Special Containment Procedures:
SCP-412-FR is currently kept in a secure locker in the Research and Development section of Site Zayin. Access to the locker is strictly reserved to staff with 412-RD accreditation. All tests carried out with the object must take place under the supervision of at least one member of research staff with 412-RD accreditation and one member of security staff with 412-M accreditation.
Due to the nature of the anomaly and its potential as equipment for military use, a procedure for reverse-engineering and duplication of SCP-412-FR has been proposed by the Mobile Task Force Coordination Office. Exceptionally, 412-RD accreditation has been granted to certain members of staff from international sites. More information on the progress of the Venkman Project is available in Addendum 412#3.
Description: SCP-412-FR is a modified Type 30 Arisaka bolt action rifle. Although production of the Type 30 ended at the beginning of the 20th century, this specimen appears to be more recent. Various signs of wear indicate regular use of the gun, but its overall good condition also indicates that it was well cared for. The inscription "Property of Paul Ducasse" is engraved at the base of the stock, adjacent to a representation of a cross between two dots surrounded by a quatrefoil.
Despite its apparent working order, SCP-412-FR cannot be used to fire standard ammunition. Any attempt to use the object with ammunition other than those modified during the 412-Nekros process is doomed to failure: the firing pin will strike the primer without triggering the powder explosion. The reason behind this anomaly is still not understood.
When ammunition specifically treated by the 412-Nekros process is loaded into SCP-412-FR's chamber, the rifle can be used normally, although the detonation caused is not discernible to the human ear because of its low frequency (2Hz). When a cartridge is used in this way, the projectile disappears completely from the observable environment and the internal temperature of the chamber drops by around 10°C.
The targets aimed at by SCP-412-FR during these shots received no visible damage, but a study of their behaviour after the shot revealed the weapon's effectiveness.
SCP-412-FR was recovered during a raid carried out by MTF Epsilon-17 "Acteon's Dogs" on the home of Paul Ducasse in Sèvres on 12/03/2008. The individual managed to elude the agents, but the objects and documents in his home were recovered. Analysis of these items confirmed that Paul Ducasse belonged to the group of interest known as The Aberdeen Pack, as well as providing important information about this hitherto little-known group. Extracts from Paul Ducasse's diary are available in addendum 412#1.
Addendum 412#1: Documents found on the hard drive seized during the Epsilon-17 raid
Entry of 11/12/2006
Bloody hell.
The next gathering is in 8 months and I haven't found any worthy prey. I don't want to repeat the embarrassment of 2 years ago.
I couldn't find anything better than goblins, so I made up for it with numbers. They called me 'the exterminator'. And that was just the Valgris, the Northwoods were the worst. Jules had spent the evening imitating goblins. If I have to put up with any more mockery from that yank, I'm in danger of breaking the third oath.
To think that Diane turned up with a cyclops skull… Even Marco looked impressed.
I don't want to be stuck with the title of the Ducasse dimwit, I need a real prey, something spectacular that will get them off my back for a few years.
Entry of 11/13/2006
Something occurred to me this evening: over the centuries, the Pack has hunted a whole host of creatures. Myths, folklore, urban legends or isolated oddities, it's rare enough to come across a Prey that hasn't already been hunted. And despite this, I haven't found anything about ghosts.
It's frankly bizarre. We know they exist, we've seen them. Grandma even has tricks for summoning or repelling them. Don't they fall into the category of supernatural creatures? And some of them are downright dangerous! So why are there no hunts listed in the Venandi Collectio? All I found was some basic information on how to scare off a poltergeist.
Entry of 11/14/2006
I've found my next prey. I've been chatting with grandpa on the phone, and apparently no Pack hunter has ever managed to kill a ghost. It's quite logical when you think about it. There can't be many who have tried, but that means it's a unique Prey. The others don't seem very enthusiastic… Marco's the only one who's really encouraged me. Grandma, on the other hand, thinks it's going too far. In her opinion, I'm going against the First Oath by disturbing the resting place of the dead.
It's the first time she's ever been angry with me…
I promised her I would only hunt dangerous spirits.
Entry of 11/15/2006
Well, I've still got 228 days to go before the July gathering. Laugh while you can, cousin Jules, Paul Ducasse will show you what he's made of!
The Spectre Hunt
Attempt #1: Salt ammunition
For centuries we've surrounded our homes with circles of salt to protect us from poltergeists. According to Marco, it's a folk remedy, but I've seen it used in many stories, so it's worth a try. If salt really is able to repel spirits, perhaps a bullet full of salt will be able to hurt them.
Entry of 11/26/2006
I hollowed out the lead bullets from my Winchester and used shamanic salt from the reserves. It reduces the penetration of the bullet and it explodes badly after impact, but the shot itself poses no problem. All that's left is to go and test it out in the field.
It's an absolute failure. I used one of grandma's incenses to attract wandering spirits to an old abandoned hospital. The temperature dropped quickly and I could see movement in my peripheral vision. I'm sure I shot where they should have been but I didn't hit anything. On the other hand, it seems to have scared them off, so maybe the salt is really there to intimidate them after all.
Entry of 01/08/2007
Attempt #2: Electrostatic Trap
This is a slightly more sci-fi solution, but it could work. According to the Venandi Collectio, spectres are echoes trapped between our plane and the otherworld. If it's a kind of noise that resonates between two dimensions, that means there's a way of interacting with it using para-natural technologies. It's not really our style, but the GOC and the Foundation love these things, so I should be able to ask Hervé…
Entry of 01/11/2007
Well, that bastard Hervé refuses to help me. "I'm not risking my position so that you can big yourself up…" Talk about a brother. I don't have the equipment or the knowledge to continue down this road, so I'm going to have to find something else.
Entry of 01/30/2007
Attempt #3: Reaper Blade
Okay, we're getting into the really crazy stuff here. I've been digging through the Jaws' archives and I've found an old hunting document. Apparently, contrary to what grandpa said, another hunter tried to kill a spectre before me, and apparently succeeded! It's a page from the Tome of the Dead Branch, no wonder it's not in the Collectio. A Japanese hunter from the Edo period is said to have managed to imprison a Shinigami in an arrow and to have used the arrow to kill a vengeful spirit that was terrorising his hometown. Obviously, there's no description of the process he used, but it gives me an idea.
Entry of 02/04/2007
Shinigami are psychopompous entities in Japanese folklore, the equivalent of the grim reaper in our country. They are guides, they can interact with both the physical and immaterial worlds, so if I manage to 'pinch a scythe' I could use it to interact with spiritual bodies.
Entry of 02/22/2007
I've thought it over and it's too risky. I know I'm already going against grandma's advice by trying to hunt the dead, but playing with Death itself is just crazy. I'm giving up on that option.
Entry of 04/17/2007
Attempt #4: Flash Rifle
…I'm really starting to run out of ideas. I've been working on this project for six months now and I don't feel like I'm making any progress. Because of that I've neglected my Thirst and I'm starting to feel the effects of withdrawal. Well, this idea comes from Indian shamanism. Native Americans believed that photographs stole the souls of the subjects they captured. Of course, this isn't true, it's just a luminous impression on film, but it reminded me of the many instances of spirits being captured in photographs. Often it's because of the exposure time or simply a reflection on a surface in the background, but I found examples that could never be explained. If a sudden flash of light can intercept a ghost and fix it for an instant on our plane of existence, it's worth a try.
Entry of 04/21/2007
I tinkered with a lighting device on my Winchester. I've calculated the trigger speed so that the flash comes on the instant the shot goes off. I don't really believe in it, but I'm not really motivated any more. If it fails, I'm giving up this hunt.
Entry of 04/22/2007
IT WORKED. IT ALMOST WORKED.
I can't f*cking believe it, I did the incense thing again, this time in a cemetery. It was a lot more violent than last time, I must have come across some angry spirits. I was knocked, scratched and even bitten, I think. But damn, I managed to hit one of them. The flash made it clearly visible for a moment, a large, hazy, barely humanoid shape. It was blurry, but it was clearly there. The bullet hit them at the same time and I could see they'd felt it. Well, the bad news is that it didn't kill them. They all took off when they realised I had the means to shoot back. The dead aren't very brave. I'm going to think about improving that process, but f*ck, I was nearly there.
Entry of 05/05/2007
I tried again with the flash gun but it wasn't enough. By using luminous concentration I can anchor them to our plane of existence for a short while and that allows me to touch them, but as soon as they go back to the in-between worlds, the wound is no longer significant. I have to isolate them completely, either by pulling them towards our home or by attacking them directly at home.
Entry of 09/06/2007
Attempt 5: Dead Bullets
I had a rather strange idea, but it might be worth a try: it's linked to my third attempt, the Shinigami thing. Japanese culture contains a lot of animistic theories; they associate spirits with everything, living creatures, but also elements, concepts and objects. Based on the principle that objects have souls, if I managed to kill an object, then its soul would be on the same plane of existence as the spirits I'm hunting. It's a bit far-fetched, but it's the best way I've found of inflicting damage they can't escape. I'm going to run a few tests.
Entry of 06/11/2007
Quantum theory does not reject the existence of the soul. I've read some of dad's alchemical treatises that describe it as a frequency, a vibration unique to each existence. To cancel out a frequency, it must be exposed to an out-of-phase version of itself. In other words, if I use my flash gun to damage the soul of my type 30 while it's still intact, I'm going to take it out of phase with its physical body, and so, by exposing this altered version to a copy of itself, that should 'kill' it. As for the copy, I'm going to try grandpa's philosopher's stone. He should allow me to try as long as I don't mess with living matter.
I hope this works. The Type 30 seems ideal for this kind of job. It's accurate and solid. Manual reloading is preferable as I'm going to need modified ammunition anyway.
It worked. At least I think it did. I had to try several times, but after about ten unsuccessful attempts, something strange happened. I saw my Arisaka explode during the flash of light, then when it disappeared, the gun was still there, as if nothing had happened. I tried to fire it, but nothing happened. I took it apart and it's in impeccable condition, no technical faults, but when I try to shoot it, the hammer just bangs away and nothing happens.
Bloody hell, I've just killed my favourite rifle.
Entry of 06/16/2007
The Thirst has become unbearable, I can't afford to wait any longer. I'm trying it tonight.
Addendum 412#2: Experimental report by the Department of Esoteric and Occult Research
As part of the research on SCP-412-FR and because of the tactical importance that this object could have if its technology could be replicated, Prof. Gomoran was exceptionally given a Mictlan authorisation2. All experiments carried out by the DEOR under Mitclan authorisation must be validated by a majority vote of the Ethics Committee.
Due to the inherent risks of conjuring the dead within a Foundation facility, the following experiments have been carried out in a designated test area 15km from Site Zayin.
Addendum 412#3: Diaries of Dr. Solives, Chief Researcher of the Venkman Project
Cross-fertilisation between the Science and Occult Departments greatly reduced the quantity of ammunition available for use with SCP-412-FR. The creator's diaries contained very little information about the complete process used to modify this ammunition, but thanks to the work carried out previously by our department, we have managed to develop an alternative process named 412-Nekros. However, we are unable to use the same process to alter our equipment in the same way as SCP-412-FR, so reproduction of this item remains impossible for the time being. - Dr. Solvies
The Foundation's American, German, Japanese and Italian branches have expressed an interest in developing replicas of the SCP-412-FR. The concerned Mobile Task Forces to date are:
