Item#: SCP-349
Object Class: Safe
Special Containment Procedures: SCP-349 is completely harmless, though it should be stored in a manner that preserves its integrity due to its age. SCP-349-02 has been discovered recently, and is to be protected by light patrols and constant monitoring until a more suitable containment method is devised. The current plan is to build a containment site around it (with no special defensive capacities) slightly larger than its original size, to accommodate its theorized growth.
Description: SCP-349-01 is a large granite tombstone, approximately 400 years old by various dating techniques. The primary inscription reads "Nicolas Flamel", followed by the dates "1376-1606". Underneath these inscriptions, there lies the legend "you have failed" in large, capital letters. The tombstone has been damaged and eroded by the elements, and retains several large cracks across its face.
SCP-349-02 was found after searching the area where SCP-349-01 was discovered for more of its type. After weeks of trailing, investigation, and interrogation, Nicolas Flamel's alleged tombstone was revealed to have been stolen from a moderate size graveyard in the center of a overgrown forest near Bath, England. The cemetery is located within a desolate clearing which, while overgrown with weeds, has nowhere near the amount of foliage it should for its age. The main area is surrounded by a black wrought-iron fence with a single Gothic-style arched gate. Inside are small memorials for many, if not all the individuals who have supposedly achieved immortality as related in history and legend. The epigraphs are brief and vicious, and all seem to be written by the same person or entity. The inscriber appears to eagerly claim responsibility for the deaths of these individuals, using statements such as "in the end, I have found you" and "It was futile to fight".
All confirmed individuals mentioned in the specified acre appear to have pursued or supposedly attained eternal life, regardless of their means or intentions. This does not appear to include those who were born with immortality, such as [DATA EXPUNGED], or races/species such as the [DATA EXPUNGED]. Among the names found are the Count of St. Germain, Tithonus, and Sir Galahad. Also included are personages who are obscure, hidden, not well noted, or only known to be unaging to certain esoteric orders, and whose existence is a secret to popular culture or more common texts. Furthermore, the site references a number of famous figures who apparently died not when documented, but rather much later, such as Christopher Columbus and Sir Francis Bacon.
Finally, there exists a small group of buried individuals for which we have no important files or mythology. If any records exist, they only show that they were citizens of a certain country, drifters, recluse eccentrics, or extraordinarily rich. Under examination, a trend can be found that amongst the most materially successful deceased; each was an heir of the same gender, name, and likeness as a long line of similar ancestors before them. This division's particular failure to achieve anything notable is frequently remarked upon by the inscriber, with comments such as "Your great work will never be finished" or "No one will even remember your name".
Few individuals buried within SCP-349-02 appear to have lived longer than 100 years after the mean lifespan of a human at their time of death, roughly averaging an oddly short thirty years after said age. The longest lifespan present at the site as of this writing was, through careful study and comparison to ancient biblical gospels, revealed to be that of "The Wandering Jew" (750 years). Based on such a figure's supposed death, it is hypothesized that [DATA EXPUNGED].
Tombstone materials and design, body preparation, burial style, religious symbolism, and inscription languages all appear to correspond to the era in which the deceased was born. The oldest site is a carved pile of elephant bones, fit together with grooved notches and covered in incomprehensible runes and tribal marking. The earliest decipherable inscription is in Sumerian, on a simple rock dedicated to "Og the Heart Eater": "You have sold your clan into slavery and devoured the flesh of your family and for what?" The corpses in most graves are in states of decay corresponding to their age, some of the older ones almost dust. Despite the variety of burial methods, close inspection reveals that 90% of the plots show scratch marks on the material that was blocking escape, or signs of attempted tunneling to the surface. Nevertheless, there are no missing cadavers, and each plot excavated so far has at least some type of corpse or set of bones afforded to it.
Though current observation records show no growth in the number of grave sites, the information present within the site confirms that SCP-349-02 is not a hoax by any normal human or organization not possessing extreme influence. Adding to the motivation for containment are a number of graves whose fabrication would have required knowledge possessed only by the Foundation. A noted few of such graves include:
- 20 out of the 27 individuals the Foundation has previously observed and registered as humans who have achieved immortality. Said individuals had either died bizarre deaths or escaped Foundation surveillance and disappeared. The locations of the other seven are currently unknown, though several of these individuals have expressed through limited contact that they are being "watched" or "hunted" by something.
- The identities of all [DATA EXPUNGED] who, after the serum apparently worked, were fine until [DATA EXPUNGED]. Apparent paranoia persisted in [DATA EXPUNGED] corpses were not found.
- The decommissioned SCP-149, a high-powered Keter-class human who had attained both invulnerability and immortality (among other traits) after experimenting with certain springs and fountains located in ████████████. A blackout occured at his containment area on his 117th birthday, and he was presumed to have breached containment but not found. After the failure of a five month search, he was declared missing.
The latter is one of two unique instances where an entirely preserved body was unearthed, although the preservation seems to result from properties the deceased received in life, rather than a condition gained in death. The other instance is the remnants of Calothisosi of Britannica (a little known mythological figure who could apparently withstand volleys of arrows and direct strikes with swords). In both cases, they were found with extreme terror on their faces, and their mouths were twisted as if screaming.
Addendum 349-02-01: Deeper within the necropolis, researchers found a crypt holding a series of unrelated corpses, contained together ceremoniously as if given trophy-like treatment. Investigation into their identities established that if its contents were exposed to the public, the collection would shatter most of the mainstream religions of the world, and completely discredit several older, pagan ones.