Lore:Penitus Oculatus

Penitus Oculatus emblem

"If you're given a clear order to steal, injure, poison, stab, or generally do murder, your brain is only to help you with the method and the execution. You are an instrument, a utensil of the Empire." – Intendant Marall

Penitus Oculatus means "The Inner Eyes." As their name suggests, they are the eyes, the sword, and the shield of the Mede Dynasty.

They seemingly took up the duties of the Imperial Order of Blades and Imperial Guard after the fall of the Septim Dynasty.

History

In the Fourth Era, as the Septim's royal family decayed, and the Dragonborn Emperors were no more, the Blades saw fit to distance themselves from the Empire, espousing to no longer serve as the Imperial honor guard, and working from afar as an intelligence agency and "neutral" allies of the Empire, then again, the Blades are said to be loyal to the Empire and Tiber's code, but not always to the current Emperor.

Around this time, the Penitus Oculatus came into the fray, becoming the new intelligence, assassination, and security force of the new royal family. Unlike the Blades, the Penitus Oculatus is a purely Imperial organization. The Penitus Oculatus requires its members to have sharp senses and a willingness to kill. Their recruitment process is oftentimes a brutal one, as displayed by Inspector Colin's task to assassinate an old man. The purpose of such a recruitment process was to weed out those unwilling to actually go through with murder and other usually immoral tasks.

Circa 4E 40, Remar Vel was the Administrator of the Penitus Oculatus.

The Penitus Oculatus gained greater duties and importance following the Great War and the dissolution of the Blades dictated by the White-Gold Concordat.^{[verification needed — what's the source for "greater duties and importance"?]}

Notable Members

• Remar Vel, Administrator of Penitus Oculatus circa 4E 40
• Marall, Intendant of Penitus Oculatus circa 4E 40
• Colin Vineben, Inspector of Penitus Oculatus circa 4E 40, played an integral role in stopping the Umbriel Crisis, exposed the corrupt Prime Minister Hierem
• Maro, Commander of Penitus Oculatus in Skyrim circa 4E 201, played an integral role in the destruction of the last known Dark Brotherhood sanctuary in Tamriel, failed to protect his liege, Emperor Titus Mede II, from assassins
• Arcturus, played a role in the destruction of the last known Dark Brotherhood sanctuary in Tamriel

Penitus Oculatus Ranks

A Penitus Oculatus Agent

The exact hierarchy of ranks, the nuances between them, and the trajectory of advancement, has not been spelled out, but can generally be understood as categorized below.

• Administrator
• Commander
• Intendant
• Professor
• Assassin
• Agent
• Inspector, they're so infamous, that Penitus Oculatus envoys as a whole are colloquially called "spectres"
• Recruit

Notes

• The Penitus Oculatus is known to have spies in groups of Thalmor sympathizers.
• The Penitus Oculatus seemingly maintain a system of "Tehall's", which serve as dormitories for their servicemen.

Gallery

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  Penitus Oculatus Agent (Skyrim)

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  Commander Maro, leader of the Penitus Oculatus in Skyrim circa 4E 201

References

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