Ephrata Branch

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Heroic Organization
Full Name	Ephrata-228
Alias	The Ephrata Branch
Origin	THE BOILED ONE PHENOMENON
Foundation	Unknown
Headquarters	Unknown
Commanders	Unknown
Agents	Officer T. Gomez
Special Abilities / Weapons	Broadcast interception Authority over the NERC Investigation Secrecy Strategy
Goals	Intercept Broadcast-813 and prevent The Boiled One from spreading its influence (succeeded inadequately).
Type of Heroes	Pragmatic Local Protectors

The Ephrata Branch, also known as Ephrata-228, are the main protagonists of the 2024 analog horror video THE BOILED ONE PHENOMENON. They are an organization known for intercepting the anomalous communications of The Boiled One, whom they classified as PHEN-228.

Officer T. Gomez is portrayed by video creator Doctor Nowhere's grandfather.

History

Background

The origins of the Ephrata Branch remain largely unknown, though their general purpose appears to be to maintaining and protecting normality, classifying anomalies, and devising methods of containment. They also appear to have connections to various other organizations and United States government.

The contents of THE BOILED ONE PHENOMENON are structured as an informational presentation video, with media curated and used with permission from Ephrata Branch personnel. The video emphasizes that great care was taken to ensure the anonymity of those involved, as requested. It also documents safety procedures for individuals who might witness The Boiled One, and footage of him shown is intentionally distorted to suppress any hazardous effects it might have on the viewers.

THE BOILED ONE PHENOMENON

On August 13th, 2003, The Boiled One hijacked a nature documentary broadcast in Pennsylvania titled "TREE OF HEAVEN." The following day (August 14th, 2003), after television station troubleshooters detected an anomalous frequency, the Ephrata Branch ordered the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) to disable all power grids local to Pennsylvania by 4:00 PM to prevent further escalation of the anomaly and public awareness of PHEN-228. The hijacked broadcast was subsequently classified as Broadcast-813, and the entity itself as PHEN-228.

The power outage ultimately spread to various parts of New York, New Jersey, Ohio, and even Canada, creating what would become known as the Great Northeast Blackout of 2003. Almost 50 million people were without power, with some not regaining electricity until days later. During the ensuing confusion, the Ephrata Branch collected and seemingly erased all traces of Broadcast-813, including developing news articles, internet posts, recordings, and more.

The cause of the blackout was quickly covered up and attributed to a combination of human error and trees falling onto sagging power lines in Cleveland, Ohio. Unfortunately, the damage had already been done. Twelve days after Broadcast-813 was blocked from the air (August 26th, 2003), a historically massive influx of locked-in syndrome/pseudocoma, caused by PHEN-228's capabilities, occurred throughout Pennsylvania, affecting 509 people.

Over sixty victims were subsequently interviewed, though all were unable to speak and communicated exclusively through Morse code. Many interviews yielded inconclusive results that often raised more questions, with many others requiring archival or termination. The exception was Job Zamperini, an elderly WWII POW camp survivor and a unique case examined late in the investigation. As a result, Ephrata officer T. Gomez was notified and decided to interview him. The previously archived footage was later recovered.

During the interview, Job Zamperini revealed that PHEN-228 had been stalking him and his family, speaking "unholy" things only to him. He described seeing PHEN-228 rising through the window during the interview, characterizing his face as heretical and "horribly burnt."

The informational video was then abruptly intercepted by PHEN-228 himself, who appears physically in the video and speaks directly to the viewer. He cryptically discusses an apocalyptic event in which the "scalding blood of life" will pour down on humanity from an opening in the sky, a scene visually depicted in the hijacking. However, the interception was quickly cut off with a warning message declaring it is no longer safe to continue viewing due to an anomalous presence. This is described as protocol BREVITA-228, which instructs the viewer to follow the safety measures outlined at the beginning of the video.

Gallery

Officer T. Gomez of the Ephrata Branch.

THE BOILED ONE PHENOMENON

THE BOILED ONE PHENOMENON, curated by the Ephrata Branch.

Trivia

• The Ephrata Branch is likely based off of the Ephrata Cloister, which is a religious group founded in 1731 in what is now Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, the same location in which the series takes place. This would coincide with the narrative's themes of religious faith.
  • It is also very likely that the Ephrata Branch is inspired by the SCP Foundation as well. Both organizations focus on preserving societal stability, classifying unusual events, and implementing containment strategies, including large-scale interventions like disabling power grids and subsequent concealment efforts.
• The term "Ephrata" means "fruitful" or "honored" in Hebrew.