What is the eye of Magnus? : The Elder Scrolls Series Discussion

» Thu May 03, 2012 8:24 pm

I dunno.. also possible, but the Aldmeri and Thalmor seem to be so committed to destroying Mundus that they wouldn't dare let a chance like that slip through their grasp.

Those Altmer can be quite proud, maybe to the point of forsaking goals for personal glory? Maybe not, but that's all I could think of. Possibly to a lesser extent, where he did contact the Thalmor but decided to take it upon himself to do something before the Psijics/College did something.

» Thu May 03, 2012 11:07 pm

It isn't impossible that Ancano did report to the Thalmor, after all they did sent that other fella to intercept the Staff of Magnus. They probably would have sent more to support Ancano, but they couldn't just waltz in with 300 battlemages without causing an uproar, so they just had Ancano stall for time/try to unmake it on his own.

» Fri May 04, 2012 3:03 am

It isn't impossible that Ancano did report to the Thalmor, after all they did sent that other fella to intercept the Staff of Magnus. They probably would have sent more to support Ancano, but they couldn't just waltz in with 300 battlemages without causing an uproar, so they just had Ancano stall for time/try to unmake it on his own.

The entire debacle was an elaborate Thalmor plot. They knew the Eye was there, and this is why Ancano was sent to the college; but they also knew that they couldn't remove it without kicking up a storm of imperial and stormcloak opposition, so they hatched a little scheme. Leaving Ancano and his close colleagues out of the loop, other agents were dispatched to pose as monks of the psijic order and to guide the mages of the college to remove the Eye from beneath the ruins. This is also why Ancano is so upset when the 'monk' arrives to speak with the DB; he recognizes his fellow, and realizes that he is as much a pawn, and expendable, as anyone. Ancano makes his move to claim the Eye, as ordered by his superiors, who anticipate the damage he will cause and his subsequent liquidation by the college mages. Then, following the model of Shock and Awe, the 'monks' arrive again to 'remove the destabilized Eye to safety.' The DB, having fulfilled his unwitting role in delivering the artifact they've sought for millennia, is awarded the empty title of Archmage in an act of supreme mockery compounded by the fact that Savos Aren's corpse lies cold and stiff in the college courtyard.

The Thalmor claim the eye for themselves, and not even the bumbling mages of the Synod are made aware.

» Thu May 03, 2012 7:24 pm

The entire debacle was an elaborate Thalmor plot. They knew the Eye was there, and this is why Ancano was sent to the college; but they also knew that they couldn't remove it without kicking up a storm of imperial and stormcloak opposition, so they hatched a little scheme. Leaving Ancano and his close colleagues out of the loop, other agents were dispatched to pose as monks of the psijic order and to guide the mages of the college to remove the Eye from beneath the ruins. This is also why Ancano is so upset when the 'monk' arrives to speak with the DB; he recognizes his fellow, and realizes that he is as much a pawn, and expendable, as anyone. Ancano makes his move to claim the Eye, as ordered by his superiors, who anticipate the damage he will cause and his subsequent liquidation by the college mages. Then, following the model of Shock and Awe, the 'monks' arrive again to 'remove the destabilized Eye to safety.' The DB, having fulfilled his unwitting role in delivering the artifact they've sought for millennia, is awarded the empty title of Archmage in an act of supreme mockery compounded by the fact that Savos Aren's corpse lies cold and stiff in the college courtyard.

The Thalmor claim the eye for themselves, and not even the bumbling mages of the Synod are made aware.

I'm pretty sure that the Thalmor don't possess the ability to stop time the way the Psijic monk did when he talked to the Dragonborn.

» Fri May 04, 2012 12:04 am

Well, maybe we should consolidate the facts surrounding the artifact?

Was under Sarthaarl. (excuse spelling)
Sarthaarl was sacked by the Falmer during the Night of Tears. But the eye was left under the city for what ever reason, guarded by an undead mage.

The eye is inscribed with ancient runes - possibly Falmer? (easy enough to compare them I guess?)
The Eye could be manipulated/repaired by the Staff of Magnus.

The Thalmor attempted to destroy it, after which it was taken by the Psyjic order into safe keeping.

That's all I can remember off hand.

The eye was protected by an undead mage? The only person I can even think of is the Gauldur boy, but he was cursed there by his brethren.

» Fri May 04, 2012 12:36 am

I have to imagine that Gauldur is mixed up in this somehow. Or is Saarthal just that happening a place?

» Fri May 04, 2012 12:29 am

I'm pretty sure that the Thalmor don't possess the ability to stop time the way the Psijic monk did when he talked to the Dragonborn.

I was mostly joking, though following the conspiracy theory, the 'time stop' would have amounted to illusion-magic hand-waving.

» Fri May 04, 2012 12:14 am

I really, really, really, like the "Eye is all of Aurbis" idea.

The entire debacle was an elaborate Thalmor plot. They knew the Eye was there, and this is why Ancano was sent to the college; but they also knew that they couldn't remove it without kicking up a storm of imperial and stormcloak opposition, so they hatched a little scheme. Leaving Ancano and his close colleagues out of the loop, other agents were dispatched to pose as monks of the psijic order and to guide the mages of the college to remove the Eye from beneath the ruins. This is also why Ancano is so upset when the 'monk' arrives to speak with the DB; he recognizes his fellow, and realizes that he is as much a pawn, and expendable, as anyone. Ancano makes his move to claim the Eye, as ordered by his superiors, who anticipate the damage he will cause and his subsequent liquidation by the college mages. Then, following the model of Shock and Awe, the 'monks' arrive again to 'remove the destabilized Eye to safety.' The DB, having fulfilled his unwitting role in delivering the artifact they've sought for millennia, is awarded the empty title of Archmage in an act of supreme mockery compounded by the fact that Savos Aren's corpse lies cold and stiff in the college courtyard.

The Thalmor claim the eye for themselves, and not even the bumbling mages of the Synod are made aware.

I don't think that this is true, but it does sound awesome!

» Thu May 03, 2012 8:12 pm

Magnus didn't leave... he was eaten! And the eye is evidence, they would like destroyed.

» Thu May 03, 2012 2:31 pm

Magnus didn't leave... he was eaten! And the eye is evidence, they would like destroyed.

Ssshhh! THEY are watching, man!

» Thu May 03, 2012 6:57 pm

And Akatosh jammed his adamantine wang right into High Rock, literally having six with Nirn?

I've been saying this for ages. I thought that's what we all thought?
I mean, the phallic symbolism of the Towers and his "sleek and shining vessel" are of course obvious, but I always thought it was a bit literal.
I guess that could've just been the concept departments of my mind getting damp and soggy leading to bits of "Muatra" dripping into "Adamantine". ahem. Have a hard time keeping ideas from getting cross-contaminated when it comes to TES.

» Thu May 03, 2012 6:02 pm

I have to imagine that Gauldur is mixed up in this somehow. Or is Saarthal just that happening a place?

I've been curious about the Gauldur brother protecting the eye, I hope his connection to it is more than a magical "proximity effect".

» Thu May 03, 2012 9:34 pm

A lot of [VEHK] seems to have gone down in Saarthal, so I suppose coincidence is possible. But I'd prefer to think that it's all down to the same phenomenon.

Probably KINMUNE.

» Thu May 03, 2012 2:32 pm

EDIT: In the game files I have found Phinis Gestor mentioning a very interesting theory in one of his lectures. Don't know if you can actually see it in the game, but it is very interesting indeed:
"It has been proposed that the object is in fact the entirety of Aurbis in one physical space. This would of course mean Tamriel, indeed all of Mundus, is actually contained within the sphere. It further suggests that we are somehow then outside our own existence while looking at it. While the idea seems dubious at best, it has not, at present, been entirely ruled out."

Reminds me of The Eyes of the Overworld by Jack Vance. While working on the huge construction site of the wizard Pharesm, our impoverished antihero Cugel finds a small gelatinous creature, spheroid with many transparent tentacles.

A new thought occurred to Cugel. The creature displayed qualities reminiscent of both coelenterate and echinoderm. A terrene nudibranch? A mollusc deprived of its shell? More importantly, was the creature edible?

He decides the answer is yes. takes the opportunity to grill it over a fire and eat it. Unfortunately, this little creature is actually the goal of his employer's 318-year long magical-architectural project:

Pharesm drew himself to his full height, glared down at Cugel. The " 'creature,' " he said in a grating voice, "is TOTALITY. The central globe is all of space, viewed from the inverse. The tubes are vortices into various eras, and what terrible acts you have accomplished with your prodding and poking, your boiling and chewing, are impossible to imagine!"