Watch the skies on Halloween, for the strangest sight you've ever seen.
by Wackdog & Polydeer
SCP-9299-2016, contestant #013.
Special Containment Procedures: The Golden Gourd Cup, if present, is to be observed in place and left to dematerialize; it will remanifest within the victor's residence shortly after SCP-9299 concludes.
Containment for SCP-9299 is strictly observational. On 31 October, designated observers will attend SCP-9299 from public areas while remaining indistinguishable from tourists. At the Black Covenant’s request, recording is permitted only from public vantage points with civilian-grade devices. No Foundation action is to influence event conditions or course trajectory.
Upon dematerialization, field teams in civilian attire will conduct a discreet sweep to collect physical remnants persisting beyond 00:15. Mana slicks1 and low-grade glamours2 will be neutralized with handheld kits. Municipal damage will be reimbursed jointly by the Black Covenant and the Foundation; the City of Salem will classify repairs as routine demolition/reconstruction.
Civilian management follows a light-touch policy: administer amnestics only to high-exposure or injured individuals; all others retain the festival interpretation3. Media sanitation is post hoc and minimal; public footage remains undisturbed unless it documents unambiguous, replicable thaumic mechanics, in which case removals or rate-limiting are applied under routine platform policies without added narrative.
Description: SCP-9299 is the Black Covenant's4 annual Salem Witch Time Trial, a Halloween-night aerial race in Salem, Massachusetts, involving 25 self-identified witches. Participants employ permitted personal flight methods, including Transfiguration (Chiropteran/Felid forms5), Mana-assisted locomotion, short-range displacement ("Transporelarus") and standard broom use.
SCP-9299 attains broad public attention each October, with global audiences viewing the event and associated promotional materials. Direct viewing is ticketed in-person within Salem; broadcast coverage is distributed by the Black Covenant to mainstream outlets throughout the month. SCP-9299 is then returned to the veil of secrecy for the rest of the calendar year.
Due to annual variation in route, hazards, and roster, this file maintains a simplified overview; year-specific specifications are archived under SCP-9299-YYYY.
ADDENDUM SCP-9299-1: HISTORY
SCP-9299-1693 — “Year One”
10/31/1693 (All Hallows' Eve)
Place: Salem Village & Town, Massachusetts Bay
Weather: Raw easterly; sheets of cold rain that arrived and departed against the wind (partly thaumic).
Attendance: “Whoever was left brave, drunk, or devout enough to look out a candlelit window.”
Foundation Presence: None (retrospective file from diarists’ accounts, church records, and Covenant oral histories compiled 1693–1739).
“One year from the hangings, we took the air.”
The inaugural SCP-9299 was not a sport; rather, SCP-9299 was a coordinated three-pass strike intended to “undo the habit of fear by giving it back". The structure of the event revolved around three turns around Salem within one hourglass turn.
There were no tickets, marshals, or pennants. The only standard held during the event had been described as most ruin accomplished in three passes before the bell tolled thrice. "Ruin" was seemingly tallied in arson and confirmed killings. The prize was a squat brass-plated harvest gourd, known as the Gourd of Vindication, that chose its victor by rolling uphill to their threshold at dawn. That capricious, homing behavior is the embryo of the modern Golden Gourd Cup.
Techniques were openly lethal: necromancy pulling the dead into the streets, brief possessions turning men against one another, invisibility for ambushes, and burning pitch flung like grapeshot.
“The Devil's Folly”, an illustration showcasing the residents of Salem, MA mourning their losses following SCP-9299-1693.
SCP-9299-1730 — “The First Festival”
10/31/1730 (All Hallows' Eve)
Place: Salem Village & Town, Massachusetts Bay
Weather: Clear, brittle cold after a day’s rain; steady sea-wind with staged ground fog for effect (partly thaumic).
Attendance: Wary spectators in open taverns.
Foundation Presence: None (retrospective file from diarists’ accounts, church records, and Covenant oral histories compiled 1948–1979).
Following the 1729 “False Harvest” fire and subsequent fatalities, authorities threatened renewed inquiry. For the first time in the event's history, the Gourd had declined the most destructive rider and manifested for a midwife who assisted suppression and crowd control. Covenant analysis later determined consented attention (cheering, visible engagement) stabilized glamour and reduced investigative pressure. The three-pass format was retained; personal objectives shifted to performance.
A ribbon was installed over the lane later formalized as Essex. Pyromancy was limited to non-igniting thermal illusions; hard projectiles were replaced with soft produce; spells were cast with audible/visible cues; invisibility was discouraged; one familiar6 per rider emerged as a practical limit. Scoring emphasized ribbon contact, voluntary bell peals, and clean turns with minimal startle. No fatalities were recorded.
At dawn the Cup selected Goody Foxglove, dematerialized on handling, and re-manifested on her tableware, matching later patterns.
SCP-9299-1929, contestant #025 "Tatoba"'s rookie debut and subsequent victory.
SCP-9299-1959 — “The Three-Bell Accord”
10/31/1959 (Halloween)
Place: Salem, Massachusetts
Weather: Salt-damp Atlantic fog with a brittle northerly; bell metal sweating, streets shining.
Attendance: Three Covenant delegates and four Foundation liaisons.
Foundation Presence: Formalized. The Three-Bell Accord executed.
On the 31st of October, 1959, Foundation liaisons and Black Covenant representatives came to an agreement subsequently designated the Three-Bell Accord. This negotiation followed the 1958 event in which power distribution was disrupted, and civil aviation reported near-conflict with aerial phenomena over Salem. State and federal inquiries increased in frequency and specificity. Both parties assessed that unmanaged exposure risk exceeded tolerable thresholds.
The meeting was held at midnight, in a church belfry adjacent to the Essex line. Attendees included three Covenant delegates and four Foundation personnel (operations, legal, logistics, field observation). A parish sexton and a City public-works foreman were present for city-access and post-event coordination. Signatures were executed in a side vestry; the Accord was effective for the 1959 run and all subsequent iterations unless superseded.
The 1959 event proceeded under these terms without incident requiring deviation. No fatalities were confirmed within the active ribbon. Crowd behavior conformed to a seasonal spectacle; media artifacts collected from public sources did not capture replicable thaumic mechanics. The Cup manifested at the finish, dematerialized when handled, and re-manifested at the winner’s residence consistent with prior accounts.
Subsequent years standardized procedures derived from the Accord. Foundation observers deploy in mixed civilian attire with pre-positioned reimbursement authority and post-event sanitation checklists. City crews coordinate lane closures and repairs under standing work orders. Covenant marshals conduct rider briefings on visibility, familiars, and weather scope. The Accord remains the controlling framework for SCP-9299 containment and interparty coordination.
Photograph of the SCP-9299-1959 podium, #009 "Royal" dubbed the victor.
SCP-9299-2008 — “The Broadcast Turn”
10/31/2008 (Halloween)
Place: Salem, Massachusetts
Weather: Clear skies.
Attendance: Total reach projections in the 30-40 million range across North America, Europe and Oceania.
Foundation Presence: Active attendance and media supervision.
The 2008 iteration was the first conducted with a coordinated live-broadcast package produced by the Black Covenant for international carriage. Fixed-position cameras were installed on pre-permitted rooftops along the Essex line and adjacent corridors; rider-mounted micro cameras were affixed under 'Astraliaegis7' to prevent mechanical or thaumic failure; a photo-finish unit with high-speed capture was embedded at the ribbon. A broadcast compound operated from a fenced lot near Derby Wharf with bonded uplink and redundant fiber. A seven-to-ten-second program delay was maintained for editorial sanitation.
Global distribution was achieved via licensed feeds to major sports networks and regional broadcasters, with simultaneous streaming to Covenant-controlled platforms. Peak concurrent viewership is estimated at 7–9 million, with total reach projections in the 30–40 million range across North America, Europe, and Oceania. Pre-produced material aired throughout October, including route explainers, safety primers, and rider profiles. In-race graphics standardized the “first bristle” ruling, displayed lap counts, and translated audible spell callouts as captions.
Operational conduct reflected modernized practice while remaining within the Three-Bell Accord. Spells were performed with deliberate audible/visible cues. Weather remained local; no timework was observed. Course marshals maintained spectator stand-off distances and executed rapid neutralization of minor mana slicks with handheld kits between laps. No fatalities occurred within the active ribbon; medical interventions were limited to routine crowd injuries.
Interview content was used as promotional and interstitial material. Selected riders characterized the event as skill-forward and show-centric. Editorial tone positioned controversy as rivalry without disclosing replicable methodology.
Post-event adjustments formalized a persistent media-monitoring cell, standardized a live-delay handshake with Covenant producers, and expanded reimbursement escrows to account for broadcast infrastructure wear on municipal fixtures. Subsequent years follow the 2008 model: live coverage, rider-profile packages, and global syndication under the Accord’s constraints.
RECOVERED DOCUMENTATION 9299.2025.1
10/07/2025
Context: SCP-9299-2025's official guidelines.
General: Each participant must complete three laps throughout the City of Salem, MA, starting (and ending) on Essex Street.
Rules:
1. Brooms must contain a physical make of >51% wood to be qualified.
2.1. Physical Contact is to remain strictly between the Upper torso and Knee.
2.2. Hat theft counts as showmanship; hat destruction is a DQ. All accessories must be returned following the Trial’s end.
3. No pre-race hexes or enchantments.
4. Only one familiar per rider, laundry-basket size or smaller. They may block, not bite. Avian familiars must be examined by officials prior to the Trial’s beginning.
5. Spells must be audible or visible enough to signal intent. Sneak-curses, alongside all hexes by proxy, are forbidden.
6. Audience involvement is cheering and resource only. No towing or spotter sorcery. All audience assistants must be stationed at appropriate areas.
7. All recording devices must be secured to riders, protected by Astraliaegis.
8. In the event of a tie, the winner will be decided via the first bristle to cross the finish line in a photo-finish.
Banned Spells:
- Necromancy, possession.
- Temporaelous: Freezing time, slowing time, or reversing time is forbidden.
- Invisiboura: if officials are unable to see you, you are not officially racing.
- Corrosives, toxins, silver nitrate, blinding salt.
- Hard projectiles over 50g.
- Weather Alteration: No imported storms or rented tailwinds. Racers must utilize the available area.
- Racers are not permitted to use Astraliaegis on themselves throughout the duration of the trial. Similar techniques are permitted at the discretion of event organizers.
RECOVERED DOCUMENTATION 9299.2025.2
10/01/2025
Context: Preliminary interviews with key competitors
Interview
#002, "Tatoba".
…
Interviewer: We're told by your competitors you're "as basic as it gets"?
She chuckles
Tatoba: The others these days… they're always doing too much y'know? They've got the latest hexes and polymorphs or some other malarkey. Don't need 'em. They're called the classics for a reason: nothing beats 'em. Nothing.
Tatoba: See here?
She taps a large melted patch on the brim of her hat
Tatoba: Yeah, that? Crosswind '16. Two on my tail prepping some fancy cantrips or whatever, and I just send the biggest fireball you've ever seen into the building we're passing. Good times.
Tatoba: All the gear but no idea, them lot. Every year I see them huddle together discussing if I have a new trick up my sleeve. Nope! Lightning! Bzzztt. If it ain't broke don't fix it.
Interview
#007, "Chimera"
…
Chimera: Sure, hexes are "foul play" by today's standards. Yes, I blew up a few buildings last year, so what? I thought witchery was about breaking social norms and going against the orders of those above you.
Chimera: I guess what I'm trying to say is that these newest guidelines feel targeted. No necromancy? Seriously? Why even bother having the course extend through the graveyard if I can't raise the dead.
Chimera: Maybe once I win, again, they'll take me more seriously. Believe me, I'll do whatever it takes to make sure I stay in first.
Interview
#009, "Bubbella"
…
Bubbella: Hi, I'm Bubbella. Yes, the bubbles are mine. No, they don't taste like soap. You can ask the gulls, they tried once…
Bubbella: People think bubbles are just cute. They're little helpers, one shows me the clean line, one keeps my elbows steady. I like to ask for a little lift and it usually says "okay!", then the broom sits on a soft foam and we all feel very brave together.
Bubbella: I don’t bump. If someone bumps me, I give them a floaty so everything feels gentle again. Sometimes they keep it. That’s okay. I have lots.
Bubbella: After the race I write a thank-you note to the air. I think it reads them, because it remembers me next time.
Interview
#016, "Ivy"
…
Ivy: Am I nervous? Course' I am.
Ivy: This is the first time any alchemist has been chosen to participate in the Trials, I mean that's a big deal. Luckily for me, this means there aren't any restrictions on my arsenal of concoctions, and I'm not just talking eye of newt here.
Ivy: I've got enough polymorph to knock out a Griff-
Ivy pulls a small vial from her pocket, before dropping it.
Ivy: Don't smell that.
Interview
#023 and #024, "The Twins".
Talking in Unison
Twins: We go by the twins. She is me. I am her. Hello, twice. We used to be one. We remember the shape. We split to see more corners at once.
Twins: When the course feels tight we turn into horses. The air turns into a field. We run on it like it was always there. It always was. People hear the hooves in their ribs first, that is just the rhythm finding you.
Twins: Our best trick is rhythm. Keep pace, share lungs, count in the throat. One, two, both. Don’t put the same spell on both of us. It makes us curious. Curious makes us fast.
ADDENDUM SCP-9299-2: Documentary Excerpt
10/25/2025
Valecious Proa, SCP-9299 Event Official.
…
Interviewer: So can you explain the importance of this event, as someone in the Witch community?
Proa: Of course!
Proa adjusts herself.
Proa: To me, these trials represent far more than just the race itself. It’s everything.
Interviewer: Everything?
Proa: Everything! It’s the long-lasting legacy of our culture, it’s the sunrise after the hanging.
Recovered Broadcast Excerpt - ESPN feed - 10/31/2025
[OPENING STINGER: drums + bell toll; aerial of Essex Street ribbon; lower-third: LIVE • SALEM, MA | 3 LAPS | FIRST BRISTLE WINS]
"Welcome to ESPN’s live coverage of the Salem Witch Time Trial! Twenty-five riders, three laps through downtown Salem, the Golden Gourd Cup on the line. First bristle over the ribbon decides it. If it looks a little magical tonight… that’s because it is.”
[GRAPHIC: “ON-BOARD CAMS PROTECTED BY ASTRALIAEGIS | SPELL CAPTIONS ENABLED”]
“I’m at the ribbon with a clear view of the finish gate - high-speed, photo-finish system calibrated to the bristle. The crowd is shoulder-to-shoulder, and the bells are on standby. Watch for wind pockets on Hawthorne; marshals pre-treated for mana slicks just before we went live!"
[SFX: horn blast, crowd rises]
Interviewer: Would you mind elaborating?
Proa: See, for roughly 350 years we have been oppressed for what we are. Witches, Wizards, Humans, we’re all one and the same; but they don’t see it that way.
Interviewer: They as in…?
Proa: The humans of course! Quite judgmental, the lot of them. But that’s what makes this race so beautiful.
Proa adjusts her hat.
Proa: For nearly the entire year, we are hated, we are hunted, and we have been killed for being what we are. But despite that, come October… they love us. They praise us. They bet on us.
John Marsh @johnmarsh17· Oct. 31st
Looking forward to this years race, got a lot of money on bubbella.
Epixfox @epixzxxxxx· Oct. 31st
Bubbles is a good bet if ur TWELVE. 20:1 odds you’re cooked bro
Interviewer: I see.
Proa: No, you merely think you do. To the humans, this race is nothing more then a spectacle. But to us, to them, it’s the only sense of calm and love that we get to experience.
Interviewer: Do you not experience “love” outside of the trials?
Proa: Dear, these trials were born from the hanging of our people. Witches do not ‘love’ one another — we may hold respect, but we do not care for our sisters in the way you do. And as for the humans, well, history speaks for itself.
Recovered Broadcast Excerpt - ESPN feed - 10/31/2025
[The racers dart off following the third tolling of the bell; #002 "Tatoba" takes the lead, with #014 "Racer" and #007 "Chimera" trailing behind.]
Commentator-1: And a quick start from Tatoba, Trisha!
[GRAPHIC: “CURRENT LEAD: TATOBA”]
Commentator-2: Well, John, when you've been in this race for nearly a hundred years, I assume you're bound to learn a few tricks.
[The camera pans to Tatoba before zooming out and refocusing on Chimera.]
Commentator-1: Speaking of tricks, let’s see what Chimera has in store for us this year!
Commentator-2: For any of our new viewers tuning in this year, Chimera is always a bit of a hot-head! She has the record for most rule violations of any given racer — and is always trying to find ways to cheat the system!
[Chimera slows down as purple symbols manifest around her body. They begin to glow more intensely as she focuses on Tatoba]
Commentator-2: Chimera is casting a hex! What a twist! We're not even one lap in and we have our first rule violation!
[Chimera begins performing thaumaturgic motions targeted towards both Tatoba and Racer. Before she can finish her ritual, a T-shirt cannon goes off, covering her face as she loses her balance and falls to the ground.]
Commentator-1: Wow! We have crowd intervention, and the officials are allowing it to happen! We have the call here: Chimera has been disqualified for attempting to cast a Hex!
[Chimera stands, and stares at the camera as the crowd laughs.]
Chimera: [[OBSCENITY REMOVED]], GO [[OBSCENITY REMOVED]] YOU [[OBSCENITY REMOVED]].
Silence.
Proa: Any other questions?
Interviewer: Right, sorry. What would you say is the biggest strength of this year’s trial, as opposed to the others?
Proa sits for a moment, thinking.
Proa: I’d say the diversity of this year’s participants. It’s not very often we get to see any newcomers, but this year we have a plethora! It’s quite fantastical seeing young rookies with something to prove out there on the course.
Interviewer: Do you agree with those who say that the event has become too modernized?
Proa: Not particularly, no. But I can certainly see why my colleagues would feel that way. The trial has leaned farther and farther into the “spectacle” with each passing year. Some may say that the competitive nature of the event causes conflict; but I remind them that this event has always been a competition.
Interviewer: And do you agree that witches should be taking on sponsors?
Proa: Why, of course I do! The event makes millions each year, with our racers seeing less than a fraction of that.
Recovered Broadcast Excerpt - ESPN feed - 10/31/2025
[The camera focuses on #016 "Ivy", #009 "Bubbella", and #020 "Deputy" as they swerve through Lafayette St. into Porter St.]
Commentator-2: Now here's an entertaining group! Deputy and Ivy are both newbies looking to show what they can do, and Bubbella is a pacifist! How will this exchange play out, and more importantly, how will they catch up to the rest of the pack at this pace?
[The crowd begins to cheer as Deputy reaches into her holster.]
Commentator-1: Deputy pulls out her .44 magnum! Loaded with rubber bullets of course, but exciting nonetheless.
Commentator-2: Now, Deputy does have the highest odds out of every rookie this year, but will her hot temper be a hindrance against our favourite pacifist?
[Deputy aims at the back of Bubbella. Ivy takes notice and prepares a vial of polymorph, aiming at the back of Deputy.]
Commentator-2: Now how will Bubbella get out of this one?
[Bubbella takes notice of the crowd's sudden silence, and turns right as Deputy fires her weapon. Almost instantly, a bubble manifests from the back of Bubbella’s broom, causing the bullet to ricochet.]
Commentator-1: Mana-bubbles, quite sturdy!
[Deputy begins unloading her weapon into the bubble, with the rounds going in every direction. One of them bounces straight back and shatters Ivy's vial. Both racers fall unconscious.]
Commentator-2: Yikes. Rookie mistake there, ladies.
Commentator-1: Bubbella might look weak, but she has some of the best spell usage on the course! Good thing she doesn't want to hurt anyone!
[Bubbella gives the crowd a gentle wave as bubbles manifest in the air behind her, spelling "VICKY'S PERFUME, 25% OFF!"]
Interviewer: What about the Golden Gourd?
Proa: That “prize” may as well be a toy in the modern day. It’s a great bragging right, sure, but we need money to survive. Would you want a pumpkin that sits on your counter for winning the Super Bowl?
Proa and the Interviewer laugh.
Interviewer: I can’t say I would, no.
Proa: I think that we all need to focus on the bigger picture; that’s all. This race is meant to entertain, but it would be nothing without the racers. Hell, the entire event is built on the blood of our ancestors, in the very town where they were persecuted. Each year, we come out here hoping to break the stereotypes and set a new precedent, our own precedent, but it just won’t happen.
Recovered Broadcast Excerpt - ESPN feed - 10/31/2025
[FINISH LINE - LIVE FEED]
Commentator-1: Now the twins are in quite a lovely predicament here, textbook teamwork and an excellent display of communication.
[The footage cuts to #023, who is blocking the third-place participant #014 "Racer" from passing further as #024 rushes towards the finish line.]
Commentator-2: Not sure the Internet will be happy about this victory, but it's legal!
Commentator-1: It looks like #023 is attempting to take third for themselves, but it doesn't matter! #024 is on pace to take first and end Chimera's reign of terror!
[ #024 transforms back into a humanoid female, and sprints towards the finish line. The crowd erupts as she gestures for them to engage further.]
Commentator-2: And a gloat from the twins! Wow!
Commentator-1: Well earned, if I may say!
[ #024 passes the finish line, and #023 turns to pass alongside Racer.]
[FOOTAGE CUTS TO THE PODIUM]
[ #024 stands atop the podium on Essex Square, smiling with her sister as the crowd admires.]
[The camera cuts to the Golden Gourd, which has begun to dematerialize. Upon its disappearance, the crowd dies down, and #024's smile begins to fade.]
[People begin leaving, and the contestants follow soon after.]
[FOOTAGE END]
Silence.
Proa: It’s never about the race.
Proa lifts her drink.
Proa: Here’s to next year.
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