bijhan-mummy

Image purportedly of the object

Note from Dr. ██████: It appears portions of this document have been redacted by the Bowe Commission.

Item #: SCP-XXX

Object Class: Keter

Special Containment Procedures: These procedures are to be implemented when the object comes under Foundation control. Procedures are to be updated and modified as new measurements and observations are made.

Excerpted from Document: IRG SCP-001
Translated by Dr. Omid Mohammadian. Portions have been re-worded for clarification.

Containment Procedures:
The remains are [to be] interred within a casket crafted from [Iranian yew; a highly poisonous wood] which has been blessed by an Ulama [Shiaa Muslim Cleric] and engraved with the words [in Farsi]: "Remain in place, King of Grace." The casket [is to be] embedded in a 4m x 4m x 4m block of concrete and guarded at all times by at least four guards armed with automatic weapons. An Ulama is to be kept as council.

None are permitted to have access to [whatever facility the object is to be kept in] who are not [actively practicing Shiaa Muslims].

An Ulama must individually pardon each armed guard for standing at their posts during prayer.

The purpose of an exclusively Shiaa Muslim facility is as of yet unknown, but should the object enter our possession, we shall undergo the same procedures as the IRG. Speculation exists that the IRG has found evidence that their faith protects them from the object, but the most likely explanation is that the religious restrictions are for security purposes. Certain theologically-driven non-Muslim elements are suspected to pose security threats to the object's containment.

It is clear that additional containment procedures will need to be developed as soon as possible, due to the fact that the IRG has failed to contain this object. The object's whereabouts are currently unknown.

Description: The object appears to be a mummified human corpse that is approximately 1.3m in length, .38m wide, and 11.3kg in mass. The preparation of this mummification does not adhere to modern preservation standards, nor traditional pre-Islamic Egyptian standards. Instead, research documents surrounding the artifact indicate a primitive method originating from the Iranian plateau circa 460 BCE. The mummy was discovered on 15 January 1885 by a British expedition to Iran, and brought to London the following year to be part of the London Natural History Museum's permanent collection. It was soon placed in long-term storage. The museum records indicate the mummy is still there, but Foundation operatives were not able to visually confirm its existence in the museum's storage units during an investigation. Some reports indicate a cover-up may be involved, although there exists no evidence, and no persons or group in particular has been implicated.

The following data was collected by a rogue agent. It is believed that the IRG holds this data as true, however the religious and magical elements described are subject to intense skepticism by the Foundation. The IRG's inherently religious nature imbues many of their claims with and underlying unscientific tone.

Excerpted from Document: IRG SCP-001
Translated by Dr. Omid Mohammadian. Portions have been re-worded for clarification.

Origins:
In [465 BC, Gregorian corrected] Khashyarsha Shah, King of Persia, was killed by his bodyguard, Artabanus the Hyrcanian. A powerful mage, Zan'dara'man, had foreseen the event by communing with the Demons of Ungodly Knowledge. When Artabanus struck the fatal blow, Zan'dara'man was hidden among Artabanus's men.

While the nation was plunged into chaos following the murder of its king, Zan'dara'man absconded with the body of Khashyarsha Shah. In a secret ritual conducted in a cave in Abkhazia, aided by Demons, Zan'dara'man imbued Khashyarsha's remains with evil magicks. He prevented the King's soul from escaping the Earth, and damned it to forever walk the waking world.

The Pagan Mazdans [also known in English as Zoroastrianism, not commonly considered a pagan religion in the West] then spent the next two hundred years carrying the magic corpse from town to town in secret, making sacrifices of wild hares and greens to the Undead Khashyarsha, so that they may avenge themselves on their enemies and be protected from the law.

Literally thousands of tales exist about the Mazdan Corpse-Worshipers and their wicked treachery as they migrated across Persia and into Turkey. Here are a few choice examples, illustrating the most commonly agreed-upon capabilities of the cursed mummy.
On [3 May 321BC Gregorian corrected] the Mazdans arrived in [Persepolis] and promptly began stealing food from the bazaar in clear daylight. One of the Mazdans' men attacked a jeweler for his wares, and was arrested by the Palace Guard. While their confederate was incarcerated, the Mazdans began conducting blood sacrifices to the mummy. Powered by the blood, the mummy rose and marched to the Palace. Its breath rolled like a fog, and where the soldiers stood, the vapors of their body were replaced by salt [which is likely to mean they were mummified]. Its march led it to the chambers where the Mazdan was being kept prisoner. The mummy freed the man and led him back to his compatriots. His deed done, the mummy returned to rest.

Sometime during [the late First Century AD to early Second Century AD Gregorian correct] Mazdans carrying a casket entered a nomad bazaar that had been set up south of Isfahan. During the night they kidnapped a girl and slaughtered her for the mummy. [On what evidence the IRG bases the allegation of kidnapping is unknown.] When the mummy rose, it went to the sleeping merchants and their families who had come for trade, and ate their flesh suddenly and at once. Those who returned for trade the next day found only empty tents, bare sleeping skeletons, and stolen loot.
Of most interest to [the IRG is the incident wherein] the mummy both commanded the mind of a Major, and animated skeletal remains. On the night of [9 June 681AD Gregorian corrected] a group of Mazdans entered Kabul during the darkest hour. The Muslim soldiers garrisoned outside of town recorded their arrival, and sent a corporal in plain clothes to infiltrate their camp. The corporal never returned.

The next day, a group of local Pashtunis ambushed a group of travelling Hindu scholars. The Muslims were not able to respond quickly enough to keep the peace, and the Pashtunis killed most of the Hindu scholars. Only three young men survived and ran to the barracks. [The timeline of events here is unclear in the original Farsi. The document may have been altered by the IRG prior to our acquisition] When the Muslim soldiers arrived, all the valuables had been stolen off of the Hindu scholars' corpses.
Captain of the Guard Abdul al-Qatari conducted an investigation and concluded that the Pashtunis had not taken the loot, and had no motive for attack. Instead, all the Pashtunis implicated uniformly pleaded ignorance of why they felt compelled to kill the scholars, and clearly had not taken any of the loot as their quarters were threadbare and they hungered for bread. Others claimed to have seen a [ghost/banshee/ghoul - no direct translation exists] near the murder, and Captain al-Qatari was able to produce eyewitnesses who were willing to testify that the Mazdans had come along shortly after the crime and stolen the loot. Having heard of Mazdans Corspe-Worshipers before, Captain al-Qatari brought the case before an Ulama, Nadim el-Faddil. El-Faddil concurred with the Captain, and sent him to bring the Mazdans as prisoners to be tried under Sharia for murder and demonology.

Captain al-Qatari, however, did not return with the Mazdans. Instead, he came to El-Faddil with skeletons in chains. The skeletons walked and moved like men, but groaned and howled like the wind. El-Faddil, horrified, asked for an explanation from al-Qatari. Instead, al-Qatari cut down a Madrassa student and began slaughtering [the staff of the Madrassa; presumably the local Madrassa is where al-Qatari was to bring the Mazdans for the trial, and where this part of the story takes place]. El-Faddil, using quick wits, escaped through a secret exit and went to find the nearest Corporal.
Soon the Ulama// [El-Faddil] returned with a group of soldiers from the barracks. The soldiers, however, found the entire facility abandoned, with dust covering all surfaces as if a thousand years had passed without a single footstep being felt. No bodies were recovered, and al-Qatari was never heard from again. The Mazdans also disappeared with equal mystery

The inherently poetic and metaphorical nature of Farsi as a language makes many portions of IRG documents difficult to interpret scientifically or historically for non-native speakers and translators.

Consensus by Foundation parahistorians exists as to some of the object's abilities, while others are mired in controversy. All parties agree the object is capable of locomotion, primarily ambulation. It is capable of altering the minds of human beings, although the depth of this alteration and its exact nature is shrouded by the unreliable nature of first-hand accounts. The mummy can kill and mummify human beings, presumably at a distance. Less widely agreed upon is the object's alleged ability to animate human remains. Many believe the IRG is capable of having embellished or even fabricated records if they believe the document may be leaked.

All of the object's abilities appear to be activated by the activities and desires of a group the IRG document refers to as "Mazdan corpse-worshipers". Mazdans, also known as Zoroastrians, are members of the oldest religion of Persia. They are described as "pagans", although Mazdans believe in a single all-powerful God named Ahura Mazda. This may be a result of the IRG's particular brand of Muslim chauvinism.

The IRG's documentation of the object since the Middle Ages is severely lacking. A Bowe Commission Report indicates that the mummy may have been a factor in the murders attributed to 'Jack the Ripper', although the details are unknown. Modern history knows the object primarily as an oddity once displayed in the London Natural History Museum. Although official documents of the museum insist the object is in their custody, the Foundation's investigations and Bowe Commission agents have confirmed that the object is absent from the Museum's storage lockers.

Much speculation exists regarding the mummy's movement following the seeming disappearance of the "corpse-worshipers" from the historical record. What is known for a fact is that the object was left on a stone altar in a small unadorned Mazdan temple in a series of ruins north of the modern city of Isfahan. How it got there is unknown. It arrival in London was relatively unceremonious, and it was never a major attraction due to its low level of preservation and few ancillary items. Evidence gathered by the Foundation and the Bowe Commission indicates that shortly thereafter, the object became part of a collection in New York.

At least six people have been detained by local authorities across the world while trying to illegally smuggle a mummy fitting the description of SCP-984 across various borders and international lines. None of the authorities was able to retain the mummy. The Foundation has so far been unable to detain the aforementioned persons or procure the mummy.

Bowe Commission Incident Reports Shared with the Foundation:
(listed chronologically, numbered by report date)
I.215.11 - A series of murders
I.215.04 - The Battle of Abbadan
I.331.██ - CIA Operation Ajax
I.490.██ - ████ ██ ███
I.331.██ - █████ ███
I.331.██ - Soviet Abkhazia Incursion
I.490.██ - Operation SCP.45.█.IRG.████ involving Operatives ███████ and █████; Bijhan; belligerents include Iranian Revolutionary Guard (regiment unknown)
I.331.██ - ████ ███████ █████
I.490.██ - Murder of Dr. ███████
I.215.02 - Operation SCP.553.6.IRG.████ AKA September 5th Project, involving Operatives █████, █████, ████████ and ████; Bijhan; belligerents include Iranian Revolutionary Guard Naval Marines, CIA operatives, and FBI UIU agents

Addendum from General Bowe:

Our mutual friend has confirmed that the photograph now attached to this file depicts what we have nicknamed the "Oriental Mummy". Sources indicate the photograph was taken digitally, and preserved on paper made in southern London circa 1887. The location appears to be the London Museum of History.

How any of this is possible, I am not certain.

Addendum from Lieutenant ███████ :

A number of us find it difficult to believe that despite our mutual efforts, this is all the information we have learned regarding the “Oriental Mummy”. Judging by the reputation of the Foundation, one would think that they would have the capability of gleaning far more information than what’s been shared between our groups.

Such a powerful organization, priding itself on the location, containment, and suppression of abnormal phenomena, should surely have an idea of where to find the target.

We request that the efforts towards locating the target be increased by a reasonable measure; and as per our agreements, we request that any and all information pertaining to the entity be relayed to the Commission through the usual channels.