Codex Damnatio

Item #: SCP-141

Object Class: Safe

Special Containment Procedures: When not in use, SCP-141 is to be stored inside a locked safe in Site-76. Access to this safe requires security level clearance 3 or higher and written approval to use SCP-141. When SCP-141 is in use, either for implementation in accordance with Foundation goals, or for research purposes, it is to be kept within the possession of the assigned researcher at all times. Failure to account for SCP-141 will result in a severe reprimand.

While SCP-141's danger to the Foundation appears limited, it could still be a tempting target for certain subversive groups or opportunistic users. For this reason, SCP-141 is to be checked out for no more than one week at a time.

Description: SCP-141 is a small leather-bound codex dating back to Roman times, easily carried in one hand. Despite its great age, it never acquires any additional signs of wear and tear beyond a somewhat aged-looking cover. Its thin papyrus pages are always crisp, and so far have proven difficult to tear from the codex's binding. All attempts at radiocarbon dating have failed; the judgment of SCP-141 as being Roman in origin was initially based upon its appearance, but later confirmed through extensive research using SCP-141 corroborated by historical records. The title is apparently Codex Damnatio, based upon the text on its spine.

SCP-141's pages are written in Roman Republic-era Latin. It is a detailed description of notes and summations for a wide range of legal trials. This first half contains a series of historic trials from throughout history—the earliest trial appears to be from the proscriptions of the late Roman Republic, while the most recent case is the [DATA REDACTED] taking place in 20██. Each case summary is extensive, with precise witness quotations, exact physical descriptions of evidence and their importance to the case, and so on.

The codex actually contains far more legal cases than its one hundred and fifty pages could possibly allow; a reader must make a detailed reference to a range or specific case to discover if it is listed inside. If it is, the pages will transform into those relating to the specified case. This requires specific mentions of historical context surrounding the case(s). Research with SCP-141 conducted by Professor ██████ revealed SCP-141 has apparently been employed in, among other important periods, a wide variety of Roman proscriptions, heretical trials of the Catholic Church (including the conviction of [DATA REDACTED]), the Spanish Inquisition, the witch hunts of the 17th century, and the Red Scare of the mid-20th century.

The latter half of the book is blank, and can be written in with any pen with black ink. A user of SCP-141 must provide detailed information about a criminal proceeding, including victim, evidence, witness statements, and suspects, and they must do so in Republic-era Latin. Later readings of the book will reveal these new cases in the first half of the book, written in the same handwriting as the rest—a very precise, careful hand.

When this information is provided to SCP-141, the particulars of the case described in SCP-141 appear to become "true" in regards to memory and evidence surrounding the case. Witnesses' memories and testimony will correspond to the information written in SCP-141. Falsified evidence springs into existence in accordance with its description, usually appearing in the court record or the crime scene where it can easily be discovered. This has included murder weapons, suspicious traces of the subject such as fluids or fingerprints, stolen items, or incriminating documents.

SCP-141 appears able to cause criminal activities that would not have taken place, although this requires even more precise wording and description of the particulars. The "guilty" party specified by SCP-141 may have a false memory implanted that corresponds with SCP-141's account of events, although this result requires a clever description of the desired scenario. These memories do not overwrite the original ones, but they do seem quite nearly as real.

Care must be taken by all users to ensure as many loopholes are closed as possible. SCP-141's falsifications will stand up to all but the most critical of examinations, but it will only produce precisely the memories and evidence written inside it. While it appears to prejudice the court against the "guilty" party, this is not foolproof. Nonetheless, successfully employed, SCP-141 is an almost surefire conviction. Even in the event of exoneration, "guilty" subjects will often still be ostracized and viewed as guilty by influenced witnesses and law enforcement personnel, who may in some cases [DATA REDACTED].

Addendum [SCP-141a]: Tests are ongoing to determine if SCP-141 is capable of exonerating an innocent man wrongly convicted, or if changing the results during the trial has any measurable effect. Approval to employ SCP-141 in a "test case" is pending.

Addendum [SCP-141b]: Following [DATA REDACTED], all test cases involving Foundation disciplinary hearings or implicating members of the Foundation other than D-Class personnel without signed waivers from the "guilty" subject are hereby forbidden by O5-█. Violation of this new security protocol shall be dealt with harshly.