SCP S40-B

Item #: S40-B Object Class: Safe Special Containment Procedures: S40-B is to be stored in the rare books section of Site 40's archives department, all other books and written materials kept more than a foot away from the book at all times. With the exception of Stephanie Baker, only SCP agents with security clearance of 4 or higher are allowed access to the item.
Description: S40-B is a leatherbound book entitled De Vermiis Mysteriis published in northern Europe sometime in the early modern period (further investigation required). Shifting between Latin, German, and Middle English, the book describes various supernatural entities and the methods of contacting them for knowledge and power. Entities mentioned include ████████, ███████████, and the spirits of the book's previous owners.
Extended interaction with the book has been observed to induce bouts of insanity lasting anywhere from a couple of minutes to several hours, the reading of a single passage capable of inducing the condition. The book also has a corrupting influence on all written materials placed within close proximity, warping the writing of nearby books into disturbing descriptions of fantastical worlds and creatures. Several revised editions of De Vermiis have been released over the last couple centuries, but only first editions of this book appear to create this effect.  
De Vermiis Mysteriis was obtained by the Mc40's team on 10/5/1993 in Aspen, Colorado. For this reason Mc40's agent Stephanie Baker was granted access to the book by Head Researcher Jim Burrell to study the book's writing and tap into its supernatural powers.

Notes and observations by Dr. Burrell regarding Agent Baker's study of S40-B:

• 10/13/93: Stephanie cross-referenced multiple passages and identified the chapter used to disintegrate Agent Donovan's left arm, falling into a frenzied bout of madness and paranoia for several hours before insisting that she could harness the book's powers and learn how to create the same effect. She insists on calling it a 'spell'.
• 10/28/93: After several weeks of studying Stephanie attempted to cast the 'spell' for the first time, speaking in some kind of warped German dialect for 5 minutes and 27 seconds. The room shook with the release of some supernatural energy at the incantation's conclusion, but no other arcane effects were observed. Stephanie proved highly irritable at the spell's conclusion, recoiling from the grime and carnage caused by her 'spellcasting'.
• 10/31/93: Stephanie has demanded fresh linens every morning and a deep cleaning of her room every night this weekend, screaming at anybody who would deny her demands. Combined with her disastrous counseling session with Phelps it's safe to conclude that she's suffering from some nasty side-effect of spending too much time with this book. We'll see how things go with more time and treatment, I think there's enough drive left in Stephanie to see this project through to the end.

Item type

Magical