Elder Scrolls
Advertisement
Elder Scrolls
Not to be confused with Orrery.
MzulftOculory

Mzulft Oculary after placing the Focusing Crystal

An Oculory was a massive, stationary machine created by the Dwemer. There were two types of Oculory created by the Dwemer; the one located in Mzulft was used to display maps that highlight locations of magical artifacts. The Oculory in the Tower of Mzark within Blackreach was used to store and protect unique and powerful artifacts. Hidden away within the ruins of Mzulft and Tower of Mzark in Blackreach, the Oculory was an extremely advanced machine and one of the notable technological advances and creations made by the Dwemer.

During the Fourth Era, an organization of mages known as The Synod went to Mzulft to experiment with the device, designed to collect starlight and transmute it, analyze it, into projectable energy.

Design and function[]

According to Paratus Decimius, the Orrery at the Arcane University inspired the design for the Oculory at Mzulft; however, instead of portraying a map of the stars, the Oculory was designed to portray all of Tamriel, to help The Synod locate magical relics of interest.

There is another Oculory located inside the Tower of Mzark; this Oculory has a completely different purpose and function than the Oculory at Mzulft. According to Septimus Signus the Dwemer had devised a method to read and transcribe the information stored within an elder scroll, without risking the blindness induced by their repeated viewing. The warp in light produced by the Oculory's array of lenses, while preventing physical harm, was still unable (by the nature of the information within a scroll) to shield one's mind from the progressive maddening associated with repetitive viewing. Employing the use of a Dwemer Lexicon, as is done with the  Elder Scroll (Dragon) per Signus' request, can allow the information to be transcribed into a representative format, which may then be analysed without so much as glimpsing the original source.

Operation[]

The Oculory is susceptible to Frost Damage and Fire Damage. The Spell Tomes of Frostbite and Flames on the table beside its control mechanisms exists for the purpose of moving its lenses and thus redirecting its light beams. Only one spell, cast by one hand, is needed to move the beams. Dual Wielding any combination of frost and fire spells also moves the beams.

Once the light beams on the Dwemer Apparatus align with the lenses hung on the rotating ceiling, it displays a map of Tamriel on a wall of rock. Without the Focusing Crystal, the device remains inactive.

Dwemer Cities containing an Oculory[]

Quests[]

Gallery[]

Appearances[]

Advertisement