On Mount Golgotha is a series of stories involving a vast world existing well past the surface of SCP-012. It is a collection designed to show the power of the oldest, simplest ideas on the wiki, bringing them together with current writing standards and adding depth, but without forgetting what made them powerful in the first place.
There is intrigue, horror, romance, obsession, secrets, tainted elegance and egregious insanity.
And, of course, music.
Music is the intersection of emotion and time. It's an art form that has only an ephemeral existence, but its impact can be profound, even visceral. What music needs to bring it to life is the talent and will of musicians - and their emotions. Music is food for the soul, of course, but it also requires an outpouring of the soul to nourish it - it feeds on the soul.
All of these things - all of the breadth and power of music - will form part of On Mount Golgotha.
The table below sets out the main On Mount Golgotha storyline in reading order, following Emma Stark and her investigation of SCP-012. Key SCP articles and related tales are also set out in suggested reading order. The tales in the Divertissement can be read out of order with the main suites.
Prelude
First Suite
Divertissement
Second Suite
| Relevant SCP articles |
Main Storyline |
| SCP-333 |
Lessons for Old Dogs |
|
Duets |
Junior Researcher Emma Stark
Emma Stark is a recent graduate, newly placed on her first assignment in containment and analysis of SCP-012. However, one should not assume she is a mere neophyte to the Foundation's ways; her parents were Foundation researchers themselves, and she knows how to walk the hallways and listen to orders.
She is creative and self-confident, curious and analytical, but is used to doing as she is told. Although this commonly results in her keeping her musicality and insight to herself, she secretly fears more than anything the loss of her talent.
Former Agent Roger Anderson
Roger Anderson is the first Foundation operative to survive contact with SCP-012. He and his partner Leon Spitzer went to Florence back in 1966 in response to the floods to pick up a copy of SCP-701. They were not ready to deal with SCP-012, and Agent Spitzer paid with his life. Since then, he dedicated his life to understanding cognitohazards, their vectors, and their influence on everyday life.
But those days are behind him. Now, he's into his 80s, and still with the Foundation, because he vowed never, ever to take amnestics again. Losing his memory was too painful, the last time, and he's learned far more by now. Far too much to lose.
Dr. Stuart Pherson
Dr. Pherson is the principal researcher for SCP-012. Balancing the need for containment with the undeniable curiosity to learn more about how it works, he has worked out a series of methods to protect himself from cognitohazardous effects. Chief among these is the Socratic method: he prefers to ask questions of people, in order to help structure their thought processes to accurate conclusions - or to make the inherent contradiction apparent to all. But is he asking himself the right questions?
Mobile Task Force Eta-11 ("Savage Beasts")
MTF Eta-11 specialises in sonic, auditory and musical anomalies. It was established as one of the Foundation's original mobile task forces, essentially as an auditory counterpart to MTF Eta-10 ("See No Evil"). However, despite its competence, it has never been as well-regarded as Eta-10 - over the years, its role in containment of aural memes has been subsumed by the Memetics Department, and the relatively limited number of auditory anomalies has reduced the need for a specialist team.
By the time the canon begins, the MTF is down to a few long-serving members, and a couple of unconventional newer recruits.
Commander Samuel Richards
Commanding officer of Eta-11 for many years. In his late 50s, Richards is a cynical, tightly-wound veteran who is very sensitive about the decline of the team under his watch. He strongly discourages behaviour that might reinforce the perception of the MTF as irrelevant or not to be taken seriously, including a preference not to use their nickname. Richards is a competent commander, adept at planning and tactics, and responds well to unexpected challenges. Despite his outward demeanour, he also cares about his team's welfare, although they may not realise it based on his punishing training regime.
Agent Helen Zhao
Another veteran, Zhao left behind a career as a music teacher and pianist to join the Foundation. Having grown up playing for the church choir, Zhao hasn't had much use for religion after her experiences in the Foundation, but her upbringing is still a big personality factor. She plays a "den mother" role to a certain extent, but that switches off when she is on assignment.
Agent Hennessy
The oldest surviving member of Eta-11, Hennessy has seen it all. But not heard it all - an early assignment with the team rendered him completely deaf. Fortunately, deafness can be an advantage when dealing with auditory anomalies, meaning that Hennessy is a key member of the team. The rest of the team has learned ASL to allow easy communication, and Hennessy remains largely a relaxed and encouraging presence. Although there is a fine line between relaxed and fatalistic.
Agent "Sandra Dee"
Dee is not her real name. It's her personnel class. Originally assigned to Eta-11 for use as a test subject for SCP-092, Agent Dee spent long enough with the team that their initial wariness has turned into respect, camaraderie and even a level of trust. She has since been made a semi-official member of the MTF, an unprecedented event which says as much about the team's lack of numbers as it does about Agent Dee's ability. Having gone through prison and D-Class treatment, her tough persona hides complex feelings about her relationship with the team and her role in it. Her background before the Foundation is not known - Agent Dee is extremely guarded about personal matters, and has not ever revealed her real name.
Agent Mike Carter
Young and boundlessly enthusiastic, Agent Carter is Eta-11's only recent recruit. Approached by the Foundation for his programming skills, he found life within the AI team didn't live up to the promise of saving the world, and asked to be transferred to an active role. Despite not having seen any real-world action in his 18 months with the MTF, Agent Carter has enjoyed the chance to get hands-on experience with anomalies, and to expand his technical skills. Without anyone realising it, he has added an air of optimism to the entire team.
Villains
Thieves
Mt Golgotha has been around for a long time, and many things have happened there. Well-documented is the crucifixion of two thieves. The Penitent Thief, Dismas, repented of his crimes, and was granted grace. Gestas, the Impenitent Thief, scorned mercy, and died.
Were both of them villains? Who were they before they were raised up on that hill? Are we sure there were only two? Patterns repeat.
Patrons
Concealed. Indirect. Powerful. They have an interest in the completion of a great work, and will use their influence to bring it to fruition. Their ultimate goals are unclear, but they have acted through the ages to foster obsession with SCP-012, and they are willing to sacrifice anything to ensure it is performed.
Outsiders
Jayden Williams, aka "ProfetiX"
Better known as SCP-2992, Jayden has several memetic effects on people with whom he is in contact, including the inability to get a song out of their head, and an increased tolerance for obscure music. He also has a "friend" that knows a great deal about music, even music from beyond this world.
D-7294
First introduced in SCP-2458, D-7294 is a classically trained concert cellist who, according to his psychological profile documentation, exhibits sociopathic personality disorder. The Foundation recognizes the risk he represents in the way he delights in playing with human lives, but his musical ability makes him stand out from other test subjects - can it be long before the Foundation considers asking him to play SCP-012?
St Alagadda
Did you expect answers here? What makes you think you can understand the unknowable? Only your worship is required. Only your soul.
The world of "On Mount Golgotha" is a classical wainscot horror setting. For most people, the world operates exactly as normal. Only a few know of the anomalies clawing at the boundaries of what is real.
The Foundation acts to preserve those boundaries, and to keep the public safe from the knowledge that would undo society. It works through essentially everyday means - yes, it might have a few technological advances, but these are based on scientific research. This Foundation does not use "magic". It does not have anomalous entities on staff.
The people who work at this Foundation are real people, with everyday worries, hopes, desires and frustrations. How they respond to events and revelations beyond their comprehension, the tension between the person building a torch and the darkness beyond, is what drives the story.
While each character should feel real and relatable, the story as a whole has a grand scope. Each note has larger echoes - everything can be a symbol for something else, so everything can have double-meanings or greater significance. Cross-linking is encouraged - the forces at work in this canon extend into many of the corners of the Foundation's universe, and things and people that may have seemed simple may be part of a larger pattern. The connections are there, even when we aren't aware of them. And sometimes the same pattern can arise independently in many places, at the same time. Time and emotion - music can't exist without both.
The following documents have been referenced in the canon to date. If you find something that works, feel free to include it in your story!
SCP Documentation:
SCP-012: A Bad Composition. This is the starting point. Know what this is, and how it can be used.
SCP-2402: That Takes Me Back. A score for Eta-11, with a hint of regret.
SCP-1638: Silence. A meaningful place for Charles Mace.
SCP-2458: Music Hath Charms. A first hint into what the song behind OMG is about.
SCP-2519: Cry me a river. Music can move the blackest, most unfeeling of hearts.
SCP-1841-EX: Lisztomania. Some of the dangers of music explored.
SCP-701: The Hanged King's Tragedy. Only mentioned in passing, but what does the Ambassador of Alagadda know?
SCP-1668: Deliver Us From Knowledge. Music may be deterministic, but what is determinism when all souls of all time join?
SCP-2264: In the Court of Alagadda. The first hints of something behind the Metropolis of Blood.
SCP-2992: Everything Flows Toward Cadence. ProfetiX is a caretaker of the beautiful children of humankind. He wishes only that all music have its place in the hearts of everyone. Except this one piece.
A number of other SCPs have been identified as important and useful, but have not yet been referenced by the canon:
SCP-1301
SCP-1687
SCP-1758
SCP-1981
SCP-1012
SCP-2890
SCP-043
SCP-2137
WrongJohnSilver: On Mount Golgotha becomes the place where purple prose is more welcome than typically otherwise. I expect the horror to be more Gothic in nature. I expect the conspiracy to have more of a Da Vinci Code feel. The connections back to Renaissance Italy and similar times and places will be greater. A sense of history, the sumptuousness of the opera, a place for the cultured, the refined, the monsters who can hide in the trappings of gentility. It's a mathematical puzzle in meter and pitch. It's a land of dark temptation and obsession, the sort of beauty one expects in a Victorian madhouse.
For people who want to tell these sort of stories in the Foundation, On Mount Golgotha will tempt them with the fruit of knowledge.
psul: For me, On Mount Golgotha is where the Foundation collides with both mystery and Grand Guignol. There is tension between the rational approach of the Foundation, the idea of a labyrinth of conspiracies lying under its surface, and the slick mess of blood and viscera behind the walls of that labyrinth. It's like starting to peel an onion, finding more and more layers, an impossible number, until you think they will go forever, only to suddenly unwrap a torn-out human tongue, still moving. It's like walking across a bare, sterile room, bathed in red light, turning the dials of a complex safe, pulling out the crumbling parchment within, and thinking, "that doesn't look like ink".
Because ultimately, it all comes back to blood. SCP-012 teases us with that fact, withholding answers to draw us in. Why does it have to be written in blood? Why would anyone create something that requires mutilation and death to exist? Is the cacophony deliberate, or is it a horrible irony? What is the purpose behind this object?
Essentially the question becomes: does SCP-012 require blood as part of a larger, more complex design, or is it only to cause a senseless orgy of violence and death?
In On Mount Golgotha, the answer is: "Both".
Can I write for this storyline?
Yes! Come visit us in chat, by PM, or in the discussion for this page if you have any questions.
I have an idea for this storyline. Where can I suggest it?
Suggest in the comments for this hub! We're always enjoying new interpretations!
Can I use established characters and SCPs? How about new characters?
Yes, absolutely! Part of the idea behind the canon is the interconnectivity of the world. Your characters are welcome to get involved! Feel free to ask other people for permission for their works, but inspiration has a way of being rewarded.
Can I contribute in ways other than writing?
Please do! Artwork is always welcome (and hey, 
Scorpion451 did a lovely job with the logo). And if you're thinking of adding music or audio… that, we always need more of. Music has a way of bleeding into these stories, interspersed throughout.
How can I add stories to this hub?
Just get some of the established OMG writers to approve it (you can find us in chat or by PM), and you can add at any time. However, don't see us as gatekeepers; we're mainly here to help critique the story and assist with continuity. We just want to help make sure your ideas stick.
The main writers to date for the canon are 
WrongJohnSilver and 
psul, with 
LadyKatie, 
CumaeanSibyl, and 
Smapti contributing.
But SCP-012 sucks! Why are you using that?
WJS: Well, let me start by being completely honest in my opinion: SCP-012 sucks.
However, it is a very popular SCP regardless in the greater world. It's appeared in Containment Breach for a reason. When you read the article, sure, it pales in comparison with what has been written afterward. However, there is undeniably a soul to the article, an emotional undercurrent that inspires.
And that's the point.
On Mount Golgotha is about how emotions inspire us, how thoughts come to fruition, how things can be simultaneously obsolete and timeless. It's an exploration of our drives, our passions, our need for art and symbology and love and pain in order for the world to have meaning. It's about how our drives consume us, expand past their source, grow to become ideas and concepts far greater and far removed from the initial seed.
And when you realize that, you realize that the factual quality of that seed is immaterial.
WrongJohnSilver and
LadyKatie
psul
Smapti
CumaeanSibyl
Decibelles