SCP-0000 - Fault
Description to come.
Image Credits
fault.jpg is taken from here https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Interior_view_to_show_collapsing_floor_(note_windows_in_MD-1109-I-25_in_background)_-_National_Park_Seminary,_Castle,_Ravine_in_northeast_part_of_campus,_Silver_Spring,_HABS_MD,16-SILSPR,2I-26.tif
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Cassino_da_Urca_by_Diego_Baravelli.jpg
header.png is taken from here https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0f/Miami_Beach_-_The_Fleetwood.jpg
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Castleguard_secfiss.jpg
hotel.png is taken from https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Miami_Beach_-_Fleetwood_Hotel_2.jpg
sitemap.png is taken from https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Roosevelt_Hotel_first_floor_plan.png
area.png is taken from openmaps, with minor alterations.
fault2.jpg taken from https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sinkhole-col-tn2.jpg
tagliaferro.jpg taken from here https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Brad_Phillips_of_Alaska.jpg
goldalchemy.png is from https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:NotoSans_-_Alchemical_Symbol_For_Gold_-_1F71A_-_ltOk4C.svg
fire.jpg is from here https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:StateLibQld_1_64639_North_Gregory_Hotel,_Winton,_burning_down_in_1946.jpg
cannon.jpg is from here https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Zinnetullah_Ahsen_B%C3%B6re_(cropped).jpg
hotelreal.jpg is from here and is in the public domain https://www.floridamemory.com/items/show/42242
All image edits were made by me, djkaktus.
Containment Class:
euclid
Secondary Class:
{$secondary-class}
Spirit Mountain Hotel and Casino. Image taken from promotional material published in 1918.
Assigned Site |
Site Director |
Research Head |
Assigned Task Force |
Site-56 |
Heather Grant |
Kayla Rider |
Theta-18 "Gamer Girls" |
Interior map of the Spirit Mountain Hotel first floor showing all public spaces.
Special Containment Procedures: The property on which SCP-0000 is located has been purchased by clandestine Foundation assets, and a perimeter has been established 1.5km from the structure. Foundation security personnel posing as local law enforcement are to monitor the perimeter and apprehend any civilians who breach it.
Per Protocol Montezuma-11, should there be a disparity in the amount of gold produced by the incorporeal entities within SCP-0000 and the amount of gold required to slow SCP-0000-A’s growth, a ration of gold bullion is to be provided to Foundation containment personnel to offset the disparity. In the event that a given quantity of gold produced by these entities does not prove sufficient, Foundation Protocol Montezuma-11 dictates that the following must take place:
- The incorporeal elements of SCP-0000 must present their accumulated gold to SCP-0000-A, which they do every Sunday night at roughly 23:51 hours local time. This presentation lasts three minutes and six seconds.
- Once the entities have finished their presentation, there is a thirty-three second period of inactivity from SCP-0000-A.
- After this period has elapsed, one of two events will take place:
- SCP-0000-A will remain inert, and all incorporeal elements of SCP-0000 will disappear. This is considered an “inactive” state, and it is safe to end Protocol Montezuma-11.
- Tremors beneath SCP-0000 will become increasingly violent. These tremors will be accompanied by a dense, green haze from within SCP-0000-A, the consistency of which is inconclusive but is inimical to humans. This is considered an “active” state, and requires the initiation of Protocol Montezuma-11.
- At the beginning of an “active” state, three different events must take place to inhibit the growth of SCP-0000-A.
- A human child, between four and six years of age, must approach the edge of SCP-0000-A with a basket of 10 gram gold bullion bars. The child must then be made to throw individual bars into SCP-0000-A, at a rate of one bar every thirty seconds until the end of the event. Every time the child throws a bar, they must say the following:
”For what we have wagered against our souls, so must we repay in gold.”
- Another similarly aged human child must accompany each gold bar with a handful of salt, thrown out of a burlap bag, while speaking the following:
”For how we have festered so long in the darkness, so must we repay in salt.”
- Lastly, a third child must have both of their wrists cut perpendicular to their arm with a blade, and be made to bleed out over SCP-0000-A until the end of the event. An adult human must stand near the child and repeat the following:
”For the innocence we have stolen in the pursuit of a fleeting happiness, so must we repay in blood.”
- Once the discrepancy between the amount of gold required by SCP-0000-A and the amount of gold offered by the incorporeal entities within SCP-0000 has been resolved, the tremors will cease and the green haze will dissipate. After this, it is safe to end the protocol, and tend to any medical necessities.
Foundation psychologists and game strategists are to continue to analyze the pattern of events that occur within SCP-0000 in order to better optimize them to neutralize any potential activation states.
One of only three remaining images of the Spirit Mountain Hotel from 1921.
Promotional material originally published in Las Vegas newspapers regarding the Spirit Mountain Hotel and Casino:
Step Into the Height of Elegance at the Spirit Mountain Hotel and Casino
Experience unparalleled luxury and excitement at the Spirit Mountain Hotel and Casino, an awe-inspiring destination nestled near the picturesque Laughlin, Nevada. Built by visionary billionaire Alejandro Giuseppe Bianchi Tagliaferro II, this sprawling 86,800 square-foot entertainment facility offers a harmonious blend of opulence, innovation, and entertainment in a setting as grand as the American West itself. Whether you're seeking relaxation, fine dining, or thrilling games of chance, Spirit Mountain promises an unforgettable escape.
The hotel stands as a beacon of refinement, featuring 186 exquisite staterooms spread across fifteen floors, each appointed with lavish furnishings and modern comforts. For those seeking the pinnacle of indulgence, our exclusive penthouse suite on the top floor provides sweeping views of the rugged desert landscape, complete with private roof access. After a day of adventure, unwind at our stylish cocktail lounge and jazz club, where the finest musicians set the tone for enchanting evenings.
For culinary delights, dine at the Restaurant Nevada, an architectural marvel perched dramatically on the mountain’s edge. From intimate dinners in one of five private suites to lively performances on the stage, every moment here is steeped in sophistication. The crown jewel of the restaurant is the Overlook Suite, offering breathtaking views of the surrounding desert as you savor world-class cuisine. Finally, thrill-seekers and high-stakes players will find their haven in our ornate casino, a five-story masterpiece featuring games of chance beneath a dazzling open atrium. The Spirit Mountain Casino promises fortune, excitement, and memories that glitter as brightly as Nevada’s stars.
Make the Spirit Mountain Hotel and Casino your destination today—a place where every moment is a testament to life’s finest pleasures.
Illustration of the Spirit Mountain Hotel published in 1918.
Description: SCP-0000 is the group designation for any anomalous activity within the abandoned former Spirit Mountain Hotel and Casino near Laughlin, Nevada - specifically, its weekly cycle of anomalous activity.
Once a 8,060m² entertainment facility built by billionaire entrepreneur and occultist Alejandro Giuseppe Bianchi Tagliaferro II in the late 1910s, the structure suffered severe structural damage after an earthquake and a fire destroyed a significant amount of the hotel and casino during a seasonal gala event, resulting in the deaths of some 259 individuals.
SCP-0000 is inhabited by a number of semi-incorporeal humanoid entities, all of which bear the group designation SCP-0000-1. These entities are grey, mostly featureless, humanoid representations of patrons of the hotel who perished the night of the earthquake. These entities wear unique outfits typical of the 1920’s upper class, though these outfits show significant wear and, in some cases, are barely recognizable as apparel.
Each SCP-0000-1 entity has a unique identity and is sentient, as they are capable of speech and are generally self aware. They will interact with individuals within the hotel and casino as if they were fellow patrons of the hotel, but will respond negatively if the individuals are not dressed in period appropriate clothing and speak using period appropriate mannerisms. Beyond these interactions, SCP-0000-1 instances appear to follow a rough pattern of eventsand try to complete a certain set of actions before the Montezuma-11 event Sunday night. While these events typically take place with minor variations, Foundation personnel are able to slightly alter their behaviour through conversation and interaction with the instances. After the Montezuma-11 Protocol takes place, the SCP-0000-1 instances disappear, reappearing on the next Thursday morning at 08:00 local time. While it appears that SCP-0000-1 instances can recall events from previous cycles, they typically do not address this, even if asked.
Region affected by expansion of SCP-0000-A.
SCP-0000-A is a large fissure located in the center of the casino, roughly 28m in length and 6m across at its widest point, which extends indeterminately deep into the earth below. SCP-0000-A is the focus of containment efforts within SCP-0000, as it routinely undergoes activation events, wherein the instances of SCP-0000-1 must make a gold offering to SCP-0000-A. If the offering is not of a suitable value, SCP-0000-A will begin to increase in size, resulting in severe tremors and structural damage to the surrounding hotel and casino, and the release of a toxic, corrosive gas colloquially known as “Casino Green”. These activation events can only be terminated by proper fulfillment of the Montezuma-11 Protocol, which brings an end to any geological activity and begins a period of inactivity.
Current projections indicate that further expansion of SCP-0000-A is an inimical threat to the Davis Dam in Laughlin, Nevada, a structure that dams the Colorado River and sits on the southernmost end of Lake Mohave. Previous failed instances of the Montezuma-11 Protocol have resulted in significant geological activity that has destabilized the foundation of the dam, and it is likely to cause unrecoverable damage if seismic events continue.
The failure of the Davis Dam would threaten all persons and structures within the low-lying area of the Mohave Valley, including Riviera, Mohave City, Fort Mohave, and the Fort Mohave Indian Reservation, as well as the resorts and riverfront property of Lake Husavu City. Additionally, failure of the Davis Dam could result in a cascading failure of the Parker Dam to the south, which itself would likely cause severe damage and loss of life to the towns of Cienega Springs, Parker, and the Mohave Road farms on the California/Arizona border near the Colorado River Reservation.
Protocols have been developed to mitigate the potential loss of life from a failure of the Montezuma-11 Protocol, but currently no procedures exist that can assure a 100% survival rate of all potentially affected persons in the event of a failure of the Davis Dam, as it is currently estimated that a minimum of one-hundred and ten thousand persons would need to be evacuated in the span of only a few hours, and it is unlikely that the persons in the Mohave Valley area could be evacuated in time at all.
Addendum 0000.1: Hotel and Casino Layout
The Spirit Mountain Hotel and Casino is comprised of three primary structures, each linked to the other through a series of hallways. The first and largest, just within the main entrance, is the hotel. It is composed of fifteen floors with one-hundred and eighty-six guest staterooms, with the top floor containing a single penthouse and exposed roof access. On the main level of the hotel is a bar, as well as a cocktail lounge and jazz club.
Easternmost edge of SCP-0000-A within the casino - image taken from the second floor. A first floor room is visible below.
To the west of the hotel is the Restaurant Nevada. It is composed of a large dining room, two bars, five private suites, and a stage for performances. In the back of the restaurant is the kitchen, much of which was destroyed by fire. The primary feature of the restaurant is the Overlook Suite, which extends out over the edge of the mountain.
To the southwest of the hotel is the casino. It is a five story ornate structure with an open atrium in the center, once covered by a large glass dome. The casino contains a number of various games of chance, including card tables, roulette, and slot machines. On the main floor of the casino is a caged cashier’s desk, through which chips can be exchanged for gold.
Over time, due to seismic activity from SCP-0000-A and exposure to the elements, the entirety of SCP-0000 has fallen into a state of considerable disrepair. Several areas are no longer easily accessible, or have been destroyed altogether. One room, the top floor suite within the hotel, cannot be accessed whatsoever, and attempted access from the exterior with shaped charges, as well as through the roof or through any ductwork, inevitably ends in failure. SCP-0000 appears to exert some sort of anomalous influence on these attempts, as the walls themselves do not appear to be impervious.
A deeper section of SCP-0000-A.
Lastly, SCP-0000-A has made several areas of the casino lower levels inaccessible. SCP-0000-1 instances who are directed towards these lower levels, or SCP-0000-A in general, will become increasingly upset and agitated, though most are either unable or unwilling to describe why.
Addendum 0000.2: Discovery
It is uncertain when SCP-0000 began to display anomalous activity. The fire that broke out and destroyed a significant portion of the structure was reported in the Los Angeles Times, due to the presence of Nevada Senator Dean Blacklock at the gala event. However, after initial investigations of the structure revealed no immediate foul play the building was abandoned, likely due to its remote location.
In 1962, two teenagers filed a police report in nearby Laughlin after seeing what they described as interior lights flickering and a green smog surrounding the structure. Investigators were not able to find any evidence of trespassing at the structure, and the case was abandoned.
In 1970 a female motorist claimed to have gotten lost on her way to Lake Husavu City from Las Vegas, and ended up at the Spirit Mountain Casino after dark. The woman claimed to have seen a thick green haze billowing out of the lower levels of the structure, and a single light on in the top floor of the hotel, where the silhouette of an individual was visible through the curtains. Additionally, the woman claimed to have heard shouting from within the structure, and to have felt some considerable seismic activity. After seeing what she described as “bodies floating in the mist”, the motorist fled on foot, eventually being picked up by another passing motorist. Local police discovered her car several miles down the road, nowhere near the gated road leading to the hotel. The woman’s story was dismissed.
Foundation agents in protective gear exploring the upper sections of SCP-0000-A.
In 2004, a locally televised ghost-hunting program “Demon Hunters” gained permission from the state government to access the facility for one night, in order to record an episode of their show. The episode never aired, and no members of the production team commented on its absence afterwards. However, an anonymous internet user claiming to be a member of the program’s staff (and providing provable details of their employment with the television network) posted several times over a six month period on an internet message board for the amateur supernatural watchdog group “Knights of Truth”. In their posts, the user claims that members of the production team were exposed to spectral entities who begged them for gold, salt, and blood, even going so far as attempting to attack one of the hosts. The event apparently shocked the crew so badly that it was decided that the program would not air the footage, which was later destroyed.
In 2007, Foundation assets embedded in the local authorities investigated another claim of supernatural activity at the hotel, and were met with the SCP-0000-1 entities. After deducing the nature and structure of SCP-0000, a permanent forward operating base was established outside the structure.
Addendum 0000.3: Protocol Montezuma-11
Protocol Montezuma-11 was developed by a joint team of Foundation occultists, game theorists, and historians. It was originally believed that the origin of the fault within SCP-0000 was natural and it was only the SCP-0000-1 instances that were anomalous - however, study of information collected from within SCP-0000, specifically the hotel and casino, as well as sigils and markings from within the fault itself, led to the conclusion that SCP-0000-A was a result of paranatural influence upon the earth itself emanating from within the resort.
The intended result of Montezuma-11 is to mitigate the final cost in gold to satisfy the conditions of the activation event. This includes subtly guiding SCP-0000-1 instances into situations and relationships that will be financially lucrative, and making sure wealthy individuals (or those who carry with them a large amount of wealth) are alive and present for the end of the event on Sunday night. Until the Foundation became involved in SCP-0000's containment it is believed that the success of the Sunday night ritual was entirely up to chance, though the spread of SCP-0000-A does not accurately align with the expected spread given the likelihood of a successful outcome on any given week (Note: This information is now believed to be contradicted by the event described in Addendum 0000.6, detailed below.)
The secondary intention of Protocol Montezuma-11 is to further investigate the cause of SCP-0000's creation, the origin of which is thusfar unknown.
Vincent Blake Cannon, pictured in 1920.
From Head Researcher Kayla Rider's notes:
While there are on average just over four hundred potential SCP-0000-1 instances, there are only a handful that can cause a notable change in the outcome of Protocol Montezuma-11. We have, over time, removed several individuals from this list - most recently one Victor Constantin Dragomir, the son of a Romanian diplomat. While Mr. Dragomir does serve a useful purpose within the established protocols as a source of gold, his value is relatively stable and cannot be influenced too far above its starting position, but can end up far lower than where he begins. He is a horrifically bad gambler and almost seems anomalously unfortunate. He is better left alone, where he will spend small amounts of money on games of chance and otherwise be uninvolved with the larger narrative developing over the weekend.
The most recent addition was Wilma Blacklock, Senator Blacklock's wife. She was originally believed to be an unimportant if not narratively interesting minor player, but the number of times she has killed her husband after discovering his infidelity has resulted in a significant amount of resources being devoted to figuring out how to keep her from doing that. While her killing her husband is not quite as disruptive as Mr. Murray having Mr. Avery killed on Saturday morning, it is still a huge issue when it happens. The only exception to this is if it occurs on Sunday morning, at which point the hotel becomes swarmed with various law enforcement and reporters, all of which become involved in the ritual Sunday night. This can be beneficial, but as Senator Blacklock himself carries a pretty significant amount of wealth on his person it doesn't always balance out.
The very first person who was added to this roster was, unsurprisingly, Vince Cannon, who plays a pivotal role in the final confrontation Sunday night.
Addendum 0000.4: SCP-0000-1 Instances
Alejandro Giuseppe Bianchi Tagliaferro II. Image dated to August 1909.
Each instance of SCP-0000-1 corresponds to a different individual who perished the night of the earthquake and fire. While many of the instances are relatively unknown invites to the gala event, several individuals were particularly noteworthy. Their identities, actions and behaviours are listed below. For ease of access in the timeline detailed in Addendum 0000.4, each individual has been given an identifier name.
- ”The Senator” Dean Blacklock: State Senator from Nevada. Attended the gala to curry favor with the wealthy Tagliaferro in order to secure funds for his upcoming campaign for Governor. 54 years old.
- ”The Senator’s Wife” Mrs. Wilma Blacklock: The wife of Senator Blacklock. Deeply unhappy with their marriage, only keeping up the charade for appearances. 46 years old.
- ”The Capitalist” Mr. Vince Cannon: Owned a major publication in Las Vegas. Had previously run several hit pieces on Tagliaferro before accepting the invitation. 35 years old.
- ”The Singer” Ms. Layla Williams: The talented young daughter of famous jazz singer Ezekial “Big Daddy” “Zeke” Williams. Singer at the hotel jazz club. 23 years old.
- ”The Entrepreneur” Mr. Benjamin L. Murray: The younger brother of the wealthy owner of the TransAmerica Railroad. 48 years old.
- ”The Heiress” Mrs. Elizabeth Yates-Moore: The wealthy daughter of Leeman Yates, founder of Yates Prospecting and wife of the late movie producer, Gerald Moore. Recently widowed. 58 years old.
- ”The D.A.” Mr. Winston D. Snider: The Clark County district attorney and personal guest of Tagliaferro. 49 years old.
- ”The D.A.’s Wife” Mrs. Irma Snider: Winston Snider’s wife. A deeply religious woman. 50 years old.
- ”The Journalist” Mr. Clark Avery: A writer with the New York Times, received an invitation through his employer, who was an old friend of Tagliaferro. 27 years old.
- ”The Big Winner” Mrs. Heather Jasper: A divorcee from Sacramento, notable as winning a jackpot in 99% of all scenarios on the opening night. 44 years old.
- ”The Banker” Mr. Vernon Wells: A banker from Reno, Nevada. 37 years old.
- ”The Groundskeeper” Walter Baker: The groundsman. 68 years old.
- ”The Server” Olivia Phillips: A server at the restaurant. 26 years old.
- ”The Chef” Geno Bellucci: A famous chef, works in the restaurant. 62 years old.
In total, 256 individual instances of SCP-0000-1 are present within SCP-0000. Three individuals were reported dead but are not present within the SCP-0000-1 instances, these being Alejandro Tagliaferro, his granddaughter, Emilia Benson, and an individual listed as “A. Shaw, M.D.”
Addendum 0000.5: Timeline of Major Events
Note: The following is an optimized timeline (the "Opportune Scenario") of major events throughout the weeklong cycle that SCP-0000 continuously loops through, presentetd in four hour blocks starting at 08:00 on Thursday morning. Many of these events are still under investigation. Notes detailing situational variations are included in the footnotes, or in italics near their relevant sections.
Thursday
08:00 Local Time
- All attendants who begin within SCP-0000 appear spontaneously, immediately beginning their actions for the day.
- The first guests (Mr. Harvey Beaumont and his fiance, Ms. Eva Goldstein) arrive and are checked in.
- Geno Bellucci begins to cook lunch. He expresses dissatisfaction with his new server, Olivia Phillips, who is late.
- Walter Baker, the groundskeeper, meets with the rest of his staff to assign duties for the day.
- Olivia Phillips arrives to work, a half hour late. She attempts to hide from Geno Bellucci, and is unable to. Geno scolds her for her tardiness, and threatens to fire her if she’s ever late again. Mr. Clark Avery, a writer, notices this exchange as he passes by.
12:00 Local Time:
- By noon, another hundred guests have arrived. The hotel manager (Mr. David Peaks) announces lunch in the grand hall of the hotel. Once inside the hotel grand hall, the patrons take their seats and focus on an empty, raised stage at the front of the room. Based on the attention given to this, it is likely that someone is speaking to the assembled group, who occasionally laugh and clap enthusiastically. However, no figure ever appears on the stage.
- After the individual at the front of the room finishes speaking, the wait staff serves lunch. Senator Blacklock spends the majority of his mealtime moving around the room, shaking hands. His wife leaves halfway through the meal.
- Mrs. Blacklock’s absence is usually followed by the absence of another server, Enrique Ides. It is unknown how the two know each other, but Mrs. Blacklock follows Mr. Ides to a broom closet in the casino where they have sex. Their absence goes unnoticed. If Mrs. Blacklock and Mr. Ides are interrupted by someone entering the closet, Mr. Ides will flee and Mrs. Blacklock will return to her room for the rest of the day. If she is not present in the casino on the first night, Mrs. Jasper will not hit her jackpot, the contents of which are required to neutralize a Montezuma-11 event.
- Mr. Wells, a banker, strikes up a conversation with Mr. Murray, the brother of a wealthy railroad mogul, about Alejandro Tagliaferro’s wealth. They are joined by Mr. Snider, the Clark County district attorney. This conversation cannot be interrupted, as it precludes a major event required to neutralize a Montezuma-11 event.
16:00 Local Time:
- After being dismissed from lunch, many of the guests leave to go to the casino or the pool. Mrs. Blacklock, accompanied by one of Senator Blacklock’s friends' wives, goes to the bar by the pool. Geno Bellucci spends ten minutes admonishing his staff for their lax attitude about lunch. Senator Blacklock, Mr. Cannon, Mr. Wells, and Mr. Murray go to the Casino.
- The groundskeeper, Walter Baker, goes to the first basement level to put away some gardening equipment. While down there, Baker discovers a door he had not noticed before. After trying all of his keys on it, he leaves it, confused. If Walter Baker is followed during this, he will not find the door and will not later find the Small Vault, the contents of which are required to efficiently neutralize a Montezuma-11 event.
- Olivia Phillips, while washing dishes in the kitchen, is visited by Mr. Clark Avery. They speak briefly about the whereabouts of Tagliaferro's personal library (believed to be located in the penthouse), before Mr. Avery is called away.
20:00 Local Time:
- Layla Williams performs at the hotel jazz bar. During this performance, she is approached by an intoxicated Vince Cannon, who makes a pass at the singer. He is accosted by hotel security, who attempt to throw him out of the hotel. Mr. Cannon cannot be thrown out of the hotel. If Mr. Cannon is not present in the hotel on Friday night, he cannot win the game of cards he plays with Tagliaferro, the winnings of which are required to neutralize a Montezuma-11 event. Foundation personnel must intervene and convince hotel security to allow Mr. Cannon to return to his room.
- After Mr. Cannon is released to his room, he will occasionally leave later that evening and attempt to seek out Layla Williams. The result of this is irrelevant, so long as Mr. Cannon is in the casino the following night.
- Ms. Layla Williams checks into the hotel shortly after 21:00. During her check in, Senator Blacklock will pass by on his way to the jazz club and stop to speak to her. This must be dissuaded. If Senator Blacklock and Ms. Williams engage in any sexual activity, Mrs. Blacklock will later attempt to kill the Senator, and both must be alive in order to properly neutralize a Montezuma-11 event.
- The health of Ms. Williams is believed to be important to the events that take place Sunday night. Regardless of her interactions with other hotel occupants, she must be present to sing for Tagliaferro on Saturday night.
- At roughly 21:48, Mrs. Blacklock will enter the casino with another of her friends, Mrs. Jasper. Mrs. Blacklock will take a seat at a slot machine, and send Mrs. Jasper to get them drinks. Upon returning, Mrs. Jasper must take the seat to the right of Mrs. Blacklock. After roughly six minutes of playing, Mrs. Jasper will hit jackpot. Occasionally, Mrs. Jasper will attempt to leave Mrs. Blacklock and return to her husband in their hotel room. This cannot be allowed. Her jackpot winnings are required to neutralize a Montezuma-11 event.
- At the conclusion of dinner service, Mr. Avery seeks out Olivia Phillips. The two of them return to Mr. Avery’s hotel room. While in the room, they discuss Olivia’s boss, Geno Belluci, and Olivia expresses anxiety about his advances towards her. Mr. Avery recommends that Olivia carry a knife.
24:00 Local Time:
- If Walter Baker is paired in some way to Ms. Williams, this is the earliest hypothesized point during which Walter would be able to find the Small Vault
- A door within the penthouse is heard opening and closing several times, and a muffled male voice speaks briefly, though inaudibly.
- If Senator Blacklock engaged in infidelity earlier in the day, Mrs. Blacklock will receive a phone call shortly before they go to sleep. After taking the phone call, Mrs. Blacklock will leave their room and not return until the morning.
- If Senator Blacklock is made aware of his wife's intentions after his infidelity, their room will receive the phone call but neither of them will be awake to hear it. Answering the phone will find the line open, but the voice of the speaker on the other end is muffled and unintelligible.
Friday
08:00 Local Time
- If Mrs. Blacklock learns about her husband's infidelity, and receives the phone call the prior night, she will leave the hotel and return in the morning with a handgun. If she is not intercepted, she will shoot Senator Blacklock three times in the chest and neck, killing him. This cannot be allowed to take place. Senator Blacklock must be present at the meetings of the conspirators on Friday and Saturday, as well as present on Sunday to confront Tagliaferro. In the event that Mrs. Blacklock is not intercepted and does kill her husband, no further gold will be collected from the casino's guests and will need to be produced entirely by Foundation assets during the active stage of the Montezuma-11 event.
- A letter arrives at the front desk for Mr. Avery containing details about financial indiscretions on the part of Benjamin L. Murray and Vernon Wells, The Entrepreneur and The Banker, respectively. Mr. Avery will spend the rest of the morning following both Mr. Wells and Mr. Murray.
- Mr. Murray or Mr. Wells discovering the letter is not necessarily indicative of a breakdown in the Opportune Scenario. Both Mr. Murray and Mr. Wells will become increasingly paranoid if they discover the letter, and have taken actions to silence Mr. Avery prior to his revealing the nature of their crime to Mr. Snider, the district attorney.
- Breakfast is served in the main hall as guests continue to file in. During this time an absent individual, likely the aforementioned A. Shaw, speaks to the concierge. As is evident by the concierge's comments and addressing the space down and to the right of the "A. Shaw, M.D." absence, it is likely that the figure is accompanied by Emilia Benson, Tagliaferro's young granddaughter. The two are escorted to an elevator, which appears on the top floor some time later. A. Shaw is believed to leave the hotel roughly three hours later.
- Walter Baker, if paired with Ms. Williams the night before, typically spends Friday morning exploring the basement level in search of the key to the small vault. The key is located in a small locker on a ledge overlooking SCP-0000-A. While Walter Baker (and all other SCP-0000-1 instances) will not yet recognize SCP-0000-A's existence, he will still be apprehensive about getting to the locker containing the small vault key. If either the key, the locker, or Walter Baker fall into SCP-0000-A, the small vault, and by extension the secret vault, will no longer be accessible during the active cycle. Only the small vault is required for the Opportune Scenario, and while the secret vault does make the Opportune Scenario significantly easier it is much more difficult to achieve. For this reason, Walter Baker must be encouraged to construct a small walkway out of nearby piece of plywood, as one of the footsteps needed to reach the locker is loose and will fall if not stepped over quickly enough.
12:00 Local Time
- Mrs. Jasper, having won a jackpot the day before, will spend most of the morning and early afternoon listening to Layla Williams in the hotel jazz bar. As Mrs. Jasper typically leaves the building on Saturday morning, and will not be available to present her jackpot earnings to SCP-0000-A, one of two options must be chosen; either Mrs. Jasper should be encouraged to join in Mr. Cannon's card game with Alejandro Tagliaferro in the hopes that her winnings then fall to Mr. Cannon, or she should be encouraged to approach Layla Williams with romantic intent.
- In the event that Layla Williams has sex with Mrs. Jasper, the latter will reveal the location of her winnings to Layla. Afterwards, Layla will seek out the winnings and steal them from Mrs. Jasper, and will have them available at the beginning of the Montezuma-11 event.
- Mrs. Elizabeth Yates-Moore arrives at the hotel. Shortly after arriving she is met by Mr. Murray and Mr. Cannon, and the three of them leave to speak with Senator Blacklock. During this meeting, the details of their involvement together becomes apparent; Mrs. Yates-Moore claims that her late husband, Gerald Moore, entered into a business deal with Alejandro Tagliaferro prior to the former's death. According to Mrs. Yates-Moore, her husband believed until his death that Tagliaferro had been secretly hiding profits from their joint business venture (currently believed to have been investing in the fledgling Kervier Mining Company), which she believes is in excess of seventy-five million dollars, and storing them away within the Spirit Mountain Casino's central vault. Tagliaferro had repeatedly denied Gerald Moore's claims, up to his death, and Mrs. Yates-Moore now desires to take what she believes is her fortune. Mr. Cannon and Mr. Murray, as well as Senator Blacklock, have agreed to use their influence to force Tagliaferro to turn over the fortune, for various reasons:
- Mr. Murray wants the money to buy out the controlling shares in his brother's railroad company, as well as cover for a money laundering scheme he is involved in with Mr. Wells,
- Senator Blacklock wants the money to shore up his campaign for Governor, which has recently become precarious due to Tagliaferro's support of his opposition,
- Mr. Cannon seems to have no other motivation beyond personal hate for Tagliaferro - it can be revealed through discussion and observation that Cannon's Las Vegas publication, the Paradise City Gazette, is in the middle of a year long smear campaign against Alejandro Tagliaferro. While this does coincide with the election that Tagliaferro is actively involved in due to his support of Senator Blacklock's opposition, it is currently not believed that these two are in any way related, and the cause of Mr. Cannon's distaste for Tagliaferro remains unknown.
- During lunch service, Geno Bellucci makes another pass at Olivia Phillips, this time cornering her in the kitchen and slapping her on the bottom. Olivia will retaliate by slapping him, causing him to lash out at her violently. Geno Bellucci must be called away before he can further harm Olivia Phillips. Due to his later involvement with Olivia Phillips, Clark Avery, Walter Baker and the secret vault, he cannot be allowed to harm Olivia enough that would cause her to leave the hotel. Instead, he must only be allowed to harm her enough that she leaves to find Clark Avery.
- Olivia finds Clark, who consoles her. At the conclusion of their conversation, Olivia agrees to carry a knife with her and defend herself the next time she is aggressed by Geno Bellucci.
16:00 Local Time
- At the hotel pool, Mrs. Jasper and Mrs. Blacklock discuss Mrs. Jasper's sexual encounter with Layla Williams. Mrs. Blacklock discusses how, in her youth, she had briefly dated a man named Vincent Arians before he joined the British military during World War I. It is now known that this individual was an agent of and informant for the Chaos Insurgency, though the relevance of this is unknown.
- Walter Baker, if having previously discovered the Small Vault, will continue to search through the basement levels of the hotel, eventually finding a door without a key. He spends time trying to pick the lock, but gives up when he is unable to do so.
- Benjamin Murray and Vernon Wells meet in a smoking lounge where Mr. Wells expresses concern about the presence of Clark Avery, who he claims had been making inquests into their past business dealings over the last few months. Mr. Murray agrees but claims to be more concerned about the presence of Winston Snider, the Clark County District Attorney. Mr. Wells is by far the more anxious of the two and discusses leaving the resort several times, but is rebuffed by Mr. Murray. Mr. Murray tells him to remain calm and that he'll speak to a friend about handling both Mr. Avery, but to leave Mr. Snider alone so as not to involve additional law enforcement.
- Shortly afterwards, Mr. Murray makes a phone call to an outside line and briefly discusses how he believes Clark Avery is informing on him and Mr. Wells and that the journalist will soon go to Mr. Snider with his findings. Left unimpeded, Mr. Murray will make this phone call at 17:29. However, it is imperative that Mr. Murray be distracted enough that he makes this call after 17:34. If his call is to go through, he will arrange for three individuals to enter the hotel late Friday night/early Saturday morning and kill Clark Avery, who must be present within the hotel on Sunday. However, if Mr. Murray attempts to make this call any time after 17:34, the line will not connect and Mr. Murray will not attempt to make this call again.
- Mrs. Yates-Moore and Mr. Cannon spend the better part of the afternoon in Mrs. Yates-Moore's room engaging in sexual intercourse. After three hours, Mr. Cannon leaves to go to the casino floor, where he meets a handful of other guests, including Mr. Murray and Mr. Snider, who all begin to play cards. They are joined at 19:23 by Clark Avery. They will remain at the card table until later in the evening. Mrs. Jasper will also attempt to join this game if her money has not already been stolen by Ms. Williams. As Mrs. Jasper has the highest chance to win the game, all parties involved must be influenced to reject her attempts to join.
- Mrs. Snider, "The D.A.'s Wife", exits her room after evening prayer and leaves for the restaurant. As she is walking towards the restaurant she runs into Mr. Vernon Wells, "The Banker", and proceeds to drop her belongings. The man helps her pick them up, and she carries on out of the hotel. Shortly afterwards, Mr. Wells arrives at the Snider room and enters it using the key he had just stolen from Mrs. Snider, and proceeds to investigate their room looking for information suggesting Mr. Snider is investigating both he and Mr. Murray. This information does not exist, and as a result Mr. Wells will spend a significant amount of time during that night's card game looking for nothing in the Snider room.
- Being unsuccessful in locating information pertaining to an investigation that is not taking place, Mr. Wells decides to lace a bottle of seltzer water on Mr. Snider's nightstand with an unknown poison. To retrieve this poison he has to leave the Snider room and return to his own, then come back to the Snider room to complete his task.
- It is important to monitor Mr. Snider during his time at the card table while also watching the situation with Mrs. Snider and Mr. Wells. If at any point Mr. Snider has winnings greater than $1000 in the card game, he will cash out before the next hand and Mrs. Snider will return to their room to get her bag. The timing of this is very important - if Mrs. Snider does not encounter Mr. Wells before he laces the bottle of water, it is likely that Mr. Snider will be killed. Mrs. Snider will not leave the casino until her husband is no longer playing cards, so in order to have her interrupt Mr. Wells' attempted poisoning Mr. Snider must either reach $1000 or run out of money with enough time to ensure Mrs. Snider gets back to their room before Mr. Wells returns. Should she encounter Mr. Wells as he is leaving or returning to her room, Mr. Wells will be dissuaded and will flee, and will not attempt to kill Mr. Snider, allowing Mr. Snider to be present on Sunday with the money he had earned in the casino, if any.
20:00 Local Time
- At 20:30, Alejandro Tagliaferro enters the casino hall. It is believed he is accompanied by Emilia Benson and the individual known as A. Shaw - implied from a reference made by Mr. Cannon later in the evening - but this is uncertain due to the nature of their absence from the other SCP-0000-1 instances. Tagliaferro takes time to walk around the casino floor and speak to many of the guests, before walking out to the floor proper. For the first and only time throughout the four day period, Tagliaferro's voice can be heard. He cannot be addressed by Foundation staff, and speaks only to the other SCP-0000-1 instances at the table, and specifically to Mr. Cannon. Tagliaferro will ask to be dealt in, and will join the game. Taking part in the game are a Mr. Jackson and Mr. Bates, Mr. Benjamin Murray (The Entrepreneur), Mr. Clark Avery (The Journalist), Mr. Vince Cannon (The Capitalist) and Tagliaferro.
- The game usually plays out in one of three ways, with a very rare fourth:
A) Mr. Cannon begins to play very aggressively, pushing out Mr. Jackson and Mr. Bates within the first few minutes of play. After either Mr. Murray or Mr. Avery push the other out, Tagliaferro will then push out the remaining of the two, and then proceed to win the game when Cannon goes all-in on triple Aces (A♠ A♥ in hand, A♦ 3♦ 3♣ showing) and Tagliaferro shows a full house (A♣ 3♠ in hand). This outcome has a 65.5% chance of occurring without outside interference, and is the most detrimental to the Opportune Scenario as Tagliaferro will take the money and leave.
B) Mr. Cannon begins to play very aggressively, only this time pushing out Mr. Murray first. Mr. Murray will buy back in to the game and push out Mr. Cannon's flush (K♥ 7♥ in hand) with a straight flush after three hands (3♥ 5♥ in hand, 2♥ 4♥ 6♥ showing). After Mr. Cannon leaves the table, Alejandro Tagliaferro will also leave and the remaining winnings will go to the winner of the table, usually Mr. Avery. This outcome has a 22.2% chance of occurring without outside interference, and is only slightly detrimental to the Opportune Scenario (requires the discovery of the small vault). It is generally accepted that this is the safest scenario, as triggering the discovery of the small vault has a significantly higher chance of success than triggering the third outcome of this game.
C) In any situation, if Tagliaferro or Mr. Cannon leave the table early (generally considered before two or more persons have been removed from the table), for whatever reason, both will cash out the majority of their own money and the game will continue without them. However, without both Mr. Cannon and Tagliaferro, the game cannot produce enough money to meet even the barest conditions of the Opportune Scenario. This outcome has an 11.2% chance of occurring, and occurs most frequently by accident due to outside interference interrupting Mr. Cannon or in some way disturbing him, causing him to become agitated and leaving the table.
D) Mr. Cannon plays conservatively, waiting on Mr. Murray to push out Mr. Jackson and Mr. Bates. Mr. Avery will bluff Mr. Murray out of most of his accumulated earnings with some variation of a two pair ace high, but then lose his winnings to Alejandro Tagliaferro. Mr. Murray will go back and forth between Tagliaferro and Mr. Cannon, eventually being pushed out when he is bluffed again, only this time by Mr. Cannon. Mr. Murray will express his frustration at being bluffed twice, and leave the table with nothing. This leaves only Mr. Cannon and Tagliaferro with the maximum possible money left at the table. This outcome has a 1.1% chance of occurring.
In the event the game reaches this point "D", Tagliaferro will call a brief recess and the party will move to the bar while the table is reorganized. This event has occurred only a handful of times since the Foundation began observing SCP-0000 in 2007, and every time it occurs a unique conversation takes place. This is unusual within the pattern of SCP-0000, which typically follows a generally set pattern that allows for mostly minor deviation. All but one of these unique conversations have been short, while the most recent (occurring on November 18th, 2016) was considerably longer. Transcripts of these conversations are available below.
SCP-0000 Event Log
16/5/2008
Cannon: Well, Alejandro. Seems we're right back here again.
Tagliaferro: Does seem to be that way.
Cannon: Try as you might, you can't seem to shake it, can you?
Tagliaferro: Barkeeper, please. Gin and ice, with lime.
Cannon: Whiskey for me, bartender. Straight.
Pause for 42 seconds.
Cannon: Suppose we should get back to it.
Tagliaferro: Suppose we should.
SCP-0000 Event Log
5/2/2010
Cannon: Tell me, Alejandro. You've been in this business for some time, now. Did you ever expect to be where you're at now?
Tagliaferro: You're right about one thing, Vince.
Cannon: What's that?
Tagliaferro: I have been in this business for some time.
Cannon: (Laughs) Fair enough. A drink, then.
Tagliaferro: A drink.
SCP-0000 Event Log
24/7/2015
Cannon: I just wonder how much longer you can keep it up.
Silence.
Cannon: You know I'm right. You know there's going to come a point where it breaks you.
Tagliaferro: Bartender, if you would.
Cannon: Suit yourself. We can keep doing this as long as you want.
SCP-0000 Event Log
8/4/2016
Cannon: Here we are again. Same bar, same game of cards.
Tagliaferro: That's true.
Cannon: You have to be getting tired.
Tagliaferro: Why? It's a good bar. A fine game. What else could we ask for?
Cannon: You know what we're asking for.
Tagliaferro: Bartender, please.
Silence.
Tagliaferro: Did I ever tell you how I got started?
Cannon: In business?
Tagliaferro: The same.
Cannon: You haven't, no.
Tagliaferro: My father, Giovanni Tagliaferro, was an immigrant to this country. He came here by ship, and after spending time in the cities out east he scraped together whatever meager sum he could muster and set out west. He read stories about cowboys and indians, and hills full of gold - a land where a man could make some of himself.
Cannon: Sounds like the propaganda worked.
Tagliaferro: (Laughs) Well, can you blame him? Fresh off of a boat, with the grime of the city behind him and nothing in front of him but opportunity. Yes, the romanticism of the West bit him, and he came out here seeking his fortune.
Cannon: Did he find it?
Tagliaferro: No. My father made something of himself, certainly. Worked his fingers to the bones and climbed the ladder at a small railway. Ran contracts on the Lincoln line between Reno and Sacramento for thirty-years until his body broke. Scraped together enough to run a single engine, on lease, from his former employer. (Pause) My father worked until he could not work any longer, and died with more debt than dollars.
Cannon: A modern American tragedy.
Tagliaferro: Maybe. He never complained, not even once. He might have even said he was happy.
Cannon: So how do you figure in?
Tagliaferro: My mother died when I was young, and I spent all of my growing days either at our humble mission school or with my father in his yard. I saw the work my father did, and what little his sweat was worth.
Cannon: And you decided that wasn't for you.
Tagliaferro: Naturally.
Cannon: Quite a story. Strange that you then somehow went and conquered the world all the same.
Tagliaferro: No. Not the world. Not even a corner of it. I have been profoundly fortunate, and my good luck has provided me with wealth beyond reason. But this isn't the world, Vince. It can't be your whole life. It wasn't the money that made my father happy, it was purpose. We can't stay the same forever. We have to change.
Cannon: (Laughs) That's rich. Is it the kid? She suddenly giving you some perspective?
Tagliaferro: I thought I'd be satisfied with all the wealth my father never saw, but I was wrong. We're not meant to live like this. Our lives have to account for more than just numbers on a ledger.
Cannon: Bold coming from the man with all the money.
Tagliaferro: For now. It doesn't last forever.
Cannon: It might.
Pause
Cannon: Looks like the table is set. Should we get back to our game?
Tagliaferro: You know how this ends. You don't have to do this.
Cannon: You're right. I don't have to do anything.
Tagliaferro: Very well. Good luck to you.
Saturday
00:00 Local Time
- Clark Avery leaves his hotel room around 01:30, having returned there after the night's card game some hours earlier. He will spend some time trailing Vince Cannon and Vernon Wells, who spend much of the evening moving between various bars and the outdoor veranda. This is a critical block of time - Mr. Avery must be monitored and his position altered or obscured in some way if it seems likely he is about to be discovered by either of the two men, as Clark Avery being discovered by Mr. Wells will almost always lead to Mr. Wells fleeing the resort before the end of the night.
- Additionally, this is the point at which, if Benjamin Murray was able to make his phone call the previous night, three additional instances of SCP-0000-1 will appear. These instances (who are never named) will attempt to kill Clark Avery if they locate him during the night - and are almost always successful. In the event that these individuals do arrive, there are generally four possible outcomes - only one is acceptable to fully fulfill Montezuma-11, as it is the only outcome where Clark Avery survives the night and the hotel is not alerted to the disturbance. The other scenarios vary depending on whether or not the hotel patrons become aware of the assassination attempt - the worst scenarios are those in which the hotel is alerted, as many of the patrons will leave before the end of the day. The four scenarios are presented below, in descending order of preference:
- Scenario 1: The three men arrive to kill and spend the better part of the night hunting for Clark Avery. They are unable to find him, likely due to heavy Foundation intervention in obscuring Mr. Avery and discretely interrupting the pathing of the three assailants. If they are unable to find and kill Mr. Avery by 0600 Saturday morning, they will abandon the hotel and not return. This is by far the rarest outcome, relying on the most Foundation intervention. The effort involved and luck required to achieve this scenario is the reason why Mr. Murray's phone call the night before must be disrupted. It is, however, the only outcome that can still feasibly fulfill Montezuma-11, and is the best of the four.
- Scenario 2: The three men find and discretely kill Clark Avery. Avery's death here means he does not speak to Winston Snider on Saturday night, and Mr. Snider leaves the hotel Sunday morning. The discretion involved in this scenario makes this outcome generally better for fulfilling Montezuma-11 than the last two, as the only people who leave the hotel at this point are Clark Avery and Winston Snider, but Snider's presence on the final night is imperative to beginning the chain of events that begins the end phase of the protocol, and his absence significantly increases the Foundation's necessary contribution of gold bullion at the end of Montezuma-11.
- Scenario 3: The three men attempt to kill Clark Avery, but create a disturbance among the guests in doing so and are unable to kill him. This typically involves Winston Snider becoming aware of the disturbance and engaging with the assailants. Regardless of whether or not any of the three men survive, the disturbance will cause many of the resort's guests to leave by the end of the day, significantly reducing the available gold on Sunday night. On average about 36% of guests will leave the hotel during Scenario 3, which while detrimental to the preferred outcome is still better than Scenario 4.
- Scenario 4: Clark Avery is killed after a large disturbance that alerts the guests in the hotel. The occurrence of a successful assassination of a relatively well known journalist almost immediately results in heavy police presence throughout the rest of the weekend (denoted by additional SCP-0000-1 instances arriving in uniform) and a near-total abandonment of the rest of the weekend's proceedings. THIS IS THE WORST POSSIBLE OUTCOME from the perspective of keeping Foundation contributions to Montezuma-11 low. The only persons present on Sunday night will be a handful of hotel staff and police officers searching for the assailants, if they have not already been apprehended.
04:00 Local Time
- The three assailants, if they have not yet found and killed Clark Avery, will leave around 06:20, as hotel staff begin prepping for the morning's activities.
08:00 Local Time
- Heather Jasper, if she is still in possession of her jackpot winnings from Thursday night, leaves the hotel Saturday morning sometime after 08:00. While this cannot be allowed to happen in the Opportune Scenario, she cannot be convinced to stay at this point and steps must be taken to relieve her of her winnings earlier in the weekend.
- At breakfast on Saturday, Mrs. Irma Snider (The D.A.'s Wife) overhears part of a short conversation between Elizabeth Yates-Moore and another hotel guest about her grievances with Tagliaferro and her late husband. At some point, Mrs. Yates-Moore and her friend will see Layla Williams (The Singer) and invite her to join them. It is during the conversation that follows that Mrs. Yates-Moore makes a passing remark about Tagliaferro rarely leaving his penthouse, at which point Ms. Williams will inform her that Tagliaferro will be present for the conclusion of the weekend on Sunday.
- There is a rare but important event that can take place after 09:00 on Saturday, wherein Walter Baker, The Groundskeeper, is injured in his morning duties and is taken to a hospital in Laughlin. It is standard practice to monitor Mr. Baker during this timeframe in order to ensure he avoids injury - this period concludes just before he leaves to take his lunch break, after which he spends much of the afternoon trying to get into the secret vault.
12:00 Local Time
- During lunch service, Elizabeth Yates-Moore dines with Dean and Wilma Blacklock in a private booth. They discuss at length the senator's upcoming gubernatorial election campaign, and Tagliaferro's interference in it.
- It is during this meeting that Ms. Yates-Moore confesses her current situation to the Blacklocks - she is nearly penniless, subsisting entirely on a heavily overextended line of credit established by her late husband. Her father Leeman Yates had sold much of his company to the Kervier Standard Company prior to his death in order to cover expenses incurred due to a failed business deal with a local real estate group. The comparatively modest sum she was left in his will is all the money she has left, as her late husband Gerald Moore had left all of his money to his four children from a previous marriage. Her inheritance money had quickly expired due to her lavish lifestyle, and the bills incurred on the assets she did inherit - namely, her husband's Las Vegas estate, are beginning to outpace her ability to pay them off. By her account, she would be entitled to any additional money owed to her husband's company, of which she is now the sole employee, and is convinced that the money she believes is owed to her husband by Tagliaferro would be passed to the company, and not his children.
- At the conclusion of the lunch service, Olivia Phillips confronts Geno Bellucci about his previous sexual advances. The end result of this interaction is only important insomuch that Ms. Phillips and Mr. Bellucci both remain alive. It is not believed that Ms. Phillips' intention is to kill Mr. Bellucci, but on several occasions the discourse between them has become violent, Ms. Phillips produces her knife, and one of the two are killed. It is possible to avoid this by convincing any member of the restaurant staff or any of the patrons to intervene, though if not done carefully this has a chance to further escalate the conflict.
- However, the most common outcome is one where where Mr. Bellucci apologizes for his actions, admitting they were inappropriate and untoward. This outcome is not preferred, as it results in one or both of Mr. Bellucci and Ms. Phillips leaving the resort and not returning by Sunday. As such, it is generally considered more efficient to slightly antagonize one or the other prior to their confrontation, enough that neither of them are willing to reconcile but also not so severely as to result in lethal violence.
- Layla Williams also performs shortly after lunch in one of the lounges. She will receive a phone call at the front desk near the expected end of her set, informing her of her father being shot and sent to the hospital during a robbery in Louisiana earlier that day. The Opportune Scenario requires Layla Williams to be in the hotel on Sunday night to sing for Tagliaferro, and receiving this phone call will cause Layla Williams to leave shortly afterwards. While her set usually runs just long enough that she misses the phone call, causing a message to be left with her that she does not read before the end of the weekend, it is possible for her to conclude slightly earlier and receive the message. It is therefore preferable that the set run as long as possible, either by encouraging Ms. Williams to perform an encore or distracting the front desk clerk attempting to inform Ms. Williams of the phone call. The individual on the other end of the call (believed to be Ms. Williams' uncle, Lee Williams) will only stay on the phone for a few moments, so it is only necessary to extend the set two or three minutes after the call is made in order to prevent her from receiving the message.
16:00 Local Time
- During the afternoon, Walter Baker will attempt to get into the secret vault.
- The vault door contains a complex locking mechanism requiring three separate keys, a translated cipher, and its 12-digit numerical output. These locations of all the items and information needed to access the vault are known, but require a significant amount of work to replicate. Specifically:
- Walter Baker will need to gain access to two different areas of the hotel he does not naturally have access to, those being a 7th floor administrative office and the 9th floor greenhouse.
- To get into the administrative office, he will need to convince Mary Primrose, a secretary for the casino, to allow him to enter the office. Mrs. Primrose is the only person in the office who will permit this, and encountering her is only possible during a two minute gap around 16:25 when she leaves through to use the 7th floor washroom. Mrs. Primrose leaves the office at 17:05 and will not return afterwards.
- Once inside the office, the key is in an envelope marked to Tagliaferro's attention in the 3rd drawer from the top of the filing cabinet in the back corner of the office, behind two unused desks. Nobody in the office (including Mrs. Primrose) should be allowed to look at the name on the envelope, or else they will attempt to stop Mr. Baker from taking it.
- To get into the 9th floor greenhouse, he will need to enter through an open window on the exterior of the building. Getting into that window will require he shimmy across the exterior of the building, avoiding the detection of anyone standing in the garden below, and then find the loose window lock on the north side of the greenhouse. This will give him a roughly 61cm entrance to climb through. The key is located in a lockbox behind a Lilium candidum in a grey flowerpot near the center of the greenhouse.
- Any fall Mr. Baker experiences attempting to get into the greenhouse window will invariably be fatal, and over repeated attempts this has happened numerous times. As a result, Mr. Baker has seemingly become unconsciously avoidant of this strategy, which has led Foundation game theorists to look for other ways to enter the greenhouse.
- The third key is located beneath a drain at the bottom of one of the hotel pools. This is the simplest key to obtain, but as Mr. Baker is not a strong swimmer this key has been notoriously difficult to collect, and usually requires Mr. Baker to try and convince other patrons to swim down and get the key for him.
- Walter Baker will need to be introduced to Miriam Marshall, a traveling nurse, who has studied cryptography as a hobby and can work out a complex mechanical cipher within the locking mechanism.
- Ms. Marshall is only present at the hotel on Saturday, as she checks in Saturday morning and leaves Sunday morning. This leaves very little time for Mr. Baker to interact with her, as regardless of their progress she will always leave Sunday morning and cannot be persuaded to stay.
- This cipher requires a code phrase, which is located within a logbook on the same basement level as the secret vault door. Mr. Baker cannot simply be given the output of the cipher - attempting to do so, even subtly, will result in Mr. Baker and Ms. Marshall becoming incapable of seeing or interacting in any way with the person trying to provide the code. This will also cause Mr. Baker specifically some considerable distress, as from his perspective the person he was engaging with will have abruptly ceased to exist. If this occurs he will almost always immediately give up his attempt to get into the secret vault.
- Because of the complexity of trying to get Mr. Baker to collect the items necessary to enter the secret vault and the danger the task puts him in (and his growing unwillingness to do so) it is generally considered not worth the effort to try and enter the secret vault, as a number of other outcomes (opening the small vault, Mrs. Jasper's jackpot being stolen, optimal card game resolutions, Mrs. Cannon, Wells and Murray staying until Sunday night, etc.) are all usually sufficient to fulfill Protocol Montezuma-11, and the contents of the secret vault require additional intense manipulation of Mr. Baker and several other hotel patrons to see any payout. While the potential gold payout can be significant, the more important value in opening the secret vault is further exploration into Tagliaferro's occultist background and greater intentions.
- The contents within the secret vault no longer exist, and only manifest when Walter Baker (or another instance of SCP-0000-1) enter the vault to remove them. In the four instances wherein Mr. Baker successfully opened the secret vault, the following items have been recovered from it:
- A book entitled "The Way Under The Water", written by an "L. M. L. Morrisey". This book is believed to be a fictional depiction of a god sleeping under the ocean and describes ways to pay homage to that god,
- A book entitled "Saisons" written by French author Étienne Dumarche. Walter Baker does not read French and the text of the book is unknown.
- A book entitled "Прах и Перерождение (Ash and Rebirth)" written by Russian author Gavriil Povolzhin. This book can be translated by a Dmitry Alekseyevich Volkov, his wife Elizaveta, or their two sons Alexei and Andrei, all of whom are staying at the hotel as guests. This has been difficult to achieve, and thus far has only revealed that the text combines elements of Orthodox Christian mysticism with folk tales and alchemical symbolism. The text is structured as a series of parables and dialogues between a dying sage (called "Угасающий" or "the fading one") and a mysterious, otherworldly being (called "Ткач Завес" or "weaver of veils") who guides the sage toward understanding the transcendence of mortal existence.
- A book entitled "Umbra Vitae" by 17th century Greek author Ioannis Krypteron. The text is written entirely in Greek and there are no known patrons of the hotel who can read Greek.
- A collection of papers believed to be a copy of the "Eschaton Manuscript", a series of writings by an anonymous 11th century author speculated to have originated in either the Levant or Southern Europe. It is a deeply cryptic and ancient text believed to have been transcribed by an unnamed sect of Gnostic mystics detailing the apocalyptic concept of transformation through fire—not as a destructive force, but as the ultimate purifier.
- A book entitled "Chrysalis of Night" written by 19th century Hungarian author Karolina Szegedy. The contents of the book are unknown - Mr. Baker cannot be compelled to open it, complaining that it "feels wrong".
Alchemical rune described in Auric Vitae
From Auric Vitae:
"As the final breath of the ritual escapes into the aether, and the golden essence suffuses the flesh, the mortal vessel shall crumble, giving way to the eternal form. No longer bound by decay or time, the adept shall rise anew—transformed into a being of living gold, a luminous conduit of divine perfection.
The veins shall flow with molten aurum, warm and unyielding, and the skin shall gleam with the brilliance of a thousand suns. The eyes, now orbs of crystalline amber, shall perceive not as man, but as the eternal does—piercing the veil of time and space. The heart, stilled in its mortal cadence, shall beat no more, yet it shall thrum with the resonance of the cosmos itself.
Beware, for such a gift is not without its weight. The burden of eternity lies not in the years, but in the unrelenting brilliance, the burning purity of gold, which allows no shadow, no retreat into darkness. Once made whole, the immortal shall walk forever in light, unyielding and alone."
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- A book entitled "Auric Vitae" written by 16th century German author and self-proclaimed alchemist Heinrich von Stahl. This book can be translated by a Friedrich Adler, another hotel patron. The text describes the mystical properties of gold, not as a mere element but as a divine substance capable of transforming flesh and spirit. Auric Vitae claims that by consuming "living gold" (gold transmuted through secret alchemical processes), one can attain physical immortality and spiritual transcendence. The book combines dense alchemical recipes with cryptic rituals involving lunar phases, human blood, and rare herbs.
- A collection of various alchemical tools and supplies, including all but one of the ingredients needed to perform a ritualistic transformation described in Auric Vitae. Each of these ingredients is labeled according to their name given in the text, but additional information has been provided by whomever assembled the ingredients. While the original ingredients cannot be tested, the descriptions provided have informed some understanding of their purpose in the ritual:
- Philosopher's Mercury: A liquid metal alloy, composed of mercury and trace elements.
- Auric Seed - A crystalline structure formed from gold, developed through prolonged exposure to concentrated sunlight.
- Molten Crown - Liquid-phase gold alloy. Procured offsite.
- Golden Myrrh - Resin infused with colloidal gold during pyrolysis. Demonstrates enhanced aromatic and combustive qualities.
- Phoenix Feather - A specimen representing symbolic avian anatomy, used in combustion studies. Material includes carbonized organic matter.
- Breath of Aurum - A vaporized mixture of cinnabar (HgS), elemental gold, and organic compounds such as ambergris. Produced through sublimation under controlled heat.
- Blood of a Saint - A single drop of human blood.
- Heart of Quartz - Rose quartz shaped to mimic anatomical features.
- Salt of Eternity - A finely ground mineral residue, hypothesized to derive from meteorites. Displays unique fluorescence under ultraviolet light.
- Lunar Ash - Combustion byproduct of Artemisia absinthium (wormwood) and other botanicals, collected under specific lunar phenomena.
- Elixir of Sol - A distilled mixture of botanical extracts, honey, and other organic compounds. Notable for its refractive golden hue and energy-release potential.
- Echo of Thunder - Rainwater collected during thunderstorms.
- Dragon's Breath - A gaseous compound containing sulfur dioxide, ethanol, and an unidentified proprietary catalyst. Combustion studies reveal high-temperature unknown matter.
- Veil of Orichalcum - A fabric woven from an unidentified golden alloy thread. Unusually soft.
- Circle of Binding Runes - A geometrical diagram inscribed with gold-based ink.
- The ritual described in Auric Vitae can be performed by Walter Baker - the result of which is the total transformation of his entire body into gold. This is believed to be a failure of the intended alchemical process, which describes
Sunday
Addendum 0000.6: POI 0000.3
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