents, this does not require visual exposure for SCP-584's probability to affect another person. SCP-584 can affect up to █████ simultaneous observers (though it's recommend that no more than ██ should be allowed onto one area at once). Once affected by SCP-584, subjects will experience memory loss until they leave the area where SCP-584 was first observed for at least ██ hours reorganised. Attempts to reassign these people to other areas have proved difficult; attempts to separate them based on anomalous properties such as SCP-504 have only served to reinforce their memory loss.

SCP-584 was originally discovered in 1994 when four unidentified college students wandered near SCP Foundation research facilities in search of something unusual and were exposed by security cameras while standing 5 m away from it. The Foundation was able to amnesticise and contain the students, including their knowledge of the anomalies and how it had been discovered. Research into how SCP-584 affects other people has revealed that as long as there are two or more individuals looking at it simultaneously each individual instance does not degrade their memory to such an extent as other memetic agents do. However, it will still affect only one subject at a time.

Addendum: This document was recovered in 1994 when Site-54's security cameras revealed an anomalous object in the corner of one of the research rooms. At first, it was thought to be an ordinary urn but upon closer inspection it proved to be a completely new type of anomaly. The Foundation was only able to obtain a single look at this item before it disintegrated under scrutiny from Foundation personnel. The only thing that survived this process were the following words:

The sage of life and death welcomes you, come in, sit down for a while.

At the time, this was thought to be nothing more than a joke by the Foundation. A few weeks later, SCP-584 was discovered in the abandoned research building.