"001-Apotheosis Entity", "LSA-Korea-01", and "Alpha-One Priority (SCP Foundation)" redirect here. For other uses, see Mekhane; and The Broken God (disambiguation).
"The Broken God"
An early image of SCP-001.
Basic information
| Object Class: | Maksur |
| Former Class: | Neutralized |
| Reclassification: | 1981 |
| Manifestation: | 1942 |
| Size: | Undetermined |
| Location: | Site-001 (SCP-882) Site-34 (SCP-217) Site-26 (SCP-1139) Site-17 (SCP-629) Site-19 (Other) |
| Current Status: | Contained |
Detailed information
| Affiliation: | Church of the Broken God (Primary Sect) |
| Authority: | SCP Foundation |
| Assigned Department: | Applied Force |
SCP-001, alternatively designated as the 001-Apotheosis Entity or LSA-Korea-01, and previously codenamed under the frequent misnomer The Broken God by the SCP Foundation was a significantly powerful mechanical entity assembled in northern Korea by members of the Church of the Broken God on December 8th, 1942. A week following its initial assembly, SCP-001 began a campaign of destruction across the entirety of Korea, which was eventually halted through a combined effort between the Foundation and the Allied Occult Initiative, culminating in their ability to make use of the now-inactive SCP-2399. Due to its abilities, SCP-001 is frequently cited as having been capable of causing one or more K-Class Scenarios which would have devestated the human population if it had not been stopped.
The subsequent failure by various normalcy-enforcement organizations to restrict public perception of SCP-001 led to the eventual dissolution of the Veil Protocol and the first period of history with the existence of the anomalous considered public information after 300 years. Due to this, the initial rebuilding efforts of Korea were made into a worldwide spectacle, with many world powers cooperating to assist the country. This era of cooperation is credited as being a key event to the later creation of the Alliance of Nations and its Global Occult Coalition following World War II.
Due to both the events surrounding its initial assembly and its involvement with the termination of the Veil Protocol, SCP-001 has remained a frequent topic of discussion in popular culture. Various pieces of media depicting SCP-001 and its associated events have been created, including films, books, and documentaries. Several memorials for the casualties caused by SCP-001 and museums dedicated to the events — some of which have been sanctioned to display authentic anomalous components of it — have been built worldwide, though remain mostly concentrated in Korea. Several conspiracy theories regarding SCP-001 also persist in popular culture, though all have been denied by the SCP Foundation and the Global Occult Coalition. SCP-001 is also frequently used as a justification for anti-Mekhanism sentiments.
SCP-001 and a majority of its anomalous components have remained under the singular jurisdiction of the SCP Foundation since 1942.
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Table of Contents
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Background
Early History
Earliest known photo of Amon-Iram.
Mekhanism primarily finds its roots in the original Mekhanite Empire, a theocratic state which initially split off from Mycenean Greek culture in roughly 1200 BCE, physically located in modern Bulgaria. Worship of Mekhane, otherwise known as The Broken God, was directly enforced by the government, led by the various emperors of the Bumaro dynasty. Several sources conflict on the Mekhanism at this time, though it is generally agreed upon by modern historians that it was still driven by monotheistic worship of Mekhane and the shunning of the Nälkän faith. It is unclear if the view of the religion at the time was that Mekhane was broken into several physical parts which needed to be repaired or if it was being referred to as "The Broken God" symbolically, with there being considerable evidence for both interpretations.
The capital of the Mekhanite Empire was Amon-Iram, a highly-advanced metropolis known for the height of its skyscrapers. It was these buildings and the loose reference to them in the Quran that led to knowledge of it persisting beyond the establishment of the Veil as the lost city known as "Iram of the Pillars". Though several theories were put forward in the years beyond the creation of the Veil as to what city this could be referring to, none had managed to properly identify it outside of groups within the Veil. Ancient works uncovered by the SCP Foundation are believed to imply that several components of Mekhane were supposedly housed within Amon-Iram at the height of its power, with the emperor's throne even having been converted from one. Though, due to extensive water damage, it is impossible to glean further information without the discovery of other copies or the ruins of Amon-Iram itself.
Amon-Iram is believed to have been destroyed following the schism that led to the destruction of the Mekhanite Empire, though its exact location remains unknown. Several sites have been purported as the legitimate ruins, though no definitive evidence proving any of them to truly be them has been gleaned. Similarly, the reason for the aforementioned schism also continues to remain unknown, with either conflict related to changing views regarding their religion or strife caused by tense relations with other, similar empires, such as the Daevites.
What is known is that, following the schism, several groups with divergent views towards Mekhane split from each other, carving out different communities in various locations across the world. The majority of these communities began operating under the interpretation that the title of Broken God was meant to be taken literally, with there supposedly being various components of Mekhane spread across the world which must be united together becoming the dominant interpretation of Mekhanism as a whole. Though none of these groups were known to have persisted for any considerable amount of time, their writings did, leading to more accurate preservation of their belief systems than those of the initial Mekhanite Empire.
Church of the Broken God
Robert Bumaro, 1934.
Contrary to popular belief, the Church of the Broken God did not initially begin as a modern Mekhanist sect. Rather, it began with a Christian movement in the early 1520s, which eventually branched out into a completely separate entity. Early teachings, from the little records that remain, indicate that the group did not actually worship a “Broken God”, with the reference of Mekhane's primary epithet being a coincidence. Many of their teachings were atheistic in nature, being in relation to the idea of physically creating a god from broken parts brought together. This was to emphasize the shattering nature of their religious views at the time, as many smaller Abrahamic sects had begun to break off from the greater whole, with particular criticism being levied towards the Protestant Reformation. Divergent from the logical and objective beliefs of the modern-day Broken Church, the group was more dedicated to artistic and philosophic expression at this time. Their efforts to create their "deity" were motivated primarily by confusion over what their beliefs should be, a representation of the fragmenting belief systems they had become familiar with.
In 1531, Robert Bumaro — a Swedish occultist who had been able to make himself immortal via extensive thaumaturgical rituals — joined the Broken Church movement after immigrating to France, its primary hub of activity at the time. He was an extensive scholar of Mekhanism, with his last name having been changed to reflect that. He recognized the resemblance of this movement to the ancient religion and sought to convert them into a Mekhanist cult. Through his charisma and inability to age, he had taken control of the group by the 1550s, with their belief system based on the final groups to initially practice the religion following the destruction of Amon-Iram.
Under Bumaro's leadership, the Broken Church became akin to a secret society, feeling secrecy was necessary for their beliefs to be protected from the ongoing religious strife at the time. For the next several centuries, the Church grew in numbers and influence, allowing them to remain behind the Veil following its establishment by early normalcy-enforcement agencies in the 1640s. During this time, they managed to identify several artifacts they believed to be components of Mekhane in several locations across the world, gathering them in various safehouses until such a time they felt that they had enough components and the right opportunity to revive their deity. No considerations towards actually reviving Mekhane began until the onset of the Seventh Occult War in late 1940, which they felt would be their best chance due to all major normalcy-enforcing organizations being distracted by the conflict. Preparations began by the direct order of Bumaro.
Seventh Occult War
The Seventh Occult War began in 1940, with the inciting incident having been the theft of the Spear of the Nonbeliever by the Ahnenerbe Obskurakorps, the explicitly anomalous arm of Nazi Germany's Deutsches Ahnenerbe, from a secure SCP Foundation storehouse. As, despite mounting tensions, many anomalous organizations were still recovering from the Occult World War, which had only ended seven years earlier, meaning most were hesitant to enter any further conflict during the ongoing World War II, with nearly all of major occult groups remaining neutral up until that point. However, the theft of the spear was seen as an act of war by the Foundation, with them officially declaring war on the Obskurakorps soon after, pledging their allegiance to the cause of the Allied Powers. Several other groups followed suit, such as the Soviet Union’s GRU Division “P”, with a tentative alliance between them and the Foundation being formed.
The Church of the Broken God continued to remain neutral, as they still believed all of the active conflict served as the perfect distraction through which Mekhane could be revived. As they were on fairly amicable terms with the SCP Foundation at the time, they were formally invited to join the cause against the Obskurakorps, but politely declined. Despite this relationship with the Foundation, the Church knew that the organization would not support their efforts to reconstruct Mekhane, meaning they had to operate with express secrecy. Little to no suspicion was levied towards them by any other major players in the anomalous world, leaving the Church relatively free to continue forth with their plans.
Development
Korea Convergence
Photo possibly depicting SCP-001 recovered from Broken Church archives.
As a multitude of their safehouses were considered to be at risk due to the ongoing conflict, the leadership of the Broken Church eventually settled upon their rarely-used warehouses in nothern Korea as being the best location to transfer all of their components of the Broken God for the time being. Using their various connections, the Church was able to negotiate favorable deals with several railroad and ferry companies to transport their assets. This process took several months, with progress considerably slowed due to unexpected movements from SCP Foundation forces.
While the major normalcy-enforcement organizations were not currently focused on them at the time, Bumaro became increasingly worried that they would be inadvertently discovered, leading to the first proper attempt to revive Mekhane since the founding of the Church once he felt all necessary preparations had been made and all of their components were brought under one roof. However, this attempt quickly failed due to the lack of Mekhane's "Heart", an artifact heavily revered by the Church, but had eluded them for the past several centuries. The Church leadership eventually realized that they needed the Heart or they would be unable to revive their deity. As they had little time and no specific leads on the Heart's location, various alternative methods — which would not have normally been entertained otherwise — were brought up for discussion.
A close confidant of Bumaro's, Ezekial Langford, made the particularly blasphemous suggestion to create their own, artificial Heart. While other members of the Church leadership initially reacted harshly, as Langford could have been excommunicated for suggesting it if the circumstances had not been dire, throughout their discussions, it quickly became clear that they had no other option. Throughout November, Bumaro, Langford, and other high-ranking members of the Church began divising ways that they could create their own Heart. After two weeks of deliberation, they settled upon usage of Daevite practices.
Daeva Involvement
A copy of SCP-140.
Bumaro first recieved a copy of SCP-140 from its author, Thomas Bruce, 6th Earl of Elgin following the book's initial printing during a visit to Britain in 1930. As Bruce had briefed him about the book and its anomalous effects, Bumaro had previously kept his copy in an airtight, waterproof storage unit he had specially designed for it. The copy had been transported to Korea alongside several other artifacts unrelated to Mekhane which Bumaro still considered to be of particular importance. Through certain occult rituals, a copy of SCP-140 could be used to communicate with members of the Daevite Empire in the past.
Contact was eventually made with an unknown member of the Seven Mothers — the leadership council of the empire — who agreed to help develop a Heart in exchange for significant sacrifice, to which Bumaro agreed. The exact nature of this sacrifice remains unknown, but is believed to have consisted of significant contribution to the retrocausal increase of the Daevite Empire's power via extensive blood sacrifice. Following these sacrifices, the Daevite matriarch began to provide several rituals, spells, and runic inscriptions which would be able to create an artificial Heart which would be capable of the various basic actions Bumaro described it to be capable of, such as melding with the other components of Mekhane and the subsuming of metal.
Members of the Church leadership went to the local countryside, recruiting various farmors and laborers to assist in the physical construction of the Heart itself, which required the combination of several mundane and anomalous metal objects. Subsequently, the construct was subject to various rituals and runic carvings which successfully completed it. Following its later containment by the SCP Foundation, this artificial Heart was designated as SCP-882. It is believed the locals who contributed to SCP-882's physical construction were utilized as part of the sacrifices for the Daevite matriarch once the mundane aspects of creating the Heart had been completed, but this remains unclear. Several sudden events in the nearby area, such as outbreaks of unusual diseases, lessened crop yield, and extensive heatwaves were also blamed as sacrifices for the creation of SCP-882, though this is similarly unproven.
001-Apotheosis Event
Assembly
Recreation of one of several glyphs carved into SCP-882.
SCP-001 was officially assembled on the night of December 18th, 1942 during a congregation with nearly every member of the Broken Church within Korea in attendance for the ceremony. SCP-882 proved to be a successful substitute for the true Heart of Mekhane, allowing SCP-001 to achieve locomotion, limited sentience, and the ability to absorb other metal components into itself. As it initially proved to be relatively docile, the remainder of the congregation was able to go forward without any suspicion by the wider Church body levied towards SCP-001 and its false Heart. Celebration ensued, with the construct now referred to as the “Unbroken God” by the Church's members.
During the celebration, Langford privately approached Bumaro, expressing regret for what they had done and dismay they had lied to the remainder of the Church. Bumaro reportedly began to berate Langford, threatening to excommunicate him if he continued his opposition. In the aftermath, Langford privately met with several other members of the Church's elites who had vocalized uncertainty or a lack of support for the creation of SCP-882, with the group eventually beginning to plan a defection due to Bumaro's behavior and in repentence to Mekhane. Testimonies are varied as to whether or not they planned to contact any normalcy-enforcing organizations at the time.
On the night of December 21st, Langford and four associates successfully escaped the Broken Church's warehouse.
While in the custody of the Broken Church, SCP-001 proved to be far too ravenous to keep sated, with it consuming any and all metal in its nearby area, with it even beginning to devour parts of the warehouse it was contained in. Bumaro dismissed any and all concerns brought forward by other members of the Church, threatening to excommunicate those who questioned him and SCP-001’s authenticity. A majority of the Church’s membership did believe SCP-001 was Mekhane at this time, proving Bumaro’s propaganda and oppressive practices initially were working in his favor. However, on December 22nd, SCP-001 breached its confines, devouring a considerable portion of the Broken Church’s warehouse. Much to the confusion of a considerable portion of the Church, who were ignorant to its true nature, it immediately began traveling through the streets of the small town which housed the warehouse and attempting to devour any and all metal in its local vicinity, such as pipes and gutters. Several locals also reportedly began showing symptoms of SCP-217, the clockwork virus.
The Church of the Broken God was unable to recapture SCP-001. Faced with much of the Church wanting explanations from him, Bumaro fled alongside many other high-ranking members. A majority of the organization was left directionless and confused.
Mobilization
SCP Foundation forces stationed in Korea first caught wind of SCP-001 on December 23rd, a day after its escape from the Church of the Broken God. Upon first inspection, SCP-001 was thought to have been a previously-unknown Obskurakorps paraweapon, to which several teams began to engage it while it attacked a small town. As SCP-001 was only the size of a large building at this time, the soldiers remained ignorant to its true nature. The Foundation forces were quick to contact other teams in the area for backup, believing that they would be able to overpower SCP-001 with numbers. However, while waiting for their reinforcements, the soldiers observed SCP-001 grow in size. By the time the extra teams arrived, SCP-001 was devouring entire homes at once. All soldiers present quickly realized that this was not a standard paraweapon. Contact was subsequently made with the Foundation's regional command.
Franklin D. Roosevelt.
Regional command quickly reacted to the issue, alerting all Foundation forces in the area to make their way to SCP-001's location. The Foundation's Overseer Council was soon briefed on the situation. O5-10 was the first to recognize that SCP-001 was connected to the Church of the Broken God, and was likely the reason they had seen so little activity from them in the past months. Doctors Jay Everwood and Minerva Hughes, a Group of Interest expert and Mekhanism scholar respectively, were later brought to Site-01 in hopes they would be able to provide more information. The two were able to confirm O5-10's suspicion, but were unaware of the use of SCP-882 to awaken SCP-001, believing the construct to instead be the true Mekhane. The researchers alerted the Council to this, subsequently emphasizing the danger to the Veil a reawakened Mekhane could cause, especially one which acted with such hostility. Soon after, establishing containment of or neutralizing the anomaly was unanimously declared an Alpha-One Priority, resulting in it being designated as SCP-001.
Briefly putting aside their alignment with the Allied Powers, the Overseer Council contacted Koiso Kuniaki, the governor-general of Korea at the time, and alerted him to the presence of SCP-001 in the country. As such, he immediately alerted Emperor Shōwa of Japan, as Korea was under Japanese rule. Koiso began overseeing the evacuation of Korean citizens, with Japanese and Foundation forces briefly collaborating to ensure the safety of the civilians. Other world powers were soon informed of the situation as well. President Franklin D. Roosevelt of the United States was quick to offer military assistance, though no American forces were close enough at the time to be of any use to the Foundation. The League of Nations and its Allied Occult Initiative were also alerted to the situation, with Initiative forces in Korea mobilized to SCP-001's location to provide assistance with the evacuation efforts. By this time, SCP-001 had grown in size significantly. Though its exact size remains indeterminate, several witnesses have claimed it was the size of a large mountain.
General George Bowe, the Foundation's premier military expert, was quickly shipped to Korea, as he happened to have been stationed nearby in the southern regions of Russia at the time. Bowe immediately ordered a manhunt for all Persons of Interest within the Church of the Broken God, with the most emphasis being placed on locating and detaining Bumaro for questioning.
Weaponry Usage
Napoleon Bonaparte.
As it was clear mundane manpower alone would not be enough to combat SCP-001, the SCP Foundation and Allied Occult Initiative began exploring other avenues through which they could successfully eliminate it. As the Foundation long since abandoned the idea of containing it, the two presented a unified front on attempting to neutralize the threat. The Foundation's Overseer Council held a conference with representatives of the Initiative's Council of 10 with the goal of formulating an effective response plan.
After a day of deliberation, members of the Overseer Council suggested weaponizing the corpse of Napoleon Bonaparte, which had been in Foundation containment for several decades prior. Before his death, Napoleon was the most potent reality sink in history, capable of singularly halting all anomalous activity in a large area simply by being present. Following his expiration, his corpse continued to exhibit the same effects which he had in life, albeit in a more limited capacity. However, it still remained the most powerful anomalous-dampening object in the possession of either organization at the time, leading to its eventual weaponization. A guided rocket in the possession of the Allied Occult Initiative was modified to house Napoleon's corpse, with it being fired at SCP-001 on December 24th. The projectile briefly stunned SCP-001, but was largely ineffective.
The Foundation proceeded to suggest retrieving the Spear of the Nonbeliever from Nazi Germany, but this was considered both unfeasible and likely to take too much time. Several members of the Council of 10 expressed interest in the usage of Tactical Theology, which modern study of was relatively unexplored at the time. However, similarly to usage of the spear, it remained unlikely a weapon of their needs could be developed before SCP-001 caused considerably more damage. Additionally, as SCP-001 was not Mekhane, it remains unclear how effective the spear or Tactical Theology tactics would have been against SCP-001. As a last resort, the search efforts for the spear's location increased in magnitude.
Following the previous failures, members of the Overseer Council claimed that there was one more weapon they knew of that had the power to eliminate SCP-001, but its activation words were in the possession of their, at the time, most powerful rival — the Chaos Insurgency — following a schism within the Foundation in early 1935. Seeing no other option, the two organizations mutually agreed to attempt contact with the Insurgency.
Aaron Siegal, the Engineer.
On December 26th, Aaron Siegal, the Engineer of the Chaos Insurgency, was successfully contacted by members of the Foundation Overseer Council via a depreciated Level 5 communication channel he still had access to. Members of the Council attempted to brief Siegal on the situation in Korea, but he claimed informants imbedded in the Foundation had already alerted him about it. While understanding the gravity of the situation, Siegal initially refused all attempts at negotiation to surrender his activation words for the weapon: the Children, a group of nine augmented, functionally braindead children capable of annihilating nearly anything on the planet.
After the initial failure to negotiate with Siegal, Foundation Administrator Fritz Williams, who had previously been absent from the meeting, assured them he would be able to convince the Engineer. The Administrator proceeded to make contact with Siegal, and while the contents of this communication have never been spread beyond the two of them, what transpired eventually resulted in Siegal agreeing to target SCP-001 with the Children on the Foundation's behalf in exchange for several anomalies. The primary issue with this was that the Children were buried under the San Marcos de la Vida Eterna Church in San Marco, Mexico as part of their containment procedures at the time, with Siegal refusing to leave or compromise his location to visit them personally.
Members of the SCP Foundation’s Mobile Task Force Alpha-1 (“Red Right Hand”) were soon mobilized to the site of the church, where they successfully secured the Children, temporarily uncontaining them. Siegal was given access to a mobile communication device positioned next to the Children, from which he was able to speak the activation words. In a risky move, the Foundation chose to bug this device, allowing the remainder of the Overseer Council to discreetly regain control of the Children, as Siegal did not notice. Once it was targetted by the direction of Siegal, the Children attempted to eliminate SCP-001 via the transfer of intense gamma radiation on its location, but a protective ward carved into SCP-882 caused the radiation to be transferred back to the Children, nearly causing them to implode from the sheer amount of radiation in their bodies. Though the Children remained undamaged, exposure to the concentration of intense gamma radiation in the area did eventually result in the deaths of nearly all present agents of MTF Alpha-1. The Children were subsequently recontained without further issue.
During the debriefing of the failure to utilize the Children between the Overseer Council and the Council of 10, they were alerted to the fact an individual previously thought to simply be a civillian who had been detained after attempting to get into close proximity with SCP-001 several hours earlier was, in actuality, Ezekial Langford, who was carrying an unidentified anomaly and wished to speak with them. Following deliberation between the councils, they agreed to see him.
Destruction of SCP-001
The unidentified anomaly in Langford's possession — an unmarked, metal box — was confiscated as he was directed to the war room containing both the Overseer Council and the Council of 10. Upon his arrival, he informed the councils of his defection from the Broken Church and his regret for what he and Bumaro had set into motion. After they expressed confusion, he elaborated on the true nature of SCP-001 and the Church's development of SCP-882. Though they were relieved that SCP-001 was not Mekhane, the councils still found themselves without a method to defeat it. Upon questioning Langford about the anomaly which was in his possession, he claimed it to be the controls for a weapon capable of neutralizing SCP-001. He would go on to elaborate that he recieved it from an "angel" after praying to Mekhane, though what this meant still remains unclear. When apprehended, he was attempting to use the weapon to attack SCP-001, but usage of it required him to be sufficiently close to properly target the construct. Having no other option at the time, the councils agreed to let Langford attempt to neutralize SCP-001.
SCP-2399 on Jupiter (circled in red).
On December 31st, Langford was transported alongside a mixed escort of both members from MTF Alpha-1 and high-ranking Initiative agents via an unmarked, armored vehicle. Upon arrival, Langford asked the agents to remain in the vehicle as he approached SCP-001. Regional command tentatively approved of this, allowing him to be unobstructed. As this time, SCP-001 had grown to a size where it was reportedly devouring the landscape of Korea, including entire mountains. As he approached the construct, he opened the box, revealing a control panel within. He pressed several of the buttons before holding the box over his head and yelling something inaudible at SCP-001.
After several minutes, the clouds above SCP-001 briefly parted, revealing SCP-2399 in the sky. SCP-2399 began glowing with an intense, blue light. SCP-001 immediately retaliated, attempting to reach towards SCP-2399 with one of its giant arms. However, before it could, SCP-2399 fired a bright beam of blue light down onto SCP-001, instantly shattering it in a large explosion. SCP-2399 proceeded to stop glowing before suddenly plummeting down to the surface, landing on top of SCP-001's shattered remains and receiving extensive damage.
Langford is presumed to have been killed by the impact of SCP-001's remains, though his body was never recovered.
Aftermath
Initial Response
Components of SCP-001 being transported on the FRS Gears during cleanup.
Following the firing of SCP-2399 and its resulting explosion, Foundation and Initiative forces were immediately mobilized to the site to assess the status of SCP-001. Investigation revealed several sections of it were still attempting movement, but the total mass was unable to reform itself. Unwilling to risk it possibly reawakening, vehicles and tools to extract SCP-882 from the mass were deployed by united order of both the Overseer Council and the Council of 10. After preparations were made, SCP-882 was successfully retrieved in the early hours of January 1st, 1943, whereupon it was placed into temporary high-level containment by the Foundation. As SCP-001 was determined to no longer be an active threat, the councils agreed to wait until more forces were able to arrive in Korea for assistance before any further action. World powers were informed of the neutralization once it was confirmed.
By January 6th, cleanup of SCP-001 was fully underway. While the Veil was largely in tatters due to worldwide spread of the events involving SCP-001, the operation was still carried out with distinct secrecy, as the status of the Veil Protocol remained in an unspoken state of flux at the time. Much of the conflict in the Seventh Occult War was paused due to this sudden loss of the Veil, leaving many organizations scrambling with unclear direction. On January 11th, this loss of direction came to a head with a schism in the Obskurakorps, leading it to split off into various smaller groups with no overall leadership and little direct affiliation to Nazi Germany. Some historians consider this to be the end of the Occult War, but a larger consensus counts the several subsequent months of skirmishes multiple organizations had with these splinter groups as part of the overall conflict. Though a pause in World War II occured, it still remained ongoing until Japan's eventual surrender in October of 1945, as mundane fighting was relatively quick to resume.
On January 12th, General Bowe’s manhunt for Persons of Interest from the Broken Church bore fruit, with a group of agents discovering Robert Bumaro’s corpse within an underground safe-house three miles from the Church’s primary Korea warehouse. A single gunshot was found in his head, but the destruction caused by SCP-001 resulted in the exact cause of death — whether suicide or murder — being undetermined. The body was subsequently cremated, with the ashes placed in Foundation storage. Most other high-ranking members of the Church of the Broken God who assisted Bumaro in the creation of SCP-001 were eventually discovered in hiding in various locations across the world, after which they were tried for their crimes. The four who sided with Ezekiel Langford have never been identified and have yet to be discovered. In a 2007 statement, the Foundation declared they are currently presumed dead.
Scorched land recovering from the 001-Apotheosis Event.
In the aftermath of SCP-001’s assault, the entire northern half of Korea was decimated and declared unfit for human habitation. Refugees were brought to the southern half of Korea, where they were either distributed to one of several Allied nations or simply chose to remain. Japan informally relinquished control of Korea, believing it to no longer be as valuable due to the loss of land and laborers. As such, all government representatives overseeing Korea on behalf of the Japanese government proceeded to abandon the country, relocating to their homeland to continue to assist with the active war effort. The Soviet Union, due to its close proximity, proceeded to oversee Korea’s following reconstruction era on behalf of the Allied Powers. While they did this with the goal of eventually subsuming Korea, the country soon declared independence in 1944, joining the Allies. Much of its northern region still remained uninhabitable at the time, but was slowly recovering.
An attempted census estimated SCP-001 caused upwards of 230,000 casualties, over 90,000 of which were deaths. All high-ranking members of the Church of the Broken God directly involved with the creation of SCP-882 were charged with war crimes and crimes against humanity by the League of Nations during trials which were carried through the League’s redevelopment into the Alliance of Nations following the end of World War II, as few of these members were not part of the group who initially fled with Bumaro. The remainder of the Broken Church, upon being informed of the true nature of SCP-001, were quick to separate themselves from Bumaro, attempting to distance themselves from these events ever since.
A temporary SCP Foundation installation was constructed in the northern United States to act as a dedicated storage facility during the initial cleanup efforts following the 001-Apotheosis Event. However, it was quickly determined that keeping most of its anomalous components in one location was unsafe, leading to several of them being transported to other locations worldwide. The installation was later modified into a complete containment facility, housing the Foundation’s Department of Applied Horology, which was initially dedicated to the study of Broken Church anomalies. However, it eventually became a primarily research and development division of the organization.
Attempted Amnesticization
Two months following the conclusion of the 001-Apotheosis Event, the state of the Veil Protocol was now required to be put under scrutiny, as much of the world had been exposed to the truth behind the anomalous world with limited public comment from any world governments. Members of the Foundation Overseer Council had devised a widespread amnesticization plan through which experimental amnestics could be pumped into the air worldwide, selectively eliminating memories of the events. However, these amnestics had had little testing and widespread usage of them had the risk of considerably harming a fair amount of the population. The Council eventually chose to put it to a vote, where the decision to use them lost by one vote, effectively serving as public acknowledgement that the Veil was no longer in effect. Following this, the leaders of world governments began holding press conferences and other meetings to fully acknowledge the existence of the anomalous in the public. The SCP Foundation, Allied Occult Initiative, and several other normalcy-enforcement organizations made public announcements, introducing themselves to the world population. While this was not without controversy, it was largely forgotten about amid the myriad of revelations which came from living in a world without the Veil.
In 1998, study of several of the leftover experimental amnestic stockpiles confirmed that, if they had been used, they had the capability to severely damage several crucial nerve centers in the human brain, effectively killing an individual if this were to occur. If the amnestics had been used, it likely would have resulted in millions of casualties. The Foundation has refused to make any further public comment since the publishing of this information.
Rebuilding Efforts
By 1944, after it was confirmed that SCP-001's attack represented the end of the Veil Protocol and the anomalous began to be slowly integrated into the mundane world, various governments began to question what should be done with the northern region of Korea, as half of the now-independent country's territory was entirely unusable. The British Occult Service was the first to claim that the SCP Foundation had the responsibility for handling the issue, as part of their policies for operating as an independent organization relied on agreements with other countries they would entirely handle anomalous disaster events. The Foundation argued that the situation would be far too difficult for them to handle on their own, especially with the recent fall of the Veil. Additionally, its representatives would claim that the Foundation did not have any such agreement with Korea itself, not maintaining any facilities in the country until after the 001-Apotheosis Event. The Allied Occult Initiative supported the British Occult Service, claiming that the de facto reason the League of Nations allowed the Foundation to continue operating was because of this common agreement it had with various countries. However, the Foundation responded that this fact was nowhere in writing and, thusly, did not apply to them.
Alliance of Nations meeting, 2016.
Eventually, the Initiative and the Foundation came to an agreement: the two would pool together their resources to help restore northern Korea with the official support of its government. Additionally, various other countries in the Allied Powers pledged assistance, though many with the appendix that they could only deliver on their promises following the end of the war, which had quickly resumed despite the radical shift in widespread perception of the anomalous. Most fighting remained mundane, as international sanctions on anomalous weaponry still applied, most independent anomalous organizations in the Allies were still in their infancy, and the Axis Powers possessed few anomalies and little control over them following the recent collapse of the Obskurakorps. At this time, the Foundation and the Initiative separated their resources into trying to help create more positive public perception of most newly-revealed anomalous organizations, ensuring both sides utilized little to no anomalous weaponry, and establishing the start of a relief program for Korea.
By the end of 1945, the Alliance of Nations and its Global Occult Coalition, the successors to the League of Nations and the Allied Occult Initiative respectively, had been founded following the end of World War II and, by extension, the Seventh Occult War. Much like its predecessor, the Coalition was more interested in the neutralization of anomalous phenomena instead of the Foundation’s ideals of containment, with these policies being further reinforced in the revitalized organization. Animosity began growing between the Foundation and Coalition, but the two still managed to continue to collaborate with Korea in order to continue lending support for the country, which was now revitalized by several countries having the resources to assist them, unburdened by the costs of war.
On April 7th, 1948, northern Korea was officially declared to be habitable in a joint international announcement by the Foundation and the Coalition. This date continues to be commemorated as a national, government-recognized holiday in Korea.
Impact
Fall of the Veil
SCP-001 is frequently denoted as having been singularly responsible for bringing about the end of the Veil Protocol, as the inability for normalcy-enforcement organizations to restrict information regarding it led to the introduction of the anomalous to the public. However, this is a frequent misconception, as the vote within the Foundation’s Overseer Council to not utilize their experimental amnestics was what ultimately spelled the end of the Veil, as many historians agree it could have been prolonged if the other option had been chosen. Nonetheless, this reputation has gained SCP-001 significant presence in popular culture and historical study.
O5-4.
An emergency situation such as the 001-Apotheosis Event being what exposed the mundane world to the anomalous was not without its consequences; much of the public was initially frightened of the anomalous to a significant degree. Several major anti-anomaly riots broke out in several countries, with the largest being concentrated in the United States, France, the United Kingdom, the Soviet Union, and China. These measures required organizations such as the SCP Foundation and Allied Occult Initiative to educate the public about the anomalous. Several documents from both organizations were declassified, many of which showed harmless and even beneficial anomalies cataloged in their databases. Following this, public perception was warmed to the anomalous, though anti-anomaly sentiments are still present in a small minority of the population. The Foundation has publicly denounced nearly all significant anti-anomaly displays since becoming known to the mundane world, though both the Initiative and the Global Occult Coalition have refused to comment on any.
In 1946, the Foundation appointed former actor Jean Lemieux Betrand as their new O5-4 following the death of the previous. Due to his charisma, O5-4 became the head of the Foundation’s public relations departments, fostering a new era of the organization’s relationship to the public. Upon his promotion, O5-4 went on a tour of all major worldwide monuments and memorials to the 001-Apotheosis Event, making public speeches at all. The total number of viewers for these speeches is estimated to have been in the millions. Other organizations allied with the Foundation, such as the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Unusual Incidents Unit, made smaller press conferences to the public in the years following the event. However, the Foundation still remains the dominant normalcy-enforcement organization in both assets and public perception. Declassified documents from the Foundation continue to provide a majority of scientific information regarding the anomalous available to the public.
In response to the failure to uphold the Veil and effectively respond to SCP-001, several normalcy-enforcement organizations were either disestablished or simply folded into mundane branches of world governments, the most prominent example of this being the Soviet Union’s GRU Division “P”. However, most members of this organization split off into various hostile separatist movements and terrorist organizations. Following the economic collapse of the Soviet Union in 1967, the status of nearly all of these successor groups remains unknown.
Anti-Mekhanism
Mekhanism has suffered significantly in public perception following the assembly of SCP-001. Though various normalcy-enforcing organizations have come out in support of both the religion and the organized groups who practice it, reiterating a majority of the Broken Church were unaware of the 001-Apotheosis Entity’s true nature and did not know the destruction it would cause. Due to these efforts, much of the anti-Mekhanism sentiments in the public have faded in the modern day, though still have a vocal minority.
Upon the public learning most information regarding the origins of SCP-001 in 1946, both anti-Mekhanism and support for the Nälkä faith simultaneously reached an all-time high. Those who publicly practiced Mekhanism were widely harassed and mocked. Several organized campaigns by hostile Nälkän and SAPPHIRE groups in an attempt to permanently affect the religion’s reputation were undergone throughout 1946-1953. Many normalcy-enforcement organizations provided little assistance during this time and have been criticized in the modern day for their inaction. Several, including the SCP Foundation, claimed the lack of action was due to them attempting to handle the disestablishment of the Veil and reconstruction of Korea at the time.
Since Mekhanism’s return to public favor in the modern day, the reputation of the Nälkä has inadvertently suffered. Several unified peace marches and other displays between Mekhanite and Nälkän religious organizations take place in an attempt to support both.
Legacy
Miscellaneous
HECOR in orbit.
In 1999, Drs. Placeholder McDoctorate and Yossarian Leiner of the SCP Foundation proposed the creation of an orbital weapons system from the remains of SCP-2399. Designated as the High-Energy Concentration Orbital Railgun, or simply “HECOR”, the project took nearly 6 years to develop successfully, launching into orbit on October 19th, 2005. The existence of the weapon continues to remain a point of political contention between the Foundation and the Alliance of Nations, who have attempted to wrench control of the weapon from the Foundation several times through legal means. However, none managed to be successful. HECOR continues to remain one of the organization’s most powerful assets.
In 2004, PepsiCo and Taco Bell announced a collaboration between the two companies to create a new soft drink known as Mountain Dew Baja Blast. The flavoring for the soda originates from thaumic energy left in northern Korea by the 001-Apotheosis Event, though much of the specifics regarding this process are classified as a trade secret. The release of the drink initially proved controversial due to its origins, but is still sold regularly as of 2024.
On March 12th, 2007, several SCP Foundation storehouses which had been singularly dedicated to the storage of items once part of SCP-001 underwent a significant anomalous event consisting of several-hundred of these items spontaneously achieving sentience, sapience, and various weak anomalous properties. After this event, the items escaped the storehouses and subsequently declared an “Appliance War” against the SCP Foundation. The Foundation’s only public responses concerning this matter expressed little more than amusement. Declassified records claim the Foundation’s Human Resources Department was conscripted to handle the problem posed by this supposed war.
SCP-5001
On August 20th, 2009, SCP Foundation researchers stationed in Russia successfully unearthed SCP-5001, a large, highly-advanced, mechanical facility located underground. After an undisclosed incident which involved the firing of HECOR, various documents were leaked to the public by members of the Serpent’s Hand and a rogue sect of the Broken Church revealing that the true identity of SCP-5001 was Mekhane, who became the facility in order to contain Yaldabaoth, the principal deity of the Nälkä faith. The Foundation subsequently increased security surrounding SCP-5001 to prevent pilgrims from the Broken Church or hostile Nälkä sects from attempting to gain access to the anomaly. The area has since become among the most fortified locations maintained by the organization.
Since the incident, the Foundation has refused to comment on the implications of SCP-5001’s discovery regarding the existence of SCP-001 and its various components.