SCP-4867

I look out of the window and I see a blue sea, and it seems to laugh at me, laugh and laugh and laugh, laughing all in pieces.

  • rating: +119+x

bluediamond.jpg

The only known depiction of SCP-4867, drawn by the 17th century jeweller and traveller Jean-Baptiste Tavernier.

Item #: SCP-4867

Object Class: Safe (Uncontained)

Special Containment Procedures: Efforts to locate SCP-4867 are ongoing. A dedicated research team based in Site 890, Wyoming are currently investigating possible locations of SCP-4867 in the Western United States; a fuller description of their efforts can be found below.

Description: SCP-4867 refers to a blue diamond, known variously as the Kuh-e Parande1 or the Kuh-e Vaght2.

SCP-4867 is a universal constant, having existed since the formation of matter itself. As such, SCP-4867 is incapable of being altered or damaged in any way. SCP-4867's properties were observed and discovered by the 19th century Foundation operative Shaun Hammond, who also posited that the existence of the universe was predicated on SCP-48673.

SCP-4867's last known location was in Wyoming or Montana in March 1871. Further information can be found below.

Addendum 4867-1: History

The earliest surviving record of SCP-4867 is in the Arslanname, a Seljuk chronicle written by one Zahir al-Dawla al-Kashani, a member of the Seljuk bureaucracy4. al-Kashani states that SCP-4867 was originally found in the Sar-e Sang mine in eastern Afghanistan during the early 11th century. Mahmud of Ghazna purportedly made it "a symbol of his authority as amir and sultan, and wore it into battle." It was seized from Sultan Mas'ud Ghaznavi following the Battle of Dandanqan, and in al-Kashani's time (the mid-12th century) was worn by the Sultan Sanjar in an elaborate crown. al-Kashani's description of the diamond is sparse, beyond describing is as "blue" and "is eternal, in the manner of the Qu'ran5."

SCP-4867 next emerges in the writings of French traveller Jean-Baptiste Tavernier, who purchased the jewel in Esfahan in the 17th century. Tavernier includes a depiction and lengthy description of SCP-4867, stating that it "existed before Creation" and was "equal in age to God himself." Tavernier lost the diamond to bandits in Constantinople.

The final written record of SCP-4867 come from the writings of Shaun Hammond, who claims to have seen it in the possession of one Josiah Glass. He claims that Glass, very protective of SCP-4867, took it with him on an expedition to the Yellowstone River in 1867 and never returned. He described the diamond as "irregular but quite magnificent blue gem. My observations have deduced that it is a universal constant, and not a true diamond, despite similarities in appearance."

An expedition funded by Hammond was organised in 1870. This expedition never returned. A recent investigation by the Department of Temporal Artifacts was launched in 1993 to discover the fate of the original expedition and potentially recover SCP-4867.

Addendum 4867-2: Results of Investigation

yellowstone.jpg

Map of the Yellowstone River.

Few records of the initial expedition remain. The only members named in Hammond's notes were:

  • Martin Clyde, Foundation researcher from England. Although largely unfamiliar with the United States and especially the American Frontier, was known to be a leading expert on temporal anomalies and a skilled swordsman. Involved in the 1859 recapture of SCP-173 in southern Alberta.
  • Seth Miller, American trapper, frontiersman and "mountain man". Extensively familiar with the Dakota, Montana and Wyoming territories, having worked as an Army scout during Red Cloud's War. Known to be somewhat temperamental and occasionally given over to drink, but ultimately a reliable figure who had consistently led expeditions with high rates of survival.
  • Friedrich Heinz, expedition cook originating from the German state of Baden. Known to be a quiet man but a first-rate chef, still in the process of learning English.
  • Agnes Heinz, teenage daughter of Friedrich.
  • Annie Hunter, a frontierswoman and professional scout. Described in glowing terms by Hammond as "singularly charming" and a "crack shot with a rifle, with a life reminiscent of a more sober Calamity Jane."

In addition, the expedition contained some dozen experienced frontiersmen in Miller's employ, and "three or four more womenfolk". All of them were familiar with the region in question and were "known for their honesty and good dealings".

As Hammond only accompanied the party as far as Fort Pierre, Dakota Territory, his notes cease to be of use after this point. They do, however, detail the broad plan, which was to follow the Yellowstone River south while attempting to find some trace of Glass, his expedition, and SCP-4867.

The following documents and logs have been arranged in an order believed to be chronological.








banks.jpg

Photograph of Henry Banks, c. 1890.

Addendum 3: On 08/07/2019, an anomalous collection belonging to one Joseph Banks passed into the hands of the Foundation. Among them was a note belonging to Banks' great-great-grandfather, Henry Banks, a prominent local businessman who had appeared in San Fransisco in 1873. Nothing of his life prior to this was known. The note had been attached to his will, with strict instructions that it was not to be opened until his death, which took place in 1911; after the family read it, it was kept in an iron box in the Banks' household for over a century.

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