Fried Rainbows

Currently working on converting this to a NOT generic magic item.

Item #: SCP-XXXX

Object Class: Safe

Special Containment Procedures: All instances of SCP-XXXX are to be kept in the velvet sheath in which the objects were originally found, and stored within a High Value Item Storage Locker at Site-1██. The locker is to have uneven and slightly jagged inner surfaces, should any new instances appear. All testing with SCP-XXXX is to be performed with either D-class personnel or remote-controlled robots, as applicable. Tests must take place in an area with a self-contained ventilation system to prevent the spread of potentially toxic materials.

Under no circumstances are any instances of SCP-XXXX allowed to be taken outside of any structures on Site-1██'s grounds.

Description: SCP-XXXX is the collective designation for a deck of 118 cards, each with dimensions 63.5x88.9 mm. Written on each card, in thick blue ink on both sides, is an alchemical symbol representing an element on the periodic table. Each symbol has been associated with the earliest civilization that discovered the element in question; these range from ancient Egyptian and Sumerian hieroglyphs to the two- or three-letter abbreviations currently in use. Each card has been designated SCP-XXXX-X, where X is the element's atomic number.

SCP-XXXX was discovered on the campus of the D. Mendeleev Institute of Chemical Technology, located in ██████, Russia, after the unexplained disappearances of 21 students and 2 faculty members during the June of 19██. The Foundation took over the investigation when 63 objects of various pure elements were found to be strewn randomly within one building. Inside the same laboratory that contained the sheathed SCP-XXXX, twenty-three of these blocks were found with the victims apparently encased inside them, with only their faces visible. Autopsy later revealed that their causes of death were not asphyxiation or acute radiation poisoning, as hypothesized, but rather appeared to be dehydration.

The object's properties were discovered when Agent L███████ removed the cards from their sheath for inspection. One card, later identified as SCP-XXXX-26, fell on a nearby desk. The Agent soon reported that he could no longer move or feel his feet, after which his partner found that they had been entrapped within solid iron. Agent L███████ was moved via emergency helicopter to Site-127's medical wing, where he died four days later. The cards were then given SCP classification, and the building was destroyed and a cover story was disseminated.

SCP-XXXX's effect manifests when a single instance is placed on any object with a flat surface, and only when no other instances are stacked on top of it. Said object will then transmute into the solid state of the element printed on that instance at a rate of 0.01 m3/s2. Original shape and size is retained, and the element will invariably be of 100% purity. Each element will always form in its most stable isotope and will always form in its solid state, regardless of surrounding temperature and pressure. Once transmutation is finished, however, the element will react to its surroundings in a non-anomalous fashion.

Spontaneously, SCP-XXXX's effect will manifest instead on and around the person attempting to transmute an object, in the shape of a rectangular prism. This conversion will always begin at the feet and travel upwards at a constant rate of 2 x 10-5 m3/s, resulting in complete imprisonment in no more than 70 minutes. Once imprisoned, subjects will invariably expire in exactly four days. No action is able to either stall or quicken these time periods, including amputation of affected areas and wounds that would otherwise be fatal.

Testing shows that the probability of SCP-XXXX's secondary effect manifesting varies with each card. The highest calculated value is 6█% for subjects attempting to use SCP-XXXX-79; the lowest calculated value is 3% for subjects attempting to use SCP-XXXX-2. Personnel interested in other probabilities should consult Document XXXX-L101 (Level 3 clearance required).

Addendum XXXX-01: A small, folded note, written in a dialect of Russian, was discovered with the cards inside the sheath. Its contents have been translated and are transcribed below.

Dear Ivan,

It appears you've found my cards. I always knew you would. You have a very curious mind, just like your father. And since you've found them, I hereby reliquish them into your possession. You will find their properties very interesting and powerful, I am certain.

You will also be ready to misuse them. Of this, I am also certain. But, my son, you must realize that my cards won't be fooled. They know they are not to be used for personal gain, and so must you.

However, I cannot control your actions. In the end, it is up to you. I suggest using them to further Man's knowledge of nature's smallest parts. You will likely live longer that way.

With love,
Dmitri Mendeleev

Addendum XXXX-03: On 05/██/1969, a new instance of SCP-XXXX, now designated SCP-XXXX-104, appeared within the safe outside of the sheath, coinciding with the successful synthesis of Rutherfordium. Since the inner surfaces were then smooth, its effect manifested, and the safe began transmuting. Once the process was complete, the new element began to decay, releasing ionizing radiation into the High Value Item Stoarge wing. The source was traced back to SCP-XXXX's locker, where the new instance was discovered. Containment procedures were updated accordingly, and SCP-XXXX was transferred to a new locker.

Addendum XXXX-04: As of 01/██/2010, fourteen more instances of SCP-XXXX have been created, always coinciding with the synthesis of a new transuranic element. Each has been added to the main deck without incident.